Free The Gorgon Slayer by Gary Paulsen Page B

monster with snakes for hair moving into some poor sucker’s attic. Does the sucker want to get rid of her? Of course he does! Run down to your nearest convenience store, sucker, for a jumbo-size can of GorgonGone! And if you act now, you’ll also receive a free blindfold!
    But the trouble was that Gorgon Gone didn’t work. Instead of wasting their money, most people ignored the commercials and called in professional Gorgon exterminators.
    “YOU TWO SEE WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT.”
    Or two eleven-year-old boys.
    Rick didn’t look as if he was feeling very well, but he was a rookie and unused to this. Warren didn’t feel well because he was more than used to this. He was sick and tired of getting these bottom-of-the-barrel assignments —he’d taken out at least a dozen Gorgons already this summer. They were boring.
    The only problem anyone ever had with them was turning into stone, which wasn’t much of a problem if you knew what you were doing. If you did harden up, when—or if—someone later exterminated the Gorgon, you’d reflesh with nothing more than a splitting headache, sore muscles, and a gritty taste in your mouth.
    If the Gorgon flew off while you were stone, then the problem became much more than just a problem. About all you could hope for then was a nice spot in the park and a nearby sign that read Please Keep the Pigeons Off the Statue. But that never happened. Well, hardly ever, anyway.
    Only one thing worried Warren. Three guys had already screwed up. There had to be a reason.
    “WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?” Princey demanded. “CHRISTMAS?”
    Rick sighed. “Do we have to take this one?”
    Princey leaned over the desk. “ROOKIES SHOULDN’T BE SO CHOOSY, HOWARD. REMEMBER, YOU’RE ONLY WORKING ON A TRIAL BASIS.” He turned his eye on Warren. “WHAT ABOUT YOU, TRUMBULL? DO YOU WANT TO PASS ON THE ASSIGNMENT, OR DO YOU WANT TO KEEP YOUR JOB?”
    Warren wasn’t sure. He was saving the money he earned for a new camera. The goddess of love, Venus, was coming to town on the first stop of her latest world tour, and hewanted to get some good pictures. But was a camera worth always getting stuck with the most boring assignments?
    Worse yet, what if he and Rick failed? Once they refleshed they’d have to live with the nickname “rockhead” for the rest of their lives. No nickname was as bad as that, except maybe Piggy.
    But still, pictures of Venus were worth a few risks.
    He looked at Rick. Rick looked at him. They both nodded.
    “Could I get that address from you, Princey?” Warren asked.

C HAPTER 2
    With Princey’s bellow of “COME BACK A ROCKHEAD, AND I’LL DOCK YOU HALF YOUR PAY” ringing in their ears, Rick and Warren set out to do something Rick had never done and Warren didn’t want to do. Even so, it would be an easy, if dull, day’s work.
    “Where do we start?” Rick asked. He didn’t have a bike, so he was balancing on Warren’s handlebars. He was too tall for Warren to see over, but so thin Warren could almost see through him.
    “At Happy Harry’s Rent-All,” Warren saidpatiently. “That’s where we get our equipment. Princey has certain procedures we’re supposed to follow with Gorgons.”
    “Procedures?” Rick asked.
    “Harry will explain it to you.”
    Happy Harry’s Rent-All rented everything. Everything. If you needed to get somewhere in a hurry and wanted to stay neat doing it, Happy Harry would have a magic carpet with stain guard waiting for you. If a pesky giant was hiding in the clouds above your yard, you could get rid of him with an ax and a magic bean from Happy Harry’s. If you needed it, if you wanted it—or even if you didn’t—it was waiting on Happy Harry’s dusty shelves.
    For a price, of course.
    “What can I help you good-looking young men with?” Happy Harry asked, his fat cheeks crowding out his Happy Harry smile. “I bet you’re helping your dad shingle the roof, and you dropped and lost your hammer. I have just the thing for