Bubble in the Bathtub Read Online Free Page B

postcard to us. He knew that no one else would believe him, right?”
    â€œMaybe,” Lisa said cautiously. “But … but then, are you really sure that we believe him? I mean, he’s nice and everything, but he’s a little … uh, crazy.”
    â€œOf course I’m sure we believe him,” Nilly said. “And Proctor isn’t a
little
crazy. He’s totally off-the-deep-end insane.”
    â€œExactly,” Lisa said. “So how can you be so sure?”
    â€œElementary, my dear Lisa. Doctor Proctor is our friend, and friends believe in each other.”
    Lisa gazed at the moon for a long time and then nodded.
    â€œThat,” she said, “is the truest thing you’ve said in ages. So what do we do?”
    â€œWell, tomorrow is Friday, right? So now you go home and tell your parents that Anna who moved toSarpsborg invited you to come spend the weekend with her, that you’re going to take the train down there after school, and that her family is going to come pick you up at the train station.”
    â€œHm, that might work,” Lisa said, biting her lip. “What about you?”
    â€œI’ll tell my mom that I’m going on a band trip to Arvika this weekend.”
    â€œA band trip? Just out of the blue like that?”
    Nilly shrugged. “My mom won’t bat an eyelid. She doesn’t keep track of stuff like that. In fact, she’ll probably just be happy to be rid of me for a few days. So anyway, tomorrow you should pack a few extra things in your backpack for school, not a lot, just a few little things that start with
P
. Your passport, a pair of pajamas, packs of peanuts and stuff like that. Then we’ll go to school and pretend like everything is normal, right? But then after school we’ll go downtown, to that clock shop….”
    â€œThe Trench Coat Clock Shop,” Lisa said.
    â€œExactly. We’ll sell the stamp, take the bus to the airport, buy tickets on the next flight to Paris, check in, and, presto, we’re there.”
    Lisa chewed on her lower lip as she considered what Nilly had said.
Presto this and presto that,
she thought. When Nilly talked he had this way of making things that were actually very complex seem so simple.
    â€œSo?” Nilly said. “What do you say?”
    Lisa looked down at the mason jar in her hand. The strawberry-colored powder sparkled, beautiful and mysterious, in the moonlight. Disappeared in time? Time soap? French nose clips? This was all too weird.
    â€œI think it would be best if we showed the postcard to my dad after all,” she said hesitantly.
    â€œBest?” Nilly asked. “If that were best, Doctor Proctor would have suggested it in his card!”
    â€œI know that, but be a little realistic, Nilly. Look at us! What are we? Two
kids
.”
    Nilly sighed heavily. Then he put a hand on Lisa’s shoulder and gave her a serious look. Then he took a deep breath and proclaimed in an unctuous voice: “Listen, Lisa. We’re a team. And we don’t care if everyone else thinks we’re a pathetic minor-league team. Because we know something they don’t know.”
    Nilly was now so full of emotion that his voice had started to tremble a little: “We know, my dear Lisa … we know … we … uh, what was that again?”
    â€œWe know,” Lisa took over, “that when friends promise never to stop helping each other, one plus one plus one is much more than three.”
    â€œExactly!” Nilly said. “So, what do you say? Yes or no?”
    Lisa looked at Nilly for a long time. Then she said one word:
    â€œPoncho.”
    â€œPoncho?” Nilly repeated, confused.
    â€œI’m bringing my rain poncho. You said we can packthings that start with
P
and from what I’ve heard Paris is crawling with wet platypuses these days. I do not want to be soaked with platypus spray every time one climbs out of the Seine and