“Don’t eat too much!” she cried, half-covering her eyes as she watched him swallow another mouthful.

“I have to grow big enough so that Cuddles is hamster size compared to me,” Evan said. He grabbed another hunk.

He could already feel himself start to grow. His head was already over the tops of the lockers.

Back in the classroom, Conan let out another terrified wail.

“Let’s go!” Evan boomed. His voice thundered deeply in his new, larger body. He could feel himself growing taller. Taller.

He had to lower his head to get through the classroom door.

Kids and teachers moved out of his way, crying out their surprise and alarm.

He crossed the room, passed Mr. Murphy, and stepped up to the giant hamster. “I’m as big as Cuddles!” Evan called down to Andy.

He reached out and lifted Conan from Cuddles’s paws. Cuddles reached out to take Conan back. But Evan lowered him gently to the floor.

“Hellllp me! Helllp me!” Conan ran bawling from the room.

Evan turned to face the hamster. They stared at each other eye to eye.

Cuddles’s huge pink nose twitched. He sniffed Evan, inhaling so hard that Evan was nearly sucked forward.

Evan took a step back.

Keep growing! he urged himself. I’ve got to keep growing!

Cuddles eyed him warily, still sniffing. His watery black eyes stared hard as if trying to figure out if Evan was friend or foe.

“Don’t you remember me, Cuddles?” Evan said softly. “Remember, I’m the one who fed you after school every day?”

Keep growing! he silently urged himself.

Why aren’t I growing any taller?

Down below, he could see Andy, Mr. Murphy, and the others huddled against the far wall, staring up at the two giants in hushed terror.

Keep growing! Keep growing!

There was no way he could pick Cuddles up now, Evan realized. They were exactly the same height. And Cuddles outweighed him by at least a ton!

Keep growing!

“What’s wrong, Andy?” Evan called down to her in a trembling voice. “I ate tons of the stuff. Why did I stop growing?”

“I don’t know!” she called up to him. Her voice sounded as tiny as a mouse’s squeak.

He saw that she had the blue can in her hand. She was turning it over, reading the label. “I don’t know, Evan!” she shouted. “I don’t know why you’re not growing!”

Then, as Evan turned back to face Cuddles, the hamster reached out and grabbed his waist with both front paws.

“Ow!” Evan cried as the hamster tried to lift him off the floor.

Gazing up, he saw the gaping hamster mouth open, the sharp white teeth emerge.

Evan squirmed desperately, pulling himself loose. Then he wrapped both arms around the hamster’s middle.

They started to wrestle. Evan fought hard, but the hamster overpowered him. Cuddles rolled Evan onto his back on the floor.

Evan spun quickly away, climbed to his feet, and pulled the hamster down.

The two giants wrestled over the floor, surrounded by the shrill screams of teachers and kids.

Grow bigger! Grow bigger—now! Evan pleaded.

But it was too late, he saw.

The hamster lowered its hot, furry body over him. Evan could feel the creature’s booming heartbeat as it pressed him to the floor.

Then its teeth rose up over Evan’s head.

The hamster’s mouth opened wide.

The teeth swung down.

A wave of hot, sour hamster breath blew down over Evan.

He shut his eyes.

“Sorry,” he murmured to Andy.

He held his breath and waited for the teeth to clamp down.

Evan heard a pop, like the sound of a cork flying off a bottle.

Still sprawled on his back on the floor, Evan opened his eyes.

“Huh?” Cuddles had disappeared. Vanished.

Evan stared up at the startled faces of kids and teachers against the wall. “Wh-where’s Cuddles?” he stammered.

Andy stood frozen like a statue, her mouth open.

Evan slowly realized that she was nearly as big as he was. In fact, everyone was about his size.

He pulled himself up to a sitting position. “Hey—I’m back to my normal size!” he cried. He shook his head hard as if trying to shake away his close call with the giant hamster.