“If he is telling the truth,” I said, “this could be an awesome day for you. This is what you've been praying for!”
“I don't want to get excited yet,” Nicky said. “But I am. I really am. If this scientist really knows how to return us to life …”
He started jumping up and down. He couldn't hold back his excitement.
Tara grabbed Nicky by the shoulders and held him down. “Don't get your hopes up.”
“Too late,” Nicky said. “My hopes are already up. I can't wait to be alive again!”
Tara turned to me. “Nicky and I will go with Dr. Smollet,” she said. “But you don't have to take the risk, Max. Go to the magic store. You don't want to be late for your audition.”
“But—” I started.
Tara stepped up to Dr. Smollet. “Nicky and I will go with you to your lab,” she said. “But Max has other things to do in town.”
Dr. Smollet frowned and shook his head. He raised his blue eyes to me. “Oh no,” he said softly. “That won't do.”
He motioned for me to follow him. “You come too, Max. We need you. You're going to be very important.”
DR. SMOLLET'S LAB WAS in a three-story white stucco building. A barbed wire fence surrounded the place. I saw empty lots on both sides. No stores or houses on the block.
He opened the gate with a key and led us to the white front door. I saw rows of tiny windows rising up to the flat red roof. All the windows were barred.
As soon as we stepped inside, I heard the shrill cries.
Animal cries. Shrieks and howls. Muffled behind a long row of closed doors.
Dr. Smollet noticed my surprise. “Don't pay any attention,” he said. “We do a lot of animal experiments here. The animals are all well cared for.”
We started down a long white hall. Even the carpet was white. The animal cries became fainter as we turned a corner that led into another white hall.
Nicky and Tara glanced around nervously. “Did our parents work here?” Tara asked.
Dr. Smollet nodded. He led us into a big square room filled with computer equipment. The walls were solid white. Bright lights beamed down from the low ceiling.
I saw rows of laptops on two long tables. Cables stretched above our heads. Large electronic machines beeped and hummed against one wall. Red and blue lights blinked.
Flat-screen monitors filled another wall. The monitors flashed numbers and equations and formulas.
Dr. Smollet pulled off his raincoat and suit jacket and tossed them on a chair. He tugged down the sleeves of his starched white shirt.
I could still hear the animal shrieks in the distance. Sad, frightened cries. They made me feel frightened too.
Had we made a big mistake?
I swallowed hard. My mouth was suddenly very dry, and my hands felt as cold as ice. I jammed them into my jeans pockets—and felt the deck of trick cards.
Will I get out of here in time to see Ballantine?
The lab was neat and clean. The monitors blinked silently. The big electronic machines clicked and hummed. Dr. Smollet smiled as the three of us gazed around.
“This lab belonged to your parents,” he told Nicky and Tara. “This is where they worked. And I worked here alongside them.”
“Wow,” Nicky said, shaking his head. He walked up to a long table of laptops. “I think I remember being here. It's a faint memory. But it's coming back to me.”
“Yes, I remember the computers,” Tara said. “And all those wires and cables on the ceiling.”
She tugged at her dangling plastic earrings. She always pulled them when she was thinking hard or trying to remember something.
“We were here, Nicky,” she said. “I know we were. Why can't I remember it better?”
Dr. Smollet leaned on the table with his hands. “That's what we're here to find out,” he said.
He pointed to the machines against the wall. “Your parents and I worked here, capturing evil ghosts. Your parents were on a mission. They believed that a lot of the evil in the world was caused by these spirits. Your parents found a way to capture them and keep them prisoner here.”
Dr. Smollet sighed. “But one evil ghost—a man named Phears—escaped. I tried to fight him off. But he was too powerful for me. He injured me. He knocked me out. When I came to, all the evil ghosts had escaped. Phears had freed them all.”
“We—we've run into Phears,” Nicky said.
Dr. Smollet's blue eyes grew wide. “You and your sister were here in the lab on that awful day. Don't you remember? Don't you understand?”
Nicky and Tara froze. They stared at him. Speechless.
“We … didn't know,” Tara said finally.
“You were visiting your parents here,” Dr. Smollet said. “When Phears escaped, he did something to your family. To all four of you.”
“You were here,” I said. “Didn't you see what happened to them?”
Dr. Smollet shook his head. “No. I didn't see anything. I was out cold.”
He took a deep breath and smoothed back his white hair. “But I have someone here who saw everything,” he said. “I have a witness. I told you his name. Mr. Harvey.”
“Where is he?” Tara asked.
Nicky strode up to Dr. Smollet. “Can we talk to him? Is he here now?”
Dr. Smollet nodded. “Mr. Harvey is the only one who saw everything that happened that day. He saw Phears escape. He saw Phears free the other ghosts. And he saw what Phears did to you and your parents.”
The scientist loosened his tie. It was cool in the lab, but beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.
“Mr. Harvey may know the secret. He may know how to bring your family back to life,” he said, gazing intently at my two ghost friends.
“Please—can we see him?” Tara cried. “Can we talk to him now?”
Dr. Smollet cleared his throat. He tugged at his tie again. “Well … there's a small problem. I'll show you.”
He swung away from the table and walked quickly out of the lab. The door closed behind him.
Nicky and Tara stared at each other. Then they turned to me.
“I … I don't know what to say,” Tara confessed. “I'm shaking!”
“Me too,” Nicky said, his voice cracking. He pumped his fists in the air. “This is too good to be true. Do you think Mr. Harvey really can bring us back to life? And tell us what happened to us?”
The lab door swung open.
Dr. Smollet stepped in, followed by another figure.
“This is Mr. Harvey,” Dr. Smollet said.
Tara's mouth dropped open.
Nicky gasped.
I stared hard at Mr. Harvey. My brain felt as if it was spinning in my head. “But … but …,” I stammered. “Mr. Harvey is a chimp!”
DR. SMOLLET LED THE chimp by the hand.
Mr. Harvey loped into the room, bouncing as he walked. He kept shaking his head, his lips moving silently. Then he pulled back his lips and gave us a toothy grin.
The chimp was about three feet tall. He wore bright red spandex bike shorts. He had a red baseball cap on his head. But as he crossed the room toward us, he pulled the cap off and tossed it across the lab.
“Hoo hoo hoo.” He made chimp noises and bobbed up and down, his hands on his hairy knees.
Tara stormed up to Dr. Smollet angrily. “Is this some kind of stupid joke?” she demanded.
Nicky pulled Tara back. “Let's go,” he muttered. “This is totally insane.”
“No, wait—” the scientist said. He petted the back of the chimp's head. Mr. Harvey flashed us another grin.
“I told you there was a problem,” Dr. Smollet said.
“How could you do that to them?” I cried. “How could you get their hopes up like that?” I felt as disappointed as Nicky and Tara.
“Please let me explain,” Dr. Smollet said. He lifted Mr. Harvey onto a tall wooden lab stool at the counter. The chimp reached out and started to play with Dr. Smollet's white hair.
Dr. Smollet pulled
the chimp's hand away. “Be a good boy, Mr. Harvey. This is a big day for you,” he said.
He turned to us. “Yes, Mr. Harvey is a chimp. But he was here in the lab when Phears escaped. He saw what happened to you and your parents. He was the only witness.”
“But he can't talk!” Tara screamed.
“Hoo hoo hoo,” Mr. Harvey said. He reached for Dr. Smollet's hair again.
Dr. Smollet raised a finger. “But I've found a way to make him talk,” he said. “Just listen to me.”
He motioned to the stools at the counter. The three of us took seats.
“It's simple, really,” Dr. Smollet said. “It sounds more frightening than it is.”
“What are you talking about?” Tara demanded.
“There's only one way to learn what Mr. Harvey knows,” Dr. Smollet said. “We switch his brain with the brain of a live human.”
Nicky and Tara both turned to me. “You mean Max?”
DR. SMOLLET NODDED. HE 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!
WAS 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?