A Mischief of Mermaids Read Online Free Page B

mashed potato forts and pelting them with peas,” she said. “I know I told you all about how he had to flee South America after that unfortunate misunderstanding—”
    â€œYou mean when he hiked up a mountain and found that little cave?” asked Poppy.
    â€œThe cave that he camped out in?” added Will. “The one that turned out to be a sacred temple of the moon?”
    â€œAnd then had to run back down the mountain to escape from an angry mob?” finished Franny.
    â€œThat unfortunate misunderstanding?” asked Poppy, driving the point home.
    â€œAll right,” Mrs. Malone said testily. “I see I was wrong. Apparently, you do pay attention. Although I don’t see what you all think is so funny. The poor man was a nervous wreck for six months.”
    â€œAt any rate, he’s moved on,” said Mr. Malone. “He’s investigating crop circles now. He’s come up with some very interesting data. Did you know that electronic equipment often fails when it’s taken near a crop circle?”
    â€œMaybe that explains why none of the people who claim they’ve seen a crop circle appear right before their eyes have actually managed to film it,” murmured Poppy.
    â€œEyewitness accounts are just as good,” said Mr. Malone. “In fact, that was Wilbur’s inspiration for this poster. He hired a police sketch artist to take all those descriptions of aliens and their spacecraft and make drawings of them. And this is the result!”
    He waved a hand proudly at the poster.
    Franny stared at it in disgust. “That is probably the single most uncool thing I have ever seen,” she said. “And that is saying a lot, considering that I have spent the first thirteen years of my life in this family. Please please please don’t tell me you’re actually going to hang that up. Everybody who comes within a hundred yards of our boat will see it!”
    â€œExactly! That was your father’s idea, and it was an absolute brainstorm,” said Mrs. Malone happily. “You see, the more people who notice the poster, the more awareness we will raise about the possibility of alien visitations. And the more people who are watching for aliens, the more sightings we’re likely to get.”
    â€œDon’t worry,” Poppy said to Franny. “At least nobody will be able to see it at night.”
    â€œBut that’s the best part,” said Mrs. Malone with delight. “It was painted with phosphorescent paint! That means—”
    â€œIt glows in the dark,” Poppy said to Franny.
    Franny sighed. “Of course it does.”
    Half an hour later, they had finally hung the poster. Poppy held up one corner and Henry the other, while Mrs. Malone and Will stood back saying things like, “It’s tilted a little to the left . . . try straightening it a bit . . . that’s it . . . no, now it’s tilting to the right. . . .” and Mr. Malone managed to hit his thumb a half dozen times while trying to hammer nails into the wood. Everybody had lost their tempers at least once but, in the end, the deed was done.
    Then Mrs. Malone pulled out her file of local UFO sightings and suggested that they cruise over to where a UFO had most recently been seen and drop anchor for the night. Mr. Malone stepped to the bridge and confidently flipped a switch to start the engine.
    The engine turned over. He smiled and put the engine in gear—and then it sputtered and died.
    He tried again.
    Again, the engine turned over for a few seconds, then gasped to a halt.
    â€œDarling, perhaps I should try,” suggested Mrs. Malone.
    â€œNo, no, I’ve got this,” said Mr. Malone, waving her off. “There’s a certain knack to starting these things up, you know.”
    Frowning, he fiddled with the key. As he did so, another houseboat chugged past them, stopping a few yards away. A girl