gasped with fright. There was an eyeball inside! It looked straight back at me. It had no lids, or lashes. It was just a large, round, soft eyeball, and it was alive!

I shut the box with a shudder. I had gone cold again. I wanted to drop the box and run, or throw it away. Yes, that's what I would do. I would get rid of it. I glanced down the street and spotted a rubbish basket. A few seconds later I was beside it. I dropped the match box in and walked away. Ah! Thank goodness that was over.

When I got home I was beginning to forget. I checked the letterbox, as I always did, for mail. The eyeball was there, sitting in the dark. It turned slightly as I opened the letterbox door, so now it was facing me.

"Agh!"

I jumped back and ran inside. Mum gave me a puzzled look as I went past.

"What's up?"

"Nothing!"

I couldn't tell her. If I did I would have to explain how I came to get the box from the shop. That would get me, and Cropper into trouble. I knew Mum. She could read my mind. She'd smell out the crime like a detective.

I ran to my room and fell on the bed. Now I was safe. Nobody could get into my room, unless they knocked. Eyeballs didn't knock.

Over on the dresser I heard something moving. It was just a tiny sound, like a mouse scratching. I had to look. I didn't want to look, but something inside me made my head turn and my eyes focus.

The cockpit of my model airplane was lifting. It wasn't supposed to do that, but it was lifting. Before it was all the way up I knew what I would see. The eyeball. It was looking at me again, like a small green marble.

"Go away!" I shouted.

The eyeball stayed where it was.

"Who are you? Why are you following me around?"

The eyeball said nothing.

I went over to my dresser and picked the airplane up. The eyeball turned as I turned the model. It kept its small, black pupil focused on me. I carried the model to the window, opened the window, and dropped the model out. It fell into the garden with a light clicking