CHAPTER 1 My name is Dory, but everyone calls me Rascal. This is my family. I am the little kid. My sister's name is Violet and my brother's name is Luke. Violet is the oldest. Violet and Luke never want to play with me. They say I'm a baby. "Mom! Rascal is bothering us!" "What is she doing?" calls my mother. All summer long, whenever I try to play with Luke and Violet, they say, "PLEASE LEAVE US ALONE!" Well, I'm not going to leave. But I can't think of what to say, so I ask questions. Any question I can think of. "I can't wait for school to start so we can get a break from Rascal!" says Violet. "Me too!" grumbles Luke. "Don't talk about school!" I cover my ears. I never want summer to end. I like to stay home in my nightgown instead of getting dressed for school. "It's a winter nightgown," says Violet. "And it's inside out," says Luke. "And it's backwards," says Violet. "So what?" I say. "So, now that you turned six, you need to stop acting like such a baby!" "Why do you always call me a baby?" I complain. "Because you talk to yourself," says Violet. "And you have temper tantrums," says Luke. "And you play with monsters," says Violet. Talk to myself? I have no idea what they are talking about. I never talk to MYSELF. I talk to my friend Mary. No one can see her except me. Mary always wants to play with me. She thinks I'm the greatest. At night, Mary sleeps under my bed. During the day, Mary follows me around. She wants to do whatever I'm doing. I usually don't mind, but sometimes I have to tell her no. "Okay. Mary, what do you want to play?" I ask. Here are some things Mary likes to do: Excerpted from Dory Fantasmagory by Abby Hanlon All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
