SCRAP CITY and the most Jerome could make out was a hunched-over shadow as the old junkman hobbled about the darkened shack Every now and then Jerome would hear the shadow grunt Nope not interested or Yer wastin yer time and then Jerome’s dad would start talking again That’s about all the junkman said the whole time Jerome was on that porch After some time he’d called through the screen door to ask if he could walk around but he wasn’t sure if his dad had heard him He’d tried a second time Fact was he’d wondered if his dad would even notice he was gone Whatever Jerome had said and took off into the junkyard which looked to be full of all kinds of interesting things Now just as he was turning back to the shack the whir suddenly sputtered out again Wrrrlgh it went Then Wrrrlgh wrrrlgh Jerome peeked around a mound of hubcaps hoping he could catch whatever it was mid-whir He looked behind an old propane tank and a claw-foot bathtub The whir was coming every few seconds He checked some metal drums a couple of engine blocks and a mangled-up weight bench Then at last when the noise sputtered out louder than ever he was sure he’d found it Got it he called as he poked his head around a broken-down washing machine Aw it’s just an old ice chest Jerome said disappointed 4
D S THORNTON It was a metal ice chest the kind his dad would bring back when they used to go fishing together Jerome frowned An ice chest shouldn’t be whirring He knelt next to it and put his ear to the red-and-silver words that read ARCTIC ICE Again the whirring stopped One more time he thought I can figure out just what this sound is if I hear it one more time The whir complied And when it did the ice chest wobbled A mouse Jerome decided It had gone inside and the lid fell down and now it was stuck in there Or maybe it’s a nice fat rat like Petey the Rat in science class The best thing about fifth grade Watching Petey nibble his way around a piece of cheese Then Jerome had another thought Maybe it’s hurt And if it was hurt trapped in there Jerome was going to have to move quickly Don’t worry little guy he said as he lifted an old bicycle wheel out of the way I’ll get you out of there The next whir surprised him because it sounded just like Out ub way-uh as if someone with a bad cold had asked Out of where And then Jerome was sure it was someone with a bad cold because after that it said I’m not id eddythink If you’re not in anything Jerome asked where are you He looked up and down and even behind the ice chest I’m right here it whirred sounding more like I’m 5
SCRAP CITY wight heeyuh All at once the ice chest moved This time it did much more than wobble In one smooth motion it turned around and sort of sat up Jerome fell back on his rear end amazed The ice chest was moving On its own Or was there something even bigger in there like a cat Wait a talking cat And was that a coffee can on top of the ice chest And connecting them the base from a blender Just what was he looking at He studied the thing If he didn’t know any better he’d say the coffee can and blender part looked just like a head and neck And when the whirring voice said I can’t fide my doze Jerome knew it was a head and neck He frowned at the thing Your what My doze I can’t fide my doze it answered turning to him Two gauges with dials in them faced him now Eyes And below that a curved piece of metal that was surely a mouth and jaw Oh your nose he said You can’t find your nose Jerome couldn’t help but stare Mouthpieces from old telephones looked like ears little springs poked out crazily from the top of the coffee can like wild hair sticking out from under a baseball cap arms had been cut from a garden hose and at the end of each garden-hose arm there was a glove Well one arm had a glove and one had a mitten 6
D S THORNTON neither of which were normally found in that part of Texas where it was warm all year long The glove had different colored fingers and the mitten was bright orange Jerome watched as the brightly colored glove and mitten busily rummaged through a wooden crate tossing aside gears and drill bits and beat-up ancient wrenches What do you mean you can’t find your nose Jerome asked still not understanding It was wight here wight on my face the ice-chest thing said And then it was gone It falled right off It touched the empty place on its face and whirred I pwamissed Nanny Lux I’d dever lose it again She’s gonna be upset someding awful Dials in its eye-gauges darted about worriedly as they searched the ground If I can’t find it I have to find someding else Jerome squatted to help He was now on the same level as the little contraption He felt for a second as though he were getting down on the floor with Max his little brother helping him look for a lost action figure or metal car that had disappeared under the couch But it had been a long time since he’d done that He surveyed the ground What am I looking for You doe the ice-chest thing whirred someding dozey Jerome watched as the crazy contraption moved a few feet away Jerome saw now that beneath the ice chest was 7
