Home Alone 2 by Todd Strasser Read Free Book Online Page A

turned up Fifth Avenue, Kevin glanced out the window and saw something that made his eyes bulge—an old building painted in bright blues, reds, and yellows with windows filled with amazing displays of Christmas toys. A sign above the door said:

    Duncan's Toy Chest
    Kevin quickly reached for the intercom that connected him to the driver. "Please drop me off here."
    The limo pulled to the curb and the driver hopped out and opened Kevin's door. "When should I come back for you, sir?"
    "What time is it now?" Kevin asked.
    The driver checked his watch. "Nine-thirty, sir."
    "How about three o'clock?" Kevin said.
    "Three?" the driver frowned. "That's five and a half hours, sir."
    "You're right," Kevin said. "Better make it three-thirty."
    The driver looked puzzled, but he left. Kevin pulled his coat tight and walked through the cold air and into the toy store.
    Inside he stopped and looked around. He'd never seen anything like it. The ground floor was two stories high and every inch was filled with toys. Model trains tooted and puffed white smoke as they raced along tracks mounted on the walls, and electric boats sailed around a giant, plastic water tank. A popcorn machine dispensed free popcorn, a soda fountain free soda. Best of all was the huge demonstration area where kids could sample all kinds of games and toys.
    Wow, Kevin thought as he watched a radio-controlled model airplane circle over his head, coming to New York just could be the greatest accident of my life!
    And without a moment's hesitation, he dove right in.
    Kevin wasn't the only person from Illinois exploring Duncan's Toy Chest. On the second floor, where the tents, tree forts, and playground sets were on display, Marv and Harry stepped out of two large wooden playhouses.
    "Nice house," Marv said, "just no bathroom."
    "But perfect for us," Harry whispered as they strolled through the rest of the toy store. "Later on today we come back and hide inside these houses. Tonight when everybody leaves, we come out and empty the cash registers."
    They passed a table displaying long, furry gorilla arms with soft pink fingers. Marv stopped and slid one over his hand like a long glove.
    "Hey, Harry, check this out," he said, raising his new "gorilla" hand.
    "Come on, dummy," Harry said annoyed "Quit messing around."
    "But, Harry," Marv said. "This could be good for picking pockets. Watch, I'll pick my own pocket."
    Marv reached around behind his back with the gorilla hand and tried to take his wallet out of his pocket. Unfortunately, his aim wasn't very good and he accidentally hit the woman standing behind him.
    Marv heard a gasp and felt the gorilla glove get yanked off his hand. He spun around and came face to face with the pretty woman in the short, dark coat who'd smacked him in the street.
    "Hey!" Marv grinned. "What a coincid—"
    Ka-Pow! The woman pulled on the gorilla hand and smashed him in the face. The next thing Marv knew, he was lying on his back, gazing up at dozens of little gorilla hands floating above.
    Harry kneeled down next to him. "Can I ask you a question?"
    Marv slowly nodded.
    "Did you have to go to school to learn to be this stupid?"
    Downstairs, Kevin dropped an armful of toys onto the cashier's counter. Since no one was going to give him any Christmas presents, he decided he'd have to give them to himself He'd picked out a pack of mini-robots, a bottle of Monster Sap Super Slippery Bath Bubbles, a jack-knife, a Game Gear, and a stack of game cartridges.
    A portly, red-cheeked old man with white hair stood behind the cash register. He was wearing a blue suit with a gold watch chain strung across the vest.
    "Shopping alone?" he asked Kevin as he totaled up the purchase.
    "In New York, sir?" Kevin replied without missing a beat. "Frankly, I'm afraid of my own shadow."
    The man smiled. "I just wanted to make sure."
    "That's very responsible of you," Kevin said.
    "Thank you," the man said. "The total comes to twenty-three dollars and seventy-five