He's the one who did it."
Cornelia instantly snapped at her. "That is not true! That is impossible. He was with me the entire time."
"No, he wasn't. He did it right before the meeting."
Mrs. Hodges held her hands out toward Kate, with her fingertips splayed, as if she were sensing Kate's aura. She announced, "I have a feeling about this one. A bad feeling."
Cornelia rounded on Kate, but she addressed Mrs. Hodges. "You do?"
"Yes. There is something wrong with this one. Something evil. Something that begins in the home."
"Do you think that
she
did this to my father's book?"
"I wouldn't be surprised."
Cornelia looked at her watch. "Fine, then. I must leave the building to run some errands. But I have an idea of what do to with such a student. A good idea. If this girl confuses priceless books with trash, let's give her some time working with real trash." Cornelia looked through the small crowd around her. "Where is your teacher?"
Social Studies 8 timidly raised her hand. "Here, Mrs. Whittaker-Austin."
"This student will spend her lunchtime hauling trash with Pogo. I think it will teach her a valuable lesson."
Social Studies 8 replied, "Yes, I agree." She turned to Kate. "Go on. You heard Mrs. Whittaker-Austin."
Kate scanned the faces of the crowd—the Mushroom Children, Mrs. Hodges, Cornelia, Whit She answered with dignity. "Fine. I'd rather haul trash with Pogo than eat lunch with any of you."
Kate held her head high as the others trooped past, leaving her and Pogo behind. Kate turned cautiously, not knowing what to expect. Pogo was staring at her curiously, tilting her head from left to right and shifting from foot to foot.
13. An Unfortunate Encounter with a Shopping Cart
Pogo crooked a finger, indicating that Kate should follow her. The pair took off on a long walk down eight flights of stairs, across the lobby, and down another flight to the basement. There, Pogo turned right and ducked into the Protein Lab.
The Protein Lab was the same size as a classroom. It contained a wall phone, a long metal table, a sink, and two horizontal refrigerators on wheels. Pogo took hold of a large plastic-lined trash bin, also on wheels, and pushed it toward Kate. She grabbed a second bin for herself. Then, to Kate's utter surprise, she spoke:
"Sippity sup, sippity sup.
Sippity, sippity sup."
Kate said, "What was that?" but it was a question that was not to be answered. Pogo wheeled her trash bin out the door and turned left. Kate did the same, pushing the noisy, smelly container down the eerily lit hallway. They arrived at a steel door to the outside, which Pogo quickly opened. A man who had been sitting on the loading dock jumped to his feet.
The man was tall and thin, with long brown hair and a straggly brown beard. He was dressed in a clash of styles and colors, as if his clothes were from a Goodwill store.
He and Pogo rummaged through her trash bin expertly, like they had done it many times before. They extracted aluminum cans and tossed them with perfect accuracy into a supermarket shopping cart parked below.
Kate waited for her turn to push her bin forward, but it never came.
Kate heard a now-familiar voice bellowing, "Get that disgusting cart out of my way! You're blocking the exit! I have things to do! Important things!" Cornelia Whittaker-Austin was leaning out the window of a red Hummer H2, revving the engine angrily.
The can man scrambled down to the ground and grabbed hold of his shopping cart. He tried to pull it back toward the loading dock to clear a path for the big vehicle. In his panic, though, he stumbled just as the Hummer roared forward. Cornelia slammed on the brakes, but the cart collided noisily with her left front fender and cans went flying everywhere.
The can man leaped to his feet and ran forward to retrieve the cart. Cornelia, enraged by the collision, hit the gas just as he gripped the cart's handle. The can man flew into the air, as lightly as one of his aluminum cans. He landed directly
Cornelia instantly snapped at her. "That is not true! That is impossible. He was with me the entire time."
"No, he wasn't. He did it right before the meeting."
Mrs. Hodges held her hands out toward Kate, with her fingertips splayed, as if she were sensing Kate's aura. She announced, "I have a feeling about this one. A bad feeling."
Cornelia rounded on Kate, but she addressed Mrs. Hodges. "You do?"
"Yes. There is something wrong with this one. Something evil. Something that begins in the home."
"Do you think that
she
did this to my father's book?"
"I wouldn't be surprised."
Cornelia looked at her watch. "Fine, then. I must leave the building to run some errands. But I have an idea of what do to with such a student. A good idea. If this girl confuses priceless books with trash, let's give her some time working with real trash." Cornelia looked through the small crowd around her. "Where is your teacher?"
Social Studies 8 timidly raised her hand. "Here, Mrs. Whittaker-Austin."
"This student will spend her lunchtime hauling trash with Pogo. I think it will teach her a valuable lesson."
Social Studies 8 replied, "Yes, I agree." She turned to Kate. "Go on. You heard Mrs. Whittaker-Austin."
Kate scanned the faces of the crowd—the Mushroom Children, Mrs. Hodges, Cornelia, Whit She answered with dignity. "Fine. I'd rather haul trash with Pogo than eat lunch with any of you."
Kate held her head high as the others trooped past, leaving her and Pogo behind. Kate turned cautiously, not knowing what to expect. Pogo was staring at her curiously, tilting her head from left to right and shifting from foot to foot.
13. An Unfortunate Encounter with a Shopping Cart
Pogo crooked a finger, indicating that Kate should follow her. The pair took off on a long walk down eight flights of stairs, across the lobby, and down another flight to the basement. There, Pogo turned right and ducked into the Protein Lab.
The Protein Lab was the same size as a classroom. It contained a wall phone, a long metal table, a sink, and two horizontal refrigerators on wheels. Pogo took hold of a large plastic-lined trash bin, also on wheels, and pushed it toward Kate. She grabbed a second bin for herself. Then, to Kate's utter surprise, she spoke:
"Sippity sup, sippity sup.
Sippity, sippity sup."
Kate said, "What was that?" but it was a question that was not to be answered. Pogo wheeled her trash bin out the door and turned left. Kate did the same, pushing the noisy, smelly container down the eerily lit hallway. They arrived at a steel door to the outside, which Pogo quickly opened. A man who had been sitting on the loading dock jumped to his feet.
The man was tall and thin, with long brown hair and a straggly brown beard. He was dressed in a clash of styles and colors, as if his clothes were from a Goodwill store.
He and Pogo rummaged through her trash bin expertly, like they had done it many times before. They extracted aluminum cans and tossed them with perfect accuracy into a supermarket shopping cart parked below.
Kate waited for her turn to push her bin forward, but it never came.
Kate heard a now-familiar voice bellowing, "Get that disgusting cart out of my way! You're blocking the exit! I have things to do! Important things!" Cornelia Whittaker-Austin was leaning out the window of a red Hummer H2, revving the engine angrily.
The can man scrambled down to the ground and grabbed hold of his shopping cart. He tried to pull it back toward the loading dock to clear a path for the big vehicle. In his panic, though, he stumbled just as the Hummer roared forward. Cornelia slammed on the brakes, but the cart collided noisily with her left front fender and cans went flying everywhere.
The can man leaped to his feet and ran forward to retrieve the cart. Cornelia, enraged by the collision, hit the gas just as he gripped the cart's handle. The can man flew into the air, as lightly as one of his aluminum cans. He landed directly
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