Chapter 22

Chapter 22 The shockwave had started my skateboard rolling, then bouncing uncontrollably down the steps. Desperately, I wrapped a vine around the board to keep from being thrown off. At the bottom of the steps, I landed on the street with a bounce, and because Capitol Hill is pretty steep, I kept on rolling and picking up speed. I didn't know how I was going to stop. But I didn't want to stop! I just wanted to get away from the angry mob, which was now chasing me.

Leading the pack of furious donkeys, pigs, sheep, ducks, and nearly naked geese was the President himself, screaming, "Get him! Get Flyblap!" Then I heard a whistling-munching sort of sound in the air. I looked up to see an animal falling out of the sky. It looked like it was going to fall right on top of me! SPLAT! It did fall right on top of me! It was Nina! She was still chewing on a big chunk of my statue. I always knew she would eat me one day! "Nina!" I scolded as we careened uncontrollably through the rubble-strewn streets of the half-ruined city. "You destroyed the Capitol, the White House, most of the city, my statue, and my reputation! I hope you're happy!" "Not really," said Nina, spitting out a mouthful of statue. "You tasted terrible." "That's hurtful," I said.

Behind us the screaming, yelling, and bleating were getting louder. The crowd was gaining on us. "Nina! The President, the Congress, the Supreme Court, the Secret Service, the Army, the Navy, the Marines, the Coast Guard, the Department of Agriculture, AND the TV news reporters are all chasing us! Even you can't outrun them all! We've got to find somewhere to hide!"

"How about behind that very large metal pickle?" asked Nina. Nina swerved the skateboard, and we crashed to a stop in the shadow of a giant pickle, just in time. The President, the Congress, the Supreme Court, the Secret Service, the Army, the Navy, the Marines, the Coast Guard, the Department of Agriculture, AND the TV news reporters all rushed past. "Aha," I whispered. "I just solved the mystery of the big, lost pickle paperweight."

"Big dill," said Nina.