The Planet of Junior Brown by Virginia Hamilton Read Free Book Online Page A

that the piano had been the focus of some attack. Vases, cups and dishes, glasses, lay splintered among the piano legs. The piano’s rich, mahogany surface had been gouged with some dangerously sharp tool and marked by blows the size of hammer heads. A cup of coffee had broken over the black keys, spilling liquid onto the piano bench. The coffee mess had dried the color of turkey gravy on the ivories.
    Miss Peebs’ grand piano had been lovely to look at. It was still beautiful to Junior. The many weeks of his concern for its fate came to rest in that one awful coffee stain. His insides quaked for fear the damage done to the piano had gone beneath its surface.
    â€œI told him he would never play it,” Miss Peebs said, from somewhere behind him. “When he went ahead, I saw stars—I beat him. Yes, I whipped him about his head and I threw everything I had at him!”
    Someone had flung the contents of bureau drawers from one end of the room to the other. Chairs were overturned. A table lay smashed. Junior saw all the damage through the image of the coffee stain.
    â€œWhy would he want to play it, if he hates sound?” Junior thought to say.
    But Miss Peebs went on, “These are my private things! I cannot stomach anyone searching through my house as if they owned it.”
    â€œI can clean it up for you,” Junior said. His husky voice came from a great distance. He could not take his eyes from the piano. “All I need is a sponge and a cloth to clean up the keys.”
    â€œYou must get out of here or you will catch a serious infection,” Miss Peebs said.
    â€œThere’s not a soul in here but us,” Junior said, musing to himself. He didn’t need to look around him to know that he and Miss Peebs were alone. He heard the soft sound of her footsteps move away to the doorway.
    â€œHe’s hiding again,” Miss Peebs said.
    â€œNo,” Junior heard himself saying. He turned around to face her. “I think he must have gone out before I got here.”
    A wan smile brightened Miss Peebs’ face.
    â€œYou’d better leave then,” she told Junior, “before he gets back.”
    â€œCan you manage here alone, with him?” Junior spoke carefully. “I mean …” he stammered, “… not to fight, not to destroy the piano?”
    â€œNot to worry, Junior,” Miss Peebs said vaguely. “I’m strong. I’ll keep myself busy and not let him annoy me.”
    â€œYou are going to leave that piano like that?” Junior said.
    Miss Peebs became irritated. “I’ll clean it—not to worry, Junior. I can come in here now and not let him get the best of me. And I will give you your lesson next Friday for sure.”
    Miss Peebs smiled brightly. She dismissed Junior with her blank and feverish eyes. Junior could think of nothing to do but gather his books and get out.
    â€œNext Friday?” he said. He was moving down the entrance hall, away from where Lynora Peebs leaned heavily on the table.
    â€œYes! Yes!”
    â€œI’m going to bring my friend Buddy or I can’t come. I told him he could hear me play,” Junior said this stubbornly. If anyone could convince the relative to let Junior play, it would be Buddy. Furthermore, Junior knew he would not step foot again in the apartment by himself.
    â€œYes, go! Hurry!” Miss Peebs told him.
    Junior let himself out of the apartment. In the empty corridor he shuddered with wave upon wave of relief to be gone. Almost instantly he was on his guard, for in the corridor he was cut off completely from the life within the apartments and the life on the street below. Frantically Junior pressed the elevator button. Beyond the elevator the corridor curved to the right. Junior couldn’t help wondering if someone waited just beyond the turn. He thought he heard something.
    It’s the relative.
    Junior made a break for the steps to the left of Miss