As Stanley entered the Wreck Room, he could hear X-Ray’s voice from all the way across the room.
“See what I’m saying,” X-Ray said. “Am I right, or am I right?”
The other bodies in the room were little more than bags of flesh and bones, dumped across broken chairs and couches. X-Ray was full of life, laughing and waving his arms around as he talked. “Yo, Caveman, my man!” he called out.
Stanley made his way across the room.
“Hey, slide on over, Squid,” said X-Ray. “Make room for the Caveman.”
Stanley crashed on the couch.
He had looked for a hidden camera in the shower. He hadn’t seen anything, and he hoped the Warden hadn’t either.
“What’s the matter?” asked X-Ray. “You guys tired or something?” He laughed.
“Hey, keep it down, will you,” groaned Zigzag. “I’m trying to watch TV.”
Stanley glanced uncertainly at Zigzag, who was staring very intently at the busted television screen.
The Warden greeted the boys at breakfast the next morning and went with them to the holes. Four dug in the holes, and three tended to the wheelbarrows. “Glad you’re here, X-Ray,” she said to him. “We need your sharp eyes.”
Stanley spent more time pushing the wheelbarrow than actually digging, as he was a slow digger. He transported the excess dirt and dumped it into holes that had already been excavated, taking care not to dump any in the hole where the gold tube was found.
The image of the tube lingered in his mind. It seemed familiar, yet he couldn’t quite place it. He speculated that it might have been the lid of a fancy gold pen. The initials “7 B” could have belonged to a famous author, but the only ones he could think of were Charles Dickens, William Shakespeare, and Mark Twain. Besides, it didn’t really resemble a pen cap.
By lunchtime, the Warden was growing impatient. She hurried them through their meal so they could return to work. “If you can’t get them to work any faster,” she told Mr. Sir, “you’ll have to climb down there and dig with them.”
After that, everyone picked up the pace, especially when Mr. Sir was watching. Stanley practically ran with the wheelbarrow. Mr. Sir reminded them they weren’t Girl Scouts.
They didn’t stop digging until all the other groups had finished.
Later, as Stanley lounged in an uncomfortable chair, he pondered how to inform the Warden where the tube was really found without implicating himself or X-Ray. It seemed impossible. He even considered sneaking out at night to dig in that hole himself. But after a day of digging, the last thing he wanted was to dig at night too. Plus, the shovels were locked up at night, likely to prevent them from being used as weapons.
Mr. Pendanski entered the Wreck Room. “Stanley,” he called as he made his way to him.
“His name’s Caveman,” said X-Ray. “Stanley,” said Mr. Pendanski.
“My name’s Caveman,” said Stanley.
“Well, I have a letter here for someone named Stanley Yelnats,” said Mr. Pendanski. He turned over an envelope in his hands. “It doesn’t say Caveman anywhere.”
“Uh, thanks,” Stanley said, taking it. It was from his mother.
“Who’s it from?” Squid asked. “Your mother?” Stanley put it in the big pocket of his pants. “Aren’t you going to read it to us?” asked Armpit.
“Give him some space,” said X-Ray. “If Caveman doesn’t want to read it to us, he doesn’t have to. It’s probably from his girlfriend.”
Stanley smiled.
• • •
He read it later, after the other boys had gone to dinner.
Dear Stanley,
It was wonderful to hear from you Your letter made me feel like one of the other moms who can aßord to send their kids to summer camp. I know it’s not the same, but I am very proud of you for trying to make the best of a bad situation. Who knows? Maybe something good will come of this.
Your father thinks he is real close to a breakthrough on his sneaker project. I hope so. The landlord is threatening to evict us because of the odor.
I feel sorry for the little old lady who lived in a shoe. It must have smelled awful!
Love from both of us,
“What’s so funny?” Zero asked.
It startled him. He thought Zero had gone to dinner with the others.
“Nothing. tust something my mom wrote.” “What’d she say?” Zero asked. “Nothing.” “Oh, sorry,” said Zero.
“Well, see my dad is trying to invent a way to recycle old sneakers. So the apartment kind of smells bad, because he’s always cooking these old sneakers. So anyway, in the letter my mom said she felt sorry for that little old lady who lived in a shoe, you know, because it must have smelled bad in there.”
Zero stared blankly at him.
“You know, the nursery rhyme?”
Zero said nothing.
“You’ve heard the nursery rhyme about the little old lady who lived in a shoe?”
“No.”
Stanley was amazed.
“How does it go?” asked Zero.
“Didn’t you ever watch Sesame Street?” Stanley asked. Zero stared blankly.
Stanley headed on to dinner. He would have felt pretty silly reciting nursery rhymes at Camp Green Lake.
