His father is already tied to a chair, leaving Nathan alone to record every bizarre detail before the lock turns. Two strange visitors from a vessel called the Boat are on their way up, which means his chances of slipping past them are shrinking fast.
With his mother shouting frantic instructions through the bedroom door and his own hands growing less cooperative by the minute, he has to get the truth down on paper before it is too late.
A short story from Guys Read: Other Worlds, edited by Jon Scieszka.
Rebecca Stead ("Plan B") went to the kind of elementary school where a person could sit on a windowsill or even under a table to read a book, and no one told you to come out and be serious. After trying to be serious as a lawyer for a while, she decided to be a full-time writer. Her book When You Reach Me was awarded the Newbery Medal in 2010 and was a New York Times bestseller. She lives in New York City with her family.