5. Lucy’s List

Chapter 5 Lucy's List "We have to call the cops!" Nate cried. "And tell them what?" Brian asked. "They'll just laugh at us." "We have to do something!" Bradley said. "Everyone is disappearing!" "Don't panic," Lucy said. "Let's just make a list." "Ha!" Nate barked. "A list of what?" "A list of clues," Lucy said.

"Okay, we'll make a list," Brian said. "But you sound just like your cousin Dink." They sat at the kitchen table. Bradley gave Lucy a pen and paper from off the counter. Lucy wrote the word CLUES on the top of the page. "Okay, what are the clues we've seen so far?" she asked. "The circle in the snow," Bradley said. Lucy wrote it down. "The funny footprints," Nate added. "But I still don't think aliens have invaded Green Lawn." "Nate, people are vanishing!" said Bradley. "My horse and dog are gone!" Lucy wrote on her pad. "What else?" she asked. "I don't believe it, either," Brian said. "But write down that printout we saw next to Josh's computer." Lucy added to her list.

"The phone calls," Nate said. He couldn't stop himself from grinning. "Excellent!" Lucy said. "Okay, here's what we saw: aliens, a circle in the snow, weird footprints, Polly and Pal are gone, the big kids have disappeared.…" Lucy looked up. "This is creepy," she said. Suddenly they heard a tapping noise. "They're here!" Bradley whispered. "Chill out, Brad," Brian said. "It's just a woodpecker… or something." They heard the tapping again. This time they all looked at the window behind the table. A green face with big teeth was peering in at them. An instant later, the thing vanished. "The aliens are back!" screamed Brian. "Look! There's another one!" Lucy shouted, pointing at the window over the sink. This time the face was yellow.

It had no teeth, but two huge eyes stared in at them. As the kids watched, the figure shot up into the air. "RUN!" yelled Nate.

The four kids bolted out of their seats. They dashed around the kitchen, bumping into each other. Finally, they all ended up in the small closet under the stairs. They huddled together like sardines in a can. They heard each other's breathing.

"Can you hear them?" Bradley asked. "Hear them what?" Brian asked. "I don't know, walking around," Bradley said. The kids stopped whispering and listened. They heard a clock ticking. The refrigerator motor hummed. A car horn honked in the street. Nate giggled. "I think I hear them opening the refrigerator." "Real funny, Nate," Bradley said. "Now do you believe me?" "I don't want to, but I guess I do," Nate said. "I might," Brian stated. "Those things were scary-looking!" "What do you think they want?" Nate asked. "Easy," Bradley said. "They want us." "Shut up!" Nate wailed. "We need a plan," Lucy said calmly.