Part 7 (1/2)
CONTACT DAISY AND JESSE at 55-2245. at 55-2245.
92.***
The next morning, Uncle Joe was already out in the Rock Shop when Jesse and Daisy brought Emmy downstairs to the kitchen. Daisy gave Emmy some lettuce leaves for breakfast. The dragon was still hungry, so Jesse fed her a whole tub of cottage cheese, then a chunk of Swiss cheese, some strawberry yogurt, a pint of coleslaw, and five small b.a.l.l.s of mozzarella.
”She's like the Very Hungry Caterpillar!” Daisy declared.
”Hmmm,” said Jesse thoughtfully, staring at Emmy's belly, ”which was bulging now.
Daisy lifted her up and tucked her into the hood of Jesse's sweats.h.i.+rt. ”She feels heavier today. Does she feel heavier to you?” Daisy asked.
”Well, of course she does. She just ate practically half the refrigerator,” said Jesse, adjusting his hood.
”Poppy won't notice the missing food, but my mom will for sure when she gets back,” said Daisy. ”I guess we'll just have to tell her we're in training for something.”
”In training to be Dragon Keepers,” said Jesse with a short laugh.
Daisy put the copies of the sign in a big brown envelope and fastened it to the back of her 93.bike with a bungee cord. Then they got on their bikes and rode into town. They stopped at every shop along Main Street and asked each shopkeeper if it was okay to put up a sign. Most of the shopkeepers were happy to let Jesse and Daisy post the signs. But when the owner of the dry cleaner's said he did not allow signs, that was okay with the cousins.
If n.o.body in Goldmine City ever saw a single sign, that would be fine with Jesse and Daisy. After all, Emmy had chosen them. They were the Dragon Keepers.
When they had placed the very last sign in the window of the coffee shop, Emmy, who had been watching in silence from the hood, scrambled up onto Jesse's shoulder, lifted her head, and yodeled, ”Fooooood!”
”Shhhhhh!” said Daisy. ”You just ate!”
”Em. Meee. Eat. More!” she said.
”Soon,” said Jesse.
”Not. Soon,” said Emmy. ”Feed. Em. Meee. NOW!”
The cousins raced back home to boil some eggs.
”Let's boil the whole carton,” said Daisy. ”We can make deviled eggs for snacks, and that way we won't waste any.”
94.As soon as the hard-boiled eggs were cool enough, they peeled them, put the sh.e.l.ls in a bowl, and took Emmy out into the backyard. They watched her as she sat in the old sandbox and crunched her way through the eggsh.e.l.ls.
After a while, Jesse said, ”I think we need to measure her.”
”I know what you mean,” said Daisy. ”But I'm almost afraid to.” She got up, went into the house, and came back with the tape measure. She measured Emmy twice to make sure. Emmy was now eight inches long.
”Twice as long as yesterday, to be exact,” said Daisy.
”Great,” Jesse said gloomily. ”What if she doubles her size every day?” Daisy asked.
”She's not going to fit in the sock drawer much longer, that's for sure,” Jesse said.
Daisy opened up her wildflower notebook and started writing on the back page. Jesse went to sit beside her so he could see what she was up to.
Day 1-4 inches Day 2-8 inches Day 3-16 inches Day 4-32 inches 95.Daisy stopped writing and tossed her pencil over her shoulder. ”Jees.h.!.+” she said.
”How big do you think she's going to be when Aunt Maggie gets back?” Jesse asked worriedly.
Daisy dropped her head into her hands.
Jesse went on: ”You know how she had that meltdown yesterday in the barn? That was a four-inch tantrum....”
Jesse didn't need to continue, because Daisy was nodding. They were both thinking, What would a sixty-four-inch meltdown look like? What would a sixty-four-inch meltdown look like?
”How are we going to afford food when she gets that big? She's eating a lot now. How much is she going to need when she gets bigger? And where are we going to put her? And how are we going to keep her hidden?” Jesse was working himself into a real sweat.
Daisy lifted her head and said with a weary smile, ”Take it easy, Dragon Keeper. First Kilimanjaro, then Everest, right? Let's check in with the professor. Maybe he can help.”
Daisy was just gathering up Emmy when the phone in the kitchen rang. Uncle Joe banged open the screen door of the Rock Shop and ran across the yard, up the back steps, and into the house. He caught the phone on the eighth ring. The cousins waited and crossed their fingers.
96.After a while, Uncle Joe kicked open the back door. He was still talking on the phone. From where the cousins were sitting, he did not look happy.
Uncle Joe crooked a finger at them.
Emmy let Jesse pop her into the pouch of his sweats.h.i.+rt. As the cousins went up the steps to the back door, Jesse felt the new weight of Emmy swinging.
”No yakking,” he whispered to the load in his sweats.h.i.+rt.
”Em. Mee. Not. Yak,” Emmy whispered back.
Uncle Joe put the phone to his chest and said to them in a low voice, ”Looks like those signs of yours did the trick. This is the lizard's owner I'm talking to. He's coming over to get her.”
When Uncle Joe saw the look on their faces, he held up his hand. ”Easy now. You'll recall I said that I knew a lizard that rare-looking probably belonged to somebody,” he said. ”And this isn't just anybody. He just joined the zoology department at the College of Mining and Science. He's a well-regarded herpetologist.”
”Well-regarded? A well-regarded what?” what?” said Daisy. Jesse could tell that she was fighting tears. said Daisy. Jesse could tell that she was fighting tears.
”Herpetologist,” said Uncle Joe. ”A scientist who studies lizards and snakes and reptiles. I'm afraid I'll have to let him come over and get his lost 97.lizard. I'm really very sorry, guys, but that's the way the limestone crumbles.”
Uncle Joe shrugged sadly, then went back into the kitchen to give the herpetologist directions.
The cousins stared at each other in shock. Slowly, they turned around and walked back to the sandbox. Emmy had heard it all. When Jesse removed her from the pouch and set her down in the sand, she spat out a fine spray of eggsh.e.l.l.
”Em. Mee. Not. Go!” she growled.
”We're sorry, Emmy,” said Jesse, kneeling before her. His voice was tight. ”We don't have much choice.”
”Em. Meee. Sad!” she keened, and keeled over into the sand.
They took her up to Jesse's room, where she curled into a tight little ball of scales. Jesse placed her gently in the sock drawer and stared at her glumly.
Daisy came to stand beside him, blinking away tears. She almost never cried, but this was a losing battle. ”We need to get in touch with Professor Andersson now,” she said.