Penny Dreadful by Laurel Snyder Page A

yesterday?” asked Luella. “I figured I’d see you around, but you’ve been hiding out.”
    Penny only shrugged. It seemed dumb to say she’d been hanging out with her parents organizing the spices.
    “Don’t have much to say, do you, Penelope?” asked Luella.
    Penny shook her head. “I guess not,” she said. Then she thought of something. “But—oh! Guess what! I’m not Penelope anymore. I changed my name.”
    “You
did
?” asked Luella. “That was quick! What’d you change it to?”
    “Penny?” said Penny.
    “Pennnnnny,” said Luella slowly. “Huh. Yeah, that’s a good name, all right.
Really
good.”
    Penny beamed.
    “You know, Penny,” said Luella, “
if
you’re lonely, and
if
you want to, you can come watch my worm battle.” She said this as though she were bestowing a great gift.
    “I’m
not
lonely,” said Penny, tensing up. “I’m fine. I told you—”
    “Okay then,” said Luella with a shrug. “Suit yourself.” She turned to open her front door and prepared to head back inside.
    Penny watched the screen door swing open. “Watch your
what
?” she asked.
    “Worm battle,” said Luella, pausing before stepping inside. “Just a little worm battle. It’s pretty fun.”
    Penny, who had never heard of such a thing in her life, not even in a book, walked back down the three steps to the creaky porch. Considering the unfriendly shiny-haired girls and the worried parents Penny was dealing with today,
pretty fun
sounded pretty good.
    She followed Luella through the door and into an empty white room. There she stood looking around, while her new friend disappeared down a hallway and returned carrying a large terrarium, which she set on the floor. Then Luella rang a little bell, leaned into the terrarium, and yelled at two very sluggish earthworms, “Are you ready to RUUUUUMBLE?”
    Penny sat on the floor beside Luella, and they waited for something to happen. After about four minutes, when neither worm had so much as rolled over, Penny tapped Luella on the knee cautiously. In a whisper she asked, “Hey, Luella? What’s supposed to happen?”
    “Shhh!” said Luella accusingly. “I think they were
about
to do something. Now you scared them.”
    Penny almost laughed at this suggestion. These worms did not look like they were capable of being scared. They looked dead.
    As though she might be thinking the very same thing, Luella rapped gently at the glass. “Get up and fight, Billy the Bruiser! Wake up and show him who’s boss, Chainsaw Charley!”
    Neither worm looked like it had any interest in complying with Luella’s wishes.
    Luella pouted and sat back on her heels. She turned to Penny and said, “Cross my heart and hope to die, last time it was a bloody mess. They were on fire. They ripped each other to shreds.…”
    Penny stared at Luella. This was clearly an exaggeration and probably a complete lie.
I know she doesn’t want to be an actress
, Penny thought,
but watching Luella is kind of like watching a movie or a play
.
    Luella kept talking. “They were in
pieces
, and youknow what happens when worms get cut in half!” Luella grinned and rubbed her hands together wickedly.
    Penny did not know, but before she could say a word, one of the worms flipped over onto its back with a halfhearted squirm.
    “Ooh! See!” said Luella, pointing. “
Now
they’re getting
crazy
!”
    This was the most absurd thing Penny had ever heard. She tried to keep a straight face, but the worms were so sad and limp, and Luella’s claim so ridiculous, that Penny burst out laughing instead. Once she began to laugh, she found she couldn’t stop. She just pointed at the pathetic worm and said, “Yeah, c-c-c-crazy! That’s just w-w-w-what they are!”
    Luella looked like she was going to argue, but then she started laughing too, and once they were both going, neither could stop. The two girls held their sides and laughed and giggled and pointed at the worms through the glass for a good three