Free Incredible Shrinking Kid! by Tony Abbott Page A

do. You can go home if you want to.” He gestured back down the hill.
    Shadows flickered in the moonlight, going in and out of the clouds. Black streaks slashed the road behind them. The breeze sweeping up from the lake was steadying into a wind.
    Without anyone seeing it, night had fallen.
    Holly said nothing. She rode along next to Jeff.
    Sean suddenly tore off around the first bend, leaving the others behind him again. He counted houses. “Five—six—seven. It’s coming up!”
    He banked fast through the corner and pedaled harder into a little straight before the next turn. He could make out three houses just ahead of him. A white one was at the end.
    â€œEight—nine—tttttt—”
    FLAAAAAASH!
    A powerful blast of purple light exploded in Sean’s face.
    â€œAhhhhhh!” he screamed.

2
    Have a Blast!
    T he force blew Sean backward. He skidded across the gravel and slammed hard into the huge tire of a bulldozer.
    â€œOw!” he moaned. He suddenly ached all over. He felt as if his breath had been completely knocked out of him.
    Jeff ran over. “Wow, what a tumble! Are you okay?”
    Holly coasted up to him. “Get the training wheels. My brother forgot how to ride.”
    â€œOh, man,” Sean groaned, feeling the back of his head for tread marks. “Did you see that?” He pointed to the clearing ahead. “That huge light?”
    Holly looked up. “That’s called the moon, Sean,” she snapped. “Say it, M-O-O-N!”
    â€œNo, it was a big purple light,” Sean snarled. He turned to Jeff. “You saw it.”
    Jeff looked down. “Well …”
    â€œOh, man!” Sean groaned again. He grabbed Jeff’s hand and pulled himself to his feet. He dusted off his pants and his W. Reid Elementary T-shirt. “Come on, let’s find Mike’s house.”
    Jeff trotted over to the road, stood there for a second, then came back. “I just counted, Sean. There is no tenth house. There are only nine.”
    Sean counted, too. Jeff was right. There was no white house. Suddenly Sean felt jittery all over.
    â€œI guess my big brother doesn’t know his numbers,” said Holly. “Maybe when we get back to school, you should drop back a grade, Sean. I heard Principal Bell talking about it anyway.”
    In the distance— bong! —the clock on top of the Double Dunk Donut Den chimed the hour. A moment later— ssss! The pan sitting atop Usher’s House of Pancakes hissed the hour, too.
    â€œIt’s getting late,” said Sean. “We’d better go home.” He rubbed the back of his head again, hopped on his bike, and pushed off down the hill.
    The next morning was hot and sunny. Sean greeted his parents at the kitchen table and opened the refrigerator. A blob of brown oozy stuff slid off the top rack and onto his hand.
    He licked it off. “Mmm, not bad.”
    â€œDo you think so?” asked his mother.
    Next Sean shook the milk carton and raised it to his lips. Thick blue liquid poured down his chin. After that he reached into a bowl on the counter, grabbed two eyeballs, and popped them into his mouth at the same time.
    â€œCrunchy,” he mumbled, showing red teeth.
    â€œHo, ho!” cried Mr. Todd Vickers, the not-at-all-famous movie director, producer, special effects person, camera person, and in fact the only person at Humongous Horror Movie Studios. “Daisy, you’ve done it again! Hideous movie props you can eat! Dear, you are wonderful!”
    Mrs. Daisy Vickers blushed. “I try.”
    â€œThis is a little disgusting,” said Holly, dipping her spoon into her cereal.
    No, this is the Vickers household. A home full of gunk and goop. Fake monster heads and hands. Eyeballs in little bowls. Crawling hands under the sofa. Green oozy brains in the hamper.
    â€œIs this any way for a kid to grow up?” asked Holly.
    â€œNo,” said Sean,