Free Incredible Shrinking Kid! by Tony Abbott Page B

“but it’s a good way for a kid to throw up!”
    Mr. Vickers beamed at his two children, got up from the table where he was making notes for a new movie, and did a little dance across the floor. On the way, he grabbed Mrs. Vickers and twirled her around.
    â€œDad!” snorted Holly. “Please don’t be weird. Someone could be watching.”
    â€œAh, sorry, little one.” Mr. Vickers halted in mid-twirl, but, oh, Mrs. Vickers didn’t! She kept spinning and hit the table, her arms flying. Then she slammed the oven door— wham!
    She quickly recovered her balance, and sang, “Ta-da!”
    â€œChildren,” said Mr. Vickers, “today I have to check on scenery being built for my next film spectacular. A big bald guy stomps a little town. I call it The Amazing Colossal Bloody Fiend From Beyond the Third Realm of Venusian Fire Attacks the Tiny American City of Grover’s Mill.”
    â€œOh, darling,” Mrs. Vickers beamed. “I just adore the bloody fiend part, but will that lovely title fit on the sign, dearest?”
    â€œHmm,” he mused. “Perhaps you’re right, sweet cheeks. Anyway, I’ve asked a toymaker to create a little model town for my fiend to crush. It’s a tiny version of our fair Grover’s Mill!”
    â€œA toymaker?” said Holly. “A jolly toymaker? Maybe he’s like old Pagetto, in Chiponnio, the Puppet Boy. Short and chubby with white hair, clicking his heels, always singing.”
    â€œOr maybe,” said Sean, hunching his shoulders and swooping down on his sister, “he’s the creepy guy in Terrible Toymaker of Terrorville!”
    Holly backed up and hit the wall. Sean smiled.
    â€œTo the toy shop!” exclaimed Mr. Vickers, and headed into the garage.
    The Vickers piled into the family car and made the short drive to Main Street in the center of Grover’s Mill. Mr. Vickers parked and pointed to a row of stores. “A left at Vader’s Glove Store. The toy shop is in the alley right around the corner.”
    Sean took off, leaping giant steps ahead of everyone.
    But when he got to the corner, he screeched to a stop, and stared.

3
    UFO! Sort of
    I t looked like a dream a kid might have the night before his birthday.
    The little shop in the alley twinkled all over with tiny colored lights. Toys were stacked up in the windows in neat little arrangements.
    It looked like a kid’s dream, all right.
    Except for one thing. Filling up the doorway, towering over everything, was a man.
    Nope, it wasn’t Pagetto, the chubby little toymaker. No way.
    This guy was thin. And very tall. His hair was black, inky black, except for a streak of silver-white that shot back from his forehead to behind his left ear. He wore really thick glasses. And his long nose had long hairs curling out.
    But the weirdest part of all was that his face was crooked. It was tilted, as if the two halves of his face didn’t go together.
    â€œThe little child,” the man said suddenly. He stepped forward from the doorway.
    Sean looked around. He was the only one in the alley. “Me?” Then he pulled himself up taller. He started thinking of some snappish big superhero words to say. None came to him.
    The man stepped closer. “The little child …”
    Sean shuddered and shrank back.
    â€œAnd his family!” the man said, stopping just as Holly and her parents ran up next to Sean.
    Suddenly, the man’s crooked face smiled. Well, half of it did. “Welcome to Kruger’s Toy World,” he said. Then he bowed really low and swept his hands toward the door. “I am Kruger.”
    â€œNow there’s a howdy for you!” Mr. Vickers exclaimed.
    â€œI’m going to order a pizza,” said Mrs. Vickers. She swished across the street to Duffey’s Diner as the others walked into the store.
    â€œThis is awesome,” said Sean, staring at shelf upon shelf of all the latest