12 TICKTOCK

CHAPTER 12 TICKTOCK The mummy locked eyes with Alexander. Then it turned and ran. "It's running!" said Alexander, "I bet it's got the ruby!" "Follow that mummy!" whispered Nikki. "Are you nuts?" said Rip. "Ms. Sargent is super tough! Let her catch the thief."

"She can stop regular thieves, but only we can stop monster thieves! We're the S.S.M.P.," said Alexander. "Okay, okay," said Rip. "Hooray for us and stuff." "We'll need to be extra-sneaky," said Nikki. "If that guard sees us, she'll lock us up!" "Come on!" said Alexander. He hurried to the balcony steps. Rip and Nikki followed. "Pj's are great for sneaking around," whispered Nikki. "My slippers are ninja-quiet!" They crept up to the second floor. "No sign of the mummy," said Nikki. "It must be hiding," said Alexander. "Keep looking!"

They searched a suit of armor, a wigwam, a triceratops skeleton, a fake volcano, and even a stagecoach. "The mummy must've gotten away," said Rip. "But how?!" asked Alexander. "We were—" "Shhh!" said Nikki, "Someone's coming!"

A beam of light danced through the darkness, throwing long shadows across the floor. "STAY WHERE YOU ARE, THIEF!" shouted a voice. "AND NO FUNNY BUSINESS!" "IT'S Ms Sargent!" whispered Alexander. "Run!" They scrambled to keep out of the light. The three friends ducked down near an odd wooden door shaped like an acorn. "Let's hide in there," said Nikki. She pushed on the door. It wouldn't budge. "I've got this," said Rip. He rolled up his sleeves and leaned into the door. "Grugghhh," he grunted. "It's stuck! And it's making a weird noise."

TICKTOCK, TICKTOCK, TICKTOCK! "I know that sound!" said Alexander. "Rip! Nikki! Duck!" "Huh?" said Rip. "It's not a duck!" said Nikki. "It's a cuckoo!" She jerked Rip away from the door. BONGGGG!!! A spine-shaking chime rang out like a thunderclap. The acorn door popped open. And a giant mechanical bird sprung out! "Grab that cuckoo!" Alexander said. The three of them hugged the cuckoo. It wobbled a bit, and then yanked them through the doorway. A second later, Ms. Sargent's light flashed across the closed acorn door.

Alexander, Nikki, and Rip tumbled into a dark room. They could hear loud gears whirring all around them. "Where are we?" asked Alexander. Nikki, use your see-in-the-dark powers!" said Rip. "Uh, we are inside the world's second-largest cuckoo clock," she whispered. "And we're not alone."