13 HICKORY DICKORY BOPP

CHAPTER 13 HICKORY DICKORY BOPP Alexander's eyes slowly adjusted to the pale green light inside the clock. He saw gears, cogs, chains, and levers everywhere, And right in front of his nose, the Bumpy Mummy. "Ack!" Alexander jumped back. But the mummy just stood there. Or rather, leaned there. "The mummy's not moving," said Nikki. She stepped up and poked its chest. A cloud of dust poofed up. "It's so old and dirty!" said Alexander. "But the mummy we saw looked shiny and clean!"

"And alive," said Rip. "This one's just leaning against that old cart." Alexander stepped closer to the cart. It was piled high with junk. A glint of gold caught his eye. "Hey!" he said. "My dad's mirror!" "And my skates!" said Nikki. "And my mom's trumpet!" said Rip. "And there's Hoarsely's dustpan! All of the stolen stuff is here!" Alexander reached out for the Reflecto-900, but stopped. It had been taped to the cart. He looked at the other objects. They were all stuck to the cart. "This cart looks like a machine," he said. "A machine made from shiny stuff. But what's it do?"

KRICKLE-KRICKLE! "IT HELPS ME STEAL THE SHINIEST TREASURE EVER!" shouted a squeaky voice from high in the clockworks. A lumpy figure swung down on a chain. "That's the mummy we saw on the balcony!" said Nikki. "And look! It's missing a hand!" yelled Alexander. This bigger, scarier, moving mummy didn't walk stiffly like a mummy from an old movie. It glided along, making crinkly noises with each step. KRICKLE-KRICKLE! "It sounds like that mummy's wearing a diaper," said Rip. POP-POP!

The mummy's face twisted into an angry scowl. "WHAT?! I am not wearing a diaper!" it said. "And I'm not really a mummy!" The monster drifted into the light. It was wrapped in some kind of shiny material, covered with little plastic circles. "A bubble-wrap monster!?!" said Alexander. "I'm a bubble-wrap WARRIOR!" boomed the monster. "And I am ready to rumble!"