knew it. It says âPiggly Wiggly Food Storesâ on it.â
Sherman jerked the watch away. He squinted at the back. âHuh? A supermarket watch? Youâve got to be kidding.â
âI shouldnât do this,â I said. âBut you know Iâm very generous when it comes to my friendsâ¦.â
Sherman squinted at me. âGive me a break, Bernie. Since when am I your friend?â
âIâll tell you what,â I said. âIâll trade you my watch for yours.â
âHuh? Youâre joking, right? Ha-ha.â
âI know itâs a bad deal,â I said. âMy watch is a lot more valuable than yours. Mine is priceless. It belongs in a museum. But what can I say? Iâm a sucker. Iâm willing to trade.â
I grabbed Shermanâs watch and tried to slide it off his wrist. I hoped he didnât see how eager I was.
âWhoa. Wait a minute,â he said, cupping his other hand over the watch. âWhatâs so valuable about your watch?â
Think fast, Bernie!
âItâs from ancient Egypt. It has an engraving of the Egyptian sun god, Ra. I shouldnât tell you this, Sherman. But my watch is probably worth a million dollars.â
He stared at my watch. âThe ancient sun god, Ra? Really? Let me see it, Bernie.â He grabbed my wrist and checked out the watch. âBernie, thatâs Mickey Mouse,â he said. âDude, youâve got a Mickey Mouse watch.â
âItâs the sun god, Ra, disguised as Mickey Mouse!â I told him. âYou donât think Ra would show his own face, do you?â
âBye, Bernie,â Sherman said. He picked up his zebra-skin backpack and started away.
âWait!â I cried. âI can pay you for the watch. Shermanâlook.â I pulled a fat wad of dollar bills from my pants pocket. It was my life savings. My Eclipse Money.
Last Saturday night, I sold a bunch of second graders tickets to watch the eclipse of Mars. Two dollars each. They got to sit on the grass and stare at the sky. I told them how lucky they were. I told them the Martian eclipse happens only once every three thousand years.
But the kids were very confused.
âWhere is it?â
âI donât see anything.â
âI canât see Mars. Itâs too dark!â
âOf course itâs completely dark up there,â I told them. âThatâs how you know itâs an eclipse !â
So the kids had a great time rolling around in the grass, staying up all night, partying with their friends.
And good old Bernie B. made a bundle that night. And now I waved the big wad of cash in front of Shermanâs nose.
He sniffed it like a dog.
âItâs all yours,â I said. âCash money. For your watch.â
Suddenly, a shadow fell over me.
I spun aroundâand saw Headmaster Upchuck standing right behind me. His eyes werenât on me. They were on the thick wad of cash in my hand.
âBernie Bridges!â the Headmaster cried. âYoung man, what are you doing with all that cash?â
Chapter 6
H EADMASTER U PCHUCK
Think fast AGAIN, Bernie.
I made my eyes go all wide and innocent. âDo you mean this money in my hand, sir?â I asked.
âYes, that money in your hand,â Headmaster Upchuck replied.
The Headmaster is short and squat and bald, and he kind of waddles when he walks. He looks a lot like a duck. Some sixth grade kids say he has webbed feet. But you canât believe sixth graders.
I was surprised to see him out on the Great Lawn. The Headmaster has his own little house and officenext to the classroom building. And he seldom leaves it.
âThatâs a very handsome suit youâre wearing, sir,â I said. âI like the stripes. Makes you look at least a foot taller.â
âBernie, the cash,â he said. âWhat are you doing with all that money?â
I held the wad of bills tightly in my hand. âThis is
Gene Wentz, B. Abell Jurus