The Rightful Heir (41 page)

“Oh…thanks, Squeak.”

The mouse squeaked back at him and he smiled sadly. He put his hand down and Squeak gave his finger a big hug. “Good-bye,” Benjamin said softly. The mouse squeaked and squeaked as Benjamin climbed out of the fox den and walked away.

Squeak scurried up the wall and onto the sticks of the fox den. “…Thank you, King Benjamin.” He cried as he watched the boy walk up his driveway for the last time.

J
ONAH FELT ALL MOVEMENT
suddenly stop. He heard a thumping heartbeat very close by.
Oh, my gosh, Jonah! You're actually inside its belly!
He started to hyperventilate. His one black foot was pressed on the speak button of the walkie-talkie.

T
HE MOON SHONE DOWN
on Benjamin. He looked at the thousands of silver ripples reflected off the pond. He looked at the
hill and remembered the first conversation he'd had with a rat-terrier named Paco. He walked closer to the house and pictured Pugsly staring out the dark front window. Then he thought about how he was going to go into Persly's Woods by himself, find the pool with the cicadas, and blow up the giant snake.

But why did Malcolm take the Trojan Pig?
It didn't matter. He'd build another one. The worst day of his life was now over. The kingdom was back to normal, just as when Pugsly ruled it. Everything would be okay. He remembered the fireworks and quietly took the sack from the back seat of the car, then tiptoed along the front of the house to sneak in.

From the top of his desk in his empty bedroom came a scratchy, high-pitched noise.
Screech
. “Malcolm?!”
Screech
. “Malcolm, help!”
Screech
. (the sound of heavy breathing)
Screech
. “Anybody?!”
Screech
. “Oh…please help…”
Screech
. “…What am I gonna do?”
Screech
. “…What am I gonna do?”

On Benjamin's desk the walkie-talkie's red light faded out. The batteries went dead just as he crawled through the window. He went right to bed. Benjamin Biggs had a lone task ahead of him and he needed to get some sleep.

THE END

I
WOULD SAY THAT ALL THE PEOPLE
in this story are fictional, but that would be a lie. Some may have been your teacher, principal, bus driver, pastor and perhaps even your brother-in-law. As for the animals, well, you already know their story. The curtain is slowly being pulled back on Haverhill. Unlike
The Brave Journey
, this story definitely has a darker tone. I must tell you, I couldn't wait to write the end of
The Rightful Heir
. It gave me chills finishing the last chapter, and it couldn't have ended any other way. I want you to know how much I appreciate you reading this book. I'm so excited about you joining me on this journey. Again, the amazing talents of Tim Ladwig, illustrator; Karen S. Davis, editor; Jim Hellman, designer; and Joanne Bolton, printing broker, have brought to you the second installment in
THE KINGDOM AT THE END OF THE DRIVEWAY
series. A special thanks to Kristi, Steve, Lonnie, Toni, Bob, Brad, Norma, Karen, Adam, Andrea, Corey, Dea, my dear grandmother, and as always, my mom and dad. To the person holding this book, I would love to hear from you. You can email me at [email protected] and I will personally respond back. I'm so anxious for Book Three:
The Ending Feud
to come out. Believe me, it will be worth the wait! Thanks again for reading, and if you enjoy the books, please spread the word. The story is far from over!

Jefferson Knapp
www.jeffersonknapp.com

For the latest updates, find T
HE
K
INGDOM AT THE
E
ND OF THE
D
RIVEWAY
on Facebook

BOOK THREE

M
OONLIGHT ILLUMINATED THE FOG
as it danced through the shadowy trees. Persly's Woods was quiet and abandoned – or so it seemed. Inside the hollow trunk of a tall oak, five cottontail rabbits huddled together. The terror they'd encountered at the eastern edge of the forest had sent them running for their lives.

Each one felt the others' heartbeats, pounding rapidly. They waited (for how long they didn't know), trying not to make a sound. Then…

“Achoo!”

“Shhh!” another scolded. They waited in silence for a moment, then froze.

Crunch…crunch…crunch
.

All five gasped, and squeezed their eyes tightly shut. Fallen leaves and sticks snapped in the path of some
thing
, and it was getting closer.

Crunch…crunch…crunch!

The rabbits shook in terror. Suddenly a sound they'd never heard made their long ears twitch.

Ring…crunch!…Ring, ring…crunch!
And the sound was just outside the trunk.

Two of the bunnies bravely opened an eye to peek at the unseen horror in the hazy fog. The others, afraid to look, tucked their heads far into the fur of the rabbits beside them.

“Mmmmm!” A high-pitched whine was followed by an
amused voice. “You think wood will save you?”

They dared not reply.

Ring! Ring!
A small shadow entered the hollow. The rabbits jumped and tried to flee.

“Don't leave this tree! It's still not safe!”

“Wh-who are y-you?”

“I'm alive…just like you!” The strange voice grew eerily higher. “Mmmmmmmm!”
Ring! Ring!

“What is that sound?” a rabbit whispered.

“That's none of your business!” the stranger snapped. “Shhhhhh! We must keep our voices down.”

“We…we saw something tonight,” a rabbit stammered. “It was close, but we couldn't make out what it was. We were in the trees just east of here, looking for food, and heard a sound like the entire
forest
was rolling toward us.” The other rabbits stiffened at the memory. “We split up and ran as fast as we could away from… from whatever it was.”

“It b-brushed up against m-me in the dark,” another rabbit added. “I tried to look away, but it was gigantic!”

“Mmmmmmmmm.” The stranger's disturbing smile was hidden by the darkness.
“She
has
bigger
things to eat than you tonight!”
Ring!Ring!
“She must go home…far from here…”

“She?
Y-You know where…
she
…
lives ?
”

“Hyack! Hyack!”
It coughed, and its voice grew even higher. “Mmmmm. Rest up, little friends, and get some good sleep. Stay in here forever and don't make a peep! For the time will come when—”

The pale glow of the fog was cut by immediate darkness. The rabbits couldn't see the terrified look on the face of the stranger. It allowed a gasp to slip out. “Sh-shh…” They could barely make out the stuttering advice. Something grazed the
mighty
oak that protected them, causing it to sway slightly. Trapped inside, they
had no choice but to wait for their fate. Finally the darkness pulled away and the glowing fog stunned their eyes.

“Is she gone—”

“Sh-shh!” The stranger waited a while longer, then stuck its head out of the hollow.
Sniff! Sniff!
“It's gone.”

“What was it? What did we see?”

The stranger was no longer amused by the frightened company. “She slithers and slithers ‘til she goes to her lair. Far to the east there is a hill that holds many nightmares …and doesn't let them out!”

“Slith—? That was a s-snake?”

The stranger hurriedly left the trunk.

“Wait! W-Where are you going?”

Ring! Ring!
The shadow turned back to the hole of the frightened rabbits. “Stay away from Hermit Hill! There is something worse in that place than she!”

BOOM! BOOM!

The thundering noise, somewhere close by, drew a gasp from the stranger, who disappeared into the woods.
Ring! Ring!…ring! …ring
. The strange sound grew fainter.

For hours the five rabbits stayed in the hollow trunk, shaking. They didn't get a wink of sleep for the rest of the night.