10 THE BONES OF MYSTERY

THE BONES OF MYSTERY "BEEE-EEEN! IIIII-VEEE!" squalled a voice. "Open the gate!" I'm going to have to run away, thought Bean. She stood up, preparing for takeoff. "Open up, you guys!" That was Leo. "I'm going to be late for practice!" "I'm running away," said Bean. "It was nice knowing you," she said to her dad. "Wait a second," said Ivy. She looked at Bean's dad. "You don't know what these are the bones of, do you?" "Nope. Can't say I do," he said. "So you're saying these bones are pretty mysterious, aren't you?" asked Ivy. "Sure. They're pretty mysterious." "The most mysterious bones you've ever seen?"

He smiled. "You bet." Ivy nodded. "Good." "BEEEE-EEN!" Ivy turned to Bean. "Don't worry. It's going to be okay." She walked calmly toward the back gate and opened it. People streamed in. Bean couldn't believe how many there were. Vanessa, Drew, Dusit, Emma, Zuzu, Sophie W. and Sophie S., Marco, Anya, Nascim, Jared, Leo with five guys she didn't know, Leo's sister Kiki, Isaiah, two fourth-grade girls who Bean didn't know the names of, Leann from down the street, the skinny little first- grader along with about six other skinny

little first-graders, some tiny brothers and sisters, and assorted moms. "Hi" said Bean in a small voice. What, was she going to say to all these people? "What happens next?" Bean's dad whispered in her ear. "I don't know," said Bean nervously. The tiny kids started playing in Bean's playhouse, and the moms stood around the edges of the yard looking like they were late for something else, but the big kids crowded around Ivy and Bean. They didn't look really friendly. "So—let's see the dinosaur bones" said, Vanessa.

"Yeah!" squeaked the skinny first-grader. Showtime. Then Bean heard Ivy take a deep breath. "Attention, please!" Ivy called. She climbed up onto the trampoline and stood there, looking down at everyone. "I have an announcement!" "What?" said Leo. Not even Mary Anning was as brave as Ivy, Bean thought. She felt suddenly

lighter. The crowd grew quiet, watching Ivy. She cleared her throat. "This afternoon, we had a visit from an expert, and he told us that these," Ivy pointed to the bones, "are not, I repeat NOT, dinosaur bones." She looked at the crowd below her. "The expert was unable to identify these bones. He says

these are the most mysterious bones he has ever seen. Because of that, he has decided to name them The Bones of Mystery." Wow. Bones of Mystery. That's exactly what they were! Bean climbed onto the trampoline and stood beside Ivy. "These are the bones of a creature never before seen", she said in a loud voice. "Possibly a man- eating, saber-toothed, deadly-clawed creature." "We will let you know what the creature is as soon as studies have been done" said, Ivy. "We regret any inconvenience." There was a silence. Ivy and Bean looked down at the kids standing around the trampoline. They looked back. Finally, the skinny first-grader said, "Can I touch The Bones of Mystery?"