Chapter OneIn the Stairwell
Sam pushed the button for the elevator, but it didn't come. He and his mother waited and waited. They were going to pick up Sam's younger brother, Robert, who was playing at a friend's house.
"Maybe the elevator's broken," said Sam.
"It seems to be stuck on the fourth floor," said Mrs. Bamford, looking at the numbers above the elevator. She pushed the button again, but the elevator didn't move. After another few minutes, Mrs. Bamford sighed. They lived on the nineteenth floor.
"I guess well have to use the stairs," she said. Sam ran down the stairs holding on to the railing. Mrs. Bamford walked more slowly, shouting," Don't get too far ahead," but Sam was already far ahead of her.
When he got to the fourth floor, Sam saw a pile of boxes on the landing, each filled with bits of different colored wires. Sam pulled out a tangled mess of wire. Suddenly the stairwell door opened and a very strange head with earphones and antennas poked out.
"Leave that stuff alone," the head shouted.
"Ohh!" yelled Sam, so surprised that he jumped back.
"Sam? Are you all right?" shouted Mrs. Bamford, still two stories above.
The head disappeared back into the hallway.
"What happened?" shouted Mrs. Bamford as she ran down the stairs to Sam.
"A monster just shouted at me." said Sam.
"A monster?" Mrs. Bamford looked around at all the boxes. "What is all of this?" she asked.
"It belongs to the monster," said Sam. "He looked like a martian."
Mrs. Bamford noticed they were on the fourth floor. "Let's see why the elevator's stuck here," she said, opening the door.
The fourth floor hallway was a mess with boxes all over. Each one had "Frank" written onit. Some boxes propped the elevator doors open, and a trail of boxes led to apartment 4E. In the middle of the living room of 4E, the man with the earphones and antennas on his head sat cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by wires.
"Excuse me, are those your boxes in the hall?" asked Mrs. Bamford. The man ignored her. Mrs. Bamford asked again. Finally she walked over and tapped him on the shoulder.
"What do you want?" growled the man, taking off his earphones and laying them on the floor.
"Is your name Frank?" asked Mrs. Bamford.
"Yeah, I'm Mr. Frank. I Just moved in."
"Your boxes are holding up the elevator," said Mrs. Bamford. "We just walked down fifteen stories."
"I have very delicate equipment in those boxes. I have to move them slowly," said Mr. Frank.
While they were talking, Sam inched closer to the earphones to inspect them. He could hear strange music playing softly. Gingerly, Sam picked up the earphones to hear the music better, and just to see what they felt like he slipped them over his ears.
Suddenly they were plucked off his head by Mr. Frank, who shouted, "Those are mine!"
"Mr. Frank!" said Mrs. Bamford. "You didn't have to grab. Sam would have given them back to you if you had asked."
Mr. Frank didn't hear her because he had his earphones back on.
Mrs. Bamford took Sam's hand and marched to the elevator. She shoved Mr. Frank's boxes away from the elevator doors and pushed the button for down.
"I've never met anybody so rude in my whole life," said Mrs. Bamford as the doors closed." You were right. He is a monster."
When they got to the first floor, five people were waiting for the elevator.
"'We thought it was broken," said Ms. Anderson,who lived in 11A.
"We've been waiting fifteen minutes," said Mr. Ferguson in 5F. "Have you had it tied up all this time?"
"No," said Mrs. Bamford. "Someone on the fourth floor is moving in."
"That must be Mr. Frank," said Mr. Clem from 4F. "He's been moving in boxes since early this morning. I hate to make a snap judgment about a new neighbor, but he was very rude to me today."
"He was rude to me too," said Mrs. Bamford.
"I offered to help him," said Mr. Clem. "'But he didn't want anybody touching his boxes.... I don't know. There was something about him I didn't like."
"Oh, Mr. Clem," said Ms. Anderson." You always look on the gloomy side. He could turn out to be a fine neighbor."
"I have my doubts," said Mrs. Bamford.
The other tenants got into the elevator, and Sam and his mother went to get Robert at his friend's house. As they were walking home Robert said, "Look what Jimmy gave me." He held out a Dracula doll.
"One of its fangs is broken," said Sam.
"I don't care," said Robert.
"What did you trade him for it?" asked Sam.
"A Frankenstein," said Robert. "But I had two anyhow."
"I hope you didn't trade him my Frankenstein."
"No, it was mine," said Robert. "It had the red shirt on."
As they got into the elevator, Sam said, "I hope the elevator doesn't stop at four. Right, Mom?"
"Why?" asked Robert.
"A Mr. Frank moved in. He is weird."
Robert wrapped the cloak around his new Dracula doll. "Dracula's neat," He said.
"Mr. Frank acted really, really weird," said Sam. "He and Mom had a fight."
Robert kept playing with his Dracula doll. They got out on the nineteenth floor and went into their apartment.
"He could be the real Frankenstein..." Samwhispered into Roberts ear. "He had wires sticking up all over his head."
They went into their room to play before dinner.
"If Frankenstein moved in, Mom would have told me," said Robert.
"She didn't want to scare you. You're too little."
Later that night when they were getting ready for bed, Robert said, "You were kidding, weren't you? Frankenstein didn't move in on the fourth floor."
"No, I wasn't kidding."
< h4="" align="center"> Is Frankenstein living next door?< 4=""> < p=""> The new neighbor is weird, Sam whispers to Robert.<> < p=""> He could be the real Frankenstein.<> < p=""> So Sam and Robert decide to spy on their strange, scowling neighbor, Mr. Frank. First they list the evidence they already have: <> < p=""> Mr. Frank is pale and thin.<> < p=""> Moans and groans have been heard coming from his apartment.<> < p=""> It's not much to go on.<> < p=""> Then, one night, the lights in the whole building go out. Will Sam and Robert finally learn the spooky truth?<>