3. Mom Is Ducky

Chapter 3 Mom Is Ducky "Don't be silly," Brian's mom said to him. "Why would I want to let Hypo hypnotize me?" Just then Hypo walked to the edge of the stage. He shaded his eyes so he could see into the audience. "Are there any other volunteers?" he asked. Brian jumped to his feet. "Yeah, my mom!" he said.

Bradley pulled his brother back into his seat. "What are you doing?" he whispered. "You'll see," Brian said. "We're over here, Mr. Hypo!" Hypo walked down the stage stairs. He marched to the row where Bradley was sitting with his mother and brother. Nate and Lucy turned around in their seats and stared at Brian. "Are you gonna do it, Mrs. Pinto?" Nate asked. Before Bradley's mother could answer, Hypo was standing next to her. He put out his hand. "Hello, I'm Hypo. What is your name?" Bradley's mother shook Hypo's hand. "I'm Pamela Pinto," she said. "But I'm not interes—" "Pamela Pinto, what a lovely name," said Hypo. "Won't you join me on the stage? Your handsome twins can come with you." "Gee, Bradley, we're handsome!" Brian crowed. "Well, I don't know," their mother said. "Do it, Mom!" Brian said. "Go for it, Mrs. Pinto," Nate said. "It'll be fun!" Lucy said.

Only Bradley remained quiet. He knew that Brian had a plan. Bradley wondered if Hypo could really hypnotize his mom so she'd let Brian raise ducks! "Okay, come on, boys," Mrs. Pinto said. She followed Hypo back to the stage. Bradley and Brian were right behind her. The whole audience clapped and whistled. Hypo sat the twins' mother on the sofa, with Bradley and Brian next to her. "Pamela Pinto, do you chew your nails?" Hypo asked. "Of course not!" she said. She held up her hands. "What lovely pink nail polish," Hypo said. "Yes, my son Josh gave it to me for Mother's Day," she said. "And my husband gave me this bracelet." "And what did these two young men give you for Mother's Day?" Hypo asked. He pointed his wand at Bradley and Brian. "They bought the tickets to see your show," she said.

"Such nice sons you have!" Hypo said. "So, boys, what shall we do with your mother?" he asked. Bradley didn't know what to say. But Brian did. "My mom doesn't like ducks," he said. "Can you hypnotize her so she loves them?" Brian's mother glared at him. "I never said I didn't like du—" "That's an excellent idea!" Hypo said. "What do you folks think?"

The audience cheered and clapped. "Okay, Mrs. Pinto, please close your eyes," Hypo said. She closed her eyes. "I feel silly," she said.

Brian giggled, and Bradley poked him in the ribs. Hypo passed his wand over Mrs. Pinto's head. He muttered some strange words. "Mrs. Pinto, please open your eyes," Hypo said after a minute. She opened her eyes. "Mrs. Pinto, do you like animals?" Hypo asked. "Of course I do," she said. "We own a dog and a pony, and I had rabbits when I was a girl." "Marvelous. Now tell our audience your favorite animal." "Well, I'll have to think a moment," Mrs. Pinto said. "Take your time," Hypo said. He gave the audience a big wink. "I'd have to say songbirds," Mrs. Pinto said finally. "We have several bird feeders in our yard." "Excellent, you are fond of our flying friends," Hypo said. He leaned toward her. "Now, Pamela, tell us how you feel about ducks." "I don't like them," she said. "Ducks are noisy and messy and they would destroy my garden!" The audience laughed.