7. Bradley Fights Back

Chapter 7 Bradley Fights Back In the car, Bradley sat between Josh and Brian. His parents were up front, chatting away. No one else noticed that Mom's shoes were soaking wet. Brian didn't seem to care that their mother was acting very strangely. Josh and Dad were talking about getting night crawlers and going fishing.

Am I the only one who cares that Mom is acting like a duck? Bradley asked himself. So what if Hypo made her look human again—she's still a duck! The sun was out again when they got home. Bradley went right to the phone and called Nate. "Can you come over?" he asked his friend. "It's real important! And get Lucy!" When Bradley got to his room, Brian was on his bed, playing with an action figure. Pal was on the floor, sleeping on a pile of Brian's dirty clothes. "I called Nate," Bradley said. "He and Lucy are coming over. We have to talk." "About what?" Brian asked. "About what?" Bradley repeated, not believing his ears. "Didn't you see Mom splashing in a puddle at the restaurant? And did you hear her talking to those ducks?" "I think it's cool," Brian said, looking through his pile of comics. "And I'll bet you anything she lets me get ducks now. I might even let you help me take care of them. With all the money I make, I'll pay you a dollar an hour!"

Bradley just shook his head. He got out of his good clothes and hung them in his closet. He put on his jeans and a sweatshirt. Just then the doorbell rang. "Got it!" Josh yelled. Bradley could hear Josh's big feet running to open the door. "Hi, Nate. Hi, Lucy. The twins are upstairs." A minute later Nate and Lucy walked into the room. "What's going on?" Nate asked. "You sounded weird on the phone, Bradley." "That's because he is weird," Brian said. He flopped on his bed and picked up a comic book. "What's wrong with your mom?" Lucy asked. "She usually asks how we are, then reminds us to wipe our feet. She didn't say anything today." "Yeah," Nate said. "She's just standing at the sink with her hands in the dishwater." "See?" Bradley said to his brother. "They noticed, and they don't even live here!" "Noticed what?" Nate asked. "Ever since we got home from the high school last night, Mom's been acting strange," Bradley

said. He shot his brother a look. "And Brian doesn't even care." Brian dropped his comic. "I do too care," he said. "But I just… I mean I want…" "Mom has been acting like a duck," Bradley said. "Since Hypo hypnotized her." "But it was just a trick," Lucy said. "Do you really believe that white duck was your mom?" "Guys, the duck was wearing Mom's nail polish and her new bracelet!" Bradley said. "Mom became a duck!" "Anyway, Hypo hypnotized her a second time, and she was fine," Brian said.

"SHE'S FINE?" Bradley yelled. "Then how do you explain why she's always wet?" He told Nate and Lucy how Mrs. Pinto was splashing in the tub and in the puddle. "Wow," Nate said. "That's ducky." Bradley glared at him. "And tell them how all this started, Brian," Bradley went on. He picked up one of Brian's comics and pointed at the ad about ducks. "Tell them about this!"

Bradley, Nate, and Lucy stared at Brian, who had turned red. "I want to get some ducks," he said. "The guy in the ad says you can collect their feathers and make money. So I asked our mom, and she said no. I'm too young, she says, and she hates ducks." "So my brilliant brother gets Hypo to hypnotize her," Bradley added. "Suddenly my mother loves ducks. She talks to them and feeds them and plays with rubber ones in the tub! She brought corn into the bathroom!" "What are you going to do?" Lucy asked. "I don't know!" Bradley almost shouted. "All I know is I don't want a mom who's half duck!" "Like Spider-Man," Nate said. "This guy got bit by a spider, and he turned into one. But only part of the time. The rest of the—" "We all saw the movie," Bradley said. "That was make-believe. THIS IS REAL!" The four kids were quiet. Bradley was staring out the window. Nate and Lucy were looking at each other. Brian was chewing his bottom lip. Pal was snoring.