9 GRUMPLETS

CHAPTER 9 GRUMPLETS I popped up just in time to see wide-eyed grumplets leaping backward and running off to the forest. As they turned to run, the airy, sparkly strings they'd been pulling on snapped and vanished. The grumplets were small, but they were FAST. There was no way Sassafras and I could catch up with them. I sighed and brushed off my pants. My hand bumped the footprint mold in my pocket. "Oh! We can at least see if their footprints are a match. Help me find some tracks, Sass!" We hunted through the grass in opposite directions. "Meow!" Sure enough, my cat had found a patch of mud with some footprints in it. I held up the mold. It was

an exact match. I ruffled Sassafras's fur. "Great work!" We turned back toward the clearing, but all the monsters were still fighting. So Sassafras and I trudged toward home. I hoped we could get to the bottom of this whole grumplet thing. If not, the summer was going to be LONG and frustrating, filled with grumpy, fighting magical friends! That would be such a bummer since the weather was so perfect for playing outside. Back at home, I popped my Thinking Goggles on my head. "There must be some way to get the grumplets to leave." I plopped down at the kitchen table. "OK. Let's write down what we know so far."

I focused on what I saw while they were chewing. They were taking something from my friends. And it was thin and sparkly. I tapped my fingers on the table. I thought I smelled popcorn. I

looked around—no popcorn. "OK, Thinking Goggles, what does popcorn have to do with this?" I closed my eyes and thought of the last time I'd smelled popcorn like that. "The county fair! Oh! The popcorn machine was by the cotton candy machine. Oh! Oh! The sparkly strands from my friends looked just like cotton candy!" I clapped my hands. Sassafras wove in between my legs. "What could be coming from my friends that's like cotton candy, and losing it makes them grumpy?" "Mrrowww?" "Something… sweet… and happy. Wait." I scooped up Sassafras and put his forehead against mine. I looked into his eyes and asked, "Do you think it could be joy?"

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