I'm Game (7 page)

Authors: Nancy Krulik

BOOK: I'm Game

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“Okay, Dave, are you ready?” Bob Ritchey asked Katie’s dad once the show started.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Mr. Carew answered. After all the exercise that he’d gotten, Mr. Carew had had two good nights of sleep.

Katie’s dad spun the wheel. Around and around it went and came to a stop on the bowl of goo.

“He’s good at this!” Katie whispered excitedly to her mother.

Bob Ritchey waved his hands and the curtain behind him opened. A table and chair appeared on the stage. Behind them was the Tick Tock Clock.

“That bowl on the table is filled with green goo,” Bob Ritchey told Katie’s dad. “Somewhere in the bottom of that bowl is a jelly bean. You have to find that jelly bean . . . with your tongue!”

Katie’s dad looked out into the audience and winked at Katie. “No problem, Bob,” Mr. Carew said happily. “I can do this one with my hands tied behind my back!”

And that’s exactly what happened. Mr. Carew managed to find that jelly bean—with six seconds to spare.

“Mmm. A red one. My favorite,” he mumbled, holding the jelly bean between his teeth and smiling for the camera.

“Yeah, Daddy!” Katie cheered excitedly as the rest of the audience applauded.

“Great job, Dave,” Bob Ritchey congratulated him. “Now let’s see how you do with the next questions.”

Katie’s dad stood up, wiped off his face, and went back behind the wooden stand. He placed his hand on the buzzer and got ready to play.

“Bronco, whip, freeze, stoop, and maze are all types of what game?” Bob Ritchey asked.

Elaine reached for her buzzer. But Katie’s dad was faster. He buzzed in first.

“Tag,” he said.

“Right, Dave!” Bob Ritchey cheered. “You’re off to a good start today. Let’s try another one. Which can go longer without water—a camel or a rat?”

Katie’s dad slammed down his buzzer once again. “A rat,” he said confidently.

“Right again, Dave,” Bob cheered. “Now, what state is known as the Land of Enchantment?”

This time Elaine hit her buzzer first. “New Mexico,” she said.

“Right, Elaine.” Bob Ritchey smiled into the camera. “Well, folks, it looks like we’ve got an exciting game going here,” he told the audience.

Chapter 16

“I’m sorry your dad didn’t win on
Tick, Tock, Clock
last night,” Jeremy said as he walked to school with Katie the next morning. “That Elaine was really, really smart.”

“Thanks to you, he found that jelly bean really fast and stayed in the game,” Katie replied.

“Your dad sure answered a lot of questions after that,” Jeremy added. “I thought he was going to win.”

“Elaine only beat him by two points,” Katie said proudly. “It was really close. And anyhow, he got a great prize for coming in second,” Katie continued. “A huge TV.”

“So he can watch
Tick, Tock, Clock
, right?” Jeremy asked.

“Every night,” Katie assured him with a grin. “He got a new baseball hat, too. It says
Tick, Tock, Clock
. He hasn’t taken it off since they gave it to him. I think he may have slept in it.”

“So now he has a new favorite hat to replace the one Suzanne glued to the bowl,” Jeremy remarked.

As she walked onto the playground, Katie noticed that things had changed at school, too. For once, everyone seemed to be getting along. No one was showing off or bragging about how many bracelets they had.

Katie was glad of that. Between
Tick, Tock, Clock
and all those rubber bracelets, she’d definitely had enough of bragging.

“I think it’s going to be a good day,” she told Jeremy happily.

Just then, Suzanne strolled onto the playground. “Hi, everybody,” she said, waving her hand in the air.

Katie looked over. Suzanne was wearing a small metal ring on each of her thumbs.

“Wow, those are cool!” Miriam Chan said, complimenting Suzanne. “Where did you get them?”

“At Hot Stuff,” Suzanne said. “They just got them in.”

“I know,” George said as he held up his hands. “I’ve got four of them.”

“Well, I’m getting
more
after school,” Suzanne told him.

“Then we’ll see each other at the store,” George replied. “Because
I’m
getting more rings, too.”

Katie shook her head. “Oh, no,” she groaned. “Here we go again.”

Trivia

How would you do if you were a contestant on
Tick, Tock, Clock
? See how many of these crazy questions you can answer. Then try them on your friends!

1. Where is the Baseball Hall of Fame located?

2. True or false: Butterflies taste with their feet.

3. What singer is known as the King of Rock and Roll?

4. In what country was spaghetti invented?

5. Which country is shaped like a boot?

6. Name the colors in the rainbow.

7. Which country has the most cats?

8. What do you call a bee’s nest?

9. Who carved Pinocchio?

10. Does it take more muscles to smile or frown?