Page 4 - Halloween 3

yanked Adam’s arm. “Let’s go check it out!” The two kids checked for cars,
then scampered across the street to the pet shop.

As long as she could remember, Carmen had loved animals. She planned on
being a veterinarian when she grew up—but not just any veterinarian. Cats
and dogs were much too ordinary for her. She wanted to take care of strange
and unusual pets like iguanas and flying squirrels and—

“Bats!” Carmen squealed in delight. “Check it out, Adam!” She pulled her
friend along the aisles of the crowded, musty pet store, to the very back,
where there were several darkened bat enclosures.

“Oh, Adam!” Carmen gasped. “I’d love to have a pet bat!”

Adam, who shared Carmen’s love for animals, nodded enthusiastically. “That
would be awesome. But what would your parents say?”

Carmen shrugged. “My parents are cool with me and all my pets,” she an-
swered with more confidence than she actually felt. Carmen already had a
snake and a baby hedgehog at home, in addition to her Chihuahua, Pepe. Her
parents didn’t mind Pepe—but they could have lived without the others!

“Is zhat so?” a mysterious voice asked, interrupting Carmen’s thoughts.

Surprised, she whirled around to see a short man with large ears, sparse black
hair, and protruding sharp teeth. Carmen bit her lip to keep from laughing.
He looked like the star of the vampire movie she and Adam had watched last
week!

“Yes,” Carmen fibbed, standing up a little straighter. “My parents are very un-
derstanding when it comes to pets.”

The strange little man smiled slowly. “I see, I see,” he murmured, steepling
his bony fingers. He thought for a moment, then said, “Vell, in zhat case, you
should buy one of my bats. They are on special zhis week for zee Halloween
sale. Only twelve dollars each.”

He even talks like that vampire guy! thought Carmen. What a weirdo! But she
was too excited to think much about it. She gasped suddenly, realizing what
the man had said. “Twelve dollars for a pet bat?” She couldn’t believe her
ears!

The man nodded eagerly. “I vill tell you vhat. For the low price of thirty dollars,
I vill give you zee bat, zee cage, and everyzhing else you need to get started.”

Carmen turned to Adam, her mouth still hanging open.

“It’s too good to be true,” said Adam.
“I know!” said Carmen. She pulled thirty dollars out of her wallet and handed
it to the man.

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