Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes by R. L. Stine Read Free Book Online Page A

sheet that
covered my legs. Still too hot.
    I jumped out of bed and headed for my window. I threw it wide open. Warm, wet
air rushed in.
    I rested my arms on the windowsill and peered out into the darkness. It was a
foggy night. A thick gray mist swirled over the front yard. Despite the heat, I
felt a chill down my back. I had never seen it this foggy before.
    The fog shifted slightly. The angel slowly came into view as the fog moved
away. Then the seal. The skunks. The swans. A flash of pink—the flamingos.
    And there stood the deer.
    Alone.
    All alone.
    The gnomes were gone.

 
 
15
     
     
    “Mom! Dad!” I cried. Racing to their bedroom. “Wake up! Wake up! The gnomes
are gone!”
    Mom bolted straight up. “What? What’s wrong?”
    Dad didn’t budge.
    “It’s the gnomes!” I shouted, shaking Dad’s shoulder. “Wake up!”
    My father opened one eye and squinted up at me. “What time is it?” he
mumbled.
    “Get up, Dad!” I pleaded.
    Mom groaned as she snapped on the light next to her bed. “Joe. It’s so late.
Why did you wake us up?”
    “They’re—they’re gone!” I stammered. “They disappeared. I’m not kidding.
I’m really not.”
    My parents glanced at each other. Then they glared at me. “Enough!” Mom
cried. “We’re tired of your jokes. And it’s the middle of the night! Get to
bed!”
    “Right now!” Dad added sternly. “We’ve had just about enough of this nonsense. We’re going to have a serious talk about
this. In the morning.”
    “But—but—but—” I stammered.
    “Go!” Dad shouted.
    I backed out of the room slowly, stumbling over someone’s slipper.
    I should have realized that they wouldn’t believe me. But someone had to
believe me. Someone had to.
    I raced down the dark hall to Mindy’s room. As I neared her bed, I could hear
the whistling sounds she always makes when she lies on her back. She was fast
asleep.
    I stared down at her for a moment. Should I wake her? Would she believe me?
    I patted her on the cheek. “Mindy. Wake up,” I whispered.
    Nothing.
    I called her name again. A little louder.
    Her eyes fluttered open. “Joe?” she asked drowsily.
    “Get up. Quick!” I whispered. “You have to see this!”
    “Have to see what?” she groaned.
    “The gnomes. The gnomes have disappeared!” I exclaimed. “I think they ran
away! Please, get up. Please.”
    “The gnomes?” she mumbled.
    “Come on, Mindy. Get up,” I pleaded. “It’s an emergency!”
    Mindy’s eyes shot wide open. “Emergency? What? What emergency?”
    “It’s the gnomes. They’ve really disappeared. You have to come outside with
me.”
    “ That’s the emergency?” she screeched. “Are you crazy? I’m not going
anywhere with you. You’ve totally lost it, Joe. Totally.”
    “But, Mindy—”
    “Quit bugging me. I’m going back to sleep.”
    Then she closed her eyes and pulled the sheet over her head.
    I stood in her dark, silent room.
    No one would believe me. No one would come with me. What should I do now?
What?
    I imagined the gnomes ripping up every last vegetable in our garden. Yanking
out the yams and smashing the squash. And for dessert, chomping on the rest of
Mr. McCall’s casabas!
    I knew I had to do something. Fast!
    I ran from Mindy’s room and raced down the stairs. I jerked the front door
open and sprinted outside.
    Outside into the murky fog.
    Swallowed up inside the thick blanket of mist.
    So dark and foggy. I could barely see. I felt as if I were moving through a
dark dream. A nightmare of grays and blacks. All shadows. Nothing but shadows.
    I inched forward slowly, moving as if I were underwater. The grass felt so
wet against my bare feet. But I couldn’t even see my own feet through the thick carpet of fog.
    Like a dream. Like a heavy, dark dream. So many shifting shadows. So silent.
Eerily silent.
    I pushed on into the haze. I had lost all sense of direction. Was I heading
toward the street?
    “Ohhh!” I cried out when