The Case of the Stinky Locker

Max was the school’s "Secret Detective," mostly because he was the only kid who could keep a straight phrase while smelling old gym socks. For three days, a weird, glowing green mist had been leaking out of Locker 42. Everyone was scared. Some kids thought it was an alien; others thought it was a science project gone wrong.

Max stood in front of the locker with his best friend, Sam. Sam was wearing a snorkel mask "just in case."

"Okay, Sam," Max whispered. "On the count of three, we open it. Ready?"

"Wait!" Sam yelled. "What if it’s a monster that only eats middle-schoolers?"

"It’s not a monster," Max said, though his hands were shaking. "1... 2... 3!"

Max pulled the door open. A huge cloud of green gas hit them. It smelled like a mix of old cheese and wet dog. They coughed and fell backward. When the smoke cleared, they saw a giant, bubbling plastic tub. Inside was something wiggling.

Suddenly, the Vice Principal walked around the corner. "What is going on here?!" he shouted.

Just then, the tub made a loud THWIP sound. A soggy, green gym sneaker shot out of the tub like a rocket. It hit the Vice Principal right in the chest, leaving a big, slimy wet spot.

The Vice Principal froze. He looked down at the slime. He looked at Max. Then, the "monster" inside the tub stood up.

It wasn't an alien. It was a remote-controlled robot covered in lime-flavored pudding.

From behind a trash can, the school prankster, Toby, started laughing so hard he fell over. "It worked! The Pudding-Bot 3000 actually flew!"

Max shook his head. "Toby, you're a genius, but you're also grounded for a billion years."

The Vice Principal wiped a glob of pudding off his tie and tasted it. "Actually," he muttered, "it’s not a bad recipe. But you're still getting detention."