Wishworks, Inc. by Stephanie S. Tolan

Author:Stephanie S. Tolan
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9780545388917
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Published: 2009-10-15T21:00:00+00:00

“You should do something about that dog!” the woman said. Max managed to get hold of the end of the leash as the man was still stumbling among the bottles. Max shoved open the door and he and Ratty, sausage firmly between her jaws, burst out onto the sidewalk. The sound of the man’s voice, shouting more words he didn’t understand, followed him out.

He would do something about Ratty, Max thought as he ran down the sidewalk toward home. And he knew what that something would be! When they’d turned the corner, he slowed down. Ratty had somehow managed to run and gulp down the sausage at the same time. She must have swallowed it whole, he thought. He half expected to hear pounding footsteps behind him, to have Jerome Fisher’s father chase him down and arrest him for theft.

“We’re going home right now,” he told Ratty. “And you’d better do your business before we get there. Because I’m not taking you out again! “

When he let himself and Ratty into their house, Mrs. Chang was watching her talk show. Polly was at the table pretending to feed broccoli to her doll. Max put away the trowel and the poop bag. He hadn’t had to use them. As soon as he took off her leash, Ratty chased Ali Baba under the couch.

“Take care of the dog,” Max told Polly. “I have something important to do.”

“Okay,” Polly said. “You want a broccoli?” she asked Ratty.

“Dogs don’t eat broccoli,” Max said.

Ratty, her tail wagging, came and put her front paws on Polly’s leg. Polly held out a piece of broccoli. Ratty took it. “This dog does,” Polly said. Ratty crunched the broccoli, swallowed it down, and wagged for another.

King wouldn’t eat broccoli, Max thought as he went to his room. And he wouldn’t steal sausages! He closed his door to keep Ratty out. Then he settled himself on his bed. He took a deep breath and got quiet.

He didn’t bother imagining the sidewalk or the door. He just imagined himself standing in front of the counter at Wishworks, Inc. The old man looked startled at Max’s sudden appearance. Then he smiled. “Welcome back,” he said. “What can I do for you?”

“I need customer service,” Max said. “I need refunds and exchanges.”

The old man frowned. “Am I to understand you are dissatisfied?”

“Yes, I’m dissatisfied!” Max said. He explained that when he made his wish, he had wanted King, not Ratty.

“Ah,” the old man said, pressing the fingertips of one hand to his chin. “But I understood that you wanted a real dog.”

“I did. But I wanted King to be real!”

The old man sighed. “That’s different, you know. It isn’t what you wished. I warned you to think very carefully before you made your wish. I’m afraid we don’t do refunds or exchanges. Once a wish becomes real, you can’t return it. You can’t trade it in for something else. Real is real.”

“But that dog is messing up my whole life! Can’t you do anything?”

The old man ran a hand through his curly white hair.

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