“Aunt Louise. She was working in her garden this morning and afterward felt really sick. Now she’s throwing up.” She sighed. “I hope it’s not the heat. She’s stubborn like that. No seventy-five-year-old lady should be working outside in weather like this.”

Benjamin’s great-aunt Louise was widowed before he was born. She was used to working hard around the house and seemed to enjoy it. She and his Grandpa Gus liked to get together on weekends and watch old movies.

Tom came in the kitchen. “Son, I want you to stay out of trouble while I’m gone.” He placed two heavy suitcases on the kitchen table.

“I will, Dad.” Benjamin hoped he was right.

“Aw, heck, what am I talkin’ about?” His dad grinned. “It’s your last free week before school, so go and have a blast!” He ruffled Benjamin’s sandy-blonde hair.

“Well, it’s kind of hard to have a blast when…” An odd thought came across the boy’s mind. Benjamin then smiled back and hugged him. “You have a great time too, Dad.”

The boy raced downstairs to his room and opened the closet door. In the back corner, behind an old pair of sneakers, was a paper sack. He opened it and poured the assorted fireworks out on the carpet, running his fingers through sparklers, smoke bombs, firecrackers, lightning flashes, and roman candles until he saw what he was looking for. His cousin Jon, from Arkansas, had made the cherry bomb for him last July.

“It won’t just blow up a toilet, it’ll blow up the whole darn bathroom!” Jon had said.

“Ben,” his mom called from upstairs, “it’s time to take your dad to the airport.”

“Be right up!” He scooped up the fireworks and put them back in the closet that now smelled of gun powder.

Benjamin sat in the back seat trying to think how he could keep his expedition a secret from his mom. Nothing came to mind. His parents’ conversation intruded.

“Well, she has no business working out there.” Tom took a deep breath through his nose.

“I know. Maybe Dad can check in on her. She already told him she was too sick to watch movies this weekend.”

“Maybe you and Ben can visit her while I’m gone.”

Benjamin smiled. Bingo!

CHAPTER TEN

Roscoe and the Old Goat

PACO, ROSCOE, AND CLEMENTINE walked along the dirt road under a merciless afternoon sun. The conversation concerning snakes made the time pass by.

“I always heard that snakes don’t sleep. They just kinda lie there,” Roscoe said.

“How can you not sleep? For that matter, how can you move without legs? Creepy!” Clementine looked repulsed. “Roscoe, how far is this place?” he panted.

“I told you–a couple miles north of the kingdom.”

“It shouldn’t be much farther,” Paco said, trotting along.

“Easy for you to say. You’re not carrying extra fa–uh, muscle,” the pig griped.