بگو سیب و بمیر فصل 7

Say Cheese and Die! - Chapter 7

The four friends gaped at the photograph in Greg’s hand, their mouths dropping open in surprise.

The camera had caught Michael in midair as he fell through the broken railing to the floor.

“That’s impossible!” Shari cried.

“You snapped the picture before I fell!” Michael declared, grabbing the photo out of Greg’s hand so that he could study it close up. “I remember it.”

“You remembered wrong,” Bird said, moving to get another look at it over Michael’s shoulder. “You were falling, man. What a great action shot.” He picked up the camera. “This is a good camera you stole, Greg.”

“I didn’t steal it—” Greg started. “I mean, I didn’t realize—”

“I wasn’t falling!” Michael insisted, tilting the picture in his hand, studying it from every angle. “I was posing, remember? I had a big, goofy smile on my face, and I was posing.”

“I remember the goofy smile,” Bird said, handing the camera back to Greg. “Do you have any other expression?”

“You’re not funny, Bird,” Michael muttered. He pocketed the picture.

“Weird,” Greg said. He glanced at his watch. “Hey—I’ve got to get going.”

He said good-bye to the others and headed for home. The afternoon sun was lowering behind a cluster of palm trees, casting long, shifting shadows over the sidewalk.

He had promised his mother he’d straighten up his room and help with the vacuuming before dinner. And now he was late.

What is that strange car in the driveway? he wondered, jogging across the neighbor’s lawn toward his house.

It was a navy-blue Taurus station wagon. Brand-new.

Dad picked up our new car! he realized.

Wow! Greg stopped to admire it. It still had the sticker glued to the door window. He pulled open the driver’s door, leaned in, and smelled the vinyl upholstery.

Mmmmmm. That new-car smell.

He inhaled deeply again. It smelled so good. So fresh and new.

He closed the door hard, appreciating the solid clunk it made as it closed.

What a great new car, he thought excitedly.

He raised the camera to his eye and took a few steps back off the driveway.

I’ve got to take a picture of this, he thought. To remember what the car was like when it was totally new.

He backed up until he had framed the entire profile of the station wagon in the viewfinder. Then he pressed the shutter button.

As before, the camera clicked loudly, the flash flashed, and with an electronic whirr, a square undeveloped photo of gray and yellow slid out of the bottom.

Carrying the camera and the snapshot, Greg ran into the house through the front door. “I’m home!” he called. “Down in a minute!” And hurried up the carpeted stairs to his room.

“Greg? Is that you? Your father is home,” his mother called from downstairs.

“I know. Be right down. Sorry I’m late!” Greg shouted back.

I’d better hide the camera, he decided. If Mom or Dad see it, they’ll want to know whose it is and where I got it. And I won’t be able to answer those questions.

“Greg—did you see the new car? Are you coming down?” his mother called impatiently from the foot of the stairs.

“I’m coming!” he yelled.

His eyes searched frantically for a good hiding place.

Under his bed?

No. His mom might vacuum under there and discover it.

Then Greg remembered the secret compartment in his headboard. He had discovered the compartment years ago when his parents had bought him a new bedroom set. Quickly, he shoved the camera in.

Peering into the mirror above his dresser, he gave his blond hair a quick brush, rubbed a black soot smudge off his cheek with one hand, then started for the door.

He stopped at the doorway.

The snapshot of the car. Where had he put it?

It took a few seconds to remember that he had tossed it onto his bed. Curious about how it came out, he turned back to retrieve it.

“Oh, no!”

He uttered a low cry as he gazed at the snapshot.