Max Fernsby and the Infinite Toys by Gerry Swallow

Author:Gerry Swallow
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2023-06-16T00:00:00+00:00

“I’ll make you a deal,” said Max. “If you jump into this pile of teddy bears, you can have them all.” Max grabbed one of the bears from the pile. “See this one?” he said. “He can’t wait to meet you.”

The girl looked at the bear’s smiling face and hopeful eyes, then at her mother’s desperate face. She swung one leg over the windowsill then the other until she was sitting fifty feet above the giant mound of stuffies. The crowd grew silent as the sirens grew louder. The girl closed her eyes and took a deep breath. And then she jumped.

The second she disappeared into the pile of bears a cheer rose up from the bystanders. Some of them ran toward the pile and began frantically tossing teddy bears aside until, finally, they found the girl, crying but unhurt, clutching a teddy bear in her arms.

Max stood and watched as the girl’s mother wrapped her up in a tear-filled hug. Max felt some tears of his own running down his cheeks as two fire trucks screeched to a halt in front of the building and firefighters scrambled into action, shouting at people to get out of the way.

“That was awesome,” said Leoni.

“Yeah,” Baxter agreed. “Nice job, my friend.”

Max looked away from the scene, wiped his tears off with his sleeve, and said, “Come on. We have to get out of here.”

“What?” Baxter spluttered. “Are you kidding? They’re about to put out a burning building.”

But Max didn’t wait. He took Plato from Leoni and walked at a brisk pace away from the fire and from the growing crowd.

“But why?” Leoni asked as she and Baxter hurried to catch up. “You’re a hero. Don’t you want to bask in the glory?”

“He’s not a hero,” said Baxter. “He’s a superhero. He’s like . . . Toy Man.”

“Toy Man,” Leoni echoed. “I like it.”

“Hey, can I be your sidekick?” Baxter pleaded. “I could hold the bag for you when you’re not using it.”

“Toy Man and Bag Boy,” said Leoni.

“Bag Boy?” said Baxter. “Why not Bag Man?”

“Toy Man and Bag Man?” Leoni scoffed. “That sounds dumb.”

“Hey, I’m the one who’s gonna be famous, so I should get to choose my own sidekick name,” Baxter argued.

Now two full blocks from the scene of the fire, Max stopped and turned to face his friends. “Would you knock it off with all this famous stuff?”

“Hey, what’s your problem, Toy Man?” asked Baxter.

“You don’t get it,” said Max. “When we sold all those toys in front of Hinkleman’s, people had no idea where they came from. We just pulled them out from under the table. Do you know what’s gonna happen once everyone realizes it’s the bag that makes the toys? Everyone’s gonna want it.”

“The government,” whispered Leoni, suddenly looking around suspiciously. And then, even more quietly, “The military.”

Baxter scoffed. “What the heck would the military want with a bag that makes toys?”

“If they can find out how it works, maybe they could create a bag that makes killer robots.

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