Home Alone by Todd Strasser, John Hughes Read Free Book Online

sort of enjoyed it.
    He had also washed his hair with adult-formula shampoo and used a cream rinse for that just-washed shine.
    The only thing he hadn't done was brush his teeth, mostly because he couldn't find his toothbrush. But that was why he was doing another incredibly grown-up thing today—he was walking to town, by himself, to buy a toothbrush.
    Kevin passed the church and Santa's Village, where Santa sat in a hut and his elf brought in all the kids to see him. He reached into his pocket and felt money he'd taken from the tin box on top of Buzz's shelf. In the process he'd accidentally knocked down a book, which hit Axl's terrarium and broke it. Axl the tarantula had escaped, but Kevin planned to find him later. As for the money, Kevin didn't think Buzz would mind, wherever he was.
    The only scary part about going out alone was walking down his street, past all the bushes and hedges. Old man Marley could've been hiding behind any of them. But Kevin had done it and now he was entering the village of Oak Park with its ice-skating pond and quaint two-story brick buildings. And he was no longer worried about old man Marley.
    Kevin passed the post office and the butcher and the candy store. It was getting close to lunchtime and he was feeling a little hungry. He knew that with the money in his pocket he could have bought a ton of candy, but he was being grown-up. And that meant buying a toothbrush instead.
    If I keep this up, Kevin thought, I'll almost qualify to be a teenager.
    Ding-a-ling ! A little bell rang as Kevin stepped into the drugstore. He wandered past shelves filled with Shampoo and deodorants and Dr. Scholl's foot stuff until he found the toothbrush rack. Kevin had never realized how many different sizes, shapes and colors of toothbrushes there were. He could only assume that people must've brushed their teeth a lot. Maybe even once a week.
    Kevin picked a red brush with white-and-blue bristles and took it to the counter. An old lady with a painted face stared down at him. She was a little scary-looking, but he could deal with her.
    "How may I help you?" she asked.
    "Is this toothbrush approved by the American Dental Association?" Kevin asked. The old lady held the toothbrush close to her face and tried to read the tiny print on the side of the package.
    Ding-a-ling ! Someone else entered the drugstore, but neither Kevin nor the old lady bothered to look. They were too busy trying to figure out whether the toothbrush was approved or not.
    "It doesn't say, hon," the old lady said, putting the toothbrush down on the counter. "Let me ask my husband."
    She walked toward the back Where the prescriptions were filled. "Herb, I have a question about a toothbrush," she said.
    Kevin picked up the toothbrush and stared at the label, but there were too many big words. All of a sudden out of the corner of his eye he noticed someone coming down the aisle toward him. There was something disturbingly familiar about that slow limping shuffle.
    A large bloody hand slapped down on the counter. Kevin's heart started to race as his eyes followed the long tattered sleeve of the overcoat up to . . .
    Old man Marley!
    Kevin backed away. Old man Marley waved the bloody hand at him.
    "Cut it on my snow shovel," he said. "On the sharp edge."
    Kevin took another step back. His mouth was dry, and goose bumps raced up and down his arms. His heart beat like a drum. Meanwhile the old lady came back to the counter.
    "Hon, I'm sorry, we don't know if—"
    Kevin didn't hear her. He was backing toward the door.
    "Hon?" the old lady said. "You pay for that here"
    Kevin was staring at Marley's bloody hand and thinking about the snow shovel with the sharp edge. Sharp enough to kill people. Even a whole family!
    "Little boy!" the old lady called. "Come back and pay for that please."
    Kevin couldn't believe he made it to the door alive. He pushed it open and ran outside.
    A moment later the old lady reached the door. "Hey, stop that boy!" she