The Dream Stealer Chapter One Muchachos and muchachas, boys and girls, do you know what happened to the fearless little girl who lives in the pink stucco house behind the plaza? Fearless, but lonely. Lonely, but plucky. Do you believe in marvels? After a long, hot day, the sun dropped behind a prickly clump of cactus without scratching itself. Then a warm night fell over the Mexican town, soft as velvet, with stars flashing like fireflies. Bedroom windows were flung open to the evening air. Soon it would be time for Susana to go to bed. Yes, that was her name. Susana. With one n. Eight years old. Unknown to her, Susana had a night visitor. Outside, a great bird with big feet was flying in as silently as an owl. It circled the pink house. After a long journey, the strange creature came to rest on a limb of the old pepper tree in the patio of Susana's house. A bird, did I say? Yes and no. Its wings and feathers flashed orange and red polka dots like bloodshot eyes--and green spots and purple ones, too. You'd think the night visitor had the allover measles. Now, think of teeth as sharp as broken crockery. And a full moon of a face, with cunning eyes protruding like a frog's. An ogre? A monster? What could it be, hanging in the pepper tree like a great piñata? I'll tell you. Be patient. The Dream Stealer . Copyright © by Sid Fleischman . Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold. Excerpted from The Dream Stealer by Sid Fleischman 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.
