9 Tooth and Claw

TOOTH AND CLAW

They were all out of breath by the time they got back to their sleeping bags. Stink's heart was still drum-beating in his chest. Judy came up behind them and crawled into her bag. Sophie pulled her bag up to her chin. "Sorry we didn't find Mr. Crab Cakes," Stink said to Sophie. "We'll search again in the morning. In the light." Sophie let out a yawn. "Good night, sleep tight," said Stink. "Don't let the jellyfish bite!" He tried to quiet his thumping heart, but Stink couldn't stop thinking about Bloody Mary. "Hey, Webster. Let's go brush our teeth one more time." Webster looked in the restroom mirror. He stuck his finger in the hole where his tooth had been.

"Does it hurt?" Stink asked. "Nah. It just feels funny. But it makes me look so cool! Like a bad-guy pirate." Stink squeezed the toothpaste too fast and it got on his finger. Then he scratched his nose. "You have green gunk on your nose," said Webster. "And it's snot snot!" "Hey, now I know how I can prank Judy. For realsies. C'mon. Bring toothpaste." "But she said no more pranks. And you promised." "She said no more pranks tonight. But it's one minute after midnight! So that was last night. Besides, I had my fingers crossed."

Judy was dead to the world. Stink squirted toothpaste on the tips of her fingers. Then he blew on her face. Judy reached up to scratch her nose. She scratched her forehead. In no time, she had ooeygooey green toothpaste all over her face! "Judy is going to think she got vampire-squid slimed!" said Stink, pleased with himself. Finally, Stink and Webster crawled inside their sleeping bags. Even Stink was dog tired now. Dogfish tired. Webster put his tooth in the blue-shark Tooth- Fairy pillow. He put the blue-shark Tooth-Fairy pillow under his regular pillow. "Night, Sting," he whispered.

But all the Sting had already gone out of Stink. He did not have to count sharks or pancakes or sheep. He was Z-for-Zonked-Out. The next morning, Stink woke up to see sharks zooming around their tanks. He rolled over. "Webster? You awake?" "Huh? Wha?" Webster felt for his glasses and put them on. "Oh, it's you. I thought you were the Tooth Fairy." He reached under his pillow and pulled out his Tooth-Fairy pillow. He felt inside the shark's mouth. "My tooth is still in here. And there's no money!" Webster showed Sophie. "Nada. Big fat zero." "Don't worry," said Sophie, who was already awake. "The Tooth Fairy just didn't know you were on a sleepover at the aquarium." "Really?" said Webster. "Trust me. I'm an expert when it comes to all things Toot Fairy." "Toot Fairy?" Webster cracked up.

"That's what my little sister, Mimi, calls the Tooth Fairy." Just then, Judy sat up. Her hair was a bird's-nest mess. Her face was a map of green polka dots. "Measles! You have green measles!" Sophie cried. "On your face!" Stink and Webster laughed their pajama pants off. "What?" Judy asked. She touched her face. Not one, not two, but three green measles fell into her hand. Judy jumped up and ran for the bathroom. "I'm going to get you for this, Stinker!"