The Third Movement

by Neil Patrick Harris

  “Are these messages to promote the ventriloquist’s show?” asked Theo.

  “We think they might be a code,” Carter said grimly.

  Ridley nodded. “The villains could be using the devices to communicate with one another.”

  “Or the messages might just be simple advertisements,” said Leila hopefully.

  “I doubt it,” Theo replied.

  “Either way, these few dolls we’ve collected won’t be enough to stop Kalagan,” Ridley added. “We were all just talking about how we have to get the dolls away from the people who’ve already found them.”

  “Problem is, I don’t steal,” said Carter, crossing his arms.

  Ridley shook her head. “Can someone please explain that this wouldn’t be stealing? We’ll be collecting dangerous items before they can hurt people.”

  “And the Misfits have the skills to do it,” said Leila. “Come on, Carter. It could even be fun.”

  Carter pursed his lips, unconvinced. “Should we at least practice for the talent show first?”

  “If that’s what it takes to make you say yes,” Ridley quipped. “I have some more thoughts about the fin—”

  “I do not think we should wait to gather the dolls,” Theo interrupted, afraid of what would happen if they started arguing about their grand finale again. “There seem to be more Darling Daniels around town every day.”

  “That’s true,” Leila quickly agreed. “We can practice more later.” Everyone seemed relieved at the suggestion.

  Olly and Izzy had seen the resort manager, Mr. Arnold, bring one of the Daniel dolls into his office earlier that day, so the Misfits headed downstairs to the lobby. Who knew what secrets the doll (or rather, who was listening through the doll) might learn from someone with access to so much private information? But in order to get to the Darling Daniel, the Misfits would need to distract what seemed like hundreds of people milling about.

  Luckily for them, dear reader, hundreds of people is the perfect-sized crowd for an audience.

  After making their way across the lobby to the Grand Oak Resort’s famous life-sized taxidermy bear, complete with a black top hat on its head, Izzy climbed onto Olly’s shoulders, and Theo used the bear to steady himself as he climbed on top of the twins. He then waved his violin bow, calling out to the crowd. “Good morning! Welcome to the Grand Oak Resort!”

  Several heads turned to look, and out of the corner of his eye, Theo saw Carter, Leila, and Ridley slide quietly behind a large potted plant right next to Mr. Arnold’s office.

  “My name is Theo Stein-Meyer! Below me is Izzy Golden!” Izzy held out her arms. “And below her is her twin brother, Olly Golden!” Olly did a tiny tap dance, shaking his partners above. “We have come to impress and entertain you with a mini magic show. Watch closely.…” He waved his violin bow over the bear’s top hat, which suddenly lifted off its fuzzy crown. Theo moved his arm, and the hat seemed to float wherever he pointed. The crowd applauded.

  Next, Theo made the hat spin through the air until it landed with a plop on Izzy’s head, the brim slipping down over her eyes. The crowd laughed and clapped even louder, more heads turning to watch the show. The bear’s hat then flew up off Izzy’s head, as if by itself, and somersaulted to land on Olly’s head below. All the while, Theo was waving his bow, wearing a look of intense concentration.

  Olly reached up for the hat and held it out before himself. Theo leaned down slightly and waved his bow above the hat’s opening. To everyone’s surprise, two little mice floated up and out of the hat and hovered in the air, squeaking nervously.

  “Meet Ozzy and Illy!” shouted Izzy and Olly. “Our magical mice assistants!”

  Several people in the audience squealed. Others laughed. Theo could see that Carter, Leila, and Ridley were still hidden behind the potted plant, so he waved the bow toward the crowd, and the mice began to float straight toward the audience.

  Several guests scrambled to get out of the way, and a few people shrieked. Children tried to catch the floating mice as their parents whipped them away, and there were cries of outrage as people began knocking into one another.

  Right on cue, Mr. Arnold’s office door flew open and hit the wall with a wham! He was wearing his standard white suit, and his face was as red as ever. Seeing the twins and Theo stacked one on top of the other, he called out to them, “What’s going on out here?”

  “Impromptu magic show, boss,” said Olly, lowering himself to his knees. “Good for business.” Izzy held up her hands to Theo, who slid off her shoulders. She followed him down, dropping from Olly. The mice plopped onto the floor and scurried into a crevice near the stairs.

  “Were those mice?” Mr. Arnold asked, his face aghast. “In the Grand Oak Resort?”

  “Don’t worry, sir,” Olly replied. “They’ll find their way back to our place.”

  “Yes,” said Izzy. “They’re the smartest mice we could find.”

  Mr. Arnold’s eyes bulged. He turned to address the flustered resort guests.

  Theo glanced toward the office, which Carter, Ridley, and Leila had just slipped silently inside. A moment later, they waved for him to follow. Theo made sure that the twins were keeping Mr. Arnold busy, and then he dashed inside as well.

  Right away, Theo could see the Darling Daniel doll on the very top shelf behind the manager’s desk. “We can’t reach it,” Leila whispered.

  “Give me a moment,” Theo replied, climbing up onto the back of the desk chair. Carter and Leila held his legs as Ridley kept watch at the door. Theo wondered if his friends expected him to levitate the doll to bring it down, but in this case, the solution was much simpler. He grinned as he swung his bow, pushing the doll right off the shelf. Carter reached out with one hand and caught it before it could hit the floor.

  “Come on!” Ridley said with a wave, peeking out the crack in the door. “The twins are running out of obnoxious material!”

  A few seconds later, Theo, Carter, Leila, and Ridley strolled and rolled nonchalantly past the taxidermy bear, just out of view of Mr. Arnold, with their newest acquisition secreted away in Ridley’s pouch. “Ahem!” Ridley said, coughing loudly.

  Not missing a beat, Olly and Izzy smiled at Mr. Arnold, gave a bow to the remainder of their lobby audience, and then skedaddled into the crowd.

  HOW TO…

  Make a Card Rise from Your Palm

  I wish I could teach you how to make a pair of field mice float, but not everyone keeps a spare pair of mice around. So let us instead make a playing card lift up and spin in the palm of your hand! This one will take some preparation, but with practice, you will have your friends’ eyes popping out of their sockets.

  WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

  A piece of clear plastic packaging—maybe an old food container from your refrigerator

  A pair of scissors

  An ordinary playing card

  A glue dot (these are soft and clear, and you should be able to find them wherever you purchase arts and crafts supplies)

  TO PREPARE:

  1. With an adult’s help, cut out a thin rectangular strip of clear plastic. Make sure it is just a bit smaller than the length of the playing card.

  2. Place the glue dot in the center of the card, then press the plastic strip against it, making sure the ends of the strip do not extend beyond the card’s edges.

  STEPS:

  1. Find the right spot on the palm of your hand so that you can grab only the ends of the plastic piece. Try fitting one end against the base of your thumb and the other just inside your ring or pinky finger.

  2. Squeezing the ends of the plastic slightly, allow the card to lift carefully away from your palm.

  3. For an added effect, use your other hand to twist one end of the card slightly toward you, so that when you release it and then squeeze the plastic, the card will appear to spin as it rises mysteriously from your palm.

  4. Use your thumb and forefinger to pinch the top and bottom of the card as you move it from your palm. Giv
e the card a little spin for one last flourish before tucking it safely away.

  5. As always, take a bow! You’re amazing at this (or you will be once you practice, practice, practice…)!

  THIRTEEN

  Over the next few days, Theo and his friends searched for more Darling Daniel dolls. Their hunt led them to the old mill by the river, to the nursery school playground, to Molly Freundlich’s Quilting Museum, and to the movie theater off Main Street, where they performed for small audiences just long enough to distract the holders of the dolls.

  It felt like old times, and Theo was glad the tension from their adventure in the auditorium spying on Wendel Whispers had evaporated. The Misfits had even agreed on a finale for their act in the talent show: the re-creation of the frown clown battle.

  They also concluded that the Darling Daniel dolls had been set up to speak no more than six messages, the last of which said “Look no farther than the Grand Oak Resort.” If not for the transmitter inside each doll, it really did seem to Theo that the dolls’ messages were simply a promotion for Wendel Whispers’s show.

  On Wednesday, the Misfits decided to put their hunt for the ventriloquist’s dolls on pause and head over to the fairgrounds for the first day of the Mineral Wells Hot Air Balloon Festival. Theo and Ridley arrived at the front gate and waited for the others.

  “It’s been too long since we all just had some fun,” said Ridley.

  “Really?” Theo said, raising his eyebrows. “I have never thought of you as someone who enjoys fun.”

  Ridley flinched. “Of course I do. What kid doesn’t?” She pulled out a stick of gum, unwrapped the silver foil, and held it up for Theo to see. Printed on the pink piece were the words Some Fun. Theo smiled. Ridley always had something up her sleeve. She popped the gum into her mouth and began to chew. A few minutes later, she stuck out her tongue at him playfully. Printed on her tongue, somehow, were those same words. Some Fun. It almost looked like a tattoo.

  Before Theo could applaud the trick, a voice spoke in his ear: “Where are all the balloons?” He spun to find Olly and Izzy Golden dressed in their finest matching plaid rompers.

  “They have not started filling them yet,” Theo answered.

  “They must be waiting for the hot air to arrive,” said Olly.

  “And here you are!” Izzy quipped, poking his shoulder.

  Olly rolled his eyes so hard he did a backflip.

  “Who’s ready for some real-life levitation?” Leila asked, walking up with Carter.

  Theo smiled and raised his bow in the air. “I enjoy levitation in all forms.”

  The Misfits moved through the gates together. Inside the grounds, there were a dozen carts arranged in the center of a large field. Long swaths of fabric stretched away from each, and team members rushed around holding up pieces of the cloth as air rushed inside. Slowly the balloons began to form subtle shapes. Some were spherical, but there was one that looked like a famous cartoon mouse, and another that was turning into a dragon. Each balloon had a distinctive pattern too. There were rainbow stripes, harlequin diamonds, white stars on a shimmery navy blue, pink hearts on a green background. One purple balloon was even illustrated with a white dove of peace carrying a sprig of laurel in its beak.

  It was amazing to watch them rise. The Misfits sat in wonder as all twelve of the balloons grew to their full height, some over a hundred feet tall.

  Suddenly, Ridley gasped. “What’s wrong?” asked Carter. Ridley pointed toward one of the concession-stand lines. At the counter, Wendel Whispers had just ordered a giant hot dog.

  “What do we do?” asked Leila.

  “We track him,” said Ridley.

  “Why?” asked Carter. “To watch him eat his hot dog?”

  “You never know what we might learn,” said Theo.

  “From a hot dog?” Carter repeated.

  Ridley threw her hands in the air. “From his movements. From his behavior. From whoever he talks to. Everything.”

  Wendel turned toward the field of balloons, finishing his meal, and the Misfits flinched away from one another, worried that he might catch them staring. The man nodded to himself, as if he had made a decision. Then he pulled out a little book from his rear pocket and jotted something down.

  A clue! thought Theo.

  Wendel strolled away from the food vendor and across the midway to a booth with a giant sign that read PURCHASE RIDE TICKETS HERE!

  “Come on,” said Ridley. “Let’s follow him.”

  The Misfits broke into groups of two and then split up to avoid detection, each pair taking a different route toward the ventriloquist. Theo went with Leila.

  “Should we buy tickets too?” he asked once they were closer to the booth. “To make it look like we are not merely hanging about?”

  “Good idea,” said Leila.

  Wendel stood several people ahead of them in line. Theo could see Carter off in the distance with Olly. Ridley and Izzy were peering at Theo and Leila from behind the ticket booth. Everyone looked worried. Theo remembered Mr. Vernon’s advice. Plan for an out. Right now, if something were to go wrong, if Wendel Whispers were to turn around and charge them, they would have nowhere to go.

  The line was moving quickly. Theo watched Whispers buy a single ticket, and before he knew it, he and Leila had stepped forward for their own.

  Leila tugged at Theo’s elbow. “He went this way,” she said. Wendel was headed toward the balloon with the white stars and navy background. Staff near the balloons directed the crowd, shouting over the blasts from the kerosene burners. “How many in your group? This way! No, that way!”

  It was all very confusing. Theo and Leila handed over their tickets and were shoved forward—right into the balloon with the stars. They found themselves staring at the back of Mr. Whispers, who was looking out over the fairgrounds, chuckling to himself. Had he wanted the kids to follow him on board? Theo wondered.

  The balloon’s pilot directed a staff member to drop the sandbags that were hanging off the sides of the basket, and the balloon began to rise up from the ground. Theo gulped. Now we really don’t have an out, he thought.

  There were five passengers, not including the pilot. Everyone was peering out over the landscape except for Theo and Leila, who stood as close to the center of the basket as possible. “If he moves, we move,” Theo whispered. “Do not let him see us.”

  “What if he already has?”

  Theo did not want to think what would happen if the ventriloquist spotted them. Would he dare to toss them overboard? It was scary, but they also had a unique opportunity.

  Wendel Whispers’s notebook peeked out from the man’s back pocket. Theo nudged Leila, nodding at it. What if there was something important inside—something that might help the Misfits figure out how to stop him from listening in on them, and the rest of the town, through the Darling Daniel dolls?

  Theo pulled out his magical violin bow, careful to avoid knocking his arm against any of the other passengers. He made the secret maneuver that would allow him to lift the notebook from Wendel’s pocket, and then, very carefully, he began to raise his arm. The notebook slipped upward, inch by inch, until it dangled in the air between Theo and Leila. Wendel did not seem to notice. He was snapping photos of the surrounding landscape with a small camera. Theo grabbed the floating book and hid it behind his back. He and Leila then moved toward the opposite side of the basket.

  Leila whispered, “Let’s look through the book now, then put it back before we land.”

  Theo nodded and handed it to her. “I shall warn you if he looks this way.”

  Leila winked, then faced outward, blocking the ventriloquist’s view with her back. She cracked the book open. But at that same moment, Wendel turned abruptly. Theo smacked Leila’s arm to alert her.

  And the book fell from her grip and disappeared below.

  FOURTEEN

  Oh no!

  I was so involved in telling Theo’s story that I nearly forgot about our unlucky chapter:
thirteen!

  In the previous books, I managed to cross it out. Yikes!

  Since I missed it last chapter, let’s just skip chapter fourteen instead?

  You are not superstitious anyway.

  Or are you?

  FIFTEEN

  “What do we do?” Leila asked.

  Theo shushed her. Wendel was facing them, but he did not seem to have noticed her holding the book, nor the fact that she had just dropped it. “Lovely day,” they heard him say to the woman standing next to him.

  “Say,” replied the woman. “Aren’t you…”

  Theo was thankful for their conversation, which was a perfect distraction as the balloon began its descent. When they touched down, Theo and Leila forced themselves to the rear of the group so that they could look for the notebook a few extra moments.

  “There!” Theo whispered, pointing. The book lay in the grass on the side of the basket opposite the exit. “How are we going to get it without someone stopping us?”

  Leila reached into her pocket and pulled out a long white rope, which she quickly turned into a lasso. And with a flick of her wrist, the lasso was looped around Wendel’s notebook. Leila reeled it in so quickly, Theo barely had time to worry that someone was watching.

  Once he had picked up the notebook and shoved it inside his jacket, he and Leila took off toward the fairgrounds midway. They were hiding between two tents selling cotton candy and lemonade when Theo felt someone grab his arm. “Run, Leila!” he cried.

  “No, Theo, it’s just Carter!” she said, relief in her voice. Carter, Ridley, Olly, and Izzy were standing behind the duo, all looking displeased.