Evan nearly dropped the can again. “This? Uh… nothing…. It’s…”
Evan’s mind went blank. He couldn’t think of a good lie to tell Conan.
Kermit grabbed the can away from Evan. “It’s candy,” he told Conan. “Blue Fruit Roll in a Barrel! We saw it on TV, and it’s awesome.”
“Give me some!” Conan ordered. He reached out his big hand.
“No way!” Kermit teased him, pulling the can back. “We’re not sharing with you!”
He pretended to lick the blue candy. “Wow. That’s really excellent!”
“Guess I’m going to have to take it from you,” Conan declared menacingly. He took a step toward them, his hand outstretched. “Give it.”
“Are you crazy?” Evan whispered to Kermit. “Why did you tease him? Now he’s going to take it and—”
“No problem,” Kermit whispered back. A sly grin spread over his face. “Watch.”
“Give it,” Conan thundered, waving his outstretched hand. He took another step toward them. Another.
Evan heard the crackle of electricity before he saw the white spark.
Conan’s eyes bulged. His hands shot up. His knees buckled.
“Urg. Urg.” He uttered two strange cries as Kermit’s invisible electric fence zapped him again.
Conan staggered back, gasping for breath. His broad chest heaved up and down. He reminded Evan of a bull about to charge.
Kermit raised the can and pretended to eat the Monster Blood again. “Wow. That is excellent!” he declared.
Conan glared at the three of them. Even across the dark yard, Evan could see the fury on his face.
But the bull couldn’t charge. Couldn’t get to them. Not as long as the electric fence was turned on.
Conan balled his hands into fists. “You’re history,” he called to them. “All three of you. You’re roadkill.”
He spun around. Swinging his fists hard at his sides, he stomped into his house.
Andy let out a sigh of relief. “That was pretty good!” she told Kermit.
A high, shrill giggle escaped Kermit’s throat. “Yeah. Not bad!”
“There’s just one problem,” Evan murmured. “We’re roadkill if we ever leave this backyard!”
He turned to Kermit. “Give me back the can. We’d better close it—”
Evan gasped.
The can in Kermit’s hand! He was holding it upside down!
Evan grabbed for it.
Too late.
With a sick PLOP, the blue gunk dropped out of the can.
It landed on the grass in front of Evan’s feet. He stared down at it as it quivered. Quivered and shook, like blue Jell-O.
It glowed in the light from the moon. Glowed bright blue.
Bobbed and trembled.
And grew.
“It’s… changing shape!” Andy cried. She leaned forward, resting her hands on her knees, and gazed down wide-eyed at it.
The blue blob wiggled. It rolled over once, moving away from Evan.
And grew some more.
It rolled again. Wiggled from side to side.
And then rose up. Up… as if trying to stand.
“I don’t believe this!” Evan choked out. “It’s some kind of creature!”
“You’re right!” Kermit agreed. “It’s ALIVE!”
14
Evan squatted on the grass, watching the blue Monster Blood intently. Andy and Kermit stood openmouthed as the creature bounced, and grew, and took shape.
A sleek blue head popped up from the body. A curved gash in the head became a mouth. It turned up in a goofy grin.
Two big, round eyes appeared above the mouth.
The creature was about the size of a chipmunk. It made a squeaking sound as it bounced over the grass. Its rubbery body throbbed rapidly, like a heart.
“It’s so cute!” Andy declared, raising her hands to the sides of her face. “It’s like a lovable little blob creature.”
“It looks friendly,” Kermit added. “It keeps staring up at us and smiling.”
Evan didn’t say a word. As he studied the creature, a heavy feeling of dread formed in the pit of his stomach.
I don’t care how cute the little guy looks, he thought. This is Monster Blood. And Monster Blood is always evil.
“Let’s try to push it back in the can,” he suggested.
The creature bounced and squeaked.
“Do you think it will fit?” Kermit asked.
Evan stared at the grinning blob. “We have to squeeze it back in,” he told them.
“But it’s so cute!” Andy protested. She bent down close to the little creature. “You’re a cute guy, aren’t you?” she said to it. “Do you like to be petted?”
Andy reached for it with both hands.
It slid right through her fingers and bounced away, squeaking loudly.
“Oooh! It’s so cold and wet!” Andy declared. “Look! It’s like a little seal!”
She made another grab for it. But again the blobby creature bounced away from her.
Kermit stepped in front of it. “I’d like to get it under a microscope,” he said. “Maybe take a few tissue samples.”
“You have to catch it first,” Evan told him.
Kermit dove for it. Grabbed.
The creature bounced over his hands and escaped.
“Hey — he licked me!” Kermit exclaimed. “I think he licked me.”
“He seems to be friendly,” Andy said. She dropped to her knees. “Here, Blobby. Here, Blobby,” she called. She held out her hands to it.
To everyone’s surprise, the creature bounced over to her.
Andy trapped it gently between her hands. She giggled. “It’s so cold!”
She ran her hand tenderly over the back of its quivering body. “Do you like to be petted?” she asked it again softly.
The creature purred.
Evan and Kermit both let out cries of surprise.
Andy petted the blue blob some more. It purred louder.
“He likes it!” Andy declared, laughing.
“Weird,” Kermit murmured. “See if you can pull off a hunk so I can study it.”
“No way!” Andy cried. “You’re not hurting my little Blobby.” She petted it tenderly.
“Be careful,” Evan warned. “This is Monster Blood — remember?”
“It can’t be,” Andy argued. “Monster Blood is green. This cute thing is something else.”
“It might be a different kind of Monster Blood,” Kermit suggested. “You know. A different flavor.”
“Whoa!” Andy cried out as the creature bounced out of her hands. Throbbing wetly, it began bouncing and rolling toward the garage.
“Catch it!” Evan cried.
All three of them chased after the creature. It moved surprisingly fast.
Kermit made a grab for it — and it slid through his hands.
Evan ran in front of it and tried to block its path. But it rolled around him and kept bouncing.
“Don’t let it get away!” Andy cried.
Evan made another frantic grab — and lifted the wet blob off the ground. “Got it!” Evan cried.
But the creature changed shape. Squeaking loudly, it pulled itself in until it resembled a giant worm. And then it slid easily from Evan’s hands.
“Whoa — it’s cold!” Evan exclaimed. He examined his hands. The creature had left a coating of wet blue slime on Evan’s palms.
Evan glanced up in time to see the creature roll to the back of the yard. “Stop it!” he cried. “Don’t let it go over to Conan’s yard!”
He ran to catch up to it. Kermit reached it first. “Hey — what’s it doing?” Kermit demanded. “It’s turning on the garden hose.”
The hose was coiled against the back of the garage. A long end of it stretched along the ground.
Evan stopped and stared as the creature perched on top of the nozzle. Its body began to bounce up and down in a steady rhythm. It stopped squeaking and began to make loud gulping sounds.
“Is it drinking?” Andy asked.
“Huh? I think it is!” Evan cried, staring in amazement.
The creature bobbed on top of the hose nozzle. Drinking. And as it drank, it grew.