2 Hello, Water Bug!

Chapter 2 HELLO, WATER BUG! "It's the Water Bug!" said Andrew. Judy's eyes got wide. "Cheese Louise!" she said. A Volkswagen Beetle was parked on a ramp above the water. But this car wasn't like one you would see on the street. This Beetle was a strange color that shifted from silver to red to blue. It had a sharky fin on its roof. It had fishy gills on its doors. And instead of rubber tires, the Water Bug had paddle wheels. "The first day we got to Hawai'i," said Andrew, "Uncle Al let me help him with the Water Bug."

"How come it's such a weird color?" asked Judy. "It's got this coating called Protectum," said Andrew. "It can change color to disguise itself. It can even light up in the dark."

Andrew pointed to a silver nose on the front of the Water Bug. It looked like a hood ornament. "This is the Super-Sniffer," said Andrew. "It tracks things like dogs do, by smell. Uncle Al made it, and I put it on." "Bizarr-o!" said Judy. Andrew opened the door on the passenger side. "Hop in," he said. Judy folded her arms. "Are you kidding?" she said. "I'm not getting into anything you fooled around with." "Jeepers creepers," said Andrew. "I just want to show you the inside." Judy rolled her eyes. "Oh, all right," she said, plopping down in the passenger's seat. Andrew shut Judy's door, then walked around and got into the driver's seat. The front seats of the Water Bug looked like the ones in a regular car. But the dashboard was crammed with dials and buttons. Next to the steering wheel was a microphone. There was a gas

pedal and a brake on the floor—but the floor was made of glass! The back of the Water Bug had been divided into two spaces. On one side was a tiny kitchen with a little refrigerator, a microwave oven, and a sink with a cabinet underneath. On the other side was the smallest bathroom ever. Judy shook her head. "You could live in this thing," she said. Andrew smiled. "And it even talks to you," he said. Andrew reached for the biggest black dial on the dashboard and turned it till it clicked. glurp… "Welcome to the Water Bug!" said a mechanical voice. "Would you like to take a tour of the beach? Visit a coral reef? Explore the deepest ocean? Search for giant squids?" "Um, nothing right now, thanks," said Andrew. He tried to turn the dial farther. KRACK! The dial fell onto the floor!

glurp… "Something is wrong with my destination dial," said the Water Bug. "Please repeat your choice." "No ocean!" said Andrew. "No squids!" glurp… "Thank you!" said the Water Bug. "You have chosen to explore the deepest ocean. To search for giant squids, please turn on the Super- Sniffer." VROOOM! The Water Bug's engine came to life! Chugga chugga chugga…

The ramp tilted down, the door that led to the ocean rolled up, and the Water Bug slid into the water! The paddle wheels started spinning, splashing water onto the windows. The Water Bug zoomed out of the garage and into the lagoon! "Wowzers schnauzers!" said Andrew. "Andrew!" yelled Judy. "We've got to go back!"