R. L. Stine_Mostly Ghostly 07 (5 page)

D
R
. S
MOLLET NODDED
. H
E
narrowed his eyes at me.

I slid off the stool. “Bye,” I said. I started toward the door.

“Max, wait—!” Tara called. “Just let him finish.”

I turned to Dr. Smollet. “You want to cut out our brains and switch them?” I cried. “Are you some kind of mad scientist? Like from a horror movie?”

I realized I was shouting. Normally, I'm a pretty quiet, shy guy. But I was trembling with fear. I wanted
out
of there!

“There is no cutting,” Dr. Smollet said. “No surgery. Max, there is no danger at all. I promise you.”

“Then how are you going to do it?” I asked. My voice cracked.

Dr. Smollet reached up to the cables that ran along the ceiling. He pulled down a set of headphones.

“I attach these to your heads. Then I allow the brain waves to flow freely between you and Mr. Harvey.”

“Yeah, right,” I said. “Then I'm going to pull off my head, turn it upside down, and fill it with M'M's!”

“I'm totally serious,” Dr. Smollet said. “And I'm not crazy, Max. I know I can do this. When Mr. Harvey's brain waves are in your body, he will be able to speak.”

“Hoo hoo,” Mr. Harvey said. He jumped up onto the lab table and did a little dance.

“Max, with the help of your brain, tongue, and vocal system, Mr. Harvey will reveal everything he knows,” Dr. Smollet said.

I jammed my hands into my pockets to stop them from shaking. I realized my whole body was trembling.

He wasn't serious about this.

He
couldn't
be serious!

“M-my brain?” I stammered. “Will my brain switch to his body? Will I be a
chimp
?”

“Hoo hoo.” Mr. Harvey stomped along the lab table—and jumped into my lap. He gave me another toothy grin, raised both hands, and started playing with my face. Patting it and pulling at my cheeks.

“It will take only a few minutes,” Dr. Smollet said. He tried to pull Mr. Harvey off me. But the
chimp wrapped his arms around my waist and wouldn't let go.

Tara laughed. “He likes you, Max! I think he's in love!”

“He … he wants my
brain!”
I choked out.

“It won't even take half an hour,” Dr. Smollet said. “I promise. No pain. You won't even feel it, Max. Mr. Harvey will reveal his secrets. Then I'll switch the brain waves back. It's totally safe. And so fast, you'll hardly realize it's happening at all.”

I swallowed hard. Everyone was staring at me. Even Mr. Harvey.

“I … don't… think … so,” I said. “In fact, read my lips:
No way!”

I handed the chimp to Dr. Smollet. Then I headed for the door again. I expected Nicky and Tara to follow me. But when I turned back, they hadn't moved from their lab stools.

“Stop staring at me like that,” I snapped. “What's your problem?”

Tara tugged at one earring. “It would mean an awful lot to Nicky and me,” she said. She gave me this pleading look—big eyes and a sad frown.

“Look, guys—you're talking about my
brain,”
I said softly. “I … I can't do it. I can't be a chimp. I don't even like bananas!”

“But Dr. Smollet says it's not dangerous,” Nicky said. “Please, Max. If it could bring us back to life …”

“You'd do it for
us
—wouldn't you, Max?” Tara asked.

“Hoo hoo.” Mr. Harvey tried to leap onto my chest. But Dr. Smollet held him back.

I turned to Dr. Smollet. “Okay, where are the hidden cameras?” I asked. “We're on
America's Funniest Home Videos
right now—aren't we?”

He shook his head. “No wacky videos,” he said. “I've worked long and hard on this project. I owe Nicky and Tara's parents a lot. I hope I can repay them.”

I squinted at him, studying his face. “Do you
swear
it's not dangerous?” I asked.

He raised his right hand. “I'm a scientist,” he said. “I don't want to harm anyone. I just want to help the Roland family.”

I turned to the chimp. He was hopping up and down now, grunting and scratching his stomach with his huge, hairy hands.

I didn't
want
my brain inside his head.

I liked my brain just where it was. It was nice and cozy right there in my head.

It was a good brain. In fact, the kids at school all call me Brainimon because I'm the smartest kid in class.

Did I want them to start calling me Chimp-imon?

No way.

“I … I can't do this,” I said. I avoided Nicky's
and Tara's eyes. I knew I was letting them down. I knew they were
desperate
for any information.
Anything
that could help them return to a normal life.

I raised my eyes. They were both watching me. Both had eager, pleading expressions on their faces.

“Well… maybe …,” I murmured.

“Hoo hoo!” Mr. Harvey cried, as if he understood.

“Max, no pressure,” Dr. Smollet said. “I don't want to rush you. I don't want you to do something against your will.”

“Th-thanks,” I said.

“I'll give you a week to think about it,” he said. “I'll come back for the three of you next Saturday.”

He lifted Mr. Harvey into his arms. And then he led the way out of the lab.

Near the door, I stopped and picked up Mr. Harvey's red baseball cap. I slipped it onto my head.
It fit perfectly!

Was that a good omen?

Or a very bad omen?

“Oh, wow,” I muttered. I tossed the cap across the room and followed my friends down the long white hall.

This, I told myself, is going to be the longest week of my life!

W
AS THERE STILL TIME
to perform for Ballantine?

I checked my watch. It was nearly three o'clock.

Dr. Smollet drove us into town and let us off across the street from Hocus Pocus. That's the name of the magic store.

To my surprise, I saw a long line of people waiting to get in. It stretched around the corner and down the block.

I crossed the street and hurried to get in line too. Guys were juggling duckpins and doing card tricks for each other. A tall bald guy was pulling egg after egg out of his mouth.

“You're still in time,” Tara said. “That's so cool!”

I blinked. I was so excited about a chance to perform for Ballantine, I'd nearly forgotten Nicky and Tara were there.

I stepped in line behind a woman in a shiny black top hat and a tuxedo jacket. She was busy
stuffing a mile-long chain of handkerchiefs into the jacket pocket.

“It's gonna be
hours
till you get in the store,” Nicky said. “That'll give you time to chill and stop thinking about Dr. Smollet.”

“Thanks for bringing it up again,” I said. I sighed. “I can't believe how much you two have changed my life. My biggest problem used to be getting my hair to stay down!”

“It's
still
your biggest problem,” Tara said. She tried to flatten my curly brown hair with the palm of her hand. But it bounced right back up.

“Oh, sure,” I moaned. “Now I have to worry about having a chimp brain in my head!”

The woman in the top hat spun around. “Are you talking to me, young man?” she asked.

“Uh … no,” I said. “I was talking to myself. Just rehearsing a magic trick.”

“I think you'll be cute as a chimp,” Tara teased.

“You
look like a chimp!” I shouted.

The woman in the top hat gasped. “Young man, what is your problem?” she snapped. “How dare you talk to me like that?”

“You're getting yourself in trouble,” Tara said.

“Just shut up!” I cried.

The top hat woman gasped again. “Someone needs to teach you some manners!” she shouted. “If you were
my
son, I'd slap you in the face!”

She flashed me an angry scowl and stomped away. The chain of handkerchiefs flew out of her pocket and trailed behind her.

“Well, that's
one
way to move up in line!” Nicky said.

“Can't you two disappear or something?” I said.

Tara slid her arm around my shoulders. “Come on, Maxie. Admit it. We've made your life exciting.”

“Maybe I don't
want
an exciting life,” I said.

“Then why are you in line?” the man ahead of me asked.

“I wasn't talking to you,” I said.

He pulled an egg out of his mouth, then turned his back on me.

“Listen, guys, I can't do it,” I said. “I can't switch brains with a chimp. I'm sorry. But I don't look good in red spandex shorts.”

“Max, you heard what Dr. Smollet said,” Nicky replied. “He said it will only last a few minutes.”

“A few minutes is a long time!” I cried. “What if Mr. Harvey has fleas?”

Tara squeezed my hand. “You have to do it, Max,” she said softly. “Don't you want my family to be alive again? Do you really want Nicky and me to be dead
for the rest of our lives?”

“Please—go away,” I said. “I have to think
about my card tricks now. I have to impress Ballantine.”

Nicky and Tara vanished. The line moved up pretty quickly.

Finally, a man dressed in black stepped up to me. He had a badge around his neck, white with red letters:
MAGIC STAFF
. He put his hand on my shoulder.

“Okay, next victim. Kid, you can go in the store now.”

Would Ballantine like my card tricks?

I took a deep breath. And stepped into the magic shop.

T
HE TINY STORE WAS
jammed with people. Everyone wanted to get a glimpse of Ballantine the Nearly Amazing.

Magicians filled the aisles between the display cases of magic tricks. They were all talking at once. Talking about how their performances had gone and what Ballantine had said to them. Some looked happy. Some were shaking their heads sadly.

“Better luck next time,” a chubby bald man said to another chubby bald man. He squeezed the other man's shoulder—and a pigeon flew out from under the guy's coat!

Weird crowd, huh?

I gazed around quickly. Was I the only kid?

Yes!

That has to be good, I told myself. At least Ballantine will notice me.

The line of magicians waiting to perform snaked around to the back room. I peeked ahead. I saw a small stage with a dark blue curtain behind
it. A magician in a red cape stood on the stage doing a trick with three big, silvery rings.

And seated across from the stage on a tall chair that looked like a throne—Ballantine himself!

Several people huddled around Ballantine, including Mr. and Mrs. Hocus, the owners of Hocus Pocus. They all stared straight ahead in total silence, watching the magician do his ring trick.

“My two-year-old can do that trick!” a magician in line ahead of me whispered. A few people snickered at that.

“Silence!”
a voice boomed through the store. Ballantine's voice. “We must give these performers every chance.”

He stood up, and I got a better look at him. He was very lanky. He wore a glittery rhinestone turban on his head. He glowed in an aqua suit, very shiny and tight-fitting.

Ballantine's skin was deeply tanned. He had a narrow face with a thin black mustache. His eyelids drooped so low, I couldn't tell if his eyes were open. In fact, everything about him drooped. He had the saddest, droopiest expression I'd ever seen on a human.

No joke. He really did look as if his puppy had just died.

Of course, I'd seen videos of him. And I'd seen him on TV shows. And he always had that sad,
hangdog look on his face. I wondered if anyone had ever seen Ballantine smile!

The line moved up. I started to feel nervous. It felt like a frog was jumping around in my stomach. I pulled out my deck of cards, and my hands were sweaty.

How am I going to do my tricks with sweaty hands? I asked myself. The frog leaped up to my throat.

I suddenly felt like turning around and running away. Ballantine was one of the most famous magicians in the world. Maybe the
universe.
What made me think I could impress him with my card tricks?

I wiped my hands on my jeans. I started to open the deck of cards and dropped them onto the floor. The cards spilled out around my feet.

My heart began to pound. I bent down and started to scoop them up. When I stood up again, Nicky and Tara were at my sides.