flashed through his mind. Though it was impossible to know for sure, due to the ravaged remains of the bear's face, Link could have sworn the bear actually grinned at him.
40
A Nosy Neighbor
Link raised the skillet for one final strike. He tensed his muscles, gritted his teeth, and braced himself for unbearable pain. The bear rocked back, ready to spring. Then, in the final moment before Link expected death to find him, the crack of gunfire ripped through the air. The bear lurched to the side. Undaunted, it remained focused on its original goal and had soon regained its balance.
No sooner had the bear resumed its approach when a volley of gunshots smacked into its flank and head. The shots pushed the massive beast against the already shattered door frame. The bear roared as its intestines spilled all over the floor. It tried to get up one final time but failed. It collapsed to the floor with a momentous thud.
Still clutching his skillet, Tom looked at Link and whispered, "Do you think it's dead? Again...I mean?"
The question hung in the air unanswered for a while before Link could regain his composure enough to respond. "I think so, but who-"
"You boys all right down there?" From down the hall, a young police officer, visibly shaken by the unusual encounter, peered over the hulking carcass of the dead polar bear. "Is everyone okay?" he called.
"I think so," Link said. He patted himself to make sure all his body parts were still there. "Thanks to you. How did you know we were in trouble? Did Mrs. Kidacki call you?"
"Mrs. Who?" The officer still held his gun out ready to shoot. His head swiveled madly in search of another bear. Over his shoulder he said, "I was dispatched to deal with a domestic disturbance. One of your neighbors, a Mrs. Devereaux I believe, reported that she heard a scream. She claims to have seen a rolling pin fly out your kitchen window. Do you know anything about that?"
Apparently noticing the stench that emanated from what remained of the polar bear for the first time, the officer's face contorted in a look of disgust.
Celia poked her head out from beneath Link's bed and called, "Is it safe to come out yet?"
Still jumpy, the semi-confused officer followed the sound of Celia's voice. He saw the blood-soaked sheets and blood splattered on the walls. He hurriedly unclipped his radio and called for medical backup. Then he cautiously proceeded to the stairs. He eyed the fallen bear then nudged it with the heel of his polished, black leather boots. It was clear he wasn't convinced the bear was dead. He stepped over the beast. Then he gingerly negotiated his way past the large pieces of jagged wood.
In the midst of the chaos created by the bear, Link had entirely forgotten about Panch, who was currently tucked under the sheets of his bed. His friend looked like a bloody cadaver prepped for an autopsy. The officer seemed to notice this as well. A sudden look of concern crossed his face, and he looked up at the boys.
Link blurted out the first thing he could think of and moved to follow the officer down the stairs. "It was the bear!"
"Sir!" The officer raised his gun. "Please, stand back!" Beads of sweat formed just above his furrowed brow. Trying his best to maintain his composure, the officer raised his free hand and yelled, "Everyone, stay calm! I'll handle this!"
"But officer-" Link said, backing up.
In an unnecessary display of authority, the officer said, "Don't go anywhere, sir! I'll do the talking, not you!"
Link tilted his head. He wasn't sure what the officer wanted him to do. He already had been backing up. Did the officer want him to stop moving or to move back faster? Was this one of those double negatives he'd heard about at school?
The young officer's fear was evident in his reluctance to remove the sheet that covered Panch's face. His trembling fingers curled around the edges. He inhaled deeply, mentally preparing himself. Then, like a magician who made an object disappear, he jerked the sheet away from Panch's head. The officer touched the side of Panch's neck and searched for a pulse.
It was at that moment, the very instant the officer's finger tips touched Panch's skin, that Panch's eyes miraculously snapped open.
Panch vaulted into a sitting position as if his back had been spring-loaded. The suddenness of Panch's resurrection caught the officer completely off guard, as Panch narrowly avoided colliding with him. This caused the officer to inadvertently discharge his firearm into the opposite wall.
Unaffected by the surprise explosion, Panch exclaimed, "Dude, you're not gonna believe the dream I had!" Then, slowly absorbing the scene around him, he said, "Why is there a cop here?" He began to laugh. "Oh, I get it. I'm still dreaming, aren't I?"
Slowly coming to the steps, Tom and Link exchanged concerned looks. If Panch was free from Neverworld, it could only mean one thing.
41
I Forgot My Keys
Celia squealed with delight. "Panch! You're okay!"
"I was havin' this dream that I was in the middle of a wicked set of waves when this gnarly shark came out of the water and started barking at me and-Owww! Hey! What gives?"
For the first time, Panch seemed to notice his current situation. Tentatively raising his bandaged arm, he examined his body. Then he studied the police officer, who in turn stared back at him. It was hard to tell which of them was more confused.
The officer spoke first. "Sir, did that bear up there," he pointed to the top of the stairs, but his eyes remained fixated on Panch, "attack you, or was it a shark?"
"A bear?" Panch looked to Celia. "What's he talking about?"
"Yes," the officer said, "the bear."
"But where?"
"Up there."
"Up where?"
"Up there, at the top of the stairs," the officer said.
Panch strained his neck to take a peek. "You mean there really is a bear up there at the top of the stairs?"
"Yes, there's a bear up there at the-" Though his lips continued to move, the policeman stopped talking. He rubbed the back of his neck with evident exasperation and rose to his feet. "I need a vacation." He picked up his radio again. "Dispatch, this is Officer Dansby. Where is that medical team I requested?"
Link heard a scratchy voice click on over the static, "Sir, the ambulance is on its way. It should be there shortly. Will there be anything else?"
"Yes, could you send animal control over here as well? Tell them there's a polar bear carcass that needs to be disposed of."
Again, the voice of the dispatcher broke through the static. This time it contained a note of skepticism. "Sir? Did you say there is a polar bear that needs to be disposed of?"
"Yes, there's a bear."
"A bear? From where?"
Oficer Dansby's face burned red as he yelled, "Just send them over, all right? Is that so hard?"
"No, sir. Right away, sir."
He turned to Celia and said, "Ma'am, is there anyone else in this house? The two boys over there mentioned an old lady. Is she here?"
As if on cue, Ayden crawled out from beneath the bed and waved at the officer. Grinning ear to ear, he said, "Tanks, Mr. Powiceman."
Again, the officer tensed. He crouched low and extended his gun as if they were under fire. "Did you say tanks? Where?"
Celia jumped into the fray before the policeman suffered a complete nervous breakdown. "This is Ayden, officer. He's only four and not as eloquent as his brother Lincoln over there...the redhead holding a skillet." Celia waved at Link and waited for him to wave back before continuing. "Anyhow, what Ayden is trying to say is 'thanks.' He wants to thank you. As far as I am aware, there are no tanks on the premises." She looked over to Link for confirmation. He nodded.
It was strange. Usually Celia's words spewed from her mouth faster than the average ear could pick up. But for some reason, during crisis situations, such as bloodthirsty dogs or a raging corpse of an undead polar bear, she was arguably the calmest person Link had ever met.
"Very well," the officer said. He seemed to have accepted Celia as the group's spokesperson. "What's your name, ma'am?" He retriev
ed a small, leather-bound pad of paper and a pencil to write down her response.
"Celia Simpkowitz, sir," she said.
He jotted the information down. "Okay, Miss Simpkowitz. Are you a resident in this house?"
"No, sir," Celia said. "Ayden and Link live here. The rest of us are only visiting."
"Is there anyone else at home this evening?"
"Yes. Mrs. Kidacki. I think she's upstairs."
Link and Tom glanced worriedly at each other. They hadn't seen Mrs. Kidacki since they'd discovered the bear inside the kitchen. Why hadn't she come down after the shooting? Then Link realized something else was missing. Where was the camera?
Link started to run up the stairs only to have Officer Dansby call him back. "Stop! Where do you think you're going? I'm not done asking questions here. You can't leave...until...I say you can leave!"
"But officer, I-"
His sentence was cut short by the arrival of the paramedics, who stormed in through the front door. After calling out for Officer Dansby, they hurried past the fallen bear and headed down the stairs. "Are you the officer in charge?" one of them asked, while the others went to work helping Panch.
Officer Dansby puffed out his chest. Clearly he liked the idea of finally being in control of the situation. "Yes, I am," he said. "My name is Officer Dansby."
While the officer filled in the known details for the paramedic, Link and Tom snuck upstairs to search for the camera.
"Why on earth would you ever put it down? Are you stupid or just careless?" Tom hissed.
"It's not like I meant to lose it. Besides, aren't you