Page 14 of The Dinner Party

The abominable snowman has stopped laughing. He shakes his head, but under all that fur, his lips are twitching. It seems like the snowman doesn’t want to eat you, but instead is mocking you, which might be even worse. Well, no, actually, wanting to eat you is definitely worse. But this is bad too.

“Why are you laughing?” you demand to know.

Because…” His voice startles you. It is a low rumble, but somehow not as threatening as you thought it would be. His English is perfect. “You humans always think we want to eat you, like you’re so delicious. Seriously, you are so full of yourselves. I’ll have you know that human beings are actually quite stringy and unpleasant to consume.”

Well, that’s a relief. Although you have to wonder how he knows that. “Then why did you kidnap me?”

“I didn’t kidnap you.” The yeti rolls his eyes. “You passed out in front of your car. If I left you there, you would have frozen to death. I saved you.” He adds, “You’re welcome.”

Well, that could be true. Now that you think of it, you don’t actually remember the abominable snowman knocking you out or attacking you. All you remember is being terrified, and then everything went black.

“Wait,” you say. “What about the man tied up over there? You can’t tell me you don’t mean any harm to him!”

The monster’s gaze hardens. “That is true.”

Aha! You knew a creature this terrifying had to be dangerous.

“The truth is,” the creature says, “soon after I brought you here, I found that man skulking around the cave. I followed him inside, and he was about to smash you in the head with a giant rock. I tied him up to keep him from killing you.”

Could that be true? You look over your shoulder at the hitchhiker bound and gagged on the ground, grunting and straining at his bindings. The truth is, you had a bad feeling about that hitchhiker. It’s why you decided not to untie him.

The abominable snowman may have just saved your life. And you’re not quite sure how to feel about it.

Turn to Chapter 25 (page 60)

25

The fire is waning, so the abominable snowman ambles over and throws a few logs into it. The logs are wider than your legs, but he heaves them into his strong arms with barely a grunt. If he wanted to hurt you, there would be no way you could stop him, but it’s clear that’s not his goal.

“Thank you,” you blurt out.

The creature looks over his shoulder at you. “As I said, you’re welcome.”

You squeeze your fists together. “Now what?”

“Now…” He pokes at the fire with a long stick as the embers catch. “It’s pitch black outside—better to stay in the cave overnight. You’ll be safe here until the morning—you can have my bed.”

He’s indicating the pile of leaves in the corner. It’s not exactly 1500 thread count satin sheets, but it might be more comfortable than your thin mattress at home.

“When the sun comes up, I’ll help you get your car free,” he says. “And you can go on your way.”

“I appreciate that.”

He nods. “My name is Robert, by the way.”

“Robert?”

He turns away from the fire to glare at you. “What’s wrong with the name Robert?”

“Nothing,” you say quickly. “I just expected a name that was more… unusual. Like, I don’t know… Behemoth or Thundercore or… Chupacabra.”

“Chupacabra sucked the blood out of goats,” he says.

You did not know that about Chupacabra. Also, why did he say it like Chupacabra is an old buddy of his? Did the two of them go goat-sucking together?

“Anyway,” Robert says, “I’m sorry my name isn’t more exciting.”

“That’s all right.” You curl up on the ground, tucking your legs underneath your body. “I’m Sloan, by the way.”