2. Bradley’s Nightmare

Chapter 2 Bradley's Nightmare "You guys were pretty quiet in your room," their father said. "Were you hatching some evil plan?" He grinned. "No, but we think the new neighbors are going to build something in their backyard," Bradley said. "They might cut the tree down!" "How do you know?" their mother asked. She passed a plate full of fried chicken. "Brian is spying on them with the binoculars," Bradley said.

"Mr. and Mrs. Sargent are from Florida," the boys' father said, passing the green beans to Josh. "A lot of people in Florida have swimming pools in their yards. Maybe the Sargents are going to put in a swimming pool." "Sweet!" Josh said. "They could hire me to keep it clean." "I'll bet they're going to plant a vegetable garden," Mrs. Pinto said. "I think Martha Sargent misses her garden in Florida." "Mom, it's almost Thanksgiving," Bradley said. "Why would she plant a garden now?" "You're right, honey," his mom said. "I meant in the springtime." "Good, maybe she'll give us some of her vegetables," Mr. Pinto said. "No way!" Josh said. "We don't need more vegetables in this house. Mom makes us eat too many already. One of these days, I'm going to turn green!" "Like Kermit the Frog," Bradley said, grinning at Josh. "I should invite them over for a meal," their mother said. "I think Martha and Ralph miss their

kids and grandkids." "Just don't invite their dog," Josh said. "He'd eat us!" After supper, Bradley and Brian went upstairs. Brian stepped into the bathroom, and Bradley went into their bedroom and picked up his book. "I can't wait for Thanksgiving," he said. "Only a few more days!" "Me too," Brian said. He came out of the bathroom, wiping toothpaste off his chin. "Pumpkin pie! Ice cream! Mashed potatoes!" He knelt in front of the window and looked outside. "Oh my gosh! Bradley, come and see!" Bradley jumped off his bed and knelt next to Brian. The dead tree was hidden from sight. The neighbors had draped a huge blue tarp around the tree. The tarp hung from the branches all the way to the ground. It was like a big blue tent with the tree inside. Suddenly a light went on inside the tarp, making it glow. Mr. and Mrs. Sargent were in there. Bradley could see their shapes moving around.

"I don't think they're building a swimming pool," Brian whispered. "And they're not making a garden, either," Bradley said. "So what are they doing?" "What if Mr. and Mrs. Sargent are spies?" Brian whispered. "Or bank robbers! Maybe they're burying money they stole in their latest robbery! We need to get inside that tarp!" "We?" Bradley said.

"Yeah, you, me, Lucy, and Nate," Brian said. "Let's call them!" Lucy Armstrong was the cousin of Josh's friend Dink. She was staying with Dink's family for a

year while her parents worked on a Native American reservation in Arizona. Nate's older sister, Ruth Rose, was Josh's other best friend. His family lived next door to Dink, so all the kids were friends. Bradley looked at the clock. "It's too late to call," he said. "But we'll see them tomorrow morning at school." He changed into his pajamas. "There is something weird about our new neighbors," Brian said. "And we're going to find out what!" Bradley fell asleep thinking about what could be going on inside the strange blue tarp. He dreamed that he was climbing over the fence to get a closer look. Suddenly the giant black dog appeared out of the night. It leaped on Bradley and started to— Bradley woke up screaming. "It's only a nightmare," he whispered to himself. But it had seemed so real! Bradley closed his eyes and thought about Thanksgiving pumpkin pie and ice cream. Finally, he went back to sleep.