Candy Shop War (8 page)

“That was cool of you to go after Pigeon,” Nate said to Summer.

“You came close,” Trevor said encouragingly. “I didn’t even think to try.”

“How much of your Moon Rock has dissolved?” Summer asked Nate.

“I still have a good amount,” he said. “Don’t worry, I’m paying attention. I don’t want to run out in midflight.”

Pigeon waddled over to them, pants dripping. “As soon as I spat out the Moon Rock, my weight returned to normal,” Pigeon reported. “I wonder if that means you guys would seem really light to me?” He grabbed Trevor under his arms and hoisted him into the air. “Wow, it feels like you’re made of Styrofoam!” He tossed Trevor, who sailed more than ten feet before landing lightly.

“That’s pretty cool,” Nate said. “See if you can throw me like a football.”

“No!” Summer warned. “Have you ever seen Pigeon throw a ball? No offense, Pidge.”

“None taken,” he said. “She’s right, I’m not very coordinated.”

“Check it out,” Trevor said. “Flying kick.” He jumped into the air and glided over to a tree, lashed out with his leg, and rebounded a dozen feet after striking the trunk.

“Cool,” Nate said. “We should practice jumping sideways off stuff, like Summer did with the bank. Trevor sort of did it with that kick.”

“You shouldn’t have spat out your Moon Rock,” Trevor said to Pigeon.

“It’s okay,” Pigeon said. “You guys bounce around. I need to go change my pants anyhow. Seems like I’m always the one who ends up in the creek!”

Chapter Four

White Fudge

Pigeon had plans to sneak in the front door. Since his mom was a homemaker with overprotective tendencies, he didn’t want to get caught in wet jeans again.

But his cousin Nile was waiting out front astride his motorcycle. Nile had picked out Pigeon’s leather jacket. At seventeen, with his head shaved, he looked a lot better than Pigeon in studded black leather.

“Where were you?” Nile asked. “Taking a swim?”

“I fell in the creek.”

“How’d the jacket go over?”

“I sweated like crazy,” Pigeon said. “And I got teased. I decided not to wear it today.”

“Those same bullies?”

“Mainly.”

“You ought to let me handle them,” Nile said.

“No way, that’ll just make it worse.”

“I’ll just scare them. I’m not going to rough up sixth graders. I’ll threaten to beat up their dads.”

“I’ve got it covered,” Pigeon said.

“If you say so,” Nile approved. “Remember, it takes time for a new image to stick. And you can take the jacket off if it gets too hot.”

“Okay.”

Nile revved the engine of his bike. “Say hi to your dad.” He pulled out of the driveway and noisily accelerated up the street.

Pigeon sighed. How could he be so clumsy with a cousin that cool? As Pigeon started up the steps, his mom opened the front door, a short, pudgy woman with thick black hair. She placed a hand over her mouth. “Paul, what happened to your jeans?”

“I fell in the creek,” he said.

“They were brand-new!” she panicked.

“It was just water,” he said.

“Filthy creek water,” she lamented, rushing down the steps to fuss over him. He wished he had a Moon Rock right then so he could fly away. She always made him feel like such a baby. “It may be time to give up playing down there.” He would have been worried, but she always said something like that after he drenched his shoes or got hurt.

“I’m fine. I was playing with my best friends.” That was the right card to play. He had not had any friends until second grade. And it was only last year that his friendship with Summer and Trevor had become cemented. His mom had been worried about him—she was thrilled that he was finally socializing.

“Well, come inside and get cleaned up. You need to be more careful down there. How was your day?”

“Good,” he said, following her inside. “I got another trivia question right. Miss Doulin seems uptight but nothing I can’t handle.”

“Where’s your jacket? You look so sharp in it!”

“I didn’t wear it today. Everybody liked it so much last week. I didn’t want to look like a show-off!”

His mom beamed. Although Nile had selected the jacket, his mom had paid for it. Pigeon hurried up the stairs to his room. He ditched his wet shirt and jeans and put on tan shorts and a T-shirt. He could hear his mom scolding his sister downstairs. He had two younger sisters, ages six and three. They gave his mom people to worry about besides him, for which he was grateful.

Newly dressed, Pigeon slipped out the front door and hurried back to the creek. Upon reaching the jogging path, he noticed a single bubble the size of a baseball hovering near the Nest. It was peculiar, because instead of drifting it maintained an unwavering position about eight feet off the ground. Curious, Pigeon approached it. As he drew near, the bubble lifted higher, floating out of sight behind some trees.

In the Nest, Pigeon found Trevor, Summer, and Nate sitting on the ground. “Pigeon!” Trevor said. “Welcome back!”

“Were you guys blowing bubbles?” Pigeon asked.

“No,” Summer answered. “Why?”

“I saw a bubble floating just outside the Nest. I guess you finished the candy.”

“It lasted pretty long,” Nate said.

“We were just talking about going back to the ice cream shop,” Summer said.

“I was thinking the same thing,” Pigeon said.

“I hope Mrs. White will give us more Moon Rocks now that we believe her,” Trevor said.

“Who knows what other types of candy she might have,” Summer said.

“I wonder why she isn’t world famous,” Nate mused. “If she can make magic candy, she should be a zillionaire.”

“She probably wants to keep it a secret,” Trevor said. “Remember how she told us to try the candy when nobody was around?”

“We’ve finally uncovered a true mystery,” Summer said. “There’s really only one way to find out more about Mrs. White.”

*****

The bell jingled when Nate opened the door. A tall, plain woman was paying for a caramel apple at the register. A pair of teenagers slouched at a table eating ice-cream cones. A male dwarf with spiky blond hair shaved flat on top was balanced on a stool placing candy boxes on a high shelf. Summer, Trevor, and Pigeon entered the store after Nate. Pigeon waited to hold the door as the tall woman exited.

“How can I help you?” the middle-aged dwarf asked, hopping down from the stool and mostly vanishing behind the counter.

“These are friends,” Mrs. White said, raising the hinged countertop. “Mind the shop for a moment, Arnie?”

“You got it,” the dwarf said.

Nate and the others passed behind the counter and into the cluttered back room. “You hired a helper,” Nate said.

“I did,” Mrs. White replied. “And there will be more to come. I take it you tried the Moon Rocks.”

“They were incredible,” Summer raved.

“We seemed to jump a lot higher than we would on the moon,” Pigeon remarked.

“Very observant,” Mrs. White approved. “The Moon Rocks reduce the effect of gravity between ten and twelve times, thus imitating an environment of considerably less than lunar gravity. Did you have fun?”

“It was awesome,” Nate said. “It felt amazing jumping so high. We grabbed onto tree branches, and hopped over the creek, and we practiced pushing off stuff to leap sideways.”

“I’m so glad it was enjoyable,” Mrs. White said, her smile creating deep dimples in her cheeks.

“I fell in the creek,” Pigeon confessed.

“We were wondering if you might let us try some more,” Trevor said.

“Or some other magic candy,” Summer added.

“What use would a sample be if there were no more candy to be had?” Mrs. White said.

“Do you have lots of different kinds?” Pigeon asked.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Mrs. White said. She lowered her voice, and her demeanor grew more serious. “I have more magic candy, but we must reach an agreement before I can share it with you. As you might imagine, magic candy is most difficult to produce, and my supplies are limited.”

“I knew it,” Nate huffed. “It’s going to cost a fortune.”

“Don’t jump to conclusions,” Mrs. White chided. “I know I’m dealing with children. I don’t expect you to pay for the candy in cash. Its monetary value far exceeds what even your parents could afford. I am willing to give you the opportunity to earn more candy by performing small services for me. And I expect you to keep the effects of the candy secret. Should you try to tell others what my candy can do, not only will I deny your story, I will never share magic candy with any of you again.” Her voice and expression softened. “I don’t mean to be stern, I just want to impress upon you how earnest I am about this. Can you keep my secret?”

The kids all nodded. “What do we have to do for more candy?” Nate asked.

“Your first task is easy,” Mrs. White said. “Since I’m starting up a new business, I recently whipped up a batch of one of my specialties—white fudge. I want you to distribute free samples to your family and friends. In return, I’ll give you a bag of Moon Rocks.”

“Can we try the fudge too?” Pigeon asked.

“There is a catch to eating the white fudge,” Mrs. White cautioned. “It tastes absolutely scrumptious. Once you taste one piece, your mouth will water for more. Which is why I give them away to drum up business. But the fudge has some side effects. It dulls the effectiveness of my magic candy. It also makes it difficult for those who eat it to notice the powers my special treats grant to others. So the fudge serves a dual purpose: It will entice your friends and family into my store, so I can remain profitable, and it will help them ignore any oddities resulting from the candy I give you.”

“Will it hurt anybody?” Trevor asked.

“The fudge is harmless,” Mrs. White assured them. “The only reason to avoid my white fudge is if you want magic candy to work on you. After you eat the fudge, sucking on a Moon Rock won’t make you a pound lighter.”

“When will we get the Moon Rocks?” Nate asked.

“Take home my fudge. Share it tonight with your parents, older relatives, and any other friends, and the bag of Moon Rocks, containing at least forty pieces, will be yours tomorrow.” She picked up a white rectangular box with “Sweet Tooth Ice Cream and Candy Shoppe” stamped in red and opened it. Inside were four large cubes of white fudge.

Pigeon leaned forward to sniff the contents. “Smells good.”

“I’ll give each of you two boxes,” Mrs. White said. “Make sure you emphasize where you got the fudge, and that our shop has many other goodies. And, just in case the temptation is too great, here is some dark fudge for each of you.” She handed each of them a dense square of brown fudge.

*****

Sitting at his desk the next day, Nate could hardly wait for school to end. The clock seemed paralyzed. That morning, he had gotten his name written on the board for cracking jokes. A name on the board was a warning—if he got a check mark after it, he would have to stay after class, so he had forced himself to keep quiet the rest of the day.

Staying after class was not an option. He was anxious to collect his reward from Mrs. White. The previous night he had shared the white fudge with his family. His dad, mom, and sister each ate a cube. They all loved it, and wondered why he didn’t eat the last piece. He explained that he had already had some. His dad ended up splitting the extra block of fudge with his mom. Everyone seemed in an unusually relaxed mood after the fudge. They all sat around watching TV together for the remainder of the evening, which was out of character for his parents.

Earlier that day at lunch, after Pigeon had lost his dessert to Denny, Eric, and Kyle, Nate learned that the others had given fudge to their families as well. Trevor had also presented a box to his neighbors. Nate still had an extra box under his bed.

Miss Doulin paced at the front of the room, droning about homework. Nate was too excited by the thought of gliding through the air again to pay attention. He doodled in his notebook, depicting a stick figure jumping from the half-court line to slam-dunk a basketball. Then he diagrammed how a stick person would leap back and forth between two skyscrapers to reach the top.