What a Trip! (14 page)

When we entered, he lifted his face in a surprised sort of way. “May I help you?”

“Hey,” I said. “I'm Devin. This is Frankie. We're looking for a guy named Mr. Scrooge. Are you Mr. Scrooge or Mr. Marley?”

The man's expression turned puzzled. “Oh, I'm afraid Mr. Marley is dead.”

Frankie and I looked at each other. We were thinking the same thing. Ghosts. Eeew.

“In fact Jacob Marley died seven years ago this very night,” the man said. “Such a pity to die on Christmas Eve, of all days!”

“It's Christmas Eve? Already?” I asked. “Wow, zero shopping days left. The local mall must be crammed with people—”

“Devin,” said Frankie, giving me a nudge.

Then I remembered. People in the books we drop into don't know anything outside their own stories. This guy had never heard of a mall. But looking at his faded clothes, I wondered if he did much shopping anyway.

The man nodded kindly. “My name is Bob Cratchit, by the way.”

“So,” said Frankie. “If you aren't Scrooge, then who
is
—”

“Cratchit!” a sharp voice shouted behind us. “What's going on out there!”

We whirled around and stared into the inner room.

A thin old man sat at a large black desk. His features were sharp. He had a long, pointed nose and a narrow, wiry chin. His cheeks were all shriveled up, his eyes were red, his lips were thin and blue, and his voice was sharp and grating.

When he saw us standing there, he jumped around his desk, growled like a bear, grabbed a ruler as if it were a sword, and charged at us!

“Yikes!” I cried.

“That,” whispered Bob Cratchit, “is Mr. Scrooge!”

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About the Author

Over the last two decades, Tony Abbott has written dozens of mysteries, comics, and adventure books for young readers aged six to fourteen, with series including Danger Guys, the Time Surfers, the Weird Zone, Underworlds, Goofballs, and the long-running fantasy series the Secrets of Droon. He is also the author of the fantasy epic
Kringle
and the realistic novels
Firegirl
(winner of the 2006 Golden Kite Award for Fiction), The
Postcard
(winner of the 2008 Edgar Award for Best Juvenile Mystery), and
Lunch-Box Dream
. Among his latest novels is
The Forbidden Stone
, the first installment of the twelve-book saga the Copernicus Legacy. Tony has taught on the faculty of Lesley University's MFA program in creative writing, is a frequent conference speaker and visitor to schools, and presents workshops to creative writers of all ages. His websites include
www.tonyabbottbooks.com
,
www.thecopernicuslegacy.com
, and the literary blog
www.fridaybookreport.com
.

All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2002 by Tony Abbott

Cover design by Connie Gabbert

ISBN: 978-1-4804-8689-8

This edition published in 2014 by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.

345 Hudson Street

New York, NY 10014

www.openroadmedia.com

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