The Upside-Down Day Read Free Page A

Does anyone know the answer?”
    The students looked puzzled.
    At last, Jason raised his hand.
    â€œGo ahead, Jason,” Miss Hershey said.
    He grinned and shook his head. “Sorry,” he said. “I don’t know the answer. I can’t even figure out the question!”
    The kids were laughing again.
    Miss Hershey looked at Ellen. “I believe you’ve stumped us. Please tell us the answer.”
    â€œThe answer is the letter E,” Ellen replied.
    The kids clapped for Ellen’s riddle. Abby clapped extra hard.
    Jason raised his hand again. He still looked confused. “I don’t get it,” he admitted.
    Leslie giggled.
    Miss Hershey explained. “E begins thewords eternity and end . And E ends the words time, space , and race .”
    Jason was jiving at his desk. “Oh, yeah!” he said. “Very cool.”
    Leslie raised her hand. “ I have a riddle, too.”
    â€œYes, Leslie?” Miss Hershey said.
    â€œIf all of you lived to be a trillion and one years old, you could never guess my secret.”
    Never? Abby held her breath.
    She thought about Leslie’s first clue, earlier today. Many kings and queens lived in England, long ago. Maybe that was a good clue after all. Abby waved her hand high. “Are you from England, and did you skip second grade?” she asked.
    â€œNope to both guesses,” Leslie said. Her grin turned from sneaky to unkind.
    Time was ticking away. Abby had less than six hours now. And she didn’t like it. Not one bit.

FIVE
    Time for lunch.
    Abby slipped into line with Stacy. Jason cut in line behind her. Leslie squealed.
    In a flash, Miss Hershey pulled Jason out of line. The rest of the class headed off to lunch.
    The older Cul-de-sac Kids always ate together at school. Today, Jason came in five minutes late. He plodded across the floor to their table. “I got in trouble,” he explained. “All because Leslie Groff screamed. She got me in trouble!”
    Jason scooted into the seat and opened his lunch. He poked his nose inside, then slammed the sack shut. “Anybody want to trade?” he pleaded.

    â€œWhat’s in there?” Dunkum asked.
    â€œRabbit food,” Jason replied. He pulled a face.
    Dunkum held out his hand for Jason’s carrot and celery sticks. “I’ll trade your veggies for my orange pieces.”
    â€œIt’s a deal,” Jason said.
    Next thing, all the kids started trading food. Eric even gave away his chocolate chip cookie. To Abby.
    Abby was double dabble glad about that. “Thanks, Eric.” She wondered if Ellen was right about Eric. Maybe he did like her extra-special.
    Well, Abby liked him, too. They went to the same church and both liked mystery books. Besides that, Eric’s mom made great chocolate chip cookies. “Yum,” she said, enjoying every bite.

    The kids chattered off and on about Leslie.
    â€œAny ideas about her secret?” Eric asked Abby.
    Abby shook her head. “Not yet.”
    â€œI think Leslie looks like a second grader,” Stacy said. “But nothing like a princess.”
    â€œShe doesn’t act like royalty,” Jason said. He was being more serious now.
    Abby scratched her head. “So . . . what could the secret be?”
    â€œMaybe she has a twin sister,” suggested Jason. “And her twin got all the hair.”
    The kids laughed. A piece of Dunkum’s sandwich flew out of his mouth.
    The kids cackled some more.
    â€œMaybe she’s a friend of Miss Hershey,” said Stacy.
    â€œOr a neighbor,” said Shawn.
    â€œCould Leslie be Miss Hershey’s relative?” Jason asked.
    â€œI saw Miss Hershey wink at Leslie. Abby saw it, too,” Stacy said.
    Abby nodded. “There’s something really weird going on.”
    â€œLeslie doesn’t look like Miss Hershey at all,” said Dunkum.
    â€œYeah, and Miss Hershey isn’t a queen,” said