– CHAPTER SIXTEEN –
“How do you do that? How can you stand on the roof? asked Keegan. “I wish you would get into a more normal position.”
Greanwold obliged and casually floated down from the ceiling, still upside down and parked his nose an inch away from Keegan’s, his wings a blur. “How is that Just Keegan? Are you happy with that position?” He squinted closely at Keegan, nose to nose.
“How do you know what normal is Just Keegan. I think you are not a normal. You cannot fly. You cannot stand on roof upside down; you cannot change into other things. You are not even a color. Just…….” he paused for a moment. “white!”
Greanwold did a back flip and as sparkles floated around him, he morphed into a grandfather clock. The clock immediately began a deep chiming sound. A chuckle merged from the clock.
The clock spoke in the sound of Greanwold’s voice. “Time for eating Just Keegan.”
“Greanwold, you are a hoot. I get your point.” laughed Keegan.
The clock immediately changed into a large gray owl that flew to the ceiling and stood upside down. The owl wagged its wings “I’m giving you a hoot Just Keegan.”
At that moment there was a knock on the door and Mrs. Clarke poked her head around the door. “All decent in here?”
Keegan leapt off the bed in alarm and waved his arms at Greanwold, now an owl sitting upside down on the ceiling and looking down at Keegan’s mother as she entered the room with a glass of milk and some freshly baked cookies.
“Hi honey, I’ve got some milk and cookies for you. How are you feeling?” She crossed the room and placed the milk and cookies on Keegan’s bedside table. “You are supposed to be in bed young man. Why are you waving your arms and jumping around like that?”
Mrs. Clarke walked over to the window and opened the blinds as Keegan climbed back in bed.
“Now it’s very dark in here. Let’s have some light in this room.” She crossed over to Keegan’s bed and placed her hand on his forehead. “Are you OK? You’re looking very flushed. And you’re supposed to be resting, not leaping around the room.”
Keegan smiled weakly and closed his eyes to stop from looking at the upside down owl.
“Yes mom. I’m fine. Thanks for the cookies. Uh, I think I just need some rest OK.”
“Sure honey. If you want some company I can play cards with you if you want.” Keegan dragged his gaze away from the upside down owl. “Uh, no thanks mom. I’m OK.”
Mrs. Clarke walked over to Keegan’s desk and tidied up some comic books. She then straightened the covers on Keegan’s bed, raised Keegan’s head and puffed up his pillow. She gave him another hug then walked to the door and paused. “Now you sleep for a while and let me know if you need anything, OK? Oh, by the way. When we got home last night, the trunk lid was unlatched and your backpack was gone. Very strange. I was positive I closed the trunk properly. Oh well, you get some rest. Tomorrow we can go shopping for a new backpack and …….. for some new runners. Your old ones are ruined.”
“Yes sir mom.” said Keegan as his mother left the room. Keegan immediately jumped from his bed, crossed the room and quietly closed the door. “Phew.”
He leaned weakly against the door jam. At the same time, the owl dropped from the ceiling onto Keegan’s bed, bounced twice and morphed into Greanwold. Keegan stuffed his hands in his mouth to stifle his laughter.
Greanwold stood on the bed with his head cocked to one side. His mood changed abruptly and a tear trickled down his cheek. Keegan walked over to his bed and plopped down beside Greanwold. He placed an arm around his shoulder.
“You OK Greanwold?”
Greanwold sniffed loudly. “That’s your mom?”
“Yeah, that’s my mom. Why?”
Greanwold looked very downcast. “I had a mom but my mom is gone.” Keegan sat up and put his arm around Greanwold. “I’m sorry about what happened to your mom Greanwold.”
“That big ugly Moa Constructor. Did you see in the picture? That’s what happened to my mom. And now my friends. My friends. Where are my friends?” Greanwold looked at Keegan with a very sorrowful look on his face. ”No mom. No friends. I’m all alone.”
Keegan stood on his on his bed and began bouncing up and down. “Greanwold. Greanwold. Look. Yourescued me so I’m going to help youOK? OK, OK. We’re going to plan and get your friends back. Then …. then we’ll figure out a way to get you and your friends back to Nogardland. Boy oh boy, what a cool summer project.”
“You plan and we work. Okaaay dokeeey. We’ll get my friends and my mom back Just Keegan kid?”
“I don’t know about you’re mom Greanwold but we’ll definitely get your friends back. I promise.”Said Keegan seriously, thinking of Mr. Shama. He closed his eyes for a moment, deep in thought, and when he opened his eyes, there was no sign of Greanwold.
In the bedroom next door, Keegan’s sister Jackie sat crossed legged on the floor. Lisa, Jackie’s best friend sat on the bed with a laptop computer balanced on her knees. Her parents were from Japan. She wore a porkpie hat on her head, found at a garage sale, a bright red and yellow striped sweater, jeans cut off to the calf and suspended with bright green suspenders. The wall behind Jackie was decorated with movie posters and clothes were scattered about the room which was something of a mess. Both girls looked rather bored. A stereo was playing hip hop music in the background. “So Jackie, here we are in Ocean Park. School’s out and what are we going to do. I’m looking at the scheduler on my laptop and there is nothing booked for the next two months. Plus, my mother said I have to get exercise and look for a job if I want some spending money. I may write some software programs and sell them. What do you think?’
Jackie leaned back against the wall and stretched her arms above her head. “I don’t know Lisa. I think it’s going to be a boring summer. Most of our friends have gone away; mom and dad have to work so we’ll be staying home. I think the most exciting thing that will happen will be Keegan getting caught in that storm yesterday.”
Jackie jumped off the bed and walked over to the window. From the window, there was a view of the Clarke’s back garden. A wide expanse of lawn was decorated with a trampoline and a clothesline laden with clothes drying in the sun. Suddenly in Jackie’s line of vision, a large gray owl appeared hovering upside down, looking at her with the bluest of blue eyes that Jackie had ever seen. Jackie closed her eyes and shook her head. When she opened her eyes, the owl had disappeared.
“Yikes. What was that???” Jackie exclaimed.
Lisa frowned at her computer. “Yikes what was what?”
Jackie leaned out the window and looked this way and that. She turned back to Lisa.
“Lisa, I was looking out the window and suddenly there was a large gray owl looking back at me and most weirdly, it was upside down and………….. it had the bluest eyes you have ever seen.”
Lisa looked up from her laptop. “Jackie, anyone knows that owls do not come out in the middle of the day and …………. they do not fly upside down and they do not have blue eyes.”
Meanwhile, Greanwold the owl drifted back through Keegan’s bedroom window. Keegan jumped off his bed, a look of alarm on his face. “Greanwold, Greanwold. What are you doing? You can’t go flying off like that. Someone will see you. You’ll scare the pants off someone.”
The owl morphed back into Greanwold who looked very confused. “Greanwold didn’t scare pants off anyone. They still have their pants on.”
Keegan stared at Greanwold in confusion. “Who has their pants on?” He paused as he realized the implications of Greanwold’s statement. “Oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy. You didn’t let my sister and Lisa see you like that did you?” he asked in alarm.
“Greanwold thinks that Just Keegan is a worrying kid. I think human people like surprises.”
“Well, some people like surprises Greanwold but my mom sure doesn’t so you had better not let her see any upside down owls flying around our house.” At that moment there was banging on Keegan’s door and then Jackie and Lisa charged into the room.