"Steve Rasnic Tem - Tricks And Treats" - читать интересную книгу автора (Tem Steve Rasnic)

And thinking about how this was Tommy's last trick on them -- and what a grand
trick it was! -- and how this was their last trick on Tommy.

THE INVISIBLE BOY

J.P. was acting stupid again. Susan was sorry she'd brought him along, as usual,
but she never had any choice anyway. J.P. always went where he wanted to go, and
unfortunately the places he wanted to go always seemed to be the places she
wanted to go.

She tried to walk as far away from him as possible so that maybe people wouldn't
know that he was her brother. But people always knew anyway. Like she had a big
sign: J.P.'S SISTER, painted on her forehead.

He looked so stupid in his regular streetclothes on Halloween night. That yellow
shirt and those brown corduroy pants he always wore. Always. He never took them
off, and she didn't think he ever washed them. It made her mad that Mom let him
get away with stuff like that.

J.P. was so ignorant. I'll be the invisible boy, he said, and laughed that
stupid horse laugh of his. I'll wear my same old clothes but I'll be the
invisible boy so that no one can see me!

"J.P., you're so ignorant!" she'd said but he'd just laughed at her. That stupid
laugh. Here she'd worked forever on her fairy princess costume m it had wings
and everything -- and her brother thought he could be the invisible boy just by
saying he was the invisible boy.

You can't see me! he'd said.

"J.P., that's dumb! Of course I can see you! You're wearing that stupid yellow
shirt and those stupid brown pants and no way are you an invisible boy!"

He'd looked worried then. Don't tell anybody you can see me, then.., don't tell
or you'll ruin everything!

It made her mad when he asked her that because he knew she could never tell him
no. He always took advantage of her. It made her feel stupid, too.

"Okay okay...let's just go."

So they started across the street just as a car was coming across the bridge
onto Halloween Street when J.P. turned to her and started making faces just like
he always did. And Susan started screaming just like she always did.

And the car passed through J.P., the headlights trapped inside him for a second
like he was burning smoke, just like it always did.

J.P., the Invisible Boy, turned around and looked at her and laughed that stupid
horse laugh of his before jumping backwards onto the sidewalk and then walking