5. The Ugliest Face in the World

Chapter 5 The Ugliest Face in the World Judy and Melanie were hanging upside down from the monkey bars. "Hi, Marvin," said Judy. "Do you want to come to my slumber party?" "Okay," said Marvin. "Oh, goody," said Melanie. "We can stay up late and paint each other's toenails." Marvin woke up. "No!" he said, almost shouting. He wanted to call Judy Jasper on the telephone and tell her he didn't want to go to her slumber party. And he didn't want to paint his toenails! It was just a dream, he reminded himself.

A dream? He wasn't supposed to go to sleep! He jumped out of bed. He checked himself over. He was still a boy. He looked at his clock. 3:45. He had been asleep less than five minutes. That wasn't enough time to turn into a girl. He backed away from his bed and knocked over his desk chair. As he set it back up, he found himself staring at the ugliest face in the world! He screamed. He quickly covered his mouth. It was just General Jackson. Safe in the glass cage. That shouldn't have scared him. "I'm not afraid of a lizard," he said. Girls are afraid of lizards. He looked right into the eyes of General Jackson. To prove he wasn't afraid. "You don't scare me," he said. General Jackson stuck out his tongue. "How gross!" said Marvin. He covered his mouth again.

Girls think lizards are gross. "I don't think you're gross," he told the General. "I don't. I really don't. In fact, I think you're cute." He covered his mouth. Girls think lizards are cute. He ran to the bathroom. He looked at himself in the mirror. He tried to look just at his face. Not the hair. Not the Ninja Turtle pajamas. Just his face. It looked just the way it always did. Except something about it was different. He rubbed his eyes. It was sort of … pretty. He studied his face. He had a girl's nose! As he looked at it from every angle, he became more and more sure of it. "Oh my gosh," he said. He bit his finger. "Hi, Marvin," Linzy said sleepily as she entered the bathroom. Marvin could see her in the mirror. "Linzy, can I ask you something?" he said. "Okay," said Linzy. She yawned. "Okay, look at me," said Marvin. "This is real

important." He knelt down and put his hand on her shoulder. One thing good about little kids—they always told the truth. "Look at my face," said Marvin. "Do I look like a girl?" Linzy looked hard into his face. She touched his cheek. Then his ear. "Yes," she said. "What?" exclaimed Marvin. "You're crazy, Linzy! That's stupid! You're just a stupid little kid!"

A frown slowly formed on Linzy's face. "I'm sorry," said Marvin. "I'm sorry, Linzy." But it was too late. She was crying.

"I'm sorry," Marvin said again. He sighed. "Okay. Why do you think I look like a girl?" "You look like a boy," Linzy sobbed. "Then why'd you say I looked like a girl?" "I don't know," she said, still crying. "You must have had a reason," said Marvin. "Just tell me. I won't get mad." "I have to go potty," said Linzy. Marvin waited while his sister used the bathroom. At least in that way, he knew he was still a boy. "I'm sorry I yelled at you," he said when Linzy was through. "It's just—" He stopped. "If I tell you something, do you promise not to tell?" Linzy promised. "I think I'm turning into a girl," said Marvin. Linzy's mouth dropped open. "I always wanted a sister!" she exclaimed, instantly happy. "That's what I wished for on my birthday cake. I blew out all the candles." Marvin laughed. "You'll be such a good sister, Marvin!" said Linzy. "We can play dress-up! And comb each other's hair. And you