Free Jennifer Murdley's Toad (Magic Shop Books) by Bruce Coville

He lowered his toes, which let the skin close back over the opening. "Besides, I don't think merely touching it will do you any good. Certainly hasn't done much for me," he said, his voice still heavy with sorrow.
    Jennifer drew back. "What happened next?"
    "I continued to search for Esmerelda. The Brotherhood of the Vermin grew slowly smaller. Despite the fact that we didn't die by normal means, every now and then one of us would meet with an accident. Others simply chose to leave the forest to explore the world at large. Of course, once in a while we would discover someone new."
    "Someone new?" asked Jennifer.
    "A new immortal. It didn't happen very often. Once that girl knew toads and snakes would pour out of her mouth every time she spoke, she didn't say much. But I guess she still felt compelled to
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    speak on occasion, because every now and then a handful of new immortals would enter the forest.
    "After a while I decided to leave the woods. With Esmerelda gone I had no real reason to stay, and part of me had always wondered if she had grown angry for some reason and run away.
    "And thus have I wandered the world for centuries, seeking my lost love. But alas, alas, not a sign of her have I seen."
    Bufo sang these last words in a voice that reminded Jennifer of the wandering minstrel who performed at the Renaissance Faire the Murdleys visited every summer.
    "Is that why you were crying last night?" she asked after a moment.
    "You weren't supposed to hear that."
    Jennifer didn't say anything.
    Bufo sighed. "It's true. I was weeping for Esmerelda."
    "Then you've been true to her all this time?" asked Jennifer. She was slightly amazed at the idea, since at least three families on their street had had divorces in the last year or so.
    "Yes, I have," said Bufo sharply. "Not that I've had that many opportunities for hanky-panky. After all, I'm not interested in your average, garden-variety toad; I need a woman I can talk to. And there ain't that many witty, literate, immortal lady toads to be found."
    Jennifer made a mental note not to say anything too witty or literate while she was still a toad.
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    "What were you doing in the magic shop?" she asked after a brief silence.
    "A temporary haven. I had been working for wizards off and on over the years. About ten years ago I was having some trouble with my current boss and the old man took me in. I helped around the place a bit, kept track of records for him, did a few of the kinds of chores that a brilliant immortal toad is best at. Funny old coot, that Elives. I think I was at least as surprised as you were when he sold me to you."
    "Why did he do that?" asked Jennifer.
    Bufo lifted his warty brown shoulders in a shrug. "Who knows? But I've never known him to do something without a reason."
    Jennifer hoped that Mr. Elives' reason didn't have anything to do with her becoming a toad and filling the hole in Bufo's life. Before she could find a way to say that without being too insulting, Brandon's phone began to ring again.
    "Should we answer it?" she asked in a whisper. Glancing at Bufo, she noticed that his eyes were larger and rounder than usual. But before the toad could give his opinion, Brandon reached out and lifted the phone off the hook.
    "Murdley Residence," he said, his voice muzzy with sleep.
    He held the receiver for a moment, then lifted it away from his ear. "Jennifer," he said, "It's for you."
    Jennifer felt her heart begin to speed up. "Who is it?"
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    Brandon put the phone back to his ear and repeated her question. "His name is Elives," he said after a moment.
    Jennifer felt a surge of relief. At least it wasn't the woman from the beauty parlor. "Bring the phone up here, Bran, would you?" she croaked.
    Brandon stood and lifted the red plastic phone onto the dresser. Jennifer noticed with amusement that his eyes were hardly open. "Thanks, sweetie," she said. "You can lie back down now."
    He settled back to the floor without realizing that his sister was now a