Free Kidnapped at Birth? by Louis Sachar

2

You Can Do Anything!
    Marvin had two best friends, Stuart Albright and Nick Tuffle.
    After school they all went to Stuart’s house.
    “Put your dog outside,” said Nick.
    Nick was brave. He once rode his bike full speed down Suicide Hill. But he was afraid of Fluffy, Stuart’s little white dog.
    Marvin petted Fluffy.
    “Careful, he’s going to bite you,” said Nick.
    Fluffy growled at Nick.
    “He’s a good dog,” said Marvin.
    Fluffy licked Marvin’s fingers.
    Stuart put Fluffy outside.
    “Where’d you get that stupid dog?” asked Nick.
    “Fluffy’s not stupid,” said Stuart.
    “He is too,” said Nick. “He looks like a rat that ran through a cotton candy machine.”
    “We got him at the pound,” said Stuart. “I picked him out myself.”
    “Well, you picked the wrong dog,” said Nick.
    “I did not!”
    “Did too.”
    Marvin was afraid they’d get into a fight. Nick and Stuart were always getting into fights.
    “I think my parents picked the wrong baby,” Marvin said.
    “Huh?” asked Nick.
    “What?” said Stuart.
    “At the hospital,” said Marvin. “They took the wrong baby home. They’re not really my parents.”
    He had been thinking about this all day. He didn’t really believe it. He just wanted to keep his best friends from fighting.
    “I was kidnapped the day I was born,” said Marvin.
    “You’re Prince Robert!” exclaimed Stuart.
    Stuart was smart. It sometimes amazed Marvin how quickly he caught on to things.
    “Say what?” asked Nick.
    “Marvin’s parents are really the King and Queen of Shampoon,” Stuart explained.
    “Wait a second,” said Nick. “Mr. and Mrs. Redpost? No way!”
    “No,” said Stuart. “Don’t you remember what we read in
Current Events
? The Prince was kidnapped at birth.”
    “So?” said Nick.
    “So Marvin is really Prince Robert,” said Stuart.
    “Say what?” said Nick.
    “I have red hair and blue eyes,” said Marvin. “Everyone else in my family has brown hair and brown eyes. And I’m left-handed. That means I have royal blood.”
    “Wait a second,” said Nick. “If your parents are the King and Queen of Shampoon, then how did you end up in the hospital here?”
    Marvin thought a moment. He hadn’t figured that part out.
    “Simple!” said Stuart. “The kidnappers had to hide the baby somewhere. Well, what better place to hide a baby than with a bunch of other babies in a hospital?”
    “That’s right!” said Marvin.

    “Or,” said Stuart, “maybe your parents didn’t get you at the hospital. Maybe you’re adopted. They just haven’t told you.”
    “I bet you that’s it!” said Nick. “The kidnappers left you in a garbage bin. Then a policeman found you and took you to an orphanage. And then Mr. and Mrs. Redpost adopted you.”
    “Or else,” Stuart whispered, “Mr. and Mrs. Redpost might be the kidnappers.”
    “You’ll get to live in a castle!” said Nick. “And you’ll have a hundred servants. You’ll never have to make your bed again.”
    Marvin shrugged.
    “You’ll have so much money,” said Nick. “You could buy anything you want. You walk into a store. You see something you want. You just buy it. You could buy a car!”
    Marvin laughed.
    “I’m too young to drive,” he said.
    “Duh,” said Nick. “No one’s going to give the Prince a ticket! You can do anything. Darn, I wish I had red hair and blue eyes! You’re so lucky, Marvin. Man, some people have all the luck!”
    “I’m not lucky,” Marvin reminded him. “I was unlucky to be kidnapped.”
    “We just have to figure out a way to tell the King,” said Stuart. “And you can’t let your parents know. If they’re the kidnappers, they’ll kill you for sure.”

3

Marvin Sees the King
    Marvin Redpost lived in a gray house. There was a fence around the house. The fence was all white except for onered post.
    He slapped the red post as he walked through the gate.
    He had an older brother, Jacob, who was eleven, and a younger