Liz's Night at the Museum Read online

  It was the sound of everyone asleep—except her.

  Liz closed her eyes. She counted backward from one hundred. It was her best trick for falling asleep.

  Liz was only at ninety when she heard something. Her eyes popped open.

  What was that?

  It sounded like . . . something fluttering. Or maybe it was flapping?

  And just as suddenly, it stopped.

  Liz sat up and looked around. Small lights lit up the corners of the room. But most of the hall was dark and shadowy. Liz looked at the suit of armor closest to her. If she didn’t know better, she might have guessed it was a real person.

  Liz was about to lie down again when the knight’s helmet moved!

  Liz blinked her eyes hard. It couldn’t have. She sat staring at it for a full minute. But it was absolutely still. You’re being so silly! she told herself.

  Liz lay down and pulled her sleeping bag up to her nose. She really wished she hadn’t left Elly at home.

  Things That Go Flap in the Night

  Liz started counting backward again. She got all the way to zero and started over.

  Then she heard that same noise. Flap-flap-flap-flap-flap!

  Liz opened her eyes. Just then, she thought she saw a shadow swoop overhead. But she blinked and it was gone.

  Liz leaned over toward Ellie. “Did you hear that?” she whispered.

  Ellie rolled over and kept on sleeping.

  “Psst. Ellie?” Liz whispered. She felt bad about waking up her friend. But she also didn’t like being the only one awake!

  Liz gave Ellie a little poke on the shoulder. “Did you hear that?”

  Ellie opened one eye. “Hear what?” she mumbled.

  “Listen,” Liz whispered. “There’s a weird noise.”

  Marion rolled over and opened her eyes. “What weird noise?” she whispered. She propped herself up on her elbows.

  “Shhh,” whispered Liz. “Just listen for a second.”

  “What’s the matter?” whispered Amy. Her eyes were still closed.

  “Liz says there’s a noise,” Marion said. “I only hear the noise of us talking about the noise. How about we go back to sleep?”

  “But I definitely heard something,” said Liz. “And I think I saw something too.” Liz paused. “I . . . I think I saw the knight move.”

  “What?” said Amy.

  “And a shadow flying over us!” Liz added.

  Ellie patted Liz on the back. “I think you’re just tired,” Ellie said. “Maybe you did hear something. But I’m sure it’s just some boring old noise museums make at night. Not a haunted-knight noise.”

  At that moment the noise echoed through the hall. Flap-flap-flap-flap-flap! It was softer than before, but clear as day.

  Ellie sat up straight. “Ohmygosh, ohmygosh!” she whispered frantically. “It’s a haunted-knight noise for sure!”

  “Yeah, I heard that too,” Amy whispered, suddenly wide-awake.

  “Same,” said Marion. She flicked on her flashlight. “It sounded like it was coming from over there.” She aimed her flashlight toward the entrance of Rocks and Gems.

  Liz pulled out her flashlight too. “Well, I don’t think I can sleep. Not until I figure out what it is.”

  “Let’s go find out!” Ellie whispered excitedly. She clicked on her flashlight.

  Finally, Amy turned hers on. “I’m not staying here alone,” she said. “Plus, this sort of feels like a Nancy Drew mystery.”

  The four girls tiptoed across the hall. They stopped at the entrance to Rocks and Gems.

  Liz clutched Ellie’s arm. Marion and Amy linked elbows. They aimed their flashlights all around the big room. Gemstones sparkled as the beams of light moved across them.

  Flap-flap-flap-flap-flap! There was the noise again. The girls’ heads turned in the same direction.

  “It’s coming from the dinosaur rooms!” said Liz.

  They tiptoed quickly in that direction, listening for the sound again. They got to the rooms with the dinosaurs and stopped.

  To Liz, the room looked even spookier than before. The dim lighting. The shadows. The T. rex skeleton that seemed to be staring right at them. Liz felt Ellie squeeze her arm. Liz squeezed hers back.

  The girls stood there frozen, waiting for something to happen. Waiting to hear the noise again.

  Flap-flap-flappety-flap! Scritch-scratch, rustle, rustle.

  They all jumped. It was different this time. And louder—closer!—than ever.

  In fact, it seemed to be coming from the T. rex!

  Unexpected Visitors

  Scritch-scratch, rustle, rustle.

  Scritch-scratch, rustle.

  The girls stared at one another, trying to figure out what they were hearing.

  “Wait a second,” Liz whispered. “I don’t think it’s coming from the T. rex. It’s coming from behind it.”

  The girls inched forward. They walked a wide circle around the skeleton. As they did, their flashlights lit up the room.

  The girls stopped.

  There—under the T. rex’s tail—were two birds.

  The girls’ eyes met. They all breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Awwwww,” Liz cooed. “They must have been in the Great Hall before. And that’s what I saw fly away from the knight.”

  Amy leaned in to get a better look at them. Startled, the birds took flight.

  Flap-flap-flap-flap-flap! They landed a few yards away on a museum sign.

  “I wonder how they got in,” Amy said. “Poor little guys. They can’t find their way out.”

  Ellie inched closer to the birds. “Oh, I bet they’re missing their friends!”

  The birds flew away again. This time they landed way up high on the head of a pterodactyl model.

  “Come on, birdies,” Ellie called to the birds. “Wanna go out? Do ya?”

  Liz smiled. Ellie sounded like she was talking to her dog, Sam. But unlike Sam, the birds didn’t come running.

  “If we could get them to follow us,” Liz said, “we could lead them to a way out.”

  “But they’re too afraid,” Marion said.

  Hmm, thought Liz. How could they get the birds to come down?

  Suddenly, she exclaimed, “I’ve got it! Tiger—I mean Picasso—and the tuna fish!”

  Ellie, Amy, and Marion looked confused. “Huh?” said Amy.

  But Liz was already hurrying out of Age of Dinosaurs. “Be right back!” she told them.

  Liz ran on tiptoe back to the Great Hall. She went to her bag and took out the granola bar. Then she ran back to the girls. The birds were still up on the pterodactyl’s head.

  “What are you doing?” Marion asked.

  Liz unwrapped the bar. She broke off two small pieces and put them on the floor. Then she took a few steps back.

  “Aha,” said Amy. “Lure them with food! Like Ms. Bunn lured Tiger out with the tuna fish!”

  Liz nodded. She held up the granola bar. “It’s got sunflower seeds in it!” Liz said. “They should like it. Right?”

  The girls shrugged. “We’ll find out soon enough,” said Marion.

  The Escape Route

  The girls stood still, watching and waiting from a distance.

  Within moments one of the birds came flying down. It landed next to a granola piece. It looked over at the girls.

  Then it started pecking at the granola.

  The other bird flew down too. It pecked at the other piece.

  The girls cheered silently. It worked!

  “Quick!” said Amy. “Let’s put down more pieces over here.” She hurried to the exit of the room.

  “Yeah!” said Ellie. “We can make a trail of crumbs. And lead them to a way out!”

  Liz put down two more pieces. The girls backed away.

  The birds flew to the crumbs. Peck-peck-peck.

  The girls kept going. Liz put down two more pieces and backed away.

  The birds flew over again. Peck-peck-peck.

  “Where are w
e leading them?” Marion asked. “Liz, how much granola bar is left?”

  Liz looked down at the bar. “Less than half,” Liz replied. “We need the shortest way out of here.”

  “Like a window,” Ellie said.

  The girls looked around. They were now in Rocks and Gems. This room didn’t have any windows. Liz thought she remembered seeing one . . . but where? When she was brushing her teeth?

  “The bathroom!” Liz exclaimed. “I think there was a window in there.”

  The bathrooms were right between Rocks and Gems and the Great Hall. Liz put down granola pieces leading to the bathroom door. The birds followed.

  The girls backed into the bathroom. Yes! There was a small window high up on one wall. Liz carefully climbed up and onto the sink counter to slide it open.

  She put two pieces of the granola bar on the windowsill. She also reached outside to put the last two crumbs on the ledge.

  Meanwhile, Amy was holding the bathroom door open, hiding behind it so the birds couldn’t see her.

  Liz got down from the window. She, Ellie, and Marion backed away.

  Sure enough, the birds waddled into the bathroom. They flew up to the windowsill and ate the granola. They hopped onto the window ledge. Peck-peck-peck.

  Then they looked around. They seemed to realize they were out in the fresh air. They spread their wings.

  Flap-flap-flap-flap!

  And they were gone!

  The Haunted Museum

  Liz woke up to a warm ray of sunlight on her face. Sun streamed in through the skylight of the Great Hall.

  Liz sat up and stretched. Marion, Amy, and Ellie were stirring too. Ellie opened her eyes and smiled at Liz.

  “Did we really rescue two birds last night?” Liz whispered. “Or did I dream that?”

  Ellie grinned. “If you dreamed it, then we had the same dream.”

  “Good morning, everyone!” Ms. Bunn called out gently. “Time to get up, get dressed, and pack our things.”

  Ms. Bunn explained that the museum would open to the public at eleven a.m. Until then they had the place to themselves.

  Everyone got dressed. They packed up and left their things in the museum offices. Then they went to the cafeteria for breakfast. While they ate, they took a vote on which exhibits they wanted to spend more time in.

  Liz voted for Modern Art. Others voted for Space Exploration or Ancient Greece. But Age of Dinosaurs got the most votes. So Ms. Bunn took them there first.

  As they went Ms. Bunn talked a little about the museum’s history. “It was built in 1929,” she said. “It started small. At first all it held was the art collection of one wealthy Santa Vista family. Then, over the years, it grew into what it is today. It has changed a lot since 1929.”

  Ms. Bunn paused. “But one thing hasn’t changed,” she said. “Ever since the museum was built, some have said it is haunted. There are stories of strange noises in the Great Hall and other places. But I’ve worked here for years. I’ve never heard a thing.” Ms. Bunn laughed. “Silly, right? I think ghost stories are just stories.”

  Liz, Ellie, Amy, and Marion exchanged wide-eyed looks.

  “I’m glad she didn’t mention that last night,” Amy whispered.

  “I know!” Ellie replied. “I never would have fallen asleep.”

  But Liz’s mind was racing as they got to Age of Dinosaurs. She’d figured that all those noises were made by the birds. But what if they weren’t?

  Could some of them have been from the museum ghost?

  Liz stared up at the T. rex and sighed. He might have some stories to tell, Liz thought. If only extinct dinosaurs could talk!

  Read on for a sneak peek at the next Critter Club book:

  Marion and the Secret Letter

  “Good morning, Teddy!” Marion said, rolling out of bed the next morning.

  She went over to her dresser. She peered inside the hamster’s cage.

  “Where are you hiding, Teddy?” Marion said playfully. “In the tunnel again?”

  But the tunnel was empty. Marion peered at the cage from all sides.

  “Teddy?” Marion said, growing worried.

  Gabby shuffled in, still in her pajamas. “What is it?”

  “Did you take Teddy?” Marion asked, starting to panic.

  “No,” Gabby replied. She looked confused. “Why?”

  “Teddy got out!” cried Marion. Now she was panicking. “He could be anywhere! We don’t even know how long he’s been out.”

  Before long, Marion’s family had organized a search party.

  Marion looked inside her closet. There were so many places for a hamster to hide! She looked everywhere, from the top shelf to the shoe rack on the floor. They spent as long as they could searching. But no luck.

  At school later Marion kept her eyes on the floor as she headed to her locker. She hoped no one asked her about Teddy. What would she say? All she wanted was to get through the day. Then she could go home and keep looking for him.

  Marion opened her locker. A folded piece of paper fluttered out and landed at her feet.

  Callie Barkley loves animals. As a young girl, she dreamed of getting a cat or dog of her own until she discovered she was allergic to most of them. It was around this time that she realized the world was full of all kinds of critters that could use some love. She now lives with her husband and two kids in Connecticut. They share their home with exactly ten fish and a very active ant farm.

  Tracy Bishop has loved drawing since she was a little girl in Japan. She spends her time illustrating books, reading, and collecting pens. She lives with her husband, son, and hairy dog, named Harry, in San Jose, California.

  Little Simon

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  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  LITTLE SIMON

  An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division • 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020 • www.SimonandSchuster.com • First Little Simon hardcover edition October 2016 • Copyright © 2016 by Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. LITTLE SIMON is a registered trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc., and associated colophon is a trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc. For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-866-506-1949 or [email protected]. The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com. Designed by Laura Roode • Jacket illustrations by Marsha Riti • The text of this book was set in ITC Stone Informal Std.

  Cataloging-in-Publication Data for this title is available from the Library of Congress.

  ISBN 978-1-4814-7165-7 (hc)

  ISBN 978-1-4814-7164-0 (pbk)

  ISBN 978-1-4814-7166-4 (eBook)