“Fred …”
“Look at me! I can stand on my head!”
“Fred …”
“Look at me! I can do the limbo!”
“FRED! We don’t have time to waste. That twister is heading straight for the heart of Bumblyburg.”
Fred finally stopped jumping around and caught his breath. “Sorry, Larryboy. I got carried away.”
“The entire city of Bumblyburg is going to get carried away by powerful winds if we don’t do something fast!”
“But what?” asked Fred. “I can’t think straight in this body. I don’t know how you do it. And how do you scratch an itch in the middle of your back? It’s starting to drive me crazy.”
Fred paced back and forth, itching and fidgeting.
“Come to think of it, these clothes make it hard to concentrate,” complained Fred. “This spandex is so tight I can hardly breathe. How do you stand it?”
Larryboy’s eyes lit up. “Did you say clothes? Fred, you’re a genius!”
“Can’t you wear Bermuda shorts or something that allows a little more freedom of movement?” Fred asked, not paying attention to Larryboy.
“Put on tender mercy and kindness as if they were your clothes,” Larryboy said, remembering the words from the Superhero Handbook. “It’s the secret weapon that will stop Plum Loco! But we’d better act fast.”
“We should?”
“Yes!”
So they did.
CHAPTER 19
MIND GAMES
4:25 P.M.
The twister hurled through Bumblyburg with a vengeance. It tossed billboards through the air like giant Frisbees. It tossed garbage cans around like toys. The storm also sucked up fleeing Veggies like … well, kind of like Larryboy’s Cyclone 1000 vacuum cleaner. And by the time the twister dropped the Veggies back onto the ground, their brains had been switched.
There was complete chaos in Bumblyburg.
Baby Lou Carrot’s brain had been switched with a policeman’s.
Bob the Tomato’s brain wound up in Vicki Cucumber’s head.
Junior Asparagus’s brain had been switched with Laura the Carrot’s.
Most amazing of all …
Wally’s and Herbert’s brains had been switched with Ziggy’s and Ricky’s. That’s right. The storm hit Bumbly Park with amazing speed, and it did some bowling of its own. It bowled over Wally, Herbert, Ziggy, and Ricky, and then spit them back out about ten seconds later.
Thunderstruck, Ziggy and Ricky looked down at their new bodies. Ziggy found himself wearing a Hawaiian shirt and silly sunglasses. Ricky was wearing a turtleneck sweater and a baseball cap that was on backwards.
“AHHhHHhHHhHHHHHhHHhHHhHHhHHHHHh!”
It was their worst nightmare.
“I want my mommy!” cried Ricky.
Meanwhile, the twister turned onto Bumbly Boulevard and set its target on downtown Bumblyburg. Plum Loco was ready for some serious revenge. He aimed to flatten every building he could find. And no one could stand in his way.
But someone was standing in his way. Two someones, in fact.
Larryboy and Fred.
CHAPTER 20
THE SECRET WEAPON
5:20 P.M.
Fred (still in Larryboy’s body) and Larryboy (still stuck inside the minicomputer) held their ground. But it wasn’t easy. Wind hit them like invisible linebackers. The tornado bore down on them, growling and rumbling and spitting lightning.
But Fred and Larryboy wouldn’t budge. They stood right beside the Larryplane, which they had been surprised to find still working. Fred had flown it to the rescue by remote control.
“Is it time to use our secret weapon?” Fred asked.
“It’s time.”
Larryboy and Fred began to sing as loudly as they could. Their voices boomed from the speaker system built into the Larryplane.
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR LOCO! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOUUUUUUUU!”
The twister slowed down—but just barely. Larryboy and Fred continued to belt out their song, again and again. By the time they sang “Happy Birthday” for the fourth time, the tornado had come to a complete stop—only a short distance from our heroes. A mechanical arm shot out of the funnel cloud with a chair at the end of it. And sitting in the chair was none other than Plum Loco.
Plum Loco looked confused.
“How … how did you know that today is my birthday?” he stammered.
“I’m a computer,” said Fred. “It’s my job to know those things.
“Show him what we’ve got,” said Larryboy.
Smiling, Fred reached into the cockpit of the Larryplane. He pulled out three brightly wrapped birthday presents and a delicious chocolate cake.
“For me?” gasped Plum Loco.
“Happy birthday, Loco!”
The mad scientist was stunned. No one had ever been so kind to him.
“We’re sorry you never got any presents when you were growing up,” said Larryboy.
“What a bummer,” added Fred. “So happy birthday!”
“How did you know that I never got any presents when I was growing up?” asked the plum.
“Like I said, I’m a computer,” said Fred. “It’s my job to know these things.”
Plum Loco had unplugged his emotions a long time ago. But somehow, some way, these three presents, the birthday cake, and the song triggered something buried deep inside him. They triggered a tiny spark of kindness.
Why else would Plum Loco do what he did next?
“I tell you what, guys,” he said. “Since you scratched my back, I’ll scratch yours.”
“Good!” beamed Fred. “I was wondering how I was going to get that itch scratched!”
“No, I think he means he’s going to do something kind for us, since we are being kind to him,” pointed out Larryboy.
“What about my itch?”
“I’m going to put your brains back where they were,” Plum Loco said as he pushed a button on a remote control. A tiny tornado shot from the side of the large twister and whirled straight toward Fred and Larryboy. It spun them around for a minute and then put them safely on the ground.
Their brains were back where they belonged.
“There’s no place like home,” said Larryboy, looking down at his cucumber body. It felt good to be back home in his very own body.
Fred didn’t even mind being put back inside the minicomputer until he could be returned to his regular home. Bodies can be a lot of trouble, he decided.
“Thanks, Plummy,” said Larryboy. “But can I ask one more thing?”
“Fire away, Larryboy,” said the plum as he busily unwrapped the first present. It was a new lab coat, specially made for him by the Super Seamstresses at the costume factory.
“Can you turn off this twister … please? Someone could get hurt.”
Plum Loco looked up sharply. Had Larryboy asked too much? Was Plum Loco’s moment of kindness over?
A smile broke out on the plum’s face. “Let it be my way of saying thanks.”
Unfortunately, there was one big problem. Before Plum Loco could make a move to turn off the twister, the tornado began to inch forward—without anyone steering it.
“Watch out behind you!” Larryboy warned.
“Uh-oh,” said Plum Loco. “This twister is too powerful for my old braking system. It’s about to—”
All at once, the twister hurled Plum Loco out of his chair and took off like a runaway train. The twister was once again headed straight for downtown Bumblyburg.
CHAPTER 21
THE IMPERFECT STORM
5:44 P.M.
Larryboy leaped into the cockpit of the Larryplane as Plum Loco stared bug-eyed at his out-of-control creation.
“Larryboy, let me go with you!” the plum shouted. “I’m the only one who knows how to turn it off!”
“Hop in, Plummy!”
The Larryplane may have been battle-bruised from the previous twister, but it cou
ld still outrun the tornado. As it raced alongside the giant twister, Larryboy fired a supersuction plunger from one of the wings.
thonk!
The plunger hit home. It zipped through the dark funnel cloud and struck the core—the heart of the twister that spun the storm. But once connected to the Brain-Twister, the Larryplane began to spin around and around and around.
“Here we go again!” shouted Fred.
“How do I turn the twister off?” Larryboy yelled over the roar.
“You have to get inside,” answered Plum Loco. “Then push the red button!”
“Roger that!” Then Larryboy attempted the impossible. As the plane spun around and around, he hooked himself onto the tether line, which extended from the plane to the center of the twister. He was going to slide down the cord and into the middle of the twister.
“Watch out for the wood this time!” Fred called out.
He was right. Pieces of wood spun around and around the funnel cloud. Larryboy had to dodge them all if he wanted to pull this off.
ZIPPPPPPPP!
Hooked to the tether, Larryboy slid down the zip line.
“Oops.”
Oops was right. Just as our hero was heading for the side of the tornado, about six chunks of wood came flying around the side of the cloud.
One piece of wood skimmed his head. Two raced right by his back. One grazed his stomach. So he hopped on top of the fifth and rode it like a splintered surfboard.
“I DID IT!” Larryboy shouted before Fred could shout …
“WATCH OUT!”
Larryboy fired a supersuction ear just in time, deflecting the wood right before it slammed into his face.
Meanwhile, the tornado was closing in on the first building in its path—the Burger Bell restaurant.
The wild wind shredded two telephone poles.
Dirt spiraled into the air, blinding Larryboy.
The caped cucumber disappeared through the side of the funnel cloud.
Pieces of the Burger Bell’s roof began to peel off the restaurant.
Deep inside the twister, Larryboy made his way into Plum Loco’s ship.
The twister bounced a car on the ground like a basketball.
Ma Mushroom was again peddling her bike in midair.
Larryboy found the red button and pushed it.
Suddenly, the twister came to a halt. It burbled and gurgled and began to come apart. The black cloud rolled and churned …
And then it exploded. POP! POOF!
The tornado burst apart into millions of little, black puffy clouds.
The Larryplane was hurled backwards by the blast. It spun out of control, nose-diving toward Earth. Fred’s life flashed in front of his circuits. Larryboy was nowhere to be seen.
CHAPTER 22
AN EMERGENCY WEATHER BULLETIN
6:06 P.M.
We interrupt the climax of this story with an emergency weather bulletin.
The National Weather Service has cancelled the Cool-Kid Warning. The storm has passed and the all-clear has sounded. Expect showers of kindness through the rest of the day.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled conclusion …
CHAPTER 23
THE GREATEST DAY
THE NEXT DAY …
When Larryboy came to, he was in a hospital bed with a bandage on his head. He was surrounded by friendly faces—Bob the Tomato, Vicki, Archie, Lemon Twist, Bok Choy, Laura, Junior, Wally, and Herbert.
Larryboy looked around at his friends. He was groggy, but smiling.
“I had the strangest dream,” Larryboy said. “And you were in it, Bob. And you were in it, Archie. And you too, Bok Choy.”
“It wasn’t a dream,” Archie explained. “It really happened. You got quite a bump on your head.”
“But you’ll be glad to know that the twister has been destroyed,” Laura smiled.
“When you pushed the button, it exploded,” added Bob.
“And when the tornado blew up, everyone’s brains were returned to them. Everybody’s back to normal,” said Bok Choy.
“Well, almost everybody,” Junior pointed out. “Ricky and Ziggy have apologized to Wally and Herbert. That’s not exactly normal.”
“And Fred … what happened to Fred?” asked Larryboy.
“I’m right here, good buddy!”
Larryboy turned his head to the left. There, lying in the hospital bed next to him, was the computer. An IV ran from the hospital’s computer into Fred’s side.
“The storm is over?” Larryboy asked.
“That’s right,” said Bob. “The sun is shining. It’s a new day.”
“But what about Plum Loco?” asked Larryboy. “Is he okay?”
“Just take a look to your right,” said Lemon Twist.
Larryboy turned his head to the other side. There, in another hospital bed, lay the mad scientist—only he wasn’t so mad anymore.
“Hello, Larryboy,” said Plum Loco. “I’m sorry I switched everyone’s brains, robbed the toy store, uprooted trees, and tried to destroy the city.”
“You’re forgiven,” said Larryboy.
All at once, the door of the hospital room was flung open.
“I got here as quickly as I could, doncha know!” It was Officer Olaf. He was all smiles. He was lugging a huge load of gifts for Plum Loco, Larryboy, and Fred the Computer.
Officer Olaf pulled out a box of chocolates and handed them to Plum Loco—a box shaped like a brain. “Just the way you like it.”
Right behind Olaf came Dr. Nezzer, with a big grin on his face and waving a set of X-rays. “Great news, Mr. Loco!” the doctor exclaimed. “Your X-rays are back! And they show, without a doubt, that in addition to having a great big brain, you do have a heart!”
“Thanks everyone,” Plum Loco said as he looked around the room. “You’re all being so kind, and I really don’t deserve it.”
“Nonsense!” said Bok Choy, as he stepped from behind a curtain. He pushed out a cart, which carried the largest cake any of them had ever seen.
“I think Larryboy and Fred were in the middle of celebrating someone’s birthday yesterday, right before the tornado spun out of control,” said Bok Choy. “There’s no reason we can’t finish the celebration.”
So the entire group broke out into song.
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR LOCO! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!”
Plum Loco leaned forward and blew out the candles.
“What did you wish for?” asked Laura.
“I didn’t need to make a wish,” smiled the plum, looking around. “I’ve already gotten what I’ve always wanted.”
“Let’s eat!” shouted Fred. “I’m starving! I want the biggest piece!”
“You can’t eat cake,” said Larryboy. “You’re a computer.”
“Then pass the computer chips.”
So the party began. This really was the greatest day in Plum Loco’s life. But I suppose you already figured that out.
After all, that’s what you call a no-brainer.
THE END
ZONDERKIDZ
Larryboy and the Amazing Brain-Twister
Copyright © 2004 by Big Idea, Inc. VEGGIETALES®, character names, likenesses and other
indicia are trademarks of Big Idea, Inc.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Zondervan.
EPub Edition © AUGUST 2011 ISBN: 978-0-310-42429-1
Requests for information should be addressed to:
Zonderkidz, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Peterson, Doug.
Larryboy and the amazing Brain-twister / by Doug Peterson.- 1st ed.
p.cm.
Summary: Larryboy tries to save Bumblyburg from Plum Loco’s latest plot-a twisted twister machine that allows him to switch brains with other people-while Junior Asparagus learns that being cool is not necessarily fun.
ISBN 978-0-310-70651-9 (softcover)
[1. Brain—Fiction. 2. Bullies—Fiction. 3. Behavior—Fiction. 4. Heroes—Fiction.
5. Christian life-Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.P44334Lat 2004
{Fic} — dc22 2003023559
* * *
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
Any Internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers printed in this book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.
Zonderkidz is a trademark of Zondervan.
Written by: Doug Peterson
Editors: Cindy Kenney and Amy DeVries
Cover and interior illustrations: Michael Moore
Cover design and art direction: Paul Conrad, Karen Poth
Interior design: Holli Leegwater, John Trent, and Karen Poth
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LarryBoy in the Amazing Brain-Twister Page 4
