4. Phone Home

Chapter 4 Phone Home Just then the telephone rang in the hall. Bradley ran to answer it. "Hello?" he said. "Josh, is that you?" The other kids hurried over. They pressed their ears close to the phone so they could hear. "Josh, I can hardly hear you!" Bradley yelled into the phone. "Where are Dink and Ruth Rose?" "They're here with me!" everyone heard Josh say. "Polly's here, too." "But where are you?" Bradley asked.

"Aliens got us!" Josh answered. "We're in a spaceship!" Then the line went dead. The four kids stared at each other. Lucy's eyes were as big as meatballs. Brian was tugging on his red hair. Nate shook his head. "This has to be a joke," he said. "Josh sounded far away," Bradley said. "Wait a minute!" Lucy yelled. "How could he call you from space? Do spaceships have phones?" "Josh never goes anywhere without his cell phone," Bradley said. "I still think it's a trick," Nate said. He grabbed the telephone. "Who are you calling?" Lucy asked. "Ruth Rose," Nate said. "I saw her put her cell phone in her pocket." The four kids sat in a circle on the floor. Nate dialed his sister's number.

Everyone leaned toward the phone. "It's ringing!" Nate whispered. Then they all heard Ruth Rose's voice. "…little people with… feet… don't know what… we're going… try call… again.…" Then they heard something roaring, then nothing. "Oh my gosh!" Bradley said. "What should we do?" Nate started to giggle. "We're home alone!" he said. "This isn't funny," Lucy said. "And we're not alone. We have each other. Besides, Pal is here." "He is?" Brian said. "Where?" "Oh no!" Bradley screeched. The four kids pounded down the stairs. They yelled, "PAL! COME, PAL!" as they ran. "You guys split up and search the house!" Brian said. "I'll look outside." Bradley, Nate, and Lucy looked in every corner of the house.

They checked all the closets. They peeked into kitchen cupboards and under chairs and in the basement and up the chimney. Pal was gone.