The Ooze (5 page)

“I don't know! How could I know? It's making me stupid!”

“Okay, okay.” Colin tried to calm me down. “I have an idea. Go downstairs and look inside the cooler. Look at the ooze. You'll see. The ooze is just . . . ooze. It can't do anything to you.”

“What if it can?” I asked. “What if—”

“Just do it,” Colin told me.

I hung up and headed for the basement. Colin was right. I had to look at the ooze. See that it was just harmless glop. It was the only thing that would make me feel better.

I opened the basement door and slowly walked down the steps. I spotted the cooler under the table—exactly where I had shoved it.

I raised the lid of the cooler about an inch—and inhaled sharply.

A giant glob of ooze sat on top of the paper towels.

It was as if all the little balls that we had wiped up joined together. Joined into one huge mass of ooze.

And now it was glowing.

I opened the lid a little more—and saw that the glob had veins.
Veins!
Glowing, throbbing veins!

I started to slam the lid down—when the lump of ooze began to bubble. A small bubble broke the surface and popped. Then another. And another.

Bubble. Pop. Bubble. Pop.

More and more tiny bubbles rose to the surface and popped.

Then, without warning, a huge bubble rose up to the surface. It flipped the cooler lid wide open.

I leaped back—back from the growing bubble. But it was too late.

S
plat!

The giant bubble burst.

A huge glob of the ooze hit my face.

It dripped down my eyes, my nose, my cheeks. It dangled from my chin in a gooey mess.

“Oh, no,” I moaned. I was going to be really stupid now.

I had to wash off this horrible stuff right away! Before it made me a total moron.

I scrambled over to the cabinet under the sink. No more paper towels. We used them all yesterday.

I yanked off my T-shirt and started scrubbing my face with it. The ooze was growing warm now. Warm and extra-sticky. I couldn't get it off.

I scrubbed and scrubbed, pressing my lips together tightly. Who knew what would happen if I swallowed some? I certainly didn't—and I didn't want to find out.

My face burned and tingled as I rubbed. But I rubbed furiously until I wiped it all off.

I shoved my T-shirt into the cooler and slammed the lid on. Then I pounded up the basement stairs and down the hall to the bathroom I shared with Michelle. I had to look in the mirror—to make sure not one drop remained.

I locked the bathroom door behind me. Then I leaned as close to the mirror as I could. Searching for even a speck of the orange goo.

I didn't see any. Not a drop. But what if some had seeped into one of my ears—deep inside where I couldn't see it?

I pictured the slimy stuff sliding through my ear—and into my brain! I was doomed.

I have to tell Mom and Dad, I realized. This was a serious problem.

I knew they were going to be angry. I didn't even want to think about what they would do to me. I would probably be grounded until I finished college—if I went to college. I might be way too stupid by then to go.

I had no choice. I had to tell them. I needed their help. They were smart. They did research. Maybe
they could figure out a way to save me from a lifetime of stupidity.

My stomach flip-flopped as I headed to the living room to find my parents. They were both sitting on the sofa—reading scientific journals.

I took a deep breath. “Mom, Dad, I have to talk to you,” I said. My voice shook only a little.

“What's wrong, dear?” Mom asked. “You look upset.”

“It's about the ooze,” I started. “Chester and I both touched it. That's why—”

Dad put down his copy of
Biology Today
. “Ooze?” he asked. “What on earth is ooze?”

“Chester stepped in it,” I said. “Some of it spilled on the basement table, too. That's how I touched it.”

Mom and Dad glanced at each other. I could tell they were confused.

I knew I wasn't explaining things right. But I was confused, too. It was getting hard to keep everything straight in my mind.

“Where did this ooze come from?” Mom asked.

I hesitated. Tell them, I ordered myself. You have to tell them. They are the only ones who can help you.

I opened my mouth to answer—and the doorbell rang.

“I'll get it!” Michelle yelled from the kitchen.

I started to speak again—but Michelle let out a high squeal.

Mom jumped up. “What is it?” she cried. “What is it?”

Michelle practically skipped into the living room. “It's a registered letter from the Eastland Technological Institute!”

I didn't have to ask what that meant. Eastland Technologies has an annual science contest every year for high school students all over the country. You have to be a total brain even to enter. So, of course, Michelle did.

She ripped open the letter. Mom and Dad crowded behind her. Reading over her shoulder.

“You won, honey!” Mom exclaimed. “You won!”

“First prize!” Dad crowed. “We're so proud of you!”

“Mom! Dad!” I pleaded. “I need to talk to you about the ooze! Right now.”

“Aren't you going to congratulate your sister?” Mom asked as she reread Michelle's letter.

“Congratulations,” I muttered. Michelle didn't bother to answer. “I'm trying to tell you something important,” I insisted. “You have to listen. The ooze is why Chester and I have been acting so weird.”

“Do you know what I think?” Dad asked.

Yes! I thought. Dad is going to help me!

“What's that, dear?” Mom asked.

“I think we should celebrate,” Dad announced. “Let's go someplace really fancy for dinner. It's Michelle's big night.”

Thanks a lot, Dad, I thought.

I pulled on Mom's arm. “This is a matter of life and death!” I wailed. “I was playing with the chemistry set and—”

Mom and Dad both turned toward me.

“You played with the chemistry set?” Mom demanded.

“Before Michelle gave you the safety lesson?” Dad added.

I nodded slowly. “And now the ooze is in the cooler and it—”

Mom turned to Dad. “Let's not spoil the celebration for Michelle,” she said.

“We'll talk about this tomorrow,” Dad told me.

“But I could be so much dumber by then,” I protested.

“Dumber? Dumber than using the chemistry set without permission? I don't think so,” Mom snapped.

“Get your coat, Michelle,” Dad said. “Al, we'll talk about this tomorrow.”

I sighed.

Well, maybe going to a restaurant would at least help me get my mind off the ooze. After all, eating was one thing I still knew how to do.

“I'll be right there,” I said. “I left my coat in my room.”

“Al,” Dad called after me, “It's the Science Bowl day after tomorrow.”

“Yeah, Dad,” I said wearily.

“Do you know how Michelle won her Science Bowls?” Dad asked. “By working hard. By making sacrifices.”

Michelle came back with her coat and stood next to Dad. Smirking at me. She was loving every second of this.

“Maybe you should stay home,” Dad continued. “You will have the house to yourself—the perfect environment for a good study session.”

“But I have to eat, don't I?” I asked.

“You can heat something up in the microwave,” Mom said.

“But, Mom . . . ” I stopped and shook my head. Nothing I said would make them change their minds. I could see that.

“Have a good time,” I muttered as they trooped out the door.

I flopped down on the couch. Now what was I supposed to do? It was clear Mom and Dad weren't going to help me.

Chester strolled into the living room. He jumped up on my lap and started to purr. He liked me a lot more now that he was stupid.

I scratched him under the chin. “What are we going to do? Huh, Chester? I guess you don't know, either.”

Tubby came barreling into the room and jumped up on the sofa next to me. “I know
you
haven't got a clue, Tub-man.”

I sighed and closed my eyes. I pictured my brain filled with orange slime. “Ewwwww!” I cried out. Chester jumped off my lap. Tubby just thumped his tail.

I have to stop the ooze. I can't just sit here all night and let myself get dumber and dumber.

I know! I leaped up from the couch. I'll read the manual that came with the chemistry set. Maybe it would have some answers.

I really didn't want to go back in the basement—at least not alone. So I made Tubby come with me. I didn't even glance at the cooler. I just grabbed the manual out of the box and ran back upstairs.

I raced to my room and slammed the door behind me. Then I sat down at my desk and turned on my reading lamp. Tubby plopped down at my feet.

You can do this, I told myself. I opened the manual to the first page.

“Oh, no!” I groaned. The words were so hard. “Compounds. Elements. Neutralize.” How was I supposed to understand big words like that?

Miss Scott would say to look them up in the dictionary. She was always making us look up words.

I pulled my dictionary off the shelf and flipped to the words beginning with the letter
C
.

I ran my finger down each page. “Com,” I muttered. “Com-p. Com-p-oun-d.”

Found it. “Composed of or resulting from union of separate elements, ingredients, or parts.”

“What does that mean?” I wailed. Okay, okay, don't give up, I told myself. Start with a smaller word.

I flipped to the words beginning with the letter
P
. “Parts,” I mumbled. “Parts, parts, parts.”

Here it is. “One of the often indefinite or unequal subdivisions . . . ”

I slammed the dictionary shut and pounded my head on my desk.

“This is hopeless!” I shouted. “I'm stupid. I'm just too stupid.”

Then I had a horrible thought.

How dumb would I be tomorrow?

T
he next morning I didn't have to wonder why I felt so weird. I knew what was wrong. I knew I was dumber. But that was about all I knew.

If I took everything slowly—and didn't say much—I figured I could make it through the day without doing anything too stupid.

I managed to put on jeans and a shirt and my socks. Now came the hard part. My shoes.

I picked up one shoe, flipped it upside down, and studied it. Then I studied my feet. I found a match!

I slipped my shoe on. It felt comfortable.

I didn't even have to think about the other shoe. I stuck it on the other foot and I was set.

You are doing good, I told myself. Very good.

Now I had to brush my teeth and comb my hair. I headed into the bathroom.

I just needed three things—a comb, a toothbrush, and toothpaste. Simple, right?

Well, sort of. It didn't take too long to wash the toothpaste out of my hair.

I rinsed the toothpaste off my comb, put some on my toothbrush, and brushed my teeth.

I didn't bother eating breakfast. I wanted some extra time—in case I got lost on the way to school.

Mom handed me the plastic container with my lunch in it as I headed past her.

“Your dad and I talked about you and the chemistry set last night,” she said.

Great, I thought. I have enough to deal with today without a lecture from Mom.

“It was irresponsible of you to use that set without the safety lesson,” she told me. “But we know how hard you've been working lately to prepare for the Science Bowl. So we have decided to let you off this time.”

Whew! That wasn't bad at all.

“Thanks, Mom,” I called. Then I headed out the front door. Concentrating on each step I took, I managed to reach the school before the first bell.

“Hey, Brains!” someone yelled.

I turned and spotted Eric leaning against the big
oak tree in front of school. “Oooooh,” I moaned. I had forgotten about Eric.