Free Whales on Stilts! by M.T. Anderson

                                   ],” said Lily “[
    ].” She used her hands to illustrate. “So then when [

                      ]”
    â€œAnd meanwhile,” said Jasper, getting excited, “I could [
    ], and when they falter, I’ll be there to [
    ].”
    Katie asked, “Is anyone else finding that their breath is like pooling right under your chin? In this gross wet pool?”
    â€œIt’s a fine plan, Lily,” said Jasper.
    â€œDoes that mean we can take these off?” asked Katie.
    Lily nodded her big clunky metal head.
    â€œGood-o, then,” said Jasper. “I’ll order the Aero-Bistro androids to start [
    ].”
    Lily said, “And I’ll [
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â ].”
    â€œAnd Katie,” said Jasper, “you can [
    ].”
    Lily said, “But don’t forget [                    ].”
    â€œRight-o,” said Jasper. He lifted off his mask. The others lifted theirs off, too. Katie’s face was all red and wet. She panted for air.
    â€œThank goodness,” she said. “Planning makes it hard to breathe.”

If you want to guess their plan, you’re welcome to.
    Here’s your clue: Later that afternoon Lily and Katie went to their favorite used-record store. It was a great used-record store, underground in the basement of a lounge-upholstery repair shop. There was fake tiger and leopard skin hanging from the walls, and all the pipes were painted red. The employees had hair that stuck out in different directions. Whenever Katie and Lily would go in to look for used CDs, someone would say, “Heya! It’s the woosome twosome!”
    Which didn’t make any sense, but it’s just nice to have people say something about you sometimes.
    Katie and Lily looked through a big bin of vinyl records.
    They chose a stack of them.
    They went to the register.
    They paid. They got $4.01 in change.
    It was all part of the plan.

The next morning the sun rose around dawn. Nothing seemed unusual about the day: The dew was on the grass. People walked their dogs. The
Pelt Observer
featured stories about bake sales, weddings, and movies. Cereal boxes tipped toward bowls. Orange juice spilled on kitchen counters. Seagulls paced up and down the piles at the dump.
    And yet, it was the day that whales invaded North America.
    Jasper was talking to Lily on the phone before she left for school. Jasper called from his Marvelous Subaquatic Zephyr.
    â€œI don’t see hide nor hair of the whales down here. It will be a super ruckus, though, when we finally get to biff them.”
    â€œDid you go where you saw the squid target practice?”
    â€œYes indeedy. I’m there right now. Nothing left but the burned-up wooden squid. Rotten luck that you have to go to school. It would be ace if you and Katie could join me.”
    â€œI would stay home from school, but I’m in trouble with my dad. He found out I called the Coast Guard and the army and told them about Larry.”
    â€œI’ll keep looking for our old pal Lares, and for his dastardly cetacean scoundrels. They must be on the move.”
    â€œI’ll try to get out of social studies when they show up,” said Lily. “So that we can get to ... you know... carry out the plan.”
    There was a silence as they both thought about the trials of the coming day.
    â€œI’m frightened,” said Lily. “Really frightened.”
    â€œTosh! Don’t worry about a thing. Your plan is genius,” said Jasper.
    â€œI’m not so sure. If something doesn’t work