Goosebumps Most Wanted - 02 - Son of Slappy (10 page)

I clicked off the mixer and pulled the big bowl of chocolate batter out from under it. I set the bowl down on the kitchen table.

Then, giggling to myself, I dipped my hand into the batter. I grabbed a big, gooey hunk of the chocolate stuff. Then I crossed the room and smeared it all over the yellow-and-white wallpaper.

I scooped out another handful of batter and smeared it on the side of the fridge. Then another big hunk of batter. And another. I spread them over the table and along the wall.

I couldn’t stop laughing. This was so much fun!

I grabbed a blob of batter and tossed it onto the ceiling. Then I smeared chocolate over the kitchen cabinet doors.

“Yes! Yes! Beautiful!” A long, cruel laugh burst from deep in my throat.

The big bowl was almost empty. I’d smeared the batter all over the room. Breathing hard
from excitement, I stuck my head in the bowl and licked batter off the sides.

“Yes! Delicious! Yes!”

I made loud animal noises as I licked up the sweet batter. I knew I had chocolate all over my face, but I didn’t care.

Finally, I took the bowl and heaved it across the room. It bounced off the sink and clattered over the floor.

I stood there, licking chocolate off my lips and admiring my work. I whirled around when I heard a gasp behind me.

Mrs. Haggerty stood in the kitchen doorway, her mouth open in horror. Her eyes darted around the kitchen.

“Uh … how long have you been standing there?” I asked.

She replied through gritted teeth. “Long enough, Jackson.” And then a sharp cry burst from her throat. “Have you gone crazy? Are you
sick
?”

“I can explain,” I said.

“Huh?” She swallowed hard. Her whole body was trembling. “Explain?”

I nodded. “Yes. See, I was just redecorating your kitchen. I think it’s an improvement — don’t you?”

I tossed back my head and laughed.

She opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. Finally, she uttered a shrill scream.

“If you don’t like it, just say so,” I told her.

After that, things happened fast. She grabbed me by the shoulders and pushed me out the back door. Next thing I knew, I was seated beside her in her car.

Then I was home. Then Mrs. Haggerty was facing my mom, squealing and squawking and exploding with anger. She was talking so fast and in such a high voice, I held my hands over my ears.

“Jackson, is this true?” My mom kept repeating, “Is this true? Is this true?”

She apologized a hundred times to Stick’s mom. She offered to help clean up the mess. Mrs. Haggerty flashed me a concerned look. Then she hurried out, shaking her head.

Their words became a buzzing in my ears. My head spun.

I could feel Slappy moving out. Leaving my mind. I felt myself returning to normal. And as I did, I finally realized the horrible thing I’d done. And the horrible trouble I was in.

Dad came home from work early. His face was pale and grim. “Jackson, Mr. Gurewitz called me,” Dad said. “He told me some terrible things about you. He said he saw you go berserk with a little boy’s bike.”

He stared at me, waiting for me to say something. But I didn’t know how to reply. I just lowered my eyes and stared at the rug.

“Well, is it true?” Dad demanded. “Is it true that you smashed a little boy’s tennis racket and threw his bike in the street?”

“I … guess,” I muttered.

“I just got off the phone with Dr. Marx,” Mom said, returning to the room. “He said he can see you right away.”

“But, Mom —”

“No arguments, Jackson.”

“Let’s all stay calm,” Dad said, motioning with both hands. I could see he wasn’t calm at all. “You’re acting very strange, and you know it.
The things you’ve done and the things you’ve said — they’re not like you at all, Jackson.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll take care of you,” Mom said. “You’ll be back to normal in no time.” She glanced at Dad. I could see she didn’t believe what she was saying.

I wanted to tell them about Slappy. I wanted to say if we just got rid of that dummy, maybe he’d stay out of my mind.

But I suddenly thought about the play rehearsal at the YC.

“I … I’m late for rehearsal,” I stammered. “The YC show is in a few days, and —”

“I’m sorry, Jackson,” Dad said softly. “I’m afraid you’ll have to miss the YC show.”

I’m going to skip to the night of the YC show because the past few days weren’t interesting at all. Mostly, I clumped around the house feeling sorry for myself.

Dr. Marx gave me some blue pills to take that were supposed to mellow me out. But I only pretended to take them.

Rachel was being nice to me for a change. Actually, she was in a very good mood. I think she definitely enjoyed being the good kid in the family.

She came into my room and sat down on the edge of the bed. “I’m really sorry you’re missing the YC show tonight,” she said. “You must be very sad about it.”

I nodded. “Yes. Very sad.”

She glanced around my room. “Where is that dummy?”

“I stuffed him in the closet,” I said. “I wanted
to do a comedy act with him tonight at the YC. But since I’m not allowed to go …”

“At least you feel okay — right?”

I couldn’t believe she was being so nice to me.

I felt bad that I was lying to her.

Lying about staying home and missing the YC show.
No way
would I miss that show tonight.

I couldn’t let all the kids down. I couldn’t let Mrs. Lawson and the YC people down. I
had
to be there. I had to be there to help with the play the kids were performing. And to do my comedy act with Slappy.

Yes, I planned to sneak out of the house.

I’d been thinking about it since I’d been grounded. I planned to sneak out and run to the YC.

And I wasn’t worried about Slappy. I wasn’t worried about that dummy slipping into my mind and making me evil.

I’d finally figured out how to defeat him. How to keep him from turning me into his dummy.

It was so totally simple.

All I had to do was stop his chirp. He hypnotized me with that chirp so he could take over my brain. That chirp was the signal that I was about to become his slave, his son.

And where did the chirp come from? It took me so long to figure it out. But I finally realized the chirp had to come from my game-player. Yes,
the game-player I carried with me wherever I went.

Chirping Chickens.
That was the game I always played. And that’s where the chirp signal came from.

So how easy was it to tuck the game-player deep in a dresser drawer?

No problem.

And now the dummy had no power over me. He couldn’t signal me. And if he couldn’t give me the signal, he was helpless to control me.

Score one for Jackson!

I grabbed Slappy and lifted him out of my closet. His eyes were glassy, lifeless. He slumped limply under my arm.

“You have no power over me,” I said. “You cannot signal me. You cannot do
anything
to me.”

I tossed him over my shoulder, took a deep breath — and sneaked out of the house.

I ran all the way to the YC and crept in through the back door. I stepped into the backstage area of the auditorium. I dropped Slappy against the wall and peeked out through the side of the curtain.

Wow. The auditorium was full. A huge crowd. Awesome.

The show had already begun. A jazz band was playing, and a tall blond boy was bobbing up and down, blowing a wild saxophone. The golden horn glowed in the spotlight. The audience began clapping along.

Mrs. Lawson smiled at me from across the stage. She had gathered all my kids to get them ready for their play. Froggy carried the canary cage in both hands.

Our play was about some kids who don’t have a clue about how to take care of canaries. I wrote the play with the kids, and I think it’s pretty funny.

I made my way over to the kids and flashed them a thumbs-up. “You guys are going to be terrific,” I said. “Go out there and knock ’em dead.”

The jazz band finished to wild applause. I slapped high fives with all the kids as they marched onto the stage.

I felt great. I knew I’d be in trouble at home for sneaking out. But I had to be here to help all my friends.

I felt like my old self again. It made me so happy to know that Slappy couldn’t ruin the night.

The curtain opened. The play began. I watched it from the side of the stage. Everyone did an awesome job. The audience was laughing hard.

Froggy almost dropped the canary cage. It was a mistake, but it made the audience laugh even harder.

My heart was pounding. I mouthed every word along with the kids. I was more nervous than they were. But I could see the play was a
huge
hit.

When it was over, the audience roared and jumped to their feet, clapping and cheering. I was so excited, I almost forgot it was my turn to go out and do my act with Slappy.

I hurried to the back wall and lifted the dummy off the floor. It sank limply into my arms. The glassy eyes gazed down at the floor.

“Sorry, Slappy,” I muttered. “No tricks for you tonight. For once,
I’m
in charge.”

I had plenty of time to think up jokes while I was grounded the past week. And I had a lot of time to practice throwing my voice. Sure, I was a little nervous. But I was also eager to get onstage and make people laugh.

The crowd grew quiet as I sat down on a tall wooden stool at the front of the stage. I perched the dummy on my lap. I stuffed my hand into his back and found the controls for his eyes and mouth.

“Hello, everyone,” I said. “I want you to meet my friend Slappy.”

Then I changed to my high Slappy voice:
“Get your hand out of my back, Jackson,”
I made him say.
“That hand is
cold!”

“But I have to work your head,” I said.

I made Slappy’s eyes go wide.
“Oh,
yeah?
Well, who’s working
your
head?”

That got a big laugh. I started to feel less nervous. The act was going well.

“No one has to work
my
head,” I said. “My head isn’t made out of wood!”

“It
isn’t?” I made Slappy cry.
“Then why do you have termites? Or is that just very big
dandruff?”

“Stop it, Slappy,” I said. “Why do you have to be so rude?”

“Because someone is putting words in my mouth!”

That got a big laugh. I could see everyone was enjoying my act. At the side of the stage, all the kids were laughing, too.

“Jackson, do you know the difference between a turkey sandwich and a pile of smelly garbage?”

“No, I don’t, Slappy,” I said.

“Well, remind me not to send you out to get my lunch!”

More big laughs. This was going much better than I expected. I wished Mom and Dad and Rachel were here to see it.

But, of course, that was impossible. My parents thought I was quietly tucked into my room.

“Slappy, let’s do a knock knock joke,” I said. I made a fist and tapped his head. “Knock knock.”

“Owww,”
I made him say.
“Knock knock who?”

“Wood,” I said.

“Wood who?”

“Wood you like to hear another one?”

“Would you like me to knock on
your
head?”

The audience laughed again. This was so much fun. I was having the best time ever.

And then …

And then …

I heard a loud
chirp
.