Wayside School Beneath the Cloud of Doom (Wayside School 4)

But that wasn’t what made it curious. The closet was wrapped up in heavy chains, and locked with a giant padlock.

Mac moved closer. Behind the chains, he could see double doors, with a steel bar clamped across them. Several signs were taped to the doors.

“KEEP BACK!”

“DO NOT OPEN DOORS!”

“DANGER!”

“CALL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT IF YOU SMELL SOMETHING UNUSUAL!”

Mac sniffed, but all he could smell were chicken fingers.

Behind the chains, and the steel bar, each door had its own lock. He could see two keyholes, one red and the other green.

He put on his catcher’s mask, just to be safe, and tried to open one door, then the other. They wouldn’t budge.

He tried to peer through the keyholes, but they were too tiny.

He knocked on one of the doors. It seemed to be made of thick wood. “Anyone in there?” he called.

There was no answer. He knocked again, and then pressed his ear against the side of the closet.

Still nothing.

“What’s that?” asked Deedee, coming up the stairs.

Mac shrugged.

Deedee read the signs aloud. “Keep back. Do not open doors. Danger.”

She tried one of the doors.

“I think it’s locked,” said Mac.

&nbs

p; More kids made it up the stairs. Each one stopped at the closet, read the signs, and then tried to open the doors.

Terrence kicked the doors.

Jason rattled the chains. “Look, it’s one long chain,” he determined, “wrapped around four times.”

“What do you think is inside?” asked Leslie.

“Snakes,” said Paul. He was afraid of snakes.

“Spiders,” said Rondi. She was afraid of spiders.

“Monsters,” said Allison.

She loved monsters.

“What if it’s Mrs. Gorf?” guessed Calvin.

Everyone shuddered.

Mrs. Gorf was the worst teacher they’d ever had.