It took a moment before Elliot realized exactly what had happened. He stood on shaking legs and staggered toward what just ten seconds ago had been his home. Now it was rubble, a heap of wood and broken pipes and chunks of furniture. Shreds of paper and fabric still rained from the sky like confetti, and there was an eerie silence, as if even the breeze didn’t dare make any sound.

In the center of where the Penster home had stood, the bathtub had somehow survived. On top of it was a mattress that had fallen from the second story.

“No, no,” Elliot whispered. He sat on what had once been a toilet and buried his face in his hands. The kitchen must have blown this way. He saw pieces of his mother’s dishes, half of a chair, and Reed’s large jar with his collection of leftover pickle relish in it. A crack ran down the jar where it had landed, but amazingly it hadn’t shattered.

If he could have chosen the two things to have left in this world, it probably wouldn’t have been a bathtub and a jar of pickle relish. But his luck seemed to work that way lately.

Then he heard a sound. It was muffled, but someone was speaking nearby. “Hello? Hello?”

It came from the bathtub. Elliot pushed the mattress off the top and then smiled with relief. Uncle Rufus was lying inside it, fully clothed, with the crown between his fingers.

“I didn’t realize we had such a lovely view of the sky from the bathroom,” Rufus said.

“The house blew up,” Elliot told him.

“Oh.” Uncle Rufus sat up and glanced at the mess around him. “So it did.”

“Didn’t you hear the explosion?”

Blushing, Uncle Rufus said, “I, er, passed gas. I thought that was what I heard.”

“Our whole house exploded,” Elliot said. “It was very loud.”

“Yes, but I don’t hear so well anymore. I thought it was me. What a relief.”

“That our house blew up?”

“No, that I don’t have gas. Although if I did, it would be a good thing that we’re out here in the open air.” Rufus remembered the crown between his fingers. “I think this is yours. I thought you might allow me to give it as a gift to Agatha. It was just so shiny, and I know she’d like it. But I shouldn’t have taken it without asking you.”

“I wish I could let you have it, but I can’t give this up now, even if I wanted to.” Elliot took the crown and then helped Rufus out of the bathtub. “I have to find everyone else.”

But everyone else found him. Wendy walked across the rubble holding Cole and Kyle by the ears. “Look what you two did,” she said to them.

“We didn’t blow the house up,” Cole protested.

“That’s just what someone who did blow up a house would say,” Wendy replied.

“We promise,” Kyle insisted. “Tell them, Elliot. You saw us outside. Did it look like we were blowing up the house?”

“They didn’t blow up the house,” Elliot told his sister. “Where’s Reed? Is he okay?”

Wendy released Cole and Kyle. “He left for work. Then I saw that he forgot his name tag, so I went running down the street to catch him. I was on my way back to the house when it exploded. What happened?”

Elliot hung his head. “I think the Goblins blew it up.”

“Fine time for making jokes.” Wendy put her hands on her hips. “Okay, well, let’s see if we can get everything cleaned up before Mom and Dad get home from work.”

“I didn’t make this mess, so I’m not cleaning it up,” Cole said.

“I’ll clean up my exploded room parts, but that’s all,” Kyle said.

“I don’t think it matters,” Elliot said. “Mom and Dad are pretty smart. I think they’re going to notice when they sit down for dinner tonight that THE ENTIRE HOUSE IS GONE!”

“Of course they’ll notice,” Wendy said. “But we’ve got to have dinner somewhere, and I think it’s better to have it in an organized blown-up house than a messy one. That’s all I’m saying.”

“Well, you’ll have to burn our dinner somewhere else tonight,” Elliot said. “I’m not hungry anyway.”

He stomped off back into the woods. Wendy called after him, but he had bigger problems than his sister’s hurt feelings. Mr. Willimaker waited for him at the edge of the trees, right at the border of sunlight and shadow. “What a waste of a perfectly good house,” Mr. Willimaker said. “Well, a somewhat good house anyway.”

Elliot turned back to the smoky pile of rubble. “When I said I’d become king, I didn’t know things would go this far. I’m just a kid. I can’t protect myself from the Goblins. Now it looks as if I can’t protect my family. I can’t save the Brownies either.”

“I have to tell you something,” Mr. Willimaker muttered nervously. “Something I should have told you at the very start. The truth is that Queen Bipsy didn’t exactly give me your name. She told me to choose the king, and I was the one who wrote in your name, because you saved Patches three Halloweens ago. I never thought the Brownies would let a human become king. I never thought any of this would happen.”

“So I’m not really the king?” Elliot asked.

“Not if you don’t want to be.”

Elliot shrugged. “I’m just not sure if I’m right for the job. But I have to finish what the Goblins started. After that, I’ll decide whether I’ll stay as king.”

“But what are you going to do?” Mr. Willimaker knotted his fingers together. If he twisted his hands any longer, he might never get them apart again.

Elliot pushed his jaw forward. “If I can’t go to the Underworld, then I’m bringing the Underworld here. We’re going to rescue Patches. Then we’ll find out who is helping the Goblins. Then we’re going to teach the Goblins a lesson once and for all.”

Mr. Willimaker bowed low to Elliot. “At least for now, my friend, I’m very glad that you’re our king.”