“After the test was over,” she said, “Old Yellow Suit took us down the hall to give everybody doughnuts and tell the parents that she was sorry but that they had to go now, thanks for coming, that sort of thing. Some of the parents were furious. One started shouting how this was some kind of trick, and another demanded to know what these tests were all about, and Old Yellow Suit started glancing toward the exit. I could tell she was nervous, but a few people stood between her and the door, and she was trapped.
“I felt sorry for her, you know, because I figured she was only doing her job, whatever it is, and at least she’d given me something interesting to do today, so I decided to help her out. While the grown-ups were all yelling, and the other kids were making themselves sick on doughnuts, I whipped out my Army knife screwdriver and took off the doorknob. Then I pointed and yelled, ‘There’s the man behind all this! That’s him in the corner!’ And everybody turned and pushed against one another to see — except Old Yellow Suit, of course, who made a beeline for the exit. As soon as she was out, I turned off the light and closed the door, and the two of us ran off down the hall. We had a good head start, because it was dark in the room now, and they kept reaching for the doorknob and not finding it. Finally someone turned on the light, and I suppose they all came flying out like angry hornets, but by then we were hiding in a closet.
“After we heard the last person leave, Old Yellow Suit smiled at me and said, ‘I believe you should stay for the next stage of testing.’ And so here I am.”
“Amazing!” Reynie said.
“I can’t believe it!” cried Sticky. “You’re a hero!”
“Oh good grief,” Kate said, frowning with embarrassment. “It was no big deal. Anybody could have done it. Now, I’ve told you
Before they could answer her, the pencil woman poked her head into the room and said, “It’s time for the third test, children. Please report immediately to Room 7-B.” Then she disappeared again.
“Where in the world is Room 7-B?” Sticky said, exasperated. “She never tells us where anything
“I’m sure we can find it easily enough,” Reynie said, but privately he was thinking about Sticky’s words — “half the night.” What was Sticky doing in the city alone at night? Where were his parents?
“You’d better fill me in quick,” Kate said. “You know Old Yellow Suit isn’t particularly patient.”
“You’re right,” Reynie said. “We’ll tell you on the way.”
And with that, the three new friends went in search of Room 7-B.
Squares and Arrows
The room was on the seventh floor, as Reynie had suspected. The door had no sign on it, but after roaming the empty hallways and looking at all the other door signs (there was a 7-A, a 7-C, a 7-D, and a 7-E), they returned to the unmarked door, upon which Kate knocked boldly. After a pause, she knocked again, still more loudly. This happened several times before they got a response — which, as it happened, came not from beyond the door, but from directly behind them.
“That’s enough with the knocking,” said a deep voice, quite close.
The children whirled around in surprise.
Before them stood a tall man in a weatherbeaten hat, a weatherbeaten jacket, weatherbeaten trousers, and weatherbeaten boots. His ruddy cheeks were dark with whisker stubble, while his hair (what little peeked from beneath his hat) was yellow as flax. If not for the alertness in his ocean-blue eyes, he would resemble, more than anything, a scarecrow that had come down from its stake. On top of all this, the man’s expression was profoundly sad. All the children noticed this at once. Reynie was so struck by it that instead of saying hello, he asked, “Are you all right, sir?”
“I’m afraid not,” the man said. “But that’s neither here nor there. Are you ready to begin the next test?”
“But we haven’t even met yet!” Kate said, sticking out her hand. “My name’s Kate Wetherall, though my friends call me —” She glanced at the boys, who looked at her doubtfully. “Well, my friends call me Kate.”
The man shook Kate’s hand, somewhat reluctantly. Even his handshake seemed sad — he hardly squeezed at all. The boys introduced themselves and the man sadly shook their hands, too. “There,” he said. “We’ve met. Now —”
“But you haven’t given us
The man sighed, considering this. “Call me Milligan,” he said at last.
“Is that your first name or your last name?”
“Just Milligan. And no more questions. We have to proceed. Now, which of you is George?”
Kate scowled. She was getting very impatient with this man. “Weren’t you listening? Our names are Sticky, Reynie, and Kate!”
Sticky cleared his throat. “Uh, well, actually, my name is George. Sticky’s my nickname.”
“Your name is George Washington?” Kate said. “Like the president? The father of our country?”
“It isn’t that unusual,” Sticky said defensively. “You don’t have to tease me about it.”
“Take it easy, pal,” said Kate. “I wasn’t teasing you.” Clearly Sticky was a bit touchy about his name.
“Sticky or George, whichever it is,” said Milligan. “You’re to go first. Step through that door now and shut it behind you.”
Sticky’s eyes grew wide. “I have to go in alone?”
“It’s all right. It’s only a test. The others will be with you soon.”
“Good luck, Sticky,” Reynie said, clapping him on the shoulder. “I’m sure you’ll do fine!”
“Go, Sticky!” said Kate.
