Horns & Wrinkles by Joseph Helgerson Page B

wasn't much I could say, since I was staring straight at him. My loss of voice suited Biz fine, though, for he was in a mood to talk.
    "I'll tell you what you're looking at," Biz said airily. Straightening up, he placed one foot slightly forward and tucked a hand behind his back. "You're looking at the future king of the river trolls, King Biz Mossbottom, the First." He lifted his chin in a noble pose. "I suppose that surprises you."
    "Not at all," I answered, quick as I could manage.
    "You're lying," Biz squeaked. "I've never met a one of you things from Blue Wing that's any good at lying."
    If he was trying to pick a fight, he was on his own. In my politest voice, I said, "Sounds right. How are you going to become king?"
    "Simple. By bringing back our fathers. All of them."
    I nodded to show that I was keeping up with him so far.
    "Step one is getting rid of your cousin," Biz squeaked. "Once he's gone, Jim Dandy will get serious about raiding his mother's purse for a silver dollar. There's still time to do things the way they're supposed to be done."
    "Makes sense to me," I agreed. "How you going to shake Duke?"
    "I'm not. You are. If I send him packing, Jim Dandy will get sulky and won't be worth anything. He learned all about the sulks from that wife of his, Fancy Leechlicker. Real muckety-mucks, those Leechlickers. But much as I hate to say it, I may need Jim Dandy's big mouth to do some talking before this is all done."
    "What makes you think my cousin will listen to me?"
    "Easy," Biz predicted. "Tell him that I said I will turn him into stone the first chance I get."
    "That ought to help," I granted. Clearing my throat, I managed to add, "If you don't mind my asking, what about the people you've already turned to stone? When are you planning to undo them?"
    "After we get our lucky crickets," he said, "there'll be plenty of time for that."
    "How do I know that you'll do it?"
    "I'm giving you the word of a soon-to-be king," Biz squeaked, outraged.
    "Not enough," I bluffed.
    "All right," Biz grumble-squeaked, backing off. "I'll give you something that will prove I mean business."
    Turning to the stuff that Duke and I had lugged to the top of the sandbar, Biz dug out his alligator bag and rummaged around inside it. A greenish glow seeped out of the bag, and there may have been some singing inside the bag too, although it was faint and could have been coins or necklaces jangling against each other. Try as I might, I couldn't manage a peek over Biz's shoulder to see if there was a stone feather in there.
    Whatever that bag held, there was a lot of it. None of it was packed too neatly either, not the way Biz was rooting around and gibbering, "It's got to be in here" and "Who threw that in?" and "No, not you." And all the time the squeak of his voice got higher, and higher yet, and tighter and tighter, until at last he found what he wanted and cried out in an extra-high, relieved voice, "Here!"
    With both hands, he lifted out a crown, which he gently sat atop his head.
    "I had this made for my coronation," he trumpeted.
    "It's something," I acknowledged.
    And it was. Three frog skins stood up on its front, covered in mold and slime that made my nose wrinkle. Dripping Spanish moss was draped over their shoulders like royal robes. They were standing on a headband made from skin that had once been cozy with a diamondback rattlesnake. The snake's rattles hung down between Biz's orange eyes, which were blazing.
    "You can hold on to this," Biz decreed, "as collateral. Deal?"
    "Deal," I echoed.
    Lifting the crown off, Biz pushed down on its middle tine and said something that sounded sort of like a sneeze and sort of like saying "chicken noodle soup" real fast. In a twinkling, the crown shrank down to ring size.
    "Put out your hand," Biz ordered.
    I did and he slid the crown-ring on the middle finger of my left hand. It fit snugly and felt alive, turning this way and that as if the frogs were trying to see what was going on.
    "You do