The Boy with 17 Senses by Sheila Grau Read Free Book Online Page B

soundsdrifting in to taint your senses with unpleasantness. You could fill the room with whatever sounds you wanted—a buffet of music, a soft quilt of chimes, a vista of melodies.
    â€œSold!” the Swindler said, and the exchange was made. The crowd dispersed, and Jaq drifted over.
    The Swindler looked up. “Oh, great,” he said. “It’s the stupid kid.” He turned to walk away.
    â€œHey,” Jaq said. He pulled out the key. “I want my freasel back.”
    The Swindler turned around. “Sorry, kid. A deal’s a deal. Besides, I already sold the squirmy little beast.”
    â€œSold him?”
    â€œYeah, you think I wanted him for myself? Please. Feel this jacket. No, don’t touch it. Just imagine what an expensive jacket feels like. Does a person who wears a jacket like this need a freasel?”
    â€œYou tricked me,” Jaq said.
    The man shrugged. “And it was so easy, too. But, hey, you learned something, didn’t you? Think of it as an expensive lesson in not trusting strangers. You can thank me later.”
    â€œWhere’s Klingdux? Where’s my freasel? Please, Mr. Swindler, I’ve got to get him back.”
    â€œListen, kid, your freasel is gone,” he said. “Go buyanother one. I don’t think his new owner wants to sell. He went to a lot of trouble to get that animal.”
    Jaq’s heart sank. “Vilcot.”
    The Swindler chuckled. Jaq watched him as he drifted off on his hoverbike, laughing like a maniac.
    Tormy Vilcot had Klingdux.
    Oh no
. Jaq felt like his heart had been yanked out of his chest, thrown on the ground, and then trampled by that evil kid. How was he going to get Klingdux now? Tormy didn’t care about money. He had so much of it already.
    Maybe, after Tormy had Klingdux for a while, he would get bored with him and sell him back. Maybe Jaq could get another wipper-slinger and pretend like he was happier than ever, and Tormy would want to trade. No, that might hurt Klingdux’s feelings. He could never do that. Besides, Klingdux was the best wipper-slinger in the world. Who would ever want to trade him?
    Just a stupid kid like me
.
    Jaq realized that losing Klingdux was only one of his problems. He and his family were still hungry. He had to find a way to get food, and he knew there was only one option left.
    He had to go to the wormhole and find this glug-and-giant-filled land called Earth.

11

    A YELLOW DAY IS A GOOD DAY FOR A QUEST
    O n Epsidor Erandi, going on a quest is a youthful rite of passage. It comes after the “Giving Up the Blankie” rite of passage (which can take years) and also the “Sleeping Without the Night-Light” rite of passage (also years). During the “Quest” rite of passage, the adolescent is given a map, a compass, and a bag of healthy snacks. The child is then led into the backyard and told to find his or her way back to the house. Often, the parents are waving from the back porch, to make certain that their offspring makes it back safely. Successful childrenare awarded trophies and hugs and told how clever they are.
    Adolescent quests aren’t really a thing on Zanflid, but sooner or later every kid gets snatched by a wild zaroopka on the way to school. The many-tentacled beast then stuffs the kid under a log while it fetches its babies for mealtime. Kids usually get away before they’re eaten. The zaroopka has a terrible sense of direction and often forgets where it stashed its food.
    Earth is a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to youthful quests, and on Yipsmix they’re actually discouraged. Nevertheless, Jaq left the marketplace and embarked on one. He didn’t really want to, but he had no other choice.
    He walked down a road shaded by tall lem trees. The trees had dark brown trunks and sage-green leaves that whispered in the breeze. The sound of rustling leaves made soft blue dots appear in the branches, and it was pretty. But Jaq