Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5 Danny managed to grab Aki by the seat of his pants and hoist him up just in time. One of the monster's tusks tore through Danny's pant leg. Amazingly, it missed his flesh. Danny jerked back his leg, ripping his pants away from the tusk. He almost fell, but he regained his balance and kept his hold on Aki, who was still screaming for his puppy.

With Aki held high, Danny ran across the yard and into the house, slamming the door. "My puppy!" Aki screamed. "My puppy!" "No," Danny said, putting the kid down and blocking the door. "That's not yours. That's the monster's baby." "Not Aki's puppy?" Aki said, his eyes getting bigger. There were tears now. "Sorry, little guy," Danny said. "But that puppy has to be with its ma." "Aki want puppy," he said, throwing his arms around Danny and burying his face in Danny's legs. This kid was a stitch. Danny had always wanted a little brother, someone to trail along with him and Finn, someone to keep him company when Ma was working. "Where's your ma?" Danny said. "Mama mad at Aki," Aki said. And sure enough, just then Danny heard someone shouting Aki's name. Danny stuck his head out the window. "I got him!" he called.

A moment later, he and Aki were standing on the porch with Aki's mother. Danny guessed she and Aki were Japanese. There were people from all over the world living here — just like in New York City. Lots of the people in Pearl City were originally from Japan, Ma had said. "Aki!" his mother scolded. "You cannot be running away like this!" "I sorry, Mama," he said in a voice sweeter than a chocolate doughnut. He wrapped his arms around his mother's legs and gazed up at her with an angelic smile. Danny saw how the anger in Aki's mother's eyes melted away. This little kid was good. She looked at Danny and smiled. Even though she looked nothing like Mrs. Mills, there was something about her that reminded Danny of his teacher — a look in her eyes, like she could read his mind and liked what she saw. "Thank you," she said. "My son is a wanderer. The minute I turn my back, he sneaks away." "We saw monster!" Aki said.

"A monster?" the woman said, raising her eyebrows. "It looked like a hairy pig," Danny said. "With horns." "A wild boar?" "Monster hurt Danny," Aki said, pointing to Danny's torn pants. "Goodness!" Aki's mother said with surprise. "Did he really hurt you?" "Just my pants," Danny said. He decided not to tell Aki's mother how the boar almost turned Aki into a shish kebab. "But it's very unusual for a boar to attack," said Aki's mother. "Aki got hold of one of its babies," Danny said. "Puppy." Aki smiled. "My puppy!" Aki's mother shook her head. "Aki sees the beauty in everything," his mother said. "Even a wild boar. But one of these days, Aki, you're going to end up in big trouble." "He's a good kid," Danny said, wanting to protect his new friend. "I good boy!" Aki said, puffing out his chest.

Danny and Aki's mother looked at each other, and they both laughed. The sound startled Danny. He hadn't laughed since the night Finn fell. Aki stared at both of them, trying to see what was funny. Then he grabbed Danny's hand and started pulling with all his might. "Danny come!" Aki said. "Danny come over!" Danny opened his mouth to say "no thank you." But Aki kept shouting, "Danny come!" and pulling on his hand, trying to haul him up the hill. For such a shrimp, the kid was a real muscleman. "You might as well come," Aki's mother said. "I have lunch just about ready. And as you can see, my son doesn't take no for an answer."