Emmy and the Rats in the Belfry Read Online Free Page B

unusual effects, right?”
    Emmy nodded. The first bite from Ratty allowed you to understand rodent speech. The second bite shrank you to rodent size. And the third bite turned you into an actual rat. But they had discovered all that two months ago.
    â€œAnd here,” said the professor, reaching for a stoppered vial, “is a supply of Saliva Rodentia Rastonia. Rat spit, to be exact.”
    â€œGross,” said Joe.
    â€œMy spit isn’t any grosser than yours!” The Rat poked his nose out of the backpack.
    Professor Capybara cleared his throat. “Gross or not, you must see the benefit of having Raston’s spit in a bottle.”
    Emmy nodded. “It means you don’t have to have Ratty around if you want to shrink. You could scratch your skin and rub a little of the spit on the scratch, and it would be the same as a bite.”
    â€œExactly right. Raston’s bites are portable, so to speak. But Sissy’s kisses, which you need to reverse the bites, are not.”
    â€œWe found that out the hard way,” said Joe. “Remember? That time when we were rescuing those little girls.”
    Emmy glanced at Sissy, who was smoothing her rumpled whiskers. It was true that it was dangerous to shrink or turn into a rat if Sissy wasn’t right there with you. You never knew if you could find her when you wanted to change back. “And you can’t put kisses in a bottle,” she said, finishing her thought aloud.
    â€œBut you can capture Sissy’s kisses on a sticky-patch and release them when the patch is put directly on your skin! The ratalyst makes it possible!”
    â€œBut why do you need us?” asked Joe.
    â€œCreating the sticky-patches is a matter of split-second timing, and it’s still in an experimental stage. If I have assistants, it’s easier for me to make observations and take notes.”
    â€œWe’ll help,” said Emmy. “What do you want us to do, Professor?”
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    â€œCareful, Emmy,” said Professor Capybara. “Hold her steady—that’s right. Cecilia, are you quite comfortable?”
    â€œTell him if you aren’t,” said the Rat anxiously, watching from the countertop, his furry face lit up by the glow of the Bunsen burner.
    Sissy, held upside down in Emmy’s hand, twisted her neck to look up at the professor’s kindly, worried face. “I’m all right, as long as you hurry. The blood’s going to my head.”
    â€œVery well,” said the professor. “Joe, do you have the paper film ready? The rolling pin?”
    â€œAll ready,” said Joe.
    â€œRaston, the timer?”
    â€œCheck.”
    The mixture spooled down and spread out like thick honey, glistening and translucent on the shiny backing paper that was marked with grid lines. “Now, Joe!” said the professor.
    Joe slapped a sheet of thin, clear film on top of the goop and began to roll it out. The amber goo oozed out the edges and onto the steel plate beneath the backing paper.
    â€œTimer … now!” Professor Capybara pulled off the top film, revealing a flat, smooth layer of golden-orange slime, quivering slightly. “Emmy, Cecilia—go!”
    Quickly, carefully, Emmy held Sissy upside down over the slime and lowered her until her muzzle was almost touching the surface.
    â€œWhiskers!” said the professor.
    â€œOh, that’s right,” said Cecilia, quickly bringing her paws to her face and pressing her whiskers upward. Emmy lowered her a fraction more, and she kissed the orange gel.
    â€œWhy does Sissy have to hold back her whiskers?” asked Joe. “Is it just to keep them clean?”
    The professor’s pen made a scratching sound as he added to his notes. “No. We found that if anything else touched the goo besides Sissy’s lips, there were some unusual effects—” He looked up at the ceiling. “What was that?”
    All was quiet, except