A Magic Crystal? (5 page)

“Hi, Marvin!” Linzy blurted. “Do you like my new hairstyle?”

Linzy had a ponytail sticking out of the side of her head.

Casey turned and stared at Marvin.

“I’m playing with Casey,” Linzy said. “She can’t talk. And it’s your fault.”

Marvin spoke to Linzy, but he looked at Casey. “How do you know she can’t talk?” he asked. “Unless she
told
you.”

“Well … because she hasn’t said anything!” said Linzy.

“But how do you know it’s my fault?” Marvin asked, still staring at Casey.

Everything is your fault, Marvin
, said Casey’s face.

“Well, you two have fun playing Candy
Land,” said Marvin. “I just came to get my basketball.”

“Wait! Don’t go!” said Linzy. “You can fix her so she can talk again.”

“Oh, really?” asked Marvin. “How can I do that?”

“All you have to do is say you’re sorry for telling her to shut up,” said Linzy.

Marvin thought it over. He did feel bad about telling Casey to shut up.

Casey tapped Linzy’s shoulder.

“Oh, I forgot,” said Linzy. She giggled. “You also have to say that you ‘miss hearing her sweet voice.’ ” She giggled again.

Marvin reddened. There was no way he could say
that!

“Well, first of all,” said Marvin, “I know she’s faking. Second of all, what makes you think I want her to talk again? I’m going to
play basketball. Nick and Stuart are waiting for me.”

Casey glared at him. Her face said,
If you leave now, you’ll be really, really sorry!

He turned and went down the stairs. He got his basketball out of the garage and headed back to Nick’s house.

The whole way there, Marvin thought about Casey. There was no way he would tell her he “missed hearing her sweet voice.” He was willing to say he was sorry. If that wasn’t good enough, well, too bad!

“What took you so long?” Stuart asked when Marvin finally made it back to Nick’s house.

“C’mon, let’s play knockout,” said Nick.

Marvin looked at his basketball. He suddenly realized something. How could
Linzy know he had to say he “missed hearing her sweet voice” unless Casey told her?

Casey couldn’t have written it for her, because Linzy couldn’t read! That proved it. Casey must have talked.

“I have to go home,” he said.

“But you just got here,” said Stuart.

“I got stuff I have to do,” Marvin said.

“What kind of stuff?” asked Nick.

“Just stuff,” said Marvin. He couldn’t tell them about Casey being at his house. They wouldn’t understand. They might think he liked her.

He turned and hurried home.

He tapped the red post for luck, then went inside.

Linzy, Jacob, and Nate were playing cards on the floor of the family room. That
surprised Marvin almost as much as seeing Casey earlier. Jacob and Nate never played with Linzy.

“Nate, do you have any sevens?” Linzy asked.

“Hey, Mar,” said Jacob.

Linzy laughed as Nate angrily threw a card at her.

“Where’s Casey?” Marvin asked.

“Your girlfriend went home,” said Nate.

“She’s not my girlfriend,” said Marvin.

“She’s really, really mad at you,” said Linzy.

Marvin shrugged. “I don’t care.”

“She hates you,” said Linzy.

“So?” said Marvin.

He took his basketball through the laundry room and out to the garage. He tossed it into the ball box, but it bounced out and hit his bicycle, which crashed to the ground.

Marvin grumbled, then picked up his bike. He looked around for the basketball. It had rolled under the van.

He got a broom off the wall, then lay down on the floor of the garage. Using the broomstick, he knocked the ball out from under the van.

“I hate her, too,” he said.

Her Sweet Voice

Marvin tried to read his book,
A Thousand Cats
, but couldn’t concentrate. He kept glancing at Casey.

It was Friday, two days since he wished she would shut up. She still wasn’t talking. He wondered how long she could go on pretending.

Casey caught him looking at her. She glared back at him, as if to say,
What are you looking at?

Marvin didn’t look away.
You’re going to have to talk sometime
, he thought.
You can’t keep this up forever.

That’s what you think!
replied Casey’s face.

You’ll get in trouble
, thought Marvin.
Mrs. North will find out you don’t have laryngitis!

I may never talk again
, Casey shot back.

Good!
thought Marvin.
I’m sick of hearing your ugly voice.

Well, I’m sick of your stupid, ugly face!
Casey silently replied.

And I’m sick of your stupid, ugly ponytail!
thought Marvin.

Casey angrily turned away.

Marvin looked down at his desk. Even though he was mad at Casey, he felt bad about what he had just said. He knew she was very proud of her ponytail.

“You are all working so nice and quietly,” said Mrs. North. She dropped three marbles into the marble jar, filling it to the top. “Let’s go to Lake Park!”

Everybody cheered—except Casey, who couldn’t, and Marvin, who didn’t feel very cheerful.

Lake Park was three blocks from Marvin’s school. Everyone had to walk with a buddy. Marvin’s buddy was Stuart. Nick and Warren walked right behind them.

“Look, there’s Casey,” Marvin said. “Watch. I bet you she’ll talk.”

Casey was buddies with Judy.

“I don’t care,” said Stuart.

“I don’t care either,” said Marvin.

Mrs. North started out at the front, but then she drifted back until she was walking next to Judy and Casey.

“Darn!” said Marvin. “Now she won’t say anything with Mrs. North right there.”

“I don’t care,” said Stuart.

“Me neither,” said Marvin.

“I hope it’s all right for you to be outside,” he heard Mrs. North say. “I wouldn’t want your throat to get worse.”

Casey shrugged.

“The fresh air will be good for her,” said Judy.

Marvin turned to Stuart. “How does Judy know?” he asked. “Is she a doctor?”

“Who cares?” asked Stuart.

“Not me,” said Marvin.

There was a big playscape at Lake Park and a huge spider web made out of rope, which was fun to climb.

Mrs. North told the class to have fun.

Marvin didn’t feel like having fun. He watched Casey and Judy walk down the path to the lake.

“C’mon, Marvin!” Stuart called as he ran to the spider web.

Marvin stayed behind. He knew Casey and Judy were going off by themselves so they could talk. This was his chance to catch her. He waited for them to get a head start, then followed them.

There were lots of trees on either side of the path. Marvin crept quietly from tree to tree.

The two girls stopped near the edge of the lake. Marvin remained behind a tree. It looked as if they were talking, but Casey had her back to him. He was still too far away to hear.

He moved closer.

He heard a laugh. He didn’t know if it came from Judy or Casey, but either way it proved Casey could talk. If Judy was the one who laughed, it meant that Casey must have said something funny.

He carefully moved to a closer tree, then quickly darted to a bush, less than ten feet away from the girls. He tried not to breathe.

“
Sh!
” said Judy. “I think I hear someone.”

Marvin remained very still.

“We know you’re there, Marvin!” said Judy.

For a moment, Marvin didn’t say anything. Then he stepped out from behind the bush.

“I heard you!” he declared. “Casey talked.”

“No she didn’t,” Judy insisted.

Casey pointed to her mouth, which was zipped shut.

“What did she say?” demanded Judy.

Marvin bit his lip. He wished he had
heard just a little bit more. “I heard someone laugh,” he said.

“That was me,” said Judy.

“Well, she must have said something funny, to make you laugh,” said Marvin.

“She made a funny face,” said Judy.

Casey demonstrated. She pulled her ears, raised her eyebrows, and stuck her tongue out of the side of her mouth.

Marvin suddenly realized something. “You said, ‘
Sh!
’ to her.”

“Huh?” asked Judy.

“When you heard me behind the bush. You said, ‘
Sh!
I think I hear someone.’ You wouldn’t have said, ‘
Sh!
’ unless Casey could talk.”

He smiled triumphantly at Casey.

“I was talking about
shoes
,” Judy
explained. “I was just about to say, ‘Shoes are nice,’ when I heard you sneaking around like a skunk.”

Casey smiled triumphantly at Marvin.

“Marvin!” shouted Mrs. North from the top of the path. “Judy! Casey! Come back to the playscape. You’re not allowed near the water.”

Judy hurried away before Marvin could ask her why she was talking about shoes.

Casey looked at Marvin. Her face wasn’t angry. He wasn’t sure what her face was saying.

Marvin sighed. “Okay,” he said. “I’m sorry I told you to shut up.”

Casey waited for more.

Marvin shook his head. “Okay. Okay,” he said. He looked around to make sure
nobody could hear him. He stared down at his feet and muttered, “I miss hearing your sweet voice.”

He glanced up at her.

She removed the magic crystal from her pocket and held it out to him.

Marvin took it. He closed his eyes and said, “I wish you can talk again.”

He opened his eyes.

Casey spoke. She said, “You’re weird, Marvin!”

Then she ran up the path, screaming at the top of her lungs. “HEY, MRS. NORTH! I GOT MY VOICE BACK! IT’S A MIRACLE!”

Marvin stayed behind, still holding the magic crystal. He closed his eyes. He squeezed it so hard it hurt his hand. Then he whispered, “I wish, someday, Casey and I will get married.”

He threw the rock as far as he could, out over the lake.