4. Fixing the Future

CHAPTER 4 FIXING THE FUTURE Big Tippy had set his Tinkle-Time Travelometer for a sunny afternoon in October, four years in the future. He arrived, as usual, in a giant ball of blue lightning that grew bigger and bigger, until it exploded in a blinding flash. "What's going on out there?" cried Tiny Tippy. "I can't see a thing!" "SSSHHHH!!!" shushed Big Tippy, as he shoved Tiny Tippy down into the deep, darkened depths of his jacket pocket. Big Tippy listened carefully. He heard the voice of a child muttering, "This can't be good."

Tippy unzipped the zipper of his Robo-Pants and peeked out. To his delight, the world looked like it usually did. No destruction, no giant zombie nerds, no moon rocks. Everything seemed pretty normal. "Hey! It's Professor Poopypants!" shouted a small boy, whom Tippy recognized immediately. Suddenly, two cops standing nearby started to laugh, which angered Tippy. "Stop LAUGHING!" shouted Tippy. "My name is no longer Professor Poopypants. I changed it to Tippy Tinkletrousers!" The two cops laughed even harder.

"And I've got a special surprise for anybody who thinks my NEW name is funny!" said the furious professor. Tippy pressed the button on his Freezy- Beam 4000, causing it to rise from the depths of his Robo-Pants. He set the freeze ray for twenty minutes and zapped the cops, transforming them into frozen statues. "My Freezy-Beam 4000 will take care of anybody who stands in my way!" said Tippy. "And now," he said with a wicked smile, "it's time for my revenge!"

"OH, NO!" screamed George. "HERE WE GO AGAIN!" screamed Harold. Tippy chased George and Harold and their two pets, Sulu and Crackers, through town, zapping his Freezy-Beam 4000 at them and laughing maniacally. The chase lasted all afternoon and into the night. The four friends hid behind buildings, inside trash bins, under bridges, and even down in the sewer. But it didn't matter where they sought refuge because Tippy Tinkletrousers always found them.

By the morning of the next day, our heroes had found a hiding place behind some bushes near the park. "What are we going to do?" whispered George. "There's nowhere else to hide!" "I don't know," whispered Harold. George and Harold looked at their two pets, shivering with them in the morning mist. "We're not going to make it," whispered George. "But there's no reason that Sulu and Crackers should have to suffer." Harold's eyes began to water. "You're right," he whispered. George and Harold petted their two friends sadly as they devised a plan to return to the dinosaur age. "We could use the Purple Potty to take Crackers back home where we found him," said George.

"Yeah," said Harold. "And Sulu could stay there with him. They'll both be safe there!" As soon as it was clear, the four friends sneaked away from the bushes and headed for Jerome Horwitz Elementary School, carefully avoiding major streets and intersections. It was almost noon by the time George and Harold and their two pets reached the school. Cautiously, they sneaked through the front door and dashed up the stairs to the library. "HEY, BUBS!" shouted Mr. Krupp angrily. "WHERE HAVE YOU KIDS BEEN?" George and Harold looked down and saw Mr. Krupp carrying a large cardboard box. "WELL?" Mr. Krupp shouted. "GET DOWN HERE AND EXPLAIN YOURSELVES!" George and Harold looked at their two pets and continued running up the stairs.