little stomach had stretched to the size of a basketball. It happened fast, too fast for Leo and Remi to react — an earsplitting, high-pitched rumble as Loopa’s mouth opened and the burp to end all burps escaped into the tree house. It was a wet, Fizz-flavored burp that blew Remi’s hair back and pierced his eardrums. The sound ripping through the tree house was, Leo thought, like the taste of Flart’s Fizz: He couldn’t put his finger on exactly what the sound was. In the same way that Flart’s Fizz tasted like all the best flavors rolled into one, the sound of Loopa’s burp held many sounds at once, all of them earsplitting and high-pitched. Loopa’s cheeks flapped wildly as the burp just kept getting louder and longer until finally, like aballoon emptied of air, she flopped down on her butt with a big grin on her face.
“Is it over?” Remi asked. He’d been covering his eyes and, peeking out from behind a finger, he couldn’t be sure if there was another round heading his way or not.
“Yup, that’s about it,” Ingrid said. “She’ll want a nap.”
Leo felt a light film of wetness on his face and arms. “Eww,” he said, but it smelled pretty good as it evaporated, like Flart’s Fizz.
“The thing I don’t understand is why he needs so many Floogers,” said Ingrid as she walked toward the monkeys, shaking her head with confusion. “That’s a lot of power.”
“Power?” Leo questioned. “What kind of power?”
Ingrid stood in front of the door and wouldn’t look back at the boys. “I’ve said too much,” she whispered, but Leo and Remi had both heard her. They looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders, and tried to imagine what a Flooger was and what kind of power it would deliver. Remi figured that if it was anything like Loopa’s burp, a Flooger could probably power a small city for a month.
Ingrid leaned against the frame of the door like she was waiting for something to happen. She looked at her watch and nodded, then Loopa hiccupped and her eyeswent very wide. After that, the little monkey stumbled to the edge of the door and curled into a ball, where she appeared to fall asleep.
“One zip rope,” Ingrid said, bending down and picking up Loopa’s long, orange tail, which was no longer attached to Loopa.
“Okay, that’s just wrong,” said Remi. “Loopa’s tail fell off!”
“Take it easy — she’s trying to sleep,” Ingrid said softly. She returned to the table carrying the zip rope, also known as Loopa’s tail.
“Is she okay?” Leo asked. He’d heard about lizards that could shed their tails if they were frightened by a loud noise or an intruder. But a monkey losing its tail?
“Well, sure, she’s okay.” Ingrid laughed. “Takes about a month, but it’ll grow back. They do love Flart’s Fizz. Drives them crazy with delight.”
“Is it, you know, gross ?” asked Remi. He was imagining that only moments ago the tail had been attached to a monkey. Ingrid whipped the tail around like it was a rubber hose. Then she tied the end of it to one of the table legs and started walking out of the tree house. When the zip rope was ten or eleven feet long and still hadn’t snapped or oozed something gross, Remi started getting interested.
“That’s a supercool monkey tail you’ve got there,” he said.
Ingrid started walking toward them, and the zip rope got shorter and shorter until she untied it and held it over her palm. At rest, it was about four feet long.
“You won’t believe how far it will stretch or how strong it is. No one does.”
“Ten feet?” Leo asked.
“Twenty!” Remi guessed.
“You two are small thinkers,” Ingrid said, smiling as she held out the zip rope.
“More?” Leo asked.
“That’s impossible!” Remi screamed, slapping his forehead with amazement.
“Most things in Merganzer D. Whippet’s world are impossible. I would have thought you’d come to expect that by now.”
She got very serious then, opened up the
“Is it over?” Remi asked. He’d been covering his eyes and, peeking out from behind a finger, he couldn’t be sure if there was another round heading his way or not.
“Yup, that’s about it,” Ingrid said. “She’ll want a nap.”
Leo felt a light film of wetness on his face and arms. “Eww,” he said, but it smelled pretty good as it evaporated, like Flart’s Fizz.
“The thing I don’t understand is why he needs so many Floogers,” said Ingrid as she walked toward the monkeys, shaking her head with confusion. “That’s a lot of power.”
“Power?” Leo questioned. “What kind of power?”
Ingrid stood in front of the door and wouldn’t look back at the boys. “I’ve said too much,” she whispered, but Leo and Remi had both heard her. They looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders, and tried to imagine what a Flooger was and what kind of power it would deliver. Remi figured that if it was anything like Loopa’s burp, a Flooger could probably power a small city for a month.
Ingrid leaned against the frame of the door like she was waiting for something to happen. She looked at her watch and nodded, then Loopa hiccupped and her eyeswent very wide. After that, the little monkey stumbled to the edge of the door and curled into a ball, where she appeared to fall asleep.
“One zip rope,” Ingrid said, bending down and picking up Loopa’s long, orange tail, which was no longer attached to Loopa.
“Okay, that’s just wrong,” said Remi. “Loopa’s tail fell off!”
“Take it easy — she’s trying to sleep,” Ingrid said softly. She returned to the table carrying the zip rope, also known as Loopa’s tail.
“Is she okay?” Leo asked. He’d heard about lizards that could shed their tails if they were frightened by a loud noise or an intruder. But a monkey losing its tail?
“Well, sure, she’s okay.” Ingrid laughed. “Takes about a month, but it’ll grow back. They do love Flart’s Fizz. Drives them crazy with delight.”
“Is it, you know, gross ?” asked Remi. He was imagining that only moments ago the tail had been attached to a monkey. Ingrid whipped the tail around like it was a rubber hose. Then she tied the end of it to one of the table legs and started walking out of the tree house. When the zip rope was ten or eleven feet long and still hadn’t snapped or oozed something gross, Remi started getting interested.
“That’s a supercool monkey tail you’ve got there,” he said.
Ingrid started walking toward them, and the zip rope got shorter and shorter until she untied it and held it over her palm. At rest, it was about four feet long.
“You won’t believe how far it will stretch or how strong it is. No one does.”
“Ten feet?” Leo asked.
“Twenty!” Remi guessed.
“You two are small thinkers,” Ingrid said, smiling as she held out the zip rope.
“More?” Leo asked.
“That’s impossible!” Remi screamed, slapping his forehead with amazement.
“Most things in Merganzer D. Whippet’s world are impossible. I would have thought you’d come to expect that by now.”
She got very serious then, opened up the
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