Always October by Bruce Coville Read Free Book Online

invited him to my house, either. The difference was that his mother didn’t have anything against me, whereas my grandfather really disliked Jacob. We never talked about it, but I had a feeling that the real reason he didn’t ask me over was that he didn’t want to admit to his mother he had a friend who was a girl.
    â€œYou still can’t meet her,” he said now.
    â€œWhy not?”
    â€œBecause she can’t know I told you about LD! But I do want you to see the baby. Maybe you’ll spot something I missed, something that will give me proof. Hmmm … Mom’s teaching Friday night. She’ll be gone from about five thirty to eight o’clock. Can you come over then?”
    I chewed my right braid for a minute, then said, “I’ll have to come up with a good excuse to give Grampa. But I think I can do it.”
    We didn’t spend much time in the cemetery over the next week. Instead we were at the library, using the internet to research monsters. We found some really cool stuff, some other stuff that was pretty terrifying, and some stuff that left me wishing you could buy eyewash for your brain. Unfortunately, none of what we found seemed to apply to baby monsters. And what we found when we searched on baby monsters was a lot of cutesy junk that made me want to yark.
    The one good thing was that we uncovered some useful information on the matter of the full moon. It seems that despite what happens in movies, in reality the moon is only full one night of the month. Actually, it’s only really full for about a minute, since the moment of fullness comes when the moon is exactly opposite the sun. Because the moon is constantly moving, for any given spot true full passes very quickly.
    I guess the reason for three nights is that it makes it easier for Hollywood to pack a lot of action into a film. This annoys me. People should be more careful when they’re writing about monsters!
    Jacob’s house has seen better days. Even so, I think it’s totally fabulous … three stories high, with a wide veranda that wraps around the corner on the right side of the front door. Hmmm. Corner might not be the right word, because this is where the tower curves out from the main body of the house. The roof of the tower is a cone that stretches several feet above the already high roof. It’s cool … almost like a rocket attached to the side of the house.
    I cannot tell you how much I wanted to see inside that tower!
    To be honest, I had been wanting to see inside the whole house from the first time I walked past it, back in second grade. That desire had tripled when I found out that my writing hero had lived there. So I was very prompt and rang the doorbell at 5:35.
    â€œHow did you know it was safe?” demanded Jacob when he opened the door. “What if Mom hadn’t left on schedule?”
    I rolled my eyes. “Do you really think your mother would find it dangerous for you to have a friend over to visit?”
    â€œShe would right now! I keep telling you, she doesn’t want anyone else to know about LD.”
    â€œWell I’m not stupid! I hid in the bushes at the end of the driveway and waited until she pulled out before I rang the bell. So are you going to ask me in, or do I have to stand on the porch all night?”
    â€œSorry, sorry,” said Jacob, swinging the door open.
    â€œThis place is ginormous,” I murmured as I stepped into the entryway.
    â€œWay too ‘ginormous’ for two people and a baby monster,” replied Jacob.
    â€œBetter than being too small for two people,” I said. Instantly I felt bad, because it might have seemed I was saying something mean about my grandfather, who took me in when I needed him. “Where’s the baby?” I asked, to change the subject.
    â€œIn his high chair. Come on.”
    We made our way back to the kitchen. As soon as I saw Little Dumpling, I said, “Oh, Jacob, he