The Boy with 17 Senses

by Sheila Grau

  Somehow, Plenthy was making music come out of the screen by rolling a plastic box around on a pad inside his cage. It was like magic.

  “Plenthy?” Jaq said.

  Plenthy moved to the edge of his cage. “What? Who’s that? Who’s there?”

  “I’m Jaq Rollop, from Yipsmix. I’m here to rescue you. How do I get you out of there?”

  “Never mind me!” Plenthy said. “Get out of here! Now!”

  “But I’ve come to save you. I found your note.”

  “Run, you fool!”

  “I’ll free you, and we’ll both run.”

  “There’s no time! Run! Mortimer’s snake is heading right for you!”

  28

  THIS IS NOT A GOOD TIME TO SENSE THAT YOUR BLADDER IS FULL

  Jaq looked where Plenthy was pointing. Sure enough, at the far end of the desk the giant fang-toothed worm of his nightmares was slowly sliding past the loosely secured lid of its cage and down toward the floor. Every bit of Jaq froze in fear. He couldn’t move, he couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t even form a thought. Terror engulfed him. He watched the hideous monster as its head landed gently on the floor, the rest of its enormous body following with a sickening thump of doom. The beast seemed stuck for a moment, waiting for its body to straighten itself out.

  “MOVE!” Bonip yelled right into Jaq’s ear.

  Jaq’s vision filled with a blast of yellow and red sparklers, and that was enough to melt whatever had frozen him. He ran for the door and tried to push it open.

  “I can’t budge it!” he said. “What do I do?”

  “The storage shelf!” Plenthy yelled.

  With Bonip clinging to his shoulder, Jaq ran for the shelving unit that faced the door. As the snake slithered toward him, Jaq climbed onto the top of a box on the first shelf. From there he jumped to the second shelf. The boxes were smaller here; some of them had been opened. He grabbed the edge of one . . . and the whole thing tipped over, dumping chew toys and rubber balls to the floor. The next box was almost empty, so Jaq threw it to the floor. Anything to slow that monster down.

  The snake wound its way around the obstacles, taking its time because it knew its prey was trapped.

  The next box was heavy, but Jaq squeezed behind it and pushed it off the shelf. He looked down just as it hit the floor and broke open, spilling round containers decorated with pictures of fish. He knew he needed to get higher. He tipped another box over to make a step and then climbed on top of it so he could reach the next shelf.

  Jaq glanced down and saw the enormous snake’s head stretching to the second shelf. It was climbing up with ease.

  The third shelf held strange contraptions made of wood and covered with carpet. Perfect! Jaq thought. He climbed up one easily and made it to the fourth shelf, which held a row of books. Now he was a bit higher than the top of the desk.

  The snake followed, slithering over boxes much more easily than Jaq had. It was now on the shelf just below him, its head swinging back and forth, searching for its prey.

  “Hurry!” Plenthy called, his face as pale as the fingers that gripped the bars of the cage. “Hurry!”

  Jaq took off his backpack and removed the rope. “Bonip, I’m going to tie this rope around you and toss you onto the desk. You give that end to Plenthy, and have him tie it to something strong. Then I can swing over.”

  “Toss me? That’s an insult,” Bonip said. “I jump farther than that in my sleep.” He grabbed the rope with his teeth, crouched down on his back legs, and sprang forward like something shot from a cannon. He landed with a thump and a roll, popping up right next to the wire cage that held Plenthy.

  “You brought a wipper?” Plenthy said. “How unconventional!”

  Jaq turned around and saw that the snake’s head had reached the other end of his shelf. Its cold eyes locked on him. He quickly tied the rope around his waist and got ready to jump.

  “Hand it to me, wipper,” Plenthy said.

  Bonip edged through the bars of the cage, and Plenthy grabbed the rope from the wipper’s mouth and tied it to one of the bars of his cage.

  “Young man!” cried Plenthy. “Swing off the shelf. I’ll pull you up.”

  The snake was moving faster now, crossing the shelf and heading right for Jaq.

  Jaq jumped just as the snake’s tongue flicked out to taste him. He swung down and under the desk before swinging back up toward the bookshelf.

  The snake had reached his jumping-off spot and was stretching his head out for Jaq.

  Jaq tucked his legs into his body, ready to kick the snake’s head if he swung too close, but his swing didn’t make it back up to the shelf. He felt the rope yank.

  There were umphs and ughs coming from above, but Jaq didn’t feel himself pulled toward the cage. He wrapped his foot around the rope and started climbing. He kept using his foot on the rope as a brake as he pulled himself higher and higher. At last, he reached the edge of the desk.

  “Well done!” Plenthy cried as Jaq pulled himself over the edge. “I don’t know what I was thinking. My muscles have completely atrophied in this cage.”

  Jaq rolled onto his back and took a few deep breaths. Then he got up and looked over the side of the desk. The snake had coiled itself back onto the shelf. “What do we do now?” he asked.

  “The key to my cage is in that little cubby in the desk hutch,” Plenthy said, pointing to the wooden storage unit that sat at the back side of the desk, nestled against the wall.

  Jaq nodded. He ran around the cage and searched the square compartments until he found the key; then he ran back and opened the cage.

  Plenthy stepped free.

  “Bonip?” Jaq looked around. “Where are you?”

  “Over here.” Bonip was still in the cage, clinging to a brownish cube. It looked like he’d eaten half of it. “It’s so goooooooood.”

  “Freeze-dried worms,” Plenthy said with a shudder. “They’re disgusting. But if you eat them while reciting a poem by Florinxa Clow, they’re passable.”

  Jaq saw more cubes by a round canister that had toppled over. He stuffed as many as he could into his backpack. “Let’s get out of here,” he said to Plenthy. “Maybe the two of us can move that door.”

  They lowered themselves to the floor, keeping an eye on the snake, who had twisted behind some boxes and was trying to turn itself around to get down.

  Jaq looked at Plenthy. He had to be as old as Grandpa. Jaq remembered how heavy the door was and had a terrifying feeling that they wouldn’t be able to escape.

  When they got to the door, they both put their hands on it. “Ready?” Jaq said. “Push!”

  The door barely moved . . . but it did move a little. Jaq kept looking back at the snake.

  “Bonip, call the other wippers here,” he said. “They can help from the other side.”

  “A hundred wippers couldn’t budge this door,” Plenthy said. “But you and I can do it. We just need to get into a rhythm.”

  Jaq pushed with all the panic and strength he had. He pushed and rested, pushed and rested, pushed and rested. Each time, the door opened a bit more. Even Bonip got off Jaq’s shoulder to push.

  “Next time, we run through.”

  They pushed, the door edged open, and they ran through, leaving the fearsome giant fang-toothed worm behind. Jaq’s body flooded with relief.

  But the moment was brief, because there in front of them were Morgo the (not so) Magnificent and Uncle Gunther, the extremely itchy and angry.

  29

  A PRISON OF HEARTBREAK

  “Hey! Why is that door swinging?” Gunther said.

  The two giants hadn’t seen the diminutive Yipsmixers on the floor yet.

  “Someone’s stealing my little man!” Morgo said. “There were three rival magicians at my last act. I knew they wanted to know how I did it!”

  “No, you idiot,” Gunther said. “It’s Fiona—and that other little guy. He’s come to rescue your prisoner. I knew Fiona was up to something. She never skateboa
rds down this hall at night. She’s lurking around here to help him! C’mon—let’s look.”

  Plenthy pushed Jaq forward toward a stand-alone shelf of collars and clothes for pets. They jumped up onto the bottom shelf and wedged themselves behind a hanger of dog hats.

  “He’s gone!” they heard Morgo say from inside the office.

  Jaq pressed himself back as far as he could go. The giant voices returned to the front room. “They could be hiding somewhere,” Gunther said. “I’ll check out here, you check back in there. And put that damn snake away before he eats your moneymaker!”

  Thank Smolders for that, Jaq thought.

  “He’ll find us,” Plenthy whispered. “It’ll be back to the cage for me.”

  Jaq’s body felt electric with panic. The thought of being a prisoner here was terrifying. Bonip crawled up to his shoulder.

  Gunther was making a horrible racket as he threw things off the shelves to look behind them. He was going to reach their shelf soon, and Jaq and Plenthy would be sitting there like prize eggs at the annual egg hunt.

  “Young man . . . I have a plan,” Plenthy whispered, grabbing Jaq’s arm. “I will distract the giant. You run for the door.”

  “I can’t leave you now,” Jaq said.

  “And I cannot be responsible for your capture,” Plenthy replied. “Please, I would rather stay here than risk your life.”

  Jaq couldn’t say anything. He couldn’t leave Plenthy behind to be recaptured by those cruel giants. The music Plenthy had played told Jaq exactly what Plenthy had been experiencing, and it was something no Yipsmixer should have to endure. The idea that Plenthy would sacrifice himself surrounded Jaq with walls of heartbreak. It was too much to feel, and Jaq felt a slow fury rise inside him.

  “Wait for my signal,” Plenthy said. “I want to make sure he’s not looking your way.”

  “No, Plenthy, don’t—”

  But Plenthy had already eased himself out of their hiding place and disappeared around the shelf.

  Jaq could see the blasts of color rising from where Gunther was searching. “Something has gotten into your stuff out here,” his voice boomed. “Everything looks chewed by tiny mouths. Do you see anything?”

  “My office has been ransacked!” Morgo’s voice answered. “They could be hiding anywhere. You?”

  “Not yet, but they can’t have gotten far,” Uncle Gunther said. “The door was still swinging. I know they’re in here somewhere.”

  “You got that right, Stinky!” Plenthy called out.

  Jaq heard a crash and a yell from Gunther.

  He grabbed Bonip and tried to follow the bursts of sound. He sprinted down the aisle until he reached the checkout counter near the front door. From here, he could see Plenthy on the top of a shelf, running away from Gunther.

  Jaq felt like all the fears inside him were fighting each other—the fear of the giants, of the snake, of being captured, of seeing Plenthy get captured. He pushed them all down as he watched Gunther charge toward Plenthy.

  “You can’t get away, little man!” Gunther shouted. “And I’ll find your friend, too! And when I do, I’m going to make him pay for what he did to me. My back is covered with itchy boils because of him. I’ll make you both pay!”

  “Bonip,” Jaq said. “The other wippers are over by that wall.” The wippers were chewing through boxes, and the sound made little jagged swishes of orange appear in Jaq’s sight. “I have a plan. Tell them I’ll give them enough freeze-dried worms to burst their bellies if they get over here now.”

  Bonip bounded off, soaring through the air with those tremendous hops.

  Plenthy was still edging away from Gunther’s approach. Jaq’s heart ached at the sight of so much courage and sacrifice. He couldn’t let Plenthy be captured again.

  Gunther lunged for Plenthy, but Plenthy jumped out of his reach and across the top of the shelf. Jaq watched as Plenthy ran out of shelf, and Gunther scooped him up.

  “Got him!” he yelled.

  The back door opened, and Morgo stepped out. He was wearing the giant fang-toothed worm around his neck like a scarf. Jaq had never seen anything more terrifying.

  “Where’s the other one?” Morgo said.

  “I don’t know, but I have an idea on how to get him,” Gunther said. “Hey! Little guy! Your friend here is going to be fed to the snake if you don’t come out!”

  Morgo smiled and nodded. “I’ve wanted to do that for weeks.” He walked over to Gunther, holding the snake’s head in his hand. Gunther held Plenthy tightly. Plenthy struggled, his eyes wide in panic. The snake’s head came closer and closer.

  The wippers bounded back to Jaq. As he leaned down to tell Bonip his plan, he couldn’t take his gaze away from that snake and Plenthy’s struggling form. The snake’s tongue zipped out of its mouth to taste Plenthy.

  Jaq couldn’t take it any longer. “Stop!” he shouted, stepping into the aisle where the giants stood. “Put him down.”

  “No, Jaq!” Plenthy said. “Run!”

  “Grab him, Gunther,” Morgo said. “And then we’ll feed the old guy to the snake.”

  “Wait—you said you wouldn’t if I came out,” Jaq said.

  “I never promised that,” Morgo said. “Gunther did. And it isn’t Gunther’s call. This little guy is worse than my mother for how much he nags me. I don’t have to take it anymore. Gunther, give me Plenthy. You go get that kid.”

  Jaq watched as the elderly Yipsmixer twisted and writhed in his desperation to get free from Gunther’s grip.

  “No!” Jaq shouted. “Bonip, wippers—ATTACK!”

  The scream startled Gunther, and he froze for a second. He looked around and saw nothing heading his way, so he laughed. “Nice try, mini-boy.”

  “Those bites you got yesterday,” Jaq said, “were caused by one wipper. They’re highly poisonous to your kind, as I’m sure you know. All that itching, all that nausea—caused by one little wipper. And there are now twelve wippers climbing up your socks. If you don’t put Plenthy down, they will start biting. They will bite until I tell them to stop, and then they’ll bite your friend.”

  “Grab him!” Morgo shouted. “Nothing so small could hurt you.”

  “Shut up, Morgo,” Gunther said. “You don’t know!”

  Gunther was feeling itchy now—Jaq could tell. Gunther scratched his back with his free hand. He looked at his legs, lifting his pants. “I see them!”

  “Put Plenthy down. Now!” Jaq shouted. Gunther madly scratched his legs with one hand while holding Plenthy with the other. Morgo bent down to look.

  “They’re tiny,” Morgo said. “I’ll get them with flea spray. Hold on.”

  “BITE!” Jaq commanded.

  Gunther’s eyes went wide. He dropped Plenthy so he could use both hands to scratch, but the wippers were gone from the itchy spot before his hands got close. Jaq knew from experience how wickedly fast they were. He watched Gunther spin and scratch. The giant screamed with frustration and pain as the wippers tore into him.

  “I dropped him!” Gunther screamed. “Now make them stop!”

  Jaq ran over to help Plenthy up; they both hustled for the door just as Morgo came back with a spray can in his hand.

  “Attack the other giant!” Jaq yelled.

  Jaq pushed Plenthy through the slot in the door. Gunther was still scratching like crazy, unaware that the biting had stopped. Morgo tried to spray Gunther’s legs, but it was difficult because Gunther was jumping around like a madman. His legs probably felt like they were on fire. And then Morgo turned the spray on himself as he felt the stinging attack of the wippers climbing up the inside of his pants.

  “Bonip! Wippers! Now!” Jaq called. He watched the wippers crawl out the bottom of Morgo’s pants and bound toward him. He caught the first one in the air and eased it through the slot.

  “It’s so nice to be caught,” the next wipper said when he landed in Jaq’s hands. “Thanks.”

  Quickly, his heart in a panic, Jaq caught and lifted the wipper
s through the slot, counting them as he did. He turned to look at the giants. Gunther had stripped off his shirt, and Jaq saw that he was covered with blistering red dots. Morgo took a break from spraying his ankle to spray Gunther’s back.

  “OUCH! That stings! Stop it!” Gunther swung his arms at Morgo, clocking him on the side of the head, which enraged Morgo, who swung at Gunther.

  Jaq jumped through the slot.

  “They’re getting away!” Morgo yelled.

  In the hallway, Fiona scooped up Jaq in one hand. The other hand held Plenthy. The wippers clung to her pants, the way they had earlier. She pushed off on her skateboard just as the pet store door burst open.

  “There they are!”

  Jaq turned and saw Morgo dash out of the pet store. He was so close, but Fiona was faster on her skateboard, and they zoomed away.

  “You’d better stop or else!” Morgo yelled after them.

  Fiona reached the intersection and then turned the wrong way. Instead of going left—toward the moving staircase and safety—she went right.

  “Where are you going?” Jaq yelled.

  “I need to draw them away from the wormhole,” she said. “You don’t want them to find out where you guys came from. Hang on!”

  They were moving so fast, but Fiona seemed sure-footed on her wheeled board. Jaq watched Morgo chasing after them, but he was falling farther behind. Gunther had probably been immobilized by itchiness and nausea back at the pet store.

  Fiona stopped at the top of a staircase. She put Plenthy on her shoulder, picked up the board, and raced down the stairs to the lower level. “Now we’ll head to the wormhole. But first I’m going to open the back door. Maybe they’ll think I left. Plus, it will set off the alarm, and the police will come.”

  At the lower level, Fiona opened the glass door. “He can’t hurt me if the police are here. My mom will kill me for getting us kicked out of his place, though.” She got back on her board and pushed off.

  “Don’t worry!” Jaq yelled as they zoomed toward the fountain. “I brought the diamonds. They’re buried by the wormhole.”