Malcolm stacked the coins on the counter biggest on the bottom He pointed his fusion wand then flipped the switch No humming No buzzing No whirring Just a click A thin stream of white light shone down on the coins I thought the laser would be red Dandy said Shhhh Malcolm snapped giving Dandy a warning look It’s hot Like a white flame The boys stared at the money Dandy sniffled If it’s that hot wouldn’t it burn a hole in the counter Malcolm didn’t answer even though it was a good question Time’s up he finally said clicking off the fusion wand 10
Both boys inched slowly toward the table Shouldn’t there be smoke Dandy asked Gosh Dandy don’t you know anything Lasers heat differently than fire They leaned forward their noses just inches from the coins Shouldn’t it smell hot Dandy asked Malcolm reached his pointer finger toward the money Slowly slowly slowly Dandy wiggled impatiently Well Did the change uh change Malcolm’s finger touched the stack and it came toppling down He picked up one of the pennies It wasn’t even warm What went wrong he muttered 11
Did you read the instructions Dandy asked I couldn’t They were in Japanese Dandy picked up the fusion wand and turned it over In tiny letters near the handle he read Mr Laser Fun Flashlight Galactic Toy Co I think I found the problem he said handing the flashlight to Malcolm Malcolm plunked himself down on an old beanbag chair Ripped off again What do I do now Dandy picked his nose and suggested Superglue 12
Mail-Order Miracle Malcolm dragged himself to breakfast the next morning His pajamas were drooping and his hair was spiked from bed head His sister Cocoa and Grandma Eunice were already at the table Cocoa was wearing blinding neon lip gloss that made her mouth look radioactive Grandma Eunice just sat and ate her bran flakes and prunes She was actually Malcolm’s great-grandmother and he thought she was probably older than electricity 13
