4 Lunchtime Surprise

4 Lunchtime Surprise Violet leaned down to talk to Sprite. The class was too busy hiccupping to notice. "Sprite!" Violet whispered. "What—hic— is going on? Is it Bogey Bill?" "Bogey Bill is making everyone feel afraid," Sprite replied. "But he doesn't cause hiccups." "Hic! So who does?" Violet asked. "I'm not sure," Sprite said. "But it looks like we might have to trick two pixies this time! Let me check The Book of Tricks." "All right-hic-class!" Ms. Rose said. "Let's get to work on those decorations!"

Violet's class hiccupped all morning long. Finally, it was time for lunch. Violet slipped Sprite into her lunch bag. She wanted to go somewhere and talk to him. She wanted to find out what he had learned from The Book of Tricks. But her friend Brittany Brightman ran up to her as they walked to the lunchroom. Brittany had friendly brown eyes behind wire-rimmed glasses. And she wore her black hair in a long braid. "Violet! You're coming over to help me play with Ruby today, right?" Brittany asked. "Oh, I forgot!" Violet said. Ruby was Brittany's three-year-old sister. "Um, I'm supposed to do something with Leon..."

"But you have to-hic-help," Brittany said. "You always make Ruby laugh. Besides, my dad said he talked to your mom about it." Violet nodded. "Okay, I'll be there!" I hope Leon and Sprite understand! she thought. The girls sat down at their table. Violet looked around. The sound of hiccups filled the room. Kids were doing all kinds of things to get rid of their hiccups. They were holding their noses and drinking milk. One boy was standing on his head. Everyone was trying to eat the Friday lunch special-spaghetti. But they were hiccupping too much to get the food in their mouths.

Suddenly, the hiccups stopped. "Eek!" a girl yelled. "My spaghetti is alive!" "So is mine!" cried a boy. Violet looked across the whole lunchroom. Spaghetti was crawling around on everyone's plates, like worms! The kids and lunch aides started to scream. Even Leon was screaming. Violet ran to him.

"Bogey Bill must be doing this," she said. "We have to stop this spell!" "I have an idea," Leon said. He stood on a table. "Everybody repeat after me! Llib Yegob!" "Why should we do that?" someone shouted. "Just try it!" Leon cried. "Llib Yegob!" As everyone chanted, Violet ran into the hall with her lunch bag. "Sprite!" she said. "What have you found out about Bogey Bill? Hic!" Sprite flew out of the bag. He opened The Book of Tricks. Violet saw the page about Bogey Bill. There was a blank space where his picture should be. Violet knew that the picture would reappear when Bogey Bill was tricked.

There was also a short rhyme. Sprite read it out loud. This goblin wants to scare you. He thinks spooky things are neat. If you want to trick him, Make him say something sweet. "How can we trick him when we can't even see him?" Violet asked.