5 IN A PIGGLE

IN A PIGGLE "I think I saw her arm move!" said Bean. Really, she hadn't seen anything, but pretending made life more interesting. "I think I saw her breathe!" said Ivy. She made binoculars with her fingers and peered at Zellaphine. "The blanket's going up and down!"

"Waah," said Bean quietly out of the side of her mouth. "That was you," Ivy giggled. Bean tiptoed closer. Zellaphine lay like a blob on the tinfoil table. Her lips were still drooly. Her cheeks were still droopy. She wasn't moving. "Maybe she's stunned," said Bean. "Maybe," said Ivy. She looked at Zellaphine a moment and then she bonked her on the head. "Wake up, sister!"

"She'll thank us in the end!" Bean said. She picked Zellaphine up and dropped her on the floor. "Wake up, baby!" They threw Zellaphine around the room a little, but she didn't come to life. She was still a doll. Bean thought it had been fun trying, but Ivy was worried. "I can feel myself getting more spoiled," she said. "All you have to do is give me the jiggly man," said Bean. "Then you'll be cured." Ivy shook her head. "No. I won't. That's how spoiled I am. I won't give you the only toy you want. I won't even let you play with it." "Aw, come on!" Suddenly, Bean wanted the jiggly man with all her heart. "Don't be so spoiled." "See what I mean?" said Ivy. She chewed her thumb knuckle, which was a thing she did when she was worried. "I've got to get a sister." "Let's try brain food," Bean suggested. Brain food was one of Bean and Ivy's greatest

inventions. Everyone knows that food helps your brain think. But normal food just helps your brain think normal thoughts. When Ivy and Bean wanted to think un-normal thoughts, they ate un-normal food. That's why they called it brain food. In the kitchen, Ivy got out carrot sticks and chocolate milk powder. One of the things that Bean liked best about Ivy's house was chocolate milk powder. They each rolled a carrot in chocolate milk powder and chomped it down. "Dee-licious!" said Bean.

The second one wasn't quite as delicious. The third one was pretty bad. "I think we need to try something else, anyway," said Ivy. "My thoughts are still normal." She rooted around in the refrigerator and found some pickles. "That's good," Bean said. "Pickles are shaped like brains." Slowly, Ivy peeled two bananas. She took a pickle in one hand and a banana in the other. So did Bean. "Go," said Ivy. She stuffed some banana in her mouth and took a bite of pickle. "Mm" she said but she shivered when she said,, it. Bean did it the other way around. She chomped off a big piece of pickle and shoved some banana in after it. "Wg," she said, swallowing. Ivy's face shriveled as she took another bite of pickle. "I think I'm starting to have un-normal thoughts," said Bean. She took a deep breath

and ate half a banana. "Puppapiginnere," said Ivy, which meant, Put a pickle in there. Her mouth was full. Bean took a little bite of pickle. "Buh," she said. Ivy's mom came into the kitchen. "What are you eating?" she asked. "Pigglenana," said Ivy, shivering. She swallowed hard.