فصل پنجاه و دوم

chapter-52

“Everyone, please pay very close attention,” cried Mr. Lemoncello through a squealing, screeching megaphone. “The Dewey decimal doors are now open and, unlike Tuck, this game will not be everlasting. Therefore, it is time to race upstairs like the rats of NIMH!” Kyle and his teammates heard Mr. Lemoncello’s announcement but stayed inside Community Meeting Room B so they could examine the dusty old boot box.

“It’s from when Mr. Lemoncello was our age,” said Haley. “Here. I’m pretty sure this is what we need.” She handed Kyle a large manila envelope sealed up with tons of tape. “First and Worst Idea Ever” had been scribbled on the front.

“Awesome,” said Kyle as he started undoing the tape. “The clue said his first idea might be our best solution.” Inside the envelope were a stack of cards, a bunch of rubber stamps, an ink pad, and a sheet of three-ring-binder paper filled with a fifth grader’s sloppy handwriting.

Kyle read out loud what the young Luigi Lemoncello had written: “ ‘Presenting First Letters: the Amazingly Incredible Secret Code Game.’ ” Haley held up some of the cards. Each one showed a cartoony drawing and a single letter: Apple = A, Bee = B, Carrot = C, and so on.

Kyle continued reading: “ ‘Want to send your friend a secret message to meet you after school? Just use your super-secret rubber stamps.’ ” Miguel examined a couple of the wood-handled stamps. “The stamps match the cards.” “So how exactly do you use this junk to tell your friends to meet you after school?” asked Akimi.

“This is so bad,” said Kyle. “ ‘Moon, Elephant, Elephant, Tiger. Moon, Elephant. Apple, Flamingo …’ ” Akimi held up her hand. “Okay. Stop. I get it.” “Maybe it was for little kids,” said Sierra.

“Definitely,” said Kyle. “Because anybody over the age of six could crack this code in like ten seconds.” And then he froze.

“This is it!”

He went to the wall with the list of library cards. “What would happen if we played First Letters with these book titles?”

“Okay,” said Miguel, moving to a clean space on the wall. “Here are the first letters of all the titles.” I N O N S E T H T T A T O U T A A S A W ? ? I T “It still makes no sense,” said Akimi.

“Wait a second,” said Sierra. “If the title starts with an article, drop that word, and use the letter from the second word.” “Got it,” said Miguel.

I N O N S E T H E W A Y O U T W A S A W ? ? I N “Okay,” said Akimi. “It’s making some sense.” She went to the board and broke Miguel’s string of letters into words.

I /N O N /S E T /H E /W A Y/ O U T/ W A S /A /W ? ?/ I N “Hang on,” said Kyle. “It could be …” I N/ O N /S E/ T H E /W A Y/ O U T/ W A S /A /W ? ?/ I N “What’s ‘In on se’?” said Akimi.

“Wait! Look!” said Miguel. “The books on the second and third library cards actually start with numbers!” Kyle grabbed a marker:

I N/ 1 9 6 8/ T H E /W A Y/ O U T/ W A S /A /W ? ?/ I N “Hang on,” said Haley. “You know all those questions in the trivia contest Friday? I did so badly, I Googled a bunch of them later that night. They were all from 1968.” “You guys?” said Sierra. “I did some research, too. Mr. Lemoncello was born in 1956. That means he turned twelve in 1968.” “Oh-kay,” said Akimi. “Is this something besides a fun fact to know and tell?” “You bet it is,” said Kyle. “Nineteen sixty-eight is key. And we don’t need Charles’s library card to finish this phrase.” He went to the whiteboard.

IN 1968, THE WAY OUT WAS A WAY IN.

“So what happened in 1968?” said Haley.

“Was that when Charlie and the Chocolate Factory came out?” asked Miguel.

“No,” said Sierra. “Nineteen sixty-four.” “So what’s up with the candy clue from the Art and Artifacts Room?” “We messed up,” said Akimi. “We need to go back and find a new rhyme for ‘Andy’!” “Really?” said Haley. “I thought he got kicked out for cheating.” “Another long story,” said Miguel.

“For later,” said Kyle. “Right now, we need to be on the third floor!”