Odds on Oliver (4 page)

Authors: Constance C. Greene

BOOK: Odds on Oliver

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There was nothing to be done. There was no hope.

Then, at last, it was dark. Time for the fireworks.

Aware that every eye was upon her, though she wasn't counting Oliver's, U. Crumm wiped the last crumb from her mouth and rose to the occasion.

“Match, please,” U. Crumm said in her carrying voice. A match was handed to her. She touched it to the rocket, the biggest, boldest rocket, which was to start the festivities. The night sky shattered into a thousand shards of red, white, and blue.

“Oooooohhhh,”
the crowd sighed. “See how beautiful. Look at that. Wonderful.”

On and on it went. The sky was crisscrossed by all the colors of the rainbow. And a few more besides.

Finally, the boxes of fireworks were empty. The last Roman candle had fizzled, the last flare had fallen to earth.

“First-rate job!” Oliver's dad cried, pumping U. Crumm's hand in thanks. “Perhaps you'd care for a little refreshment before you leave?”

“Oh, definitely,” U. Crumm said. “Setting off fireworks always makes me hungry.”

U. Crumm would surely choke now, Oliver thought. This was it. This was what he'd waited for.

Down the hatch went pretzels, one last piece of pepperoni pizza, a handful of Cheeseroonies, a few tacos for luck.

U. Crumm then climbed aboard her big white Caddy with the gleaming tail fins and the shining chrome trim and headed for home.

Oliver and Arthur crept out of the bushes.

“What did we do wrong?” Arthur said, close to tears.

“I wanted to be rich and famous,” Oliver said sadly. “But most of all, I wanted to be a hero. I blew it. I can't do anything right.”

Briefly, he thought of Carrot Hill Nursery School, of Ms. Mabel saying “Oud” and pointing to the door. Of his mother saying, “Poor little Oliver. What's to become of him?”

I'm a loser, Oliver thought. Losers are never heroes.

He felt very sad, very sorry for himself.

H
EAP
B
IG
H
ERO
!

“Good night! Thanks a million. It was grand!” the guests called, leaving the party with reluctant feet.

A few stragglers still hung around, enjoying the soft night air, turning their faces to the stars, hoping for a last look at an unexpected rocket going off up there.

Edna, meanwhile, crept under the tables, cleaning up all the delicious tidbits that had fallen.

She had forgotten she didn't like leftovers. She pigged out. It was Independence Day, after all, and that called for a feast.

And feast Edna did.

When she spied a half-eaten chicken leg, Edna snapped it up and scarfed it down before anyone else could get it. Fried chicken was her favorite.

The bone stuck halfway down. Edna turned blue without ado, although it was hard to tell under all that orange hair.

Edna choked noisily and her big brown eyes rolled back in her head.

“Quick, somebody! Edna's choking!” Oliver's mom cried. “Somebody do something, quick!”

Oliver's time had come.

He grabbed hold of Edna below her rib cage and gave several short, sharp squeezes, the way he'd learned at school, as well as from the Heimlich maneuver poster at the Blue Burd. The chicken bone popped out of Edna like a cork out of a bottle.

Edna gave a mighty sigh and licked Oliver's cheek as if it were a chocolate ice cream cone.

“No two ways about it, Ol,” said Oliver's dad, patting him on the back. “You saved Edna's life.”

“You deserve a medal, Oliver,” his mom said, hugging him.

“Odds on Oliver!” shouted the last remaining guests.

“Heap big hero,” said Arthur. “How.”

“Well, it wasn't easy,” Oliver said.

That night, excitement and happiness racketed around inside Oliver, keeping him awake. Edna couldn't sleep either. Back and forth she paced, toenails clicking noisily on the floor.

“Cut it out, Edna,” Oliver said sleepily. “Don't forget, if it wasn't for me, you'd be only a memory right this minute.”

In answer, Edna leaped up onto the bed and snuggled down cozily on Oliver's pillow. She barked once or twice to let him know how she felt.

“You're welcome,” Oliver said. He fell asleep then, a big smile on his face. It was the smile of a hero. At long last.

About the Author

Constance C. Greene is the author of over twenty highly successful young adult novels, including the ALA Notable Book
A Girl Called Al
,
Al
(
exandra
)
the Great
,
Getting Nowhere
, and
Beat the Turtle Drum
, which is an ALA Notable Book, an IRA-CBC Children's Choice, and the basis for the Emmy Awardâwinning after-school special
Very Good Friends
. Greene lives in Milford, Connecticut.

All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Cover design by Connie Gabbert

ISBN: 978-1-5040-0434-3

This edition published in 2015 by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.

345 Hudson Street

New York, NY 10014

www.openroadmedia.com