Free Aesop's Secret by Claudia White Page A

interesting.”

C HAPTER F OURTEEN
    Melinda sat up in bed, shivering, tears streaming down her face. She hadn’t had a nightmare in more than a week and this one caught her a little off guard. Her eyes darted around the unfamiliar room; then she sighed as she remembered where she was. She leaned back against the headboard, staring straight ahead at nothing in particular, recalling every image, every emotion, every feeling from her haunting dream.
    Felix’s voice echoed in the hallway. She ran to his room, where he lay motionless in his bed. He was screaming, “Help me! Stop him!” but his lips weren’t moving and his eyes didn’t open. She leaned over him and lifted his eyelids, jumping backwards when she saw that his eyes were gone. She began frantically searching for them, thinking that perhaps they had rolled under the bed. She bent down to have a look when a mouse scampered out of the darkness carrying Felix’s eyes. As she tried to catch the mouse, Aesop walked into the room; he was the size of a man. He tapped her shoulder and said calmly, “I had to leave, but I’m here to help you now.”
    She rubbed her eyes and ran her hands through her hair; her rabbit ears had finally gone. The bedside clock read 2:00 a.m. She pulled her covers tightly around her and was just closing her eyes, slinking down to rest her head on the pillow, when she thought that she heard Felix’s voice call for help.
    Melinda’s feet hit the floor before she had even thought about getting out of bed. She sprinted to the door, turned the handle and crept out into the hallway. It took a minute for her eyes to adjust to the blackness as she stumbled down the dark passage, wondering why no one else was awake―hadn’t they heard Felix’s cry?
    She reached his room, clicked on the light and hurried to Felix’s side. He looked exactly like he had in her dream, and her hands shook as she reached for his eyes. She took a deep breath and gently lifted his eyelids, sighing upon finding that his eyes were exactly where they were meant to be. “Felix, are you OK?” she whispered, watching for a sign that would suggest that he could hear her. Fear seized her like nothing she had ever felt before as she stared into the eyes of a person who simply was not there.

    Melinda lifted her head and rubbed her stiff neck. She was sitting in the chair by Felix’s bed; her cheeks wore the imprint of his blanket. The darkness in the room was cut only by a sliver of sunlight coming in through the part in the curtains. The clock read 6:25 a.m.
    She lifted Felix’s eyelids and smiled, feeling certain that he was able to see her. “What happened to you last night?” she asked, knowing that he would not answer. “It was like you were gone. It really freaked me out. Your eyes looked vacant, like they weren’t there at all.” She shivered at the memory of her dream and decided not to tell him about it.
    The door squeaked open and Professor Stumpworthy ambled in. “Melinda,” he said, only a hint of surprise in his voice. “I see that you’re an early riser too.” He walked over to Felix’s bed and put down a glass on the bedside table. “I had expected to find your mother here; I brought her a glass of orange juice. I want to make sure she gets some nourishment during this difficult period.” He smiled kindly as he lifted Felix’s hand and took his pulse. “I talked with your father this morning. He’s still busy in the lab. We may not see him for a while.”
    Melinda looked into his eyes briefly, then turned her attention to Felix. “I know Felix is OK,” she said proudly.
    Stumpworthy’s head jerked around to face her. “I’m sure he will be.”
    Melinda shook her head. “I know he can’t move or anything, but I know that he can see and hear things.”
    Stumpworthy smiled kindly. “I hope you are right.” He looked over at the glass he had placed on the table. “Do you like orange juice?” Melinda nodded. “Then by all means you must