“No homework today!” said Twila the next afternoon as she bounced around the kitchen. “Going to the park to play lacrosse with Michaela! See ya!”
“Right now?” said Levi. “Maybe we could, I don’t know, go out and investigate that weird dude I saw creeping around last night.”
Twila smiled crookedly. “Vampires only come out after dark.” She twirled her lacrosse stick and skipped out the door. “Bye, Ma. See ya, Brother-Man.”
“Levi, I know change is hard for you,” said his mom, “but this neighborhood has lots of kids your age. I wish you’d give it a chance.”
“Are you working on your art?” asked Levi abruptly. He could see she wasn’t, but he wanted her off his back.
She shuffled her paperwork awkwardly. “Not now. It’s a busy time for the Slynderfell company.”
A sharp knock interrupted them. The front door flew open.
“Have no fear! Agent Kat is here! Sorry to disturb teatime with your mom, Mr. Levi, but a cryptid is stalking the streets after dark, and you’re the key witness!”
“But . . . I . . . Huh?” sputtered Levi.
“I ran into your little sis on the sidewalk, and she told me about your sinister encounter last night.” She hoisted the camera strapped around her neck. “Come on! While the trail is fresh!”
Levi looked to his mother. “Home for dinner this time,” she said, and went back to her forms.
A cheerful tinkling tune greeted them as they stepped into the brightness outside. Neighbors lined the sidewalk as the ice cream truck rolled down the street.
“Perfect timing!” said Kat as she flagged down the ice cream truck. “Top o’ the afternoon, old bean! I’ll have two cones: one Rocky Road to Perdition, and one Chubby Checker with a Lemon Twist.”
The ice cream man gave a friendly smile as he prepared the cones. “Fueling up for an adventure, Kat?”
“You bet!” said Kat. “Me and Levi are on a secret mission!”
The ice cream man chuckled. “I can’t imagine. The most exciting thing that’s happened here in the last ten years is someone violating the noise ordinance with soft rock after sunset.”
Kat chewed her lip, then leaned forward and whispered, “We’re investigating something my pal Levi saw last night.”
The ice cream man smiled at Levi. “Howdy-ho. You’re new to town, right?”
Levi nodded and quickly looked down at his feet. The ice cream man was a bit too cheerful for his comfort.
“Well, welcome to Cowslip Grove.” The ice cream man handed Kat the cones. “There you are, Kat.”
“That’s Agent Kat, Mr. Ice Cream Guy.”
“Agent Kat.” The ice cream man nodded. “Keeping the streets safe. Good to know.”
“Now,” said Kat through a mouthful of ice cream, “about that monster you saw last night.”
“It wasn’t a monster. It was just some weird skinny dude.”
“Levi, old sport, when you’ve been studying the supernatural as long as I have, you learn to trust your instincts. And my instincts say it’s time to hunt.”
They retraced Levi’s course from the previous night, scanning the sidewalks and street gutters for clues.
“Hello, Katherine,” said a neighbor who was hacking her hedges into perfect cubes. “What are you kids doing?”
“Hunting a cryptid, Mrs. Palmer,” said Kat. “See anything strange lately?”
“Cryptid?” Mrs. Palmer shook her head. “Katherine, this is not appropriate behavior for a girl your age.”
A man across the street stopped spraying his lawn with weed killer and joined the conversation. “Katherine Bombard! As Acting Vice President of the Cowslip Grove Neighborhood Watch, I must warn you that you are in violation of Ordinance 217: Conspiracy to Commit Peace Disruption and Loitering.”
“Well, Mr. Lowe,” said Kat, “you’re in violation of Ordinance 23-Whatever: Conspiracy to Commit Being a Dorkenstein.”
“I think your father needs to hear about your attitude, Katherine,” said a shocked Mrs. Palmer.
Levi winced. Fortunately, the argument was cut short.
“Great merciful heavens!” shrieked Mrs. Palmer.
“Jumbo mamba!” trilled Kat.
“Kill it!” screeched Mrs. Palmer. “It’s poisonous!”
“That’s a mauve-banded king snake,” said Levi. He’d seen pictures in one of his wildlife books. “It’s not venomous. It squeezes its prey.”
“I’ll get my weed whacker!” bellowed Mr. Lowe. “Shred it to bits!”
Before his brain could fully register what he was doing, Levi was dashing across Mrs. Palmer’s lawn and scooping the thrashing snake into his arms.
“Drop that creature immediately!” barked Mr. Lowe. “You are in violation of Ordinance 307: Harboring Dangerous Wildlife!”
Kat grabbed Levi’s shoulder. “C’mon, let’s get it out of here before they break out the torches and pitchforks!”
They raced down the street until they reached the edge of town. Levi crossed the field and lowered the snake to the ground.
“Don’t let it go!” said Kat. “I got an empty terrarium at home!”
Levi looked down at the reptile and marveled at its beautiful markings, its flickering tongue, its bright glassy eyes. “No. We can’t take it away from its home.” He watched the snake slide from his hands and disappear into the tall grass.
“Fine,” huffed Kat. “Let’s get back to the hunt.” She stepped through the brambles, past the old car, and into the forest.
“We can’t go in there!” said Levi. “It’s wild! It’s—”
“The perfect place for a monster to hide,” said Kat.
They listened . . . heard the drone of insects . . . the whisper of the breeze . . . and then—yes! The rustle of undergrowth as something moved closer . . . closer . . . stopped.
“It’s over there,” said Kat in a low voice. “Behind the reeds.” She crept to the rustling vegetation. Levi reluctantly followed.
“Three . . . two . . . one.”
Kat raised her camera and pulled a clump of reeds aside. Something darted from the undergrowth and disappeared into the forest.
“Shoot!” hissed Kat. “I missed it!” She turned to Levi. “Did you see what it was?”
Levi’s mouth was open wide. His eyes were even wider.
“Well?” said Kat. “What did you see?”
What should he tell her? Fluorescent green eyes? Hideous hunched back with sharp sinister spines? It had moved so quickly. His mind was playing tricks again.
“A squirrel,” he blurted.
“That’s it?”
“Uh, yep.”
They continued through the forest, Kat with her camera poised for action, and Levi silently convincing himself that in the right light, even a squirrel can look like a monster.
