The School Carnival from the Black Lagoon (Black Lagoon Adventures)

by Mike Thaler

  someone chimes in.

  “You’ll make a big splash

  tonight!” another kid laughs.

  They’re getting me down in

  the dumps. I have fair-weather

  friends.

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  I’m not ready for this!

  I need six more years of

  swimming lessons.

  “And besides, Hubie, you’re

  the original hunk!” a bunch of

  kids yell.

  That’s funny because I feel

  more like the original junk.

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  CHAPTER 9

  IN THE HOT SEAT

  I have a sinking feeling as

  the carnival draws near. Mom

  drives me to school in the van.

  I’m taking 42 towels. I bought a

  fluorescent bathing suit so the

  rescue helicopter can spot me in

  the water. And I have three sets

  of water wings.

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  We pull right up to the carnival.

  I step out of the van and into a

  row of lights. It’s like Academy

  Award night. I slowly walk down

  the aisle. All eyes are on me. I

  come to our booth, which we

  finally named, “The Big Dipper.”

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  I take off my bathrobe, put on

  my three sets of water wings,

  flex, and climb the ladder to the

  chair. It’s high up here. I’m fair-

  in-height.

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  I can see over most of the

  carnival.

  Penny’s selling tickets like

  crazy. Freddy’s eating pie. And

  Randy’s counting jelly beans.

  There are a lot of people in a

  long line, looking up to see me

  drown.

  All my friends are at the front

  of the line. Eric is the first to

  try. He misses the mousetrap

  completely.

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  Derek and Doris get closer, but

  I am still high and dry. Freddy

  tries with blueberry pie all over

  his face. He misses, too.

  Then the rest of the third grade

  takes a shot. I was smart to use

  ping-pong balls.

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  The tension mounts as ball

  after ball bounces off the trap,

  but each is too light to spring it.

  I make it through the fourth and

  fifth graders.

  We’re making a fortune and

  I’m still a dry guy in the sky!

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  CHAPTER 10

  THE SLAM DUNK

  Now the teachers start trying

  to sink me. Miss La Note, my

  music teacher, sings and misses.

  Then Miss Swamp, my art

  teacher, draws a blank when she

  throws.

  Even, Ms. Pluggins, the new

  computer teacher, takes a shot

  and short-circuits.

  Finally, Mr. Bender buys a

  chance. I think he remembered

  that I was the guy who hit him

  with the pie at the County Fair!

  He misses, too. PHEW!

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  I’m feeling really good. I’ve

  beat the system. No one is in

  line anymore. I do a little victory

  dance on my chair.

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  I have a big, dry smile. Just as I

  am getting ready to climb down,

  I see something moving by the

  mousetrap.

  Oh, no! A mouse!

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  The little rodent puts one foot

  on the trap and —WHAM! I’m in

  the water, and so is the mouse!

  He’s a pretty good swimmer.

  The water is not so cold. In

  fact, it’s kind of fun. Everyone

  applauds as the mouse and I swim

  around.

  We’re the hit of the school

  carnival and even get our picture

  taken for the paper. I hope we’re

  on the front page. The headline

  will probably read: big and little

  dippers.

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  Well, I continue with my

  swimming lessons. Last Friday,

  I did a cannonball off the diving

  board. I haven’t seen the mouse

  at the pool, though. I think he

  went to the Mouse Olympics in

  Mouse-cow. Hey, maybe one day

  I’ll win a gold medal, too.

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  As it turns out, Randy’s guess

  was the closest to the number

  of jelly beans and he won the

  Rollerblades. Freddy won the

  eating contest. He said it was as

  easy as pie. And we ended up

  raising enough money to get a

  fairly well-known author to come

  and visit our school.

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