Con-fusion So are you going to help me or not Malcolm asked his best friend Dandy Help you do what Dandy asked Malcolm narrowed his eyes like a real scientist The experiment I’m about to undertake in my lab Are you going to help me Dandy whose real name was Daniel Dee shrugged What kind of experiment 4
Fusion Malcolm answered He was more eager to start than to explain Dandy scratched his head Fusion Is that a real word I don’t make up words Malcolm said It’s real Will we have to sneak your sister’s blow-dryer again Dandy asked grinning Malcolm grinned back Maybe He’d say anything to get Dandy’s help except make up words Count me in The boys bounced down the creaky steps into Malcolm’s lab Only it was really just the basement Malcolm had shoved most everything stored there in the corner On a long counter he kept his chemistry set gizmos and gadgets The rotten-egg odor of last week’s stink bomb still hung in the air 5
Hey Malcolm What are we going to fu fu uh fusion Money Malcolm said I have an idea that I think will help the economy Dandy scratched his head What’s the economy Dandy was a great best friend but for a ten-year-old he sure didn’t know much Malcolm sighed and patiently explained The economy has to do with earning and spending money Dandy picked his nose Doesn’t sound very scientific Wait till you see what I’m going to do You know when something costs 97 and you have to dig in your pocket to find three quarters two dimes and two pennies Dandy silently counted on his fingers to double-check 6
Well most people hate having change jingling around in their pockets so they have to give the clerk a dollar bill Then they get back three pennies which means they still have change jingling around in their pockets Okay Dandy said with a blank face Well why should change be separate Wouldn’t it be easier to buy something for 97 if the three quarters two dimes and two pennies were stuck together Dandy nodded his head Oh yeah I get it Like with superglue No Malcolm said rolling his eyes We’ll fuse it together Then we’ll present our idea to the government and win a medal from the president Cool Dandy said picking his nose again So do you want me to sneak your sister’s blow-dryer 7
