The Ooze Read Online Free PDF

can find its food,” Michelle cracked.
    â€œCome on, Tubby. We don’t have to listen to this. Let’s go outside.” I marched toward the sliding back door—and walked straight into the glass.
    Tubby plowed into it right beside me.
    I hope Michelle didn’t notice that, I thought.
    â€œUh, Al,” Michelle said.
    She noticed.
    â€œJust a suggestion. You might try opening the door first next time.”
    â€œHa, ha,” I muttered.
    â€œYou’re getting as dumb as Chester!” she exclaimed. “Quick, Al—how much is one and one?”
    I didn’t bother to answer. I opened the door and pulled Tubby out into the backyard with me.
    I flopped down on the grass. Tubby flopped down beside me.
    Something Michelle said bothered me. It wasn’t that she called me and Tubby stupid. She does that all the time.
    No, it was something she said about her cat. It triggered something in my head. Something I had to figure out—but it wasn’t coming to me.
    Chester was getting dumb. Is that what she said? No, she said I was getting as dumb as Chester. Were Chester and I getting dumb together?
    Something was missing. It was like a jigsaw puzzle, but I couldn’t find the next piece. Something happened to Chester yesterday. Hadn’t Michelle said that?
    Was yesterday my birthday? What happened on my birthday? The opera? No, that wasn’t yesterday. No, my birthday was the day before yesterday. Wasn’t it? Something happened after my birthday.
    Was that yesterday? I remembered smelling something horrible—Michelle’s brownies. That must be it!Michelle’s brownies were so bad they did something to my brain.
    But wait. I didn’t eat a brownie. Chester didn’t eat a brownie. Colin ate a brownie. Only he isn’t dumber than before. At least I didn’t think so.
    Focus, I told myself. Focus.
    Colin said the brownies stank. No, he didn’t! He wanted to make a stink bomb!
    Did the stink bomb make me dumb? How could it? It didn’t go off! It was a total disaster. It just made a lot of weird orange ooze!
    All this thinking was making my head hurt. I felt as though my brain were turning into ooze.
    Ooze.
    Orange ooze.
    What I got all over my hands.
    What Chester got all over his paw.
    Wait. That’s it! Chester and I were getting dumber together. He touched the ooze and now he can’t count. I touched the ooze and now I think Cleveland is in Brazil.
    The ooze was making us stupid!
    I have to talk to Colin, I decided. To run this by him. It seemed to make sense—but I wasn’t sure.
    I went back inside—without bumping into the glass this time. I ran to my parents’ room to use the phone in there. I didn’t want Michelle to overhear my conversation.
    It took me three tries to get Colin’s phone number right. “It’s the ooze,” I said when he answered.
    â€œWhat?” Colin asked.
    â€œThe ooze,” I repeated. Why couldn’t he understand me? “The ooze is making me stupid.”
    â€œWhoa!” Colin exclaimed. “Who said you’re stupid? You’re not stupid.”
    â€œYes, I am. I’m stupid—I think.”
    â€œWell, you really sound stupid now,” Colin said.
    â€œI do?” Boy was I relieved. At least I had something right. “Listen,” I told Colin, “Chester stepped into the ooze with his paw. And I touched it with my hand.”
    â€œSo?” Colin asked.
    â€œSo now Chester’s as dumb as Tubby. And I got lost on my way home from school. And I walked into a glass door. And I couldn’t even remember your telephone number. I’m stupid, Colin! I’m stupid! Chester and I are getting dumb together. And it’s all because of the ooze!”
    â€œHow could some orange glop do that ?” Colin asked.
    â€œI don’t know! How could I know? It’s making me stupid!”
    â€œOkay, okay.” Colin tried to calm me