Fries Alive

CHAPTER20

Freddy flew the Burger Castle float over to the real Burger Castle as fast as he could, while his father and sister followed in their car. Freddy had a lot to do before anyone got there. As he looked down from the air he saw hundreds of people streaming toward the Burger Castle for lunch.

When his father and sister pulled up in their car, Freddy had already gotten the Fries in the back entrance and led them to a room with clothes lockers. He opened the locker doors and pulled the costumes out.

“Good thing these costumes are made of rubber, so they’ll stretch. But I have to make a quick modification on Si and Meese’s. I brought some stuff to do that.”

Five minutes later Freddy was finished. “Okay, you know what to do. Meet me at the front entrance in five minutes.”

Freddy hurried off to find his dad and sister.

Alfred had his tomato costume on and was warming up the ovens and getting the fat-free fry machines popping. Nancy went flouncing by in her ketchup costume.

“Dad,” she said, “how can we possibly serve hundreds of people for lunch?”

“We’ll manage somehow,” said her father.

“Uh, Dad,” said Freddy. “I found some people to take the Guacamole Brothers’ place.”

“What! Who?”

“Some friends of mine.”

His sister said, “I didn’t think you had any, except for that cheese cube nerd, Howie Kapowie.”

“Where are they?” asked Alfred.

“Here we are,” boomed out a voice.

They looked over and saw the five – six if you counted heads – bodies coming toward them.

“They’re dressed as fries,” said Nancy.

“That’s right. They’re wearing the Guacamole Brothers’ costumes,” explained Freddy. “Well, with a few modifications.”

The Fries stopped in front of them. They each were dressed as regular-looking French fries with zippers down the back. Wally was squeezed so tightly into his that it looked like it might burst open any second.

Nancy looked at Si and Meese closely. Their costume had been modified to allow for the two heads.

“You have two heads,” said Nancy.

“Duh, they’re Siamese twins, Nanny Boo-Boo,” said her brother.

Si said, “Or as we like to say, conjoined.”

Alfred was looking at Theodore, who had put his glasses and bowtie on the outside of his costume. Freddy suddenly remembered that the glasses and bowtie used to belong to his father. Alfred rubbed his sharp chin while Freddy and the Fries held their collective breaths. Finally he said, “Freddy, they’re perfectly perfect. I’ve never seen better specimens. They must be very special fries.”

“Oh, they are, Dad, they are,” answered Freddy, letting out a sigh of relief.

“Well, thank you,” said Alfred. “Now I guess we better get to work.”

When the lunch crowd started piling in, the Funkhousers could only stare at the masses for a few minutes.

“Wow,” said Freddy, “so this is what it’s like to have customers.”

Alfred looked a little intimidated with all the hustle and bustle, but then he rubbed his sharp chin and said, “Okay, let’s serve these people some good food for a change.”

The Fries plunged right in, cooking food, carting dishes, and serving the customers.

One little boy tugged on Wally’s arm.

“Hey, mister,” he said. “You’re the biggest fry I’ve ever seen.”

Wally got down on one knee and patted the kid on the head. “I’m what they call super size, little dude. Put her there.” They high-fived.

The little boy held up a French fry. “Want one?”

Wally recoiled back. “Sorry, little dude, I can’t eat my own kind.”

As Wally was walking back to the kitchen, Ziggy stopped him.

“Are you all right, Wally? You don’t look so good.”

“I can’t believe it, little dude.”

“Can’t believe what?”

“I just turned down food.”

Later, the Fries performed for the crowd. Using Theodore as a bat, Wally would hit Ziggy up in the air and Curly would run and catch him. The crowd roared. Si and Meese were also a big hit. Si would laugh really loudly whenever someone tickled him, while Meese would bawl on cue.

Freddy watched and laughed along with everyone else. But then he stopped laughing. Coming in the door was Adam and his gang. And with them was Chief Spanker, dressed in his police uniform now, along with Judge Thackery, a reporter, and photographer from the Pookesville Tattler newspaper.