It took Jacob longer than it should have to figure out that I called him “Juliet” because I didn’t want my grandfather to know who I was talking to! For a smart guy, he can be a little slow on the uptake.
He finally got it. “Sorry!” he said hastily. “I don’t want to get you in trouble, Lily. But I really, really, really need to talk to you.”
“Can’t it wait until tomorrow, Juliet?”
“No, it can’t! The baby just turned into a monster!”
I could hardly keep from laughing. Trying to remain serious, I said, “Oh, Juliet! I know this is your first time being a big sister, but you have to understand that this happens sometimes. The baby is probably just teething.”
“No, Lily, you don’t understand! I’m trying to tell you that LD just turned into a monster—as in, he grew fangs and fur. I think he’s bigger, too. I’m afraid he’s gonna bust out of his pj’s!”
I was starting to get angry. Jake and I had invented some great imaginary games, but calling me at home was too much. I carried the phone into the hall. Keeping my voice low but still worried about my grandfather overhearing, I hissed, “Listen, Juliet, this could be fun but you can’t call me like this. We can start the game tomorrow.”
“This isn’t a game, Herbert! Do you think I wanted to take a chance on your grandfather picking up? I called because LD has turned into a monster with fur and fangs and he’s still cute but also sort of terrifying and my mother isn’t here and I don’t know what to do so I called you because you’re supposed to be my best friend!”
When Jacob gets excited, he talks like punctuation had never been invented, so this sentence made me think maybe he was serious.
“Wow,” I said. “If that’s true, it’s cooler than a goblin’s heinie!”
Normally he would ask how cool a goblin’s heinie was supposed to be, and how I knew. Now he just said, “It’s true! And it’s not cool, it’s terrifying!”
The tremor in his voice startled me. I was silent for a moment, then said, “Listen carefully, because I’m giving you one last chance. If you tell me, right now, you are making this up, I will forgive you. If you tell me it’s real, I will believe you. But if you tell me it’s real and later I find out you were fooling, we will never, ever be friends again. So … are you talking true, or not?”
I held my breath, half wanting him to confess it was a game, half wanting him to say it was real.
“Lily, if this is a lie, then Frankenstein can fart in my face every morning for a hundred years.”
It might seem stupid that I believed him, but I did. I mean, I’d been waiting for something like this all my life. “Well,” I said, “I suppose it’s because of the full moon.”
I heard a groan from the other end. “I’m such a dolt! Do you think if I put him someplace dark, he might change back?”
“I dunno. In stories usually just having a full moon in the sky is enough to make whatever thing is going to happen, um … happen! But maybe it’s different for babies. Was he in the moonlight when it started?”
“Definitely! It was pouring through his window right onto his crib.”
“Okay, that’s useful. Is he in the moonlight now?”
“Good grief, I really am a dolt! He’s smack-dab in a patch of the stuff.”
“Okay, try moving him.”
“All right, hold on a minute.”
I heard a little howl, a high-pitched sound that sent shivers down my spine. “Was that LD?” I asked when it stopped.
“Yeah, he woke up when I took him off the bed. Boy, my mother is kind of a slob. There’s nowhere in here to sit. I’m going back to my room.”
“Can you take the phone with you?” I asked, afraid he was going to end the call.
“I’ll try. I’m not sure how much range it has. All right, I’m in the hall. Can you still hear me?”
“Yep. You should be out of the moonlight now. Any change in the baby?”
“Nothing.”
“Maybe you have to give it a few minutes.”
Another pause, then, “I’m back in my room now. Hey, LD’s ears are smaller. He’s turning back!”
“Excellent! Man, I wish we had cell phones so you could send me a picture. Is he still changing?”
“No,” said Jacob with a moan. “It’s stopped. He’s still all furry.”
I thought fast. “Maybe you need complete darkness. Try taking him into a closet. Make sure you leave the light off!”
“Lily, I am not getting into a pitch-black closet with a baby monster. Who knows what he might do to me?”
“Why, Juliet, you’re not afraid of a little baby, are you?”
I felt bad saying it, because I knew Jake hated that kind of argument (mostly because he was doomed to lose). But we didn’t have time for a discussion. I was afraid Gramps might yell for me to get off the phone at any minute, and I had to know how this turned out.
“All right,” he grumped, “I’ll give it a try.”
Though I was glad Jacob had called to ask for advice, the situation was driving me nuts. I wanted to be there so badly it hurt.
Of course, that assumed it was really happening … which I hoped it was, because otherwise I would have to have a huge fight with Jacob and then never talk to him again as long as I lived.
“All right, I’m in the closet.”
“Is the dark having any effect?”
“How should I know? I can’t see a thing. Anyway, I don’t think—”
I was starting to explain that he should use his sense of touch when a sudden crackle of static burst against my ear.
“Juliet? Juliet?”
Nothing.
I stared at the phone in horror.
Had we simply lost the connection?
Was Jacob playing with my head?
Or had something much worse just happened?