On Saturday morning at ten to nine, Harvey Moon was eating toast, waiting for the cartoon show that he enjoyed the most. With only minutes left to go, he heard the voice of DOOM. "Today, young man," his mother said, "Is the day you clean your room!" "Not now," moaned Harvey,red in the face. " I'll miss "Rotten Ed" and "Invaders from Space!" "Right this second!" she ordered, and gave him the broom. Harvey marched angrily up to his room.
It really didn't seem messy at all. First he'd throw his dirty clothes out in the hall. Under the bed was an ice cream-smeared shirt. Jeans that had what mom called, "ground-in dirt..."Two towels and swim trunks that seemed to be wet. Three socks he sniffed and found weren't dirty yet. Under the dresser was a lump warm and gray, that he didn't recognize. So, he put it away.
The floor of the closet had clumps hard and dirty of T-shirts and sweatshirts. IT WAS TEN-THIRTY! Harvey panicked then thought, "I should be through soon. I'll eat lunch while I watch "Creature Zero" at noon. " Grabbing marbles and crayons and flat bottle caps, two of his own special lightning bug traps, the softball he couldn't find last Saturday, one toothbrush, one helmet,...He put them away." "I'll clear out these toys and then I'll be done. " "Ken's Kung Fu Korner will be on at one..." Under his desk were some comics all icky From something inside that was dripping and sticky. He found library books he'd forgotten he had, his skates from Aunt Sarah, his bow tie from dad. He found a caboose that was missing its train, a whistle, paintbrushes, a map of the brain. He found sneakers and card games up under the bed, goggles, flippers and a grasshopper...dead, a long-lost cookie all fuzzy and gray, plastic cars, boats and planes, and he put them away.
Just then Harvey happened to notice the clock. "IT'S ALMOST TWO!!" Harvey shouted. He went into shock. "I missed 'Caveman Capers' on channel nine...I'm starving! I'm tired! This room looks fine! " He put up his bathrobe, his bat, and football, with a few other things then ran down the hall, shouting, "Mom, I'm finished! " Harvey put back the broom. His mother stepped cautiously into his room. "I'm really amazed," his mom said. Harvey beamed. He could watch TV now. He was through, so it seemed. "I fixed you some lunch," she said. "When you are done, you and I will get started on lump number one!" THE END??? ...
