4 MUMMY'S THE WORD

CHAPTER 4 MUMMY'S THE WORD A tall, frowning mummy guarded the entrance to the cafeteria. Most students walked right on by. But not Alexander. He stepped up for a closer look.

The mummy was a cardboard cutout. It held the lunch menu. The BUMPY MUMMY I'll be waiting for MR. PLUNKETT'S CLASS at the Stermont Museum TOMORROW!

Alexander skipped the lunch line. He found Rip and Nikki at their usual table. Their plates were piled high with slimy yellow strips. Rip made gagging sounds. "Do you think the food will be less barfy at our new school?" he asked. "We can only hope," Nikki said, BLOOP! BLAP! she dumped a whole jar of salsa on her plate. She mixed it up until her plate was a red, gloppy mess. Then she snarfed it down. Rip dropped his fork. "You really do eat like a monster!" he said. "Thank you, Rip!" Nikki smiled. She was a monster— a good monster called a jampire.

Alexander opened his lunchbox. Alexander munched an orange slice as he looked back at the fake mummy. "So, what's the deal with the Bumpy Mummy?" he asked. "Relax, Salamander," said Rip. "The Bumpy Mummy is just a plain, old museum mummy." "But it's got these dead, empty eyes," said Nikki. "And it's covered in strange little bumps." Alexander became covered in strange little bumps, Goose bumps.

"And there's this story," said Nikki, "that the Bumpy Mummy will come alive if someone steals the Ruby Scorpion, But that's "ATTENTION, STUDENTS!" Alexander jumped Principal Vanderpanls stood behind him, shouting. "We've already packed our loudspeaker! So I must speak LOUDLY!" she spoke loudly. "Since today is Packing Day, you will spend the rest of the afternoon packing up our school! Report to the loading dock in five minutes!" Rip groaned. "No, this is good," said Alexander. "This will give us a chance to learn more about those striped boxes!"