Jake and the Giant Hand Read Free

didn’t hang out with Chris and Kate, there wasn’t going to be much else to do for the next two weeks.
    â€œNo, Grandpa. I haven’t heard that one, about the cabin at the end of the world. Can you tell me another time? I really just want to go. Chris and Kate want me to sleep over in their new cabin in the woods tonight. Is that okay?”
    His grandpa looked a little disappointed but grew serious. He leaned back further in his chair and stared at his grandson before answering.
    â€œDidn’t those two kids scare the bejeebers out of you last year with that story about poor Edwina Fingles getting lost in the swamp? They are two years older than you, you know.”
    Jake was surprised that his grandpa knew how scared he was last year. He wondered if he seemed that scared now.
    â€¦ a long time ago, a little old lady disappeared….
    Jake sat up straighter and forced himself not to think about being scared by Kate’s stories. They were just stories, it was fun to hang out with the twins, and he was a year older now.
    This year was going to be different.

    His pride was a little hurt, which is why he said what he said next.
    â€œNo, I wasn’t scared of some dumb ghost story about a … swamp creature that lived in the woods around here. A bat did bang into the window right when Kate got to the part where the creature … the little old lady … Edwina Fingles … wandered around knocking on windows. That freaked us all out a little. But I’m a year older now, Grandpa. It’s fine.”
    His grandpa stopped smiling. He just looked at Jake for a while then said, “A bat, huh? Sure, you can sleep in the cabin with the twins tonight. But this town is a little weird, Jake, just keep that in mind.”
    Then his grandpa went for his nap, and Jake spent the rest of the afternoon bravely playing ball with Gus. It was brave because Gus kept trying to eat the ball, and the tongue-of-death was everywhere.
    But it was also brave because big, juicy flies kept smacking into Jake. They’d come out of nowhere with a huge buzz then slam into the side of his head or into his back. Even Gus stopped trying to bite them after a while and hid when he saw one coming.
    Eventually, Jake had to give up and go inside to watch TV in the basement with the creepy cold rooms.
    Which was braver still .

Chapter 4
    G-R-A-B

    J ake was riding down the laneway. His grandpa hadn’t let him go until after dinner was over (hot dogs) and they had done the dishes, but finally it was time. Jake had a sleeping bag and extra clothes in his backpack, plus his grandpa gave him a flashlight, a box of cookies, and three cans of pop. For the long night ahead, he said.
    His grandpa also made him take Gus along, which was a little weird since Gus never went anywhere without Grandpa. Jake had Gus on a leash and was leading him beside the bike. The old hound dog wasn’t happy about going with Jake. It took a lot of coaxing with dog treats. Jake had a pocketful for later.
    He and Gus pulled up into the Cuthberts’ front yard. He leaned his bike against the fence and led Gus along. He knocked on the front door and jumped back when it opened right away. Mr. Cuthbert said, “They’re already back there, Jake. I’ll let them know to meet you halfway. Just start walking back through the field to the woods.”
    Then he shut the door.
    Jake nodded. “Okay,” he said to the closed door. He and Gus started walking slowly through the field behind the house.
    It was getting dark, and it was really quiet. Jake couldn’t hear anything. In the city, there was always something to hear: trucks grinding their gears, emergency sirens, kids laughing down the street, people shouting, dogs barking. But it wasn’t like that here. It was quiet, too quiet. There weren’t any birds singing, or any cows mooing, or any sign of life at all. He looked across the field and saw the light shining in his