Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3 Charlie rushed to his little sister's room. He found Lulu under the bed, wailing in fear. This was what Charlie hated about these storms—poor Lulu always got so scared! Charlie never used to care about bad weather. Sure, it could be annoying when a storm suddenly swept in. Sometimes when it rained hard, the streets would flood. That's why almost all the

houses and stores in Galveston were built up off the ground. Water would rush underneath, without wrecking what was inside. The wooden sidewalks were built up, too, two feet higher than the streets. Storms were just a part of life here in Galveston. Charlie knew that. But lately the sight of gray clouds filled Charlie with dread. Because the slightest rumble of thunder sent his little sister into these fits of terror. "Chowie!" she wailed from her hiding place. That's what she called him. Chowie. "The cloud monster!" she cried. "Ahhhhhhhhh! The cloud monster!" Lulu thought a bloodthirsty beast lived in the clouds and that every crack and boom of thunder was its ferocious roar. Charlie gently slid Lulu out from under the bed. He scooped her up and held her. Mama and Papa came in. Mama put her hand on Lulu's sweaty head, and Papa patted her back.

"I'll take care of her," Charlie said to his parents. "Are you sure?" Mama asked. Charlie nodded—he usually managed to calm Lulu down. Mama and Papa left, and Charlie tried singing Lulu a song. "The itsy, bitsy spider…" "Cloud monster!" "Mary had a little lamb…" "Cloud monster!" Nothing was working. Charlie thought of the magician Meraki. One of Charlie's favorite chapters in Meraki's book was when Meraki was on a big ship, heading back to America from India. The ship sailed into a giant storm. Massive waves rose up and crashed over the ship's deck. The passengers huddled below, terrified. And what did Meraki do? He put on a magic show, of

course, distracting the audience with his dazzling tricks. Charlie's tricks weren't very dazzling. Then again, Lulu got all excited when she saw a ladybug. "Lulu!" he said. "Can you help me find my magic coin?" Sniff. "The cloud—" "My magic coin, Lulu! I think you have it!" Lulu loosened her iron grip. She wiped her runny nose on Charlie's shirt. "Where the coin, Chowie?" she asked. Charlie's idea was working! But it also could be that the storm was already losing strength. The booms had turned to low rumbles. Charlie gently plopped Lulu down so she was sitting at the edge of the bed. "Is my coin inside your mouth?" he asked, brushing away her tears. "Open up." She opened her gummy mouth and sent a puff of milky breath up Charlie's nose.

"Could it be here?" he said, checking between her fat little toes. "How about here?" he asked, peeking under her chin, then inside her slimy nose. "Hmmmmm," Charlie said. Lulu's eyes were getting brighter. She pressed her lips together. She was trying not to giggle. "Check under your pillow. I bet it's there," Charlie said. Lulu turned and lifted up her pillow. Charlie quickly reached into his pocket for the coin he always carried with him. He pushed it firmly into the flat part of his palm, locking it into place. He whipped his hand out of his pocket and put it up near Lulu's ear. Flicking his hand slightly, he made the coin drop into his fingertips. This magic move was known as the French drop, and it was one of the first tricks a beginner magician learned. "Ah-ha!" Charlie said, holding the coin out to Lulu.

Lulu's eyes widened and she broke into a grin. "Do again!" she said. "Do again!" Charlie felt like taking a bow. Ten minutes later, Charlie walked into the kitchen. "Where's Lulu?" Mama asked. "Asleep," Charlie said.