How To Eat Fried Worms

Casually reading a comic book, Billy chews absently on the seventh worm while Joe and Alan watch, alarmed at Billy’s calm demeanor. Tom waves through the window; Billy ignores him, finishes up, and walks out, saying, “See you tomorrow, fellows” (61).

Joe doesn’t show up for the eighth worm; Billy says it’s because he knows he and Alan have lost. Alan tries to argue that using lots of mustard is cheating, but Billy reminds him that condiments are a legal part of the game. Alan again tries to scare Billy with the idea that the worms will turn in his stomach and make him sick, but Billy no longer buys that story. He finishes the eighth worm and strolls out of the barn. Tom appears and says hi, but Billy snubs him and walks away.

Alan presents Billy with a two-foot-long worm fried in cornmeal. Billy “knew something was up” (63), but he tries it while Joe stands nearby, looking innocent. After a moment, Billy scrapes off the cornmeal and discovers two worms glued together. He calls for Tom, who races in and verifies it’s two worms. Billy insists it’s cheating, but Joe argues that since Billy found out before eating both worms, the cheat failed and therefore never happened.

The boys argue about this for a while, and Billy tires of it. A loose pig happens by, and he takes this opportunity to change the topic: He races outside to chase the porker, and the boys follow.

During breakfast, Billy and his mother are interrupted by Alan and Joe, who’ve come to warn her that Billy is still eating worms. Billy replies that they’re small worms and a few won’t hurt him, but Joe counters that they’re in fact big worms. Billy’s mom worries that continual eating of worms might injure him; Joe grins and nudges Alan.

Billy’s mom goes to the phone, calls the doctor, and tells him about the bet and the 15 worms. The doctor reassures her; she returns to the kitchen and says, “But no more bets after this one, Billy” (70).

Joe tells Billy’s mother that he and Alan will be away fishing for two days and asks if she’ll monitor Billy when he eats the next two worms. They’ve already boiled the crawlers and put them in a paper bag, which Joe presents to her. Billy’s mother wonders if she’ll be neutral, since Billy is her son, but Joe assures her that parents usually treat kids fairly. Joe explains the rules, including that Billy must eat them piece by piece—no turning them into soup or hash—and he can put dressings on them.

At this, Billy jumps up and yells that the no-soup thing isn’t part of the rules. Alan calls him a cheater, and Billy’s mom has to stop them before they fight. She agrees to monitor the next two worms. Alan and Billy exchange a few more insults, and Joe and Alan leave. A moment later, Joe reappears at the screen door and says, “Thanks for saying you’ll help out, Mrs. Forrester” (73).

Mr. Forrester learns his son will be having worm for dinner. He glances at the plate with the worm and suggests it could be better prepared. He and Mrs. Forrester thumb through a French cookbook and decide on “Alsatian Smothered Worm” (76), which includes sour cream and onions. His mom prepares it, and Billy loves it.

The 11th worm is prepared inside an elaborate ice cream cake dessert, created by Mrs. Forrester, that includes fruit syrups, whipped cream, and jelly beans. Billy’s kid sister, Emily, refuses to try it, but Tom, who’s visiting, admits he might be willing to eat such a confection.

Joe and Alan plot to take Billy to a ball game, stuff him full of stadium food—“You know how he loves to eat” (78)—then bring him home late. According to their plot, he’ll be asleep, and his parents will tuck him into bed, everyone having forgotten the worm. Alan worries that Tom will interfere, but Joe says they can simply omit him from the trip and make up an excuse to tell Billy.

While Billy fries a worm, Tom peers in the Forrester refrigerator and discovers chocolate pudding. Billy tells him it’s for dinner, but Tom suggests he could scrape a little off the top, and Billy could tell his mom it fell upside-down onto the floor and had to be scraped. Mrs. Forrester overhears their plan and expresses shock. Tom stammers he was “just, you know, talking” (81). Mrs. Forrester offers him chocolate ice cream instead; relieved, Tom accepts. He makes a silly joke and nearly falls off his chair laughing.

Returning from the ball game, Billy is glutted with food and fast asleep in the back seat of Alan’s father’s car. His father carries Billy up to the Forrester house, where he hands the boy off to his parents. In the car, Joe and Alan are overcome with glee: It’s nearly midnight, and there’s no way Billy can cook and eat a worm now.

Still drowsing while his mother wipes off his food-stained face, Billy suddenly remembers he hasn’t yet eaten today’s worm. It’s 11:45 pm. Billy bolts for the kitchen, grabs a flashlight, and darts out the door toward Tom’s house. On the way, he realizes Joe and Alan used the ball game food to prevent him from finishing the worm challenge. He wakes Tom, who’s camping out in a tent with his brother Pete in the backyard, and tells him what happened.

Billy and Tom frantically search the yard for a worm. They find one, and Billy’s about to wolf it down when Tom realizes Billy has to eat it where Alan can witness it. Tom tells his brother to get his siren.

Billy, Tom, and Pete assemble in front of Alan’s house. At a signal, Pete turns on the alarm, which makes a tremendous noise. Lights come on all over the neighborhood. Tom announces in a loud voice their mission, and Billy drops the worm into his mouth, eats it, and falls back, spread-eagled. Tom loudly calls out Alan and Joe’s names, then he, Billy, and Pete run away.

At the Phelps house, Alan yells “Finks!” through a window. His father pulls him back and demands to know if this is why they fed Billy all that food at the ball park. Alan admits it. His father asks if that’s why Billy woke the neighborhood, to prove he ate a worm; Alan says yes. Joe, who’s staying over, hides under his bed.

The next day, Alan and Joe must march from house to house in the neighborhood, reciting a scripted apology at each front door. They’re also forbidden TV and dessert for a month. Alan’s father tells the boys there’ll be no repeat of this incident. The boys grumble that Billy can’t be allowed to win.

Alan and Joe hurl angry insults at Billy and Tom, who do the same, until the name-calling erupts into a fistfight. Alan and Joe crawl away and hide behind a tree while Tom and Billy, still thinking they’re fighting the enemy, instead punch and tear at each other.

From their hiding place, Alan and Joe taunt them and throw fistfuls of mud. Tom and Billy return fire. In moments, Alan is crying, and Billy falls back, struck in the head by a rock; he, too, sobs. Seeing this, Joe grabs Alan and they run away. Tom, alarmed at Billy’s injury, helps him get home.

Mr. Phelps sits the boys down in his living room and orders them to make peace. Mr. O’Hara tells them they’ve been good friends and shouldn’t fight. Mr. Phelps promises them a treat at the local ice cream parlor if they can “shake and be friends again” (96). The boys grumble and argue some more, but they discover nobody needed stitches, and they agree to stop cheating. Billy offers to share his minibike. Joe says he gives up. At least, he admits, they can get some ice cream out of it.