Wayside School Beneath the Cloud of Doom (Wayside School #4) - Louis Sachar Page 0,23

toes and four feet.

She trudged back down.

“Hi, Deedee,” said Maurecia on her way up.

Deedee didn’t say hi back.

After school, only three of the Unbreakables could be seen by the flagpole.

Maurecia was still inside the school. Photographers were snapping her picture, and she was being questioned by newspaper reporters from all around the world.

When she finally came outside, she was carrying a giant trophy.

“Sorry I took so long,” she said.

“You must think you’re really great,” said Joy.

Maurecia shrugged.

“Well, you should!” said Ron.

“Because you are!” said Deedee.

Maurecia set down her trophy and said, “You guys are the greatest friends ever!”

They held out their hands, locked pinkies and thumbs, and shouted, “Unbreakable!”

Friends stick by each other when one is down. That is a true test of friendship.

But sometimes, it is harder to stick by a friend who is up.

That is the ultimate test of friendship.

27

Kachooga Boop

The Ultimate Test was over, and nobody was sent back to kindergarten. Mrs. Jewls had made up the test so that every one of her students had a chance to shine, using his or her special talent.

“Anyone with nail clippings?” she asked.

Myron came to the front of the room and dropped thirty-seven clippings into the nail bucket. Nineteen came from toes, and eighteen from fingers. He started to do the math on the board.

999,962

+ 37

9

He was suddenly startled by a very loud kachooga boop! He dropped the chalk.

This was a bell nobody in the class had heard before, not even Mrs. Jewls.

Then came another kachooga, followed by two boops.

“What’s it mean, Mrs. Jewls?” shouted Leslie.

“Everybody keep calm,” said Mrs. Jewls.

Kachooga boop! Boop! Boop!

Mrs. Jewls hurried to the back closet.

It started up again.

Kachooga boop!

Kachooga boop! Boop!

Mrs. Jewls threw open the closet door and started tossing books and supplies out of the way.

Kachooga boop! Boop! Boop!

She finally removed a very large book, covered with dust.

“The Complete Guide to Bells,” said Terrence, reading the book’s title over Mrs. Jewls’s shoulder.

Mrs. Jewls sat on the floor, turning the pages until she got to the index. The kachooga booping continued, making it difficult for her to concentrate.

She found it. “Kachooga boop—page 297.” She quickly turned to that page.

Suddenly, a loud BOOM shook the classroom. The lights went out.

This time nobody screamed. They were too scared.

Mrs. Jewls lit a candle. In the flickering light, she read aloud from page 297.

“If you hear a kachooga, followed by one, two, and then three boops, you should . . .” She stopped and blew a cloud of dust off the page, then tried to find where she had left off. “. . . one, two, and then three boops, you should run for your lives. A Cloud of Doom is about to destroy everything.” She dropped the book. “Everybody outside!” she ordered.

Another BOOM shook the classroom so hard that the clock fell off the wall.

The children ran to the door, but it wouldn’t open.

“The paper clip closet must have fallen over!” said Dameon. “It’s blocking the door!”

“Paper clip closet?” asked Mrs. Jewls. She glared at Jason.

“Sorry,” he said.

Jason couldn’t keep a secret.

Todd, Maurecia, Dameon, and Allison all pushed together, but the door wouldn’t budge.

“Let Stephen in there,” urged Kathy. “He’s been doing all those push-downs.”

With Stephen’s help, they pushed the door open.

Sirens wailed from the closet, which lay on the ground. A smoke screen filled the area.

In the light of Mrs. Jewls’s candle, they could see that the chains and steel bar had been shattered. Paper clips were strewn all over the floor.

Benjamin and Rondi started picking them up.

“Leave them!” shouted Mrs. Jewls.

Now they knew it was serious.

Mrs. Jewls told everyone to hold hands as she led the way down the staircase.

Paul grabbed Leslie’s pigtail.

“What are you doing?” she demanded.

“It’s either that or your hand,” he said.

“Okay, then,” Leslie agreed.

The kachooga booping continued as more loud booms shook the school.

A gust of wind blew out Mrs. Jewls’s candle, and the class continued down in darkness.

Joe stepped on a skateboard, which somebody had left in the middle of the stairs. He fell, pulling John down with him. Who pulled down Dana. Who pulled down Jenny. Who pulled down Rondi. Who pulled down Terrence. The chain reaction ended with Dameon pulling down Mrs. Jewls.

The class lay sprawled across the stairs as the school shook around them.

“We’re doomed!” Mac wailed.

“Look!” exclaimed Bebe.

A door had opened, and there was a light coming from inside a classroom.

A teacher stood in the doorway. “Quick. Come inside,” she beckoned. “You’ll be safe here.”

She had a long fingernail on her pinky.

28

The Teacher With the Long