Chapter 9

Epilogue The Connolly kids took off in a flash when they saw Moosh sprinting in their direction. She cleared that fence by an easy foot, and the back door to the Connolly's house wasn't strong enough to keep her out. The Connolly kids found themselves between a rock and a hard place: the rock being Moosh and the hard place being, well, Mrs. Connolly. I don't think they'll be allowed outside for the rest of the summer. I picked Moosh up by the scruff of her neck and carried her back out the giant Moosh-shaped hole in the door. Everything that had been buried in the yard came to light, including the T. rex–eating unicorn, which was in reality a gardening tool

and some marbles. Nope, wasn't on my list, either. The squad and the chipmunks and the squirrels all worked together to make something out of the scrap wood, the Ping-Pong balls, the marbles, the gardening tool, and everything else they gathered up from the yard. "I think we should call it E Pluribus Unum," announced Dirt. "It's Latin for 'one big hole,'" said Sugar, tearing up with emotion. "No, it's Latin for 'out of many, one,'" explained Dirt. "It means that when all of us come together, we make one. Whether we are

chickens, chipmunks, dogs, squirrels, or butterflies. And we are stronger that way." "That works too," Sugar admitted. The statue stands at the entrance to the pool they had all dug together. Dirt is a no-nonsense lifeguard; Sweetie keeps an eye on the weather; and Poppy's giant head appears to be waterproof, too. "I'm not gonna lie," said Sugar. "I think those Connolly kids could really use a little more adult supervision. They cause all kinds of trouble out here." That's when I pushed her into the pool.