by Sheila Grau
“Music?” Fiona said. “That’s strange.”
“Did you hear that song that was playing during his act?” Jaq asked Bonip.
Bonip nodded. “Catchy tune, easy to dance to—I’d give it an eight. It got weird at the end.”
“No, it was . . . different. It gave me chills. The shapes and colors and swirls in it were so . . . precise.” Jaq shook his head in awe. “It started with a flowy bit, and then the music rose up, but in a soft and floaty way that made my heart feel light, and then I saw these bursts of red, like giant round berries. It was so surprising. There were more vivid images, but I can’t remember them. And then the song ended with darkness.”
He shivered and turned to Bonip, who was looking at him like he was crazy. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard,” Bonip said. “It was a song. It had a snazzy beat. That’s all.”
“I need to hear it again,” Jaq said. “And you’re right—it really did have a snazzy beat.”
Fiona pulled a light blue metallic square out of her pocket. It was no bigger than Jaq’s head, with a circle in the middle and a long cord sticking out of one side. The cord split into two, and each side ended with a round plastic bit with a hole at the end.
“I have a ton of songs on here,” she said. “It’s my old iPod Shuffle. We could listen, if you like. Maybe we’ll find the song.”
She flipped through a few songs while Jaq held on to one of the earbuds, but nothing sounded like the song Jaq had heard. “This music looks too jumbled.”
“What did the other song look like to you?” Fiona asked.
Jaq peeked out of the booth. “Lift me up for a second,” he told her. She stood up and held him under her jacket, so he could peek out but still be hidden from view. “See that guy’s plate over there?” Jaq said, pointing. The man had his back to them, but the plate on his table was visible. It was filled with different colors and textures and shapes.
“Yeah—that’s their Grande Taco Salad Supreme,” Fiona said.
“Your music looks like that plate of food. When I listen, I see a jumbled mess of colors and shapes and tastes. Red blobs, green swirls, tan triangles, and other stuff, all mixed together. The song I heard during the magic act was more like that,” he said, pointing to the salad bar, where all the ingredients were laid out in a line. “It made pictures that were ordered and neat, with each one separate from the next.”
Fiona sat back down. She was about to ask Jaq a question, when a familiar voice boomed through the restaurant.
“Fiona! What the heck?”
Her step-uncle was storming through the restaurant, right at them.
22
DO YOU HEAR THAT? IT’S VANILLA
Fiona dropped Jaq onto the seat, and from there he jumped to the floor and hid behind the table support. His heart beat so fast, it felt like it was trying to escape his chest and run for safety. He closed his eyes and listened to the giants.
“I have had it with you,” Gunther said. “You know I’m suffering, and you’re just sitting here! I feel so sick, so nauseous. And itchy!”
“I got you the cream—”
“You just left it in my restaurant,” Gunther said. “How am I supposed to put it on myself? On my back?”
“You . . . you want me to put it on your back?” Fiona’s voice sounded so faint and weak. It was as if she were being asked to clean an overflowing porta potty, or something equally sad and disgusting.
“Yes. You’re supposed to be available when I need you, not roaming around doing whatever you like. I’ve given you way too much freedom. You’re staying in my restaurant from now on. I’ve got to lie down or I’m going to throw up. I can’t even think of a good punishment for you—that’s how sick I am.”
Jaq heard Fiona’s voice fade away as she tried to explain herself while being pulled out of the restaurant.
She was gone, and Jaq was stuck. If he tried to leave, one of the giants would surely spot him, and then . . . Jaq shivered, imagining the feeling of being grabbed and squeezed and lifted high in the air again. In other words, complete horror. Even if he could leave unseen, he had no idea how to find the wormhole. Sure, he had a fantastic sense of direction, but that was on Yipsmix. Being on Earth had thrown his senses into a tizzy. Plus, he’d hidden beneath Fiona’s coat for most of the trip upstairs. He couldn’t retrace steps he hadn’t seen.
He slumped to the floor, terrified. In his mind, there was no chance of survival now that his one giant helper was gone.
Bonip hopped down beside him. “Well, that’s a bummer,” he said. “Now what?”
“I can’t go out there,” Jaq said. “Someone will grab me.”
“So we stay? I can live with that. Did you see all the food up there?”
“I can’t stay. My mom will be so worried. I need to be home by dinner.”
“What, then?”
“We wait. When this place is empty, we run for the door. You go first and tell me if it’s clear. Nobody notices you, because you’re tiny here.”
Bonip nodded.
And so they waited. Bonip occasionally hopped over to the salad bar and brought back little bites for Jaq. But Jaq was too nervous to eat, and he sat there tapping his hands on his thighs, dreading the time when he’d have to make a run for it.
After what seemed like ages but was closer to an hour, Fiona returned. Jaq was so grateful, he felt like kissing her shoe.
“My mom got off early and came to pick me up,” she said. “She’s eating downstairs. But, guys, we missed Morgo’s last act.”
“Oh, no,” Jaq said.
“I know. But someone in the restaurant says he performs all the time. We can try to find him tomorrow.”
“Did you hear the song?”
“No, sorry. Uncle Gunther made me watch the restaurant while my mom helped him with the cream, thank goodness. He doesn’t trust his workers, so he has me spy on them. Here.” She pulled out her music machine. “Take my iPod Shuffle. I’m getting a new one for my birthday, anyway. See if you can find the song. You press the play button in the middle, and the arrow buttons to go forward or back.”
“Really? Thanks, Fiona.” Jaq lifted the music player with both hands. He was just able to fit it inside his backpack. There was a bit of room left, which reminded him that he’d wanted to fill it with glug. “Can I ask you another favor?”
“Sure,” Fiona said.
“Would you mind scraping some gum off the tables for me?” Jaq asked.
“That won’t work,” Fiona said. “Plenthy tried it. With all sorts of gum, too. Something about going through the wormhole, or just being on your planet, made the Earth gum turn to dust after a couple of days. That’s why he wanted to start the tree farm.”
“So all that gum in the chicken . . . ?”
“Will soon be dust.”
Jaq should have been happy that the Vilcot thieves stole worthless dust, but he wasn’t. Bringing back glug was his only hope of saving his family from starvation. But he had no Plenthy and no glug, either. This trip was turning out to be a disaster.
He slumped in the seat. “What do we do now?” he wondered out loud.
“Aww, you look so sad,” Fiona said. “Don’t worry. We’ll see him at the next show. I know we will.”
At that moment, Jaq felt an idea sparkle in his brain. “Do all Earthies like diamonds?” he asked.
“Definitely.”
“What if I bring back some diamonds? Do you think you could find Morgo and offer a trade?”
“Yes! That’s a great idea,” Fiona said.
Perfect! It would be so easy to collect a backpack full of diamonds. And then Jaq could free Plenthy, and they could return to Yipsmix together. Plenthy would tell Vilcot he hadn’t swindled him, that he’d been trying to find a way to grow glug trees on Yipsmix, as ridiculous as that sounded. It might be enough to make the Vilcots leave them alone and get Grandpa out of jail.
“Come on,” Fiona said. “We can check downstairs for his next ac
t, and then I’ll take you to the plants.”
Jaq was so relieved, he nearly fainted when he stood up.
“Maybe I should get you some food first,” Fiona said. “I’ll grab some stuff from the salad bar. I know the owners, and they always give me food. Here, jump in my backpack.” She held it open, and Jaq crawled inside. “I can show you around a bit while you eat. My mom won’t mind.” She wore her backpack on her front, so Jaq could peek out from a small gap in the zipper. Bonip perched on his shoulder.
Because it was getting late, the hallways were less crowded now, and Fiona walked at a leisurely pace, taking time to point out to Jaq the things that Plenthy had found interesting. Jaq’s mood gradually improved as they toured a toy store, bought chocolate in a candy shop, and sampled some ice cream.
“Try this,” she said, holding a tiny (for her) spoon up to Jaq’s mouth.
Jaq licked the cold treat. “Wow!” he said. “Do you hear what it’s saying?”
“It’s ice cream,” she said. “It doesn’t talk.”
Jaq took another lick, and his head nearly burst with joy. “Of course it doesn’t talk,” he said. “It sings.”
By the time they reached the moving staircase, Jaq’s belly was full and he’d filled his backpack with treats.
Fiona pointed at a woman standing downstairs by the golden-arches restaurant talking with Gunther. “That’s my mom. She’s got my stuff and is ready to leave. Do you want me to take you back to the plants?”
Jaq nodded.
They went down the moving staircase, and Fiona edged behind the long row of plants. The sight of Gunther made Jaq’s heart thump with panic. He remembered the feeling of being yanked into the air, having his ribs squeezed tight, and staring into that angry face.
“He’s dressed differently,” Jaq said, noticing that Gunther had changed out of his red shirt and was now wearing a crisp white shirt with a gold badge on the front. He was still scratching like crazy, and he looked extremely irritated.
“He moonlights as a security guard,” Fiona said. “Sometimes I have to stay with him until my mom is done working, but I get to skateboard around the mall, which is fun.”
“Don’t let him see me,” Jaq said.
“I won’t. I’ll go check the performance schedule.” Fiona pointed to the stage. She placed Jaq and Bonip in the plants. “Wait here a sec.”
Jaq and Bonip hid in the bushes. They were very close to the wormhole, so Jaq felt safe. He watched as Fiona ran over to her mother, grabbing a board with wheels on the bottom. She rode it over to the stage, gliding across the floor with graceful speed. In no time, she was back with Jaq.
“What’s that?” he asked, pointing to the board.
“My skateboard,” Fiona said. “But listen, they just put up a new sign. That Shrinking Magician trick of Morgo’s has gotten him some attention, and he’s moving to Reno! He’s putting on one final act tomorrow.”
“Where’s Reno?” Jaq asked.
“It’s in Nevada,” Fiona said.
That meant nothing to Jaq. Fiona noticed the blank look on his face, so she added, “Really far away!”
“One final act?” Jaq said. “Then we have to move fast. I’ll get the diamonds and bring them right back.”
“It has to be tomorrow, when Morgo’s here. Come back at the same time as these last two days. Any earlier and I’ll still be at school.”
“Any later and . . .” Jaq didn’t have to finish the sentence. Any later and Plenthy would be gone.
“Good luck,” Fiona said.
Jaq grabbed Bonip and dove into the wormhole.
23
IT SMELLS ANGRY IN HERE
This time, going through the wormhole was even more painful and terrifying. Jaq felt his body being pulled apart so violently that when he landed, he had to make sure all his limbs were still with him. He noticed that the shimmering oval definitely looked dimmer.
“That was horrible,” he said.
Bonip didn’t say anything, and the reason he didn’t say anything was because he had passed out. Jaq put his ear to the wipper’s mouth and pressed lightly on his chest. “Bonip?”
Bonip sucked in air and sat up. “Ack! Never again.”
Jaq silently agreed. In making his plan with Fiona, he’d forgotten about how the wormhole seemed to be disappearing, and how going through it was more torturous each time. But he knew he’d have to go through it again. He looked back at the hole, thinking about Fiona. “I have to get the diamonds to Fiona tomorrow. In the meantime, I’ve got no glug and no way to save my family’s farm. Grandpa’s still in jail, and poor Plenthy is stuck on that awful planet, a prisoner. And I really, really don’t want to go back.”
“Maybe you can send your backpack through, filled with the diamonds. Fiona will find it—if it doesn’t disintegrate, like I almost did. Then she’ll save Plenthy. She can take the diamonds to his next show and buy him off Morgo.”
Jaq thought about his options, and the more he thought about it, the more he liked Bonip’s plan. That was all he could do, really. Collect the diamonds, send them to Fiona, and hope that she found them. She would be looking for him at the same time the next day; he’d wait until then to send them through, just to make sure nobody else found them first.
They began the hike down the hill. Jaq was completely exhausted. The iPod was heavy on his back, but knowing he had a plan gave him energy for the walk home.
As they walked through the marketplace, Jaq spotted Tormy Vilcot sitting by the fountain, staring at him. Jaq hustled away from Tormy, taking the long way around the fountain. He gripped the straps of his backpack tightly. He did not want to lose his new music player. He really wanted to find that mysterious song, but if he couldn’t find it, he hoped to sell the magical music player so he could buy food for his family.
He had just reached the other side of the fountain when he felt someone grab his backpack and yank him to a stop.
“What are you up to, huh?” Tormy asked. “You’re always running through the marketplace with that backpack of yours. I know you don’t have any money. What are you doing?”
“None of your business,” Jaq said, and he immediately regretted it. He should have made up something boring, because now Tormy was even more curious.
“What’s in the backpack?”
“Tormy, leave me alone. You’ve already stolen everything from us. Just leave me alone.” Jaq pulled himself free and walked away, but Tormy ran in front of him and put both hands on his shoulders to stop him.
“It’s just so easy,” Tormy said, smiling. “All I have to do is say that what you have is mine, and everyone believes me. And I know you won’t put up a fight, because you’re a coward. So, what do you have of mine in that backpack, hmm? Or should I call over my grandfather’s friend?” He nodded toward a policeman standing on the corner.
Jaq couldn’t lose his gift from Fiona. He couldn’t let Tormy steal yet another thing from him. He clutched his backpack tighter, but this only made Tormy want it more. Tormy grabbed the backpack, trying to wrestle it off Jaq’s shoulders. As he did, the flap flipped open, and out popped Bonip, squeaking.
“It’s a wipper!” Tormy shouted. Immediately, everyone in the area raced away from the pair. One man scowled at Tormy, but Tormy just shouted at his back—“Wipper! Wipper! Wipper! I don’t care about Contagion! I have a wipper-slinger!”
Jaq closed his backpack and put it back on.
“That’s really sad,” Tormy said, laughing. “Your only friend is a wipper.”
Like everyone else, Jaq hurried away from Tormy. This time, only Tormy’s laughter chased after him.
Jaq slowed once he reached the road that led to his home. Tormy rode past him on his hoverbike, still laughing and swirling up dust.
“Did I do good?” Bonip asked, climbing up Jaq’s leg.
“Huh?” Jaq plucked Bonip off his leg and put him on his shoulder.
“I jumped out so he wouldn’t find the music thing,” Bonip said. “I t
hought the squeak was a nice touch. You know—really distracting.”
Jaq smiled. “Thanks, Bonip.”
He walked on, wishing he had a hoverbike. Tormy would probably finish his dinner before Jaq even reached home. Bonip yawned and ducked into the backpack. Soon, soft snoring sounds surrounded Jaq’s head like pastel bubbles.
As he passed the Vilcots’ farm, Jaq knew he shouldn’t look over, but he did. He saw them in their big front yard—Tormy, his mom and dad, his grandfather, and a crowd of farm workers. They were watching the plastic chicken walk and lay its glug eggs. They all laughed and cheered every time it did. Jaq saw Klingdux whiz around one of those glugballs and sling it across the yard. The Vilcots screamed at poor Klingdux, and Tormy slapped his pet, pushing him to go retrieve the glug.
Jaq wanted to throw rocks at the whole awful family.
Klingdux ran to fetch the ball of glug. He came right up to the fence where Jaq stood.
“Hey there, buddy,” Jaq said.
Klingdux stopped and stared at Jaq for a second, but then Tormy screamed at him to come back. Klingdux let out a yip as he turned to hustle the glugball back to his new master.
“That’s gotta hurt,” Bonip said. He was peeking out of the backpack.
Jaq couldn’t answer. He had a huge lump in his throat. He looked down and blinked rapidly. Then he kicked the ground and continued for home.
“Hey, he’s just a dumb animal,” Bonip said. “That bratty kid probably feeds him twelve times a day. Don’t take it personally.”
“Why shouldn’t I?” Jaq said. “I raised him! I gave him my bed, my blanket, and most of my own food. And now he acts like he doesn’t even know me. Just like you did. I’m sorry, but I do take it personally. What’s wrong with me?”
“There’s nothing wrong with you,” Bonip said. He looked like he wanted to say more, but Jaq just shook his head.
“You wippers are right,” Jaq said. “I’m a funny-looking loser. Davardi’s right—I’m just a stupid kid. And Tormy’s right—I’m a coward and I have no friends.”
