9. The Big Surprise Ending

9 The Big Surprise Ending Our teachers were going to be fired. The school was going to be shut down. Ms. Jo-Jo was having a major meltdown, kicking and screaming on the floor like a baby. I was going to be in third grade for the rest of my life. It was the worst day in the history of the world. My life was over.

Nobody knew what to say. Nobody knew what to do. Somebody had to think fast. That's when Dr. Brad came running into the room. He took his watch out of his pocket, dangled it in front of Dr. Carbles's face, and began swinging it back and forth. "Look at zis," he said softly. "What are you doing?" Dr. Carbles asked, staring at the watch. "Eezn't zis shiny?" asked Dr. Brad. "Shiny..." mumbled Dr. Carbles. "Stare at zuh shiny vatch as eet svings back and forth... back and forth... back and forth," said Dr. Brad. "Back... and forth..." mumbled Dr. Carbles.

"Your eyelids are feeling a leetle heavy, no?" said Dr. Brad.

"Heavy..." Dr. Carbles mumbled, like a robot. "Are you feeling zleepy?" asked Dr. Brad. "Sleepy..." "Zoon you vill be in a trance." "Trance..." It was working! Dr. Carbles was totally hypnotized!* We saw it with our own eyes! Well, it would be pretty hard to see it with somebody else's eyes. "You vill do everyzing I say," said Dr. Brad. "Everything you say..." mumbled Dr. Carbles. "And ven I snap my fingers, you vill vake up and not remember anyzing."

"Not remember anything..." "Dr. Carbles, you vill keep Ella

Mentry School open," said Dr. Brad. "Keep school open..." "None of zuh teachers vill be fired." "No firing..." That's when I got the greatest idea in the history of the world. I did something that I probably shouldn't have done. But I couldn't help it. I ran over and shouted at Dr. Carbles, "You think you're a chicken!" "Arlo, stop!" said Andrea. "That's not nice!" "I'm a chicken..." mumbled Dr. Carbles. "You need a place to lay your eggs," I shouted at him. "Lay eggs..." mumbled Dr. Carbles. "Bok bok bok!" Dr. Carbles made more chicken sounds. Then he started running around