Read The Sasquatch Escape (The Imaginary Veterinary) Online

Authors: Suzanne Selfors

Tags: #Juvenile Fiction / Juvenile Fiction / Animals / Dragons, #Unicorns & Mythical, #Juvenile Fiction / Fantasy & Magic, #Juvenile Fiction / Action & Adventure - General, #Juvenile Fiction / Mysteries & Detective Stories, #Juvenile Fiction / Social Issues - Friendship

The Sasquatch Escape (The Imaginary Veterinary) (7 page)

BOOK: The Sasquatch Escape (The Imaginary Veterinary)
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“Keep it?” The man frowned. “That is not possible.” Then his gaze darted to the birdcage. The little pile of ashes began to glow, sparks rising as if it were the remains of a very tiny campfire. “The phoenix arises. Wait here.” He shut the door.

“Phoenix?” Pearl said. “I know what that is. I know all about birds. I have a bird-nest collection.” Then she went on to explain: “A phoenix is a bird that bursts into flame, then is reborn from its ashes.”

Before Ben could comment, the door opened and the red-haired man, now empty-handed, stood once again in the doorway. “Are you from the Imaginary World?” he asked the kids.

Ben and Pearl shared a bewildered look. Then they both shook their heads.

“Then you cannot keep the hatchling. Imaginary World creatures are not allowed to live in the Known World. It is against the rules.”

Known World? Imaginary World? A shiver
slithered down Ben’s spine. What was this man talking about?

“When you say the ‘Imaginary World,’ do you mean it’s an actual place?” Pearl asked.

“Of course it is an actual place,” the man replied. “Where else would the hatchling have come from?” Then he cleared his throat. “Oh dear, perhaps I should not have said that.”

A faint squeak echoed inside the cookie tin. Although Ben’s head was swimming with questions, he knew the baby dragon needed help. “Please, could we see Dr. Woo?”

“Dr. Woo is not here. She is making a house call. But I am in charge during her absence.” The man stepped aside. “If you will not relinquish the creature, then you had best come in.”

9

T
hey stood in a big, cold room. Sparkling cobwebs crisscrossed the high ceiling. Strips of peeling white paint hung from the walls as if something very large had been sharpening its claws in the concrete. A faded sign stood on its side against the far wall next to an elevator. Two doors flanked the room.

“Please forgive the mess,” the man said. “We have only been here
a few days. It is rather difficult to move an entire hospital.” He nodded toward some moving boxes that were stacked in one corner. A pile of buttons lay in another corner, next to a broom. The birdcage was nowhere to be seen.

“How come you need such a big place?” Ben asked. “Worms are so small.”

“We have one room for worms. The other rooms are for…
other things
.” The man held out his hand. “Allow me to introduce myself. My name
is Mr. Tabby. I am in charge of identifying and registering each patient.” He shook Pearl’s hand, then shook Ben’s. His sharp fingernails prickled Ben’s skin. “And you are?”

“I’m Pearl Petal.”

“I’m Ben Silverstein.”

“Well, Pearl Petal and Ben Silverstein, before we proceed, you must sign this.” The man pulled out a piece of paper from his vest pocket.

“I’m not supposed to sign anything without my mother or father reading it first,” Pearl explained as she refused to take the pen Mr. Tabby offered. “I signed some papers once, and we ended up with a big satellite dish on our roof. I was grounded for two weeks. No computer. No candy. No nothing.”

The man wiggled the pen. “You cannot go into the Identification Room if you do not sign this paper. If you do not sign this paper, I will have to take the hatchling and leave you here.”

“I’ll sign it,” Ben said. He handed the cookie tin to Pearl. Then he read the paper while Pearl looked over his shoulder.

“Vaporizing?” Ben asked. “Wait a minute. That sounds dangerous.”

“Oh, it is dangerous. Extremely dangerous. And painful.” Mr. Tabby pulled out a little device from his vest pocket and typed something on its keypad. “But according to my creature calculator, there are no vaporizing creatures currently in the hospital. The odds of your being vaporized today are zero.”

“But what about these other things?” Ben asked. “Shredding? I don’t want to be shredded.”

“I think crushing sounds worse,” Pearl said.

Mr. Tabby frowned. “I cannot guarantee your
safety. That is why you must sign the paper.” He held out the pen. “You cannot accompany the hatchling into the Identification Room unless you sign. Both of you.”

Ben signed. Pearl hesitated but then signed. Mr. Tabby tucked the paper into his vest pocket. “Now, if you’ll please follow—”

A roar filled the room—the kind of roar that should be capitalized and followed by at least three exclamation marks.
ROAR!!!
It went on for a very long time, as if the creature making the sound had the largest lungs in the world. Cobwebs drifted down from the ceiling as something stomped on the floor above.

During the roar, Ben thought about all sorts of things. He thought he’d like to run in the opposite direction of the roar and keep running until he ended up back at his grandfather’s house. Then he thought that he shouldn’t run, because that would make him look like a chicken. But then he thought that it was better to look like a chicken than to be stomped, or crushed, or shredded.

“What was that?” Pearl asked as the roar faded.

“I dare not say.” Mr. Tabby smoothed out the front of his vest. “Now, on to business.” As he opened the door to the Identification Room, he said to Ben, “Would you be so kind as to bolt the front door?”

As Pearl followed Mr. Tabby into the Identification Room, the cookie tin still in her hands, Ben hurried across the lobby. He grabbed the dead bolt, but it wouldn’t budge. He didn’t have dead bolts in his house back in Los Angeles. Instead, there was a security keypad that activated an alarm system. Ben pinched his fingers trying to slide the rusty bolt into place. After a few tries, he gave up. The door was closed—that was good enough. Besides, he didn’t want to miss one second of whatever was going on in the other room.

10

P
lease set the patient on the identification table,” Mr. Tabby said.

The table sat in the middle of a cluttered room. A wide conveyor belt ran from one end of the table to a huge hole in the wall. The hole led into a tunnel of some sort.

Mr. Tabby handed Ben and Pearl each a fire-fighter’s helmet. “We must take precautions. Even a hatchling can produce a powerful flame.”

“It did,” Ben said. “It almost fried my face.”

Mr. Tabby set a helmet on his head, then lowered
the face shield. Ben and Pearl did the same. “Step away, please.” The kids stepped back as Mr. Tabby removed the lid of the cookie tin.

BOOK: The Sasquatch Escape (The Imaginary Veterinary)
4.29Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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