And now where can I run? Where can I hide?

The answer came to him as he neared Kermit’s house. Two doors down, a lot had been cleared. And an enormous stack of lumber had been piled at the back. Someone was about to build a house on the lot.

Breathing hard, sweat pouring down his broad forehead, Evan turned and ran across the lot. He ducked behind the tall pile of lumber. And stopped.

He dropped to his knees and leaned against the lumber stack, struggling to catch his breath. He wiped the sweat off his forehead with the sleeve of his T-shirt.

Maybe I’ll hide here for a while, he thought. He lowered himself to a sitting position.

If I sit down and hunch my shoulders, the lumber pile hides me from the street. And it’s shady and cool behind it. And I can keep an eye on Kermit’s house from here.

Yes. This is a good hiding spot for now, Evan decided. Then, after dark, I’ll sneak over to my house and try to explain to my parents what happened.

He leaned his back against the lumber pile and shut his eyes.

He had just started to relax a little when he heard a voice cry: “Got him!”

Evan’s eyes shot open.

He tried to scramble to his feet.

But then he saw who had shouted.

“Kermit!” he cried angrily. “You scared me to death!”

Kermit flashed his annoying grin. “I knew you’d hide here, Evan,” he said, smirking. “I’m so smart.”

Kermit turned and called out, “He’s back here! I was right!”

A few seconds later, Andy gingerly poked her head behind the stack of lumber. Her eyes studied Evan for a few seconds. Then a smile crossed her face.

“You’re okay?” she asked softly. “I was so worried—”

“Yeah. I’m okay—for now,” Evan replied bitterly.

“The whole town is after you!” Kermit exclaimed. “It’s really awesome! It’s like a movie!”

“I don’t want to be in a movie!” Evan griped. “This movie is too scary.”

“They’re looking for you!” Kermit continued excitedly, ignoring Evan’s complaint. “And did you see those firehoses? It’s amazing! They all want to catch you!”

“They think you’re an alien from outer space,” Andy added, shaking her head.

“And who told them that? Conan?” Evan asked bitterly.

“Conan made them believe you’re real dangerous,” Kermit said, grinning that grin Evan hated so much.

“I am dangerous!” Evan declared. He growled menacingly at Kermit.

The growl shocked the grin off Kermit’s face.

Evan turned to Andy. “What am I going to do? I can’t run and hide for the rest of my life. They’re going to catch me. If you two tracked me down, the police will track me down, too.”

Evan let out a long, frightened sigh. “There’s nowhere I can hide. I’m too big to hide! So what can I do? What?”

Andy scratched her arm. She knotted up her face, thinking hard. “Well …”

And suddenly Evan knew exactly what to do.

Watching Andy, Evan knew how to solve the whole problem.

Evan jumped to his feet. His heart began to pound. For the first time in hours, a big smile spread across his face.

“Evan—what’s wrong?” Andy demanded. His sudden move had startled her.

“I know what we can do!” Evan declared. “Everything is going to be okay!”

“Get down!” Kermit cried. “I hear sirens. They’ll see you.”

In his excitement, Evan had forgotten that he was taller than the lumber pile. He dropped back to his knees. Even on his knees, he was a lot taller than Kermit and Andy.

The sirens blared louder. Closer.

Evan gazed around. The sun had fallen behind the trees. The sky was evening gray now. The air grew cooler.

“We’ve got to hurry,” Evan told them. He put a hand on Kermit’s slender shoulder. “Kermit, you’ve got to help me.”

Behind his glasses, Kermit’s little mouse eyes bulged with excitement. “Me? What can I do?”

“The blue mixture,” Evan said, holding on to his cousin’s shoulder. “Remember the blue mixture?”

“Wh-which one?” Kermit stammered.

“The one that shrank my mosquito bite!” Andy chimed in. She suddenly realized what Evan was thinking.

“That’s right,” Evan explained to Kermit. “Watching Andy scratch her arm reminded me. That blue mixture of yours shrank the mosquito bite instantly.”

“Maybe it can shrink Evan, too!” Andy exclaimed excitedly.

Kermit nodded, thinking hard. “Yeah. Maybe it can.”

“I’ll rub it all over my body, and I’ll shrink back to my normal size,” Evan said happily.

“It’ll work! I know it will!” Andy cried enthusiastically. She let out a cheer and jumped up and down. Then she tugged Kermit’s arm. “Come on, Kermit. Hurry! Let’s get to your basement. You still have the blue mixture, don’t you?”