It took Evan a long time to figure out what had happened.
But when it finally dawned on him, he let out a shriek of horror.
“Oh, no! No!” he moaned. “I’m growing! I’m growing bigger and bigger!”
Evan lowered his eyes to the floor. It seemed so far below.
“My—my legs—” he stammered.
Andy and Kermit still hadn’t said a word. They stared up at him, their faces twisted in surprise.
Evan swallowed hard. “What’s going on?” he cried. His voice boomed through the small room. “I must be eight feet tall!”
“You—you’re a giant!” Kermit declared. He stepped forward and grabbed on to Evan’s knee. “Me, too! Okay? Okay, Evan? Make me a giant, too!” he begged.
“Give me a break,” Evan muttered. He picked up Kermit easily and set him down on top of the lab table.
Then Evan turned to Andy. “What am I going to do? This is terrible!”
“Not so loud!” Andy pleaded, covering her ears with her hands. “Please, Evan—try to whisper or something, okay?”
“What am I going to do?” Evan repeated, ignoring her plea.
Andy forced a smile. “Try out for basketball, I guess.”
Evan balled his huge hands into huge fists. “I’m not in the mood for your sick sense of humor, Andy,” he snapped.
His body started to tingle again. His muscles ached.
I’m growing even bigger, he realized.
Evan’s throat suddenly felt very dry. He realized his knees were shaking. They made a loud banging sound as they hit together.
Don’t panic! he instructed himself.
The first rule is—don’t panic.
But why shouldn’t he panic? His head was nearly pushing up against the basement ceiling.
Kermit stood up on top of the lab table. His white high-tops were splattered with yellow dough. They looked like little doll shoes to Evan.
“Make me a giant, too!” Kermit pleaded. “Why can’t I be a giant?”
Evan stared down at his cousin. Kermit really did look like a little white mouse now.
Evan’s body tingled harder. The room tilted and swayed again. “This is your fault, Andy!” he shouted.
Andy shrank back against the wall. “Huh? My fault?”
“You and your Monster Blood!” Evan thundered. “I—I swallowed some!”
Andy stared up at him. “How?”
“When Kermit’s mixture exploded,” Evan replied. “I was putting the candy bar in my mouth. The dough exploded. I started to choke. The dough hit me in the face. I remember I tasted it. It was on my lips. And—and—”
“And it had Monster Blood in it!” Andy finished his sentence for him. Her face filled with horror. “Oh, Evan. I’m sorry. I really am.”
But then her face brightened. “The Monster Blood splashed on your clothes, too. That was lucky. They’re growing with you.”
Evan let out an exasperated sigh. “Lucky?” he cried. “You call this lucky? What if I keep growing and never stop?”
Kermit remained standing on the lab table. He stared up at Evan. “You mean if I eat some of the dough, I’ll turn into a giant, too?” He bent down and scooped up a handful of dough.
“Don’t you dare!” Evan screamed. He leaned over and flicked the dough out of Kermit’s hand with two fingers. Then he hovered over Kermit, glaring at him menacingly. “I can squash you, Kermit. I really can,” Evan warned.
“Okay, okay,” Kermit muttered, his voice trembling. He slid off the table and stepped behind Andy.
Wow, Evan thought, I actually have Kermit afraid of me! That’s a first. Maybe growing so big isn’t all bad!
His body tingled and vibrated. The whistling in his ears grew louder. He could feel himself grow some more.
He turned to see Dogface pad into the room. The big sheepdog looked like a tiny poodle.
The dog hiccupped. It sniffed at a yellow puddle of dough on the floor.
“No!” Evan cried. “Don’t eat that! Dogface—no!”
