13 PSSSHHHHH!

CHAPTER 13 PSSSHHHHH! The white balloon goon lurched toward the two boys. "Rip, run!" Alexander shouted. "No," Rip said. "It's just a balloon." He picked up a giant clown shoe. "I say we fight." Alexander scrambled onto the picnic table. The balloon goon opened a large valve on the bouncy castle. Air rushed out with a great PSSSNNNNNNN! The goon chomped on the valve, swelling up from the escaping air. "It's eating the air," Rip said.

"It all makes sense now!" yelled Alexander. "The flat tires, the dodgeball, my mattress—these goons have been stealing air from everything in town!" The balloon goon had doubled in size. It had four wiggly arms, all reaching for Rip. Rip held the floppy shoe like a baseball bat. "You don't scare me."

The goon scrunched down like a spring and then vaulted toward Rip. Rip swung the pointy- toed shoe with both hands SPLACK! making a tear in the goon's silky belly. The monster collapsed as the air whooshed out of its wound. Alexander shouted down to Rip. "You did it!" Rip twirled the shoe on the end of his finger. "Of course I did, Salamander." Then one hundred more balloon goons came to the party.