The Glitch in Sleep (29 page)
Down below, the man with the thin mustache slowly turned to listen.
“. . . and it’s not just people struggling. I can’t even count how many are on beaches or on hikes through a mountain pass or lying in a meadow with their best friend and don’t know they’re about to enjoy one of the greatest moments of their lives.”
“But one Sunset, my friend? What can one Sunset do against ze troubles of entire World?”
“Maybe nothing. Maybe everything.” Becker flipped over to one case in which he was personally involved. “A good friend of mine’s future may depend on him getting a little dose of Confidence tonight. But even if he looks away at just the wrong moment, or something awful happens tomorrow it doesn’t really matter. All that matters is we try.”
The Maestro looked Becker directly in the eye.
“Do you really believe zis?”
“If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be here.”
There was a long silence, and from the way Figarro peered down at the rocks below, Becker wasn’t sure whether he had gained him or lost him.
“All right, Fixer-man. Maybe ze Plan is out of our control. But if only one person in those Files of yours stops to look . . .” He rose and proudly faced Becker. “Then I shall give that person the greatest Sunset Ze World has ever—”
But before he could finish his sentence, the entire ledge the Maestro was standing on broke off and went plummeting down toward the Stream.
“Figarro!”
This time, Becker
did
listen to the voice in his head screaming “Jump!” Detaching from his Sticky Feet, he plummeted straight toward the Maestro, who was screaming in abject horror. It was a second or two before he caught up to the flailing painter, which only brought a small modicum of satisfaction, because it would only be a second or two more before they both smashed headlong into the rapidly approaching rocks below. But Becker knew something that Figarro didn’t. At least he hoped he did . . .
“Sarge, please tell me you set up the—”
Thwap
.
The Fixer and the Maestro found themselves encircled in a ball of nylon twine, which stretched uncomfortably close to the water before recoiling back up toward the top of the cliff. Thankfully, it was connected to the twin firing mechanisms that the Sarge had undoubtedly anchored to the Edge of Sanity, and whose retractable crank was now reeling the two survivors of a near-death experience back to the top.
“How you doin’ down there, boss?” barked the Sarge over his Receiver.
“Hangin’ in there.”
The best part about a Safety Net was the safety.The whole net thing Becker could have done without, because at the moment it was imprinting a familiar waffle-shaped tattoo on their faces.
But better to be a waffle than a pancake.
Everyone Who Believed:
Jennifer Altman, Eleanor Altman, Ross Baker, Eric Bergner, the Bratters, Caroline Burfield, Becca Chapman, Evelyn Chapman, Samantha Dareff, Sandy & Harvey Dareff, Debbie & Albie, Hadley Eure, Henry Field, Todd Field, Terrapin Frazier, Ellen Hulme, Jack Ronald Hulme, David Kuhn, Rose Laurano, Julia Lazarus, Adam Levine, Elliott & Simon Liebling, Brian Lipson, Andy Liebau, Aly Mandel, Bob Marcus, Tift Merritt, John Morisano, Tim Nye, Ken Park, Julie Pepito, Ted Pryde, Carol Sawdye, Liz Schonhorst, Lucille Schulman, Deb Shapiro, Greg Siegel, Tony Gaenslen, Kenyata Sullivan, the Watermans, Victoria Wells Arms, Ann Wexler, Ari Wexler, Jamie Wexler, Philip, Ilene, Helen, Ava, Amy & Alex, and Bill & Susan. Everyone who believed but we forgot to mention they believed.
And of course, Becker Drane.
JOHN HULME AND MICHAEL WEXLER
accidentally stumbled upon the existence of The Seems after opening an unlocked Door in Wilmington, North Carolina, during the summer of 1995. From that moment on, they were obsessed with the curious realm and sought to pen a book series based on their discovery. Though the project was held up in administrative Red Tape for nearly eleven years, the Powers That Be finally signed off on its release, resulting in the text you now hold.
Hulme lives with his wife, Jennifer; son, Jack; and daughter, Madeline, in a small New Jersey town with crookety sidewalks and tree-lined streets.
Wexler’s whereabouts remain unknown.
A Book Sense Pick
An Amazon.com Best Book
A Kidsreads.com Best Book
A Teenreads.com Best Book
A New York Public Library 100 Titles for
Reading and Sharing Selection
“This is a rollicking tale, with great world-building and likable characters and a strong setup for further adventures. Unlike Garth Nix’s conceptually similar The Keys to the Kingdom series, this story is upbeat and full of humor, seeming to draw a novel from David Wiesner’s
Sector 7
template.” —
SLJ
, starred review
“The high sense of adventure and an abundance of goofball humor should appeal especially to boys.” —
Publishers Weekly
“Offbeat exploration of a universe-tilting idea.” —
Booklist
“A thoroughly enjoyable read, this story is as fast-paced as Becker Drane’s life. Elements of science fiction, fantasy, and myth blend to create the world of The Seems and combined with an original and clever protagonist, it makes for an unusual adventure.” —
VOYA
“The authors have a firm grasp on the potential complexity of their world, and the end result can only be described as fun.” —
Kirkus Reviews
“Humorous and exciting, this first book left me eager for more from this new series, and you can be sure I’ll be reading the rest.” —TeensReadToo.com
“I’m wondering what genre to place this book in—science fiction or fantasy. . . . This is a mix of both in a perfect blend! . . . I can promise you this—it is a LOT of fun! It is a really good read.” —Teenfx.com
“Reminiscent of the works of Jonathan Stroud and Jasper Fforde, this book makes use of amusing footnotes, a jargon-laden glossary and a guide to the unique tools wielded by the Fixers in their day-to-day routine.”
—Kidsreads.com
Text copyright © 2007 by John Hulme and Michael Wexler
Illustrations copyright © 2007 by Gideon Kendall
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
First published in the United States of America in October 2007
by Bloomsbury Books for Young Readers
E-book edition published in October 2010
www.bloomsburyteens.com
For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to
Permissions, Bloomsbury BFYR, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10010
The Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition as follows:
Hulme, John.
The glitch in sleep / by John Hulme and Michael Wexler.
p. cm. — (The Seems ; bk. 1)
Summary: When twelve-year-old Becker Drane is recruited by The Seems, a parallel universe that runs everything in The World, he must fix a disastrous glitch in the Department of Sleep that threatens the ability of everyone to ever fall asleep again.
ISBN-13: 978-1-59990-129-9 • ISBN-10: 1-59990-129-3 (hardcover)
[1. Sleep—Fiction. 2. Technology—Fiction. 3. Space and time—Fiction.]
I. Wexler, Michael. II. Title.
PZ7.H8844G1 2007 [Fic]—dc22 2007002598
ISBN 978-1-59990-417-7 (e-book)