Getting ready for the F.O.P. Parade was a mad dash. We had to decide where to put the squares for the Horse Apple Hopscotch. We had to ask for donations for prizes. The best prize was a year of horseback riding lessons from the Davis Stables.

Next, we marked up the parade maps with Hopscotch squares. Mrs. Hendricks helped Mom organize some Moms to make phone calls and sell the Hopscotch squares. We started with just ten squares, but we kept adding more all day long. Finally, we had 100 Horse Apple Hopscotch squares sold. The fund raising was a success!

Mr. Hendricks organized some Dads to draw all the squares. They finished late in the night.

Meanwhile, Dad was still working on the “Home on the Range” problem. He was on the phone and computer all day and all night.

Saturday dawned bright and cool; it was a perfect day for a parade. Everyone gathered in Lucky City Park. At the park’s center was a statue of Mayor Lucky’s great-great-grandfather who had come to the area 150 years ago in a covered wagon. The statue was made of iron and painted black. But the paint was gone on his face, and his nose was red from rust. Another Red Nose!

The park was full. Chief Glendale drove up in a red convertible for the Parade Marshals. The high school band gathered under some oak trees with a rat-a-tat-tat of drums and a um-bah of tubas. Bree, Ting and the hula hoopers were near the playground practicing their routine. And little kids on tricycles careened everywhere, chased by yelling Moms or Dads.

Bree and I had hard jobs. We had to get everyone lined up in order. Bree was the official Go-Between, and she knew just how to talk with people. Last night, we made huge cardboard numbers for each group. I was the official Go-For and walked around handing out the numbers. If anyone had questions, I was off and running, going to Mom or Dad for answers.

We alternated a superhero or superheroine with different kinds of acts. There was Spy-Dee, followed by Aja’s All-Star Invisible Tambourine Band. Fever came next and had buckets of band-aids to throw to the crowd. And then came the Hula Hoopers.

I handed out all the numbers and headed back to help Bree. That’s when I saw Mrs. Lynx, who wore a lime-green T-shirt that said, “Official UFO Identification.” It had pictures of different kinds of Unidentified Flying Objects, or UFOs. There was a flying saucer, a space rocket, strange circles with lots of lights and more. Mrs. Lynx’s sneaky, barefoot toe-shoes were lime-green, too. But the strangest thing about her was the lime-green baseball cap. It had a helicopter blade on top. The blade had a cord that ran down to her smart phone. The helicopter blade must be an extra antenna to make the app work better.

And even worse, we saw other people dressed just like Mrs. Lynx. They were walking up and down the parade line. The S.A.C!

I had to help Bree. But I also had to stay away from the Alien Chasers.

Suddenly, right behind me, I heard that song, “Home on the Range.”

I whirled around and saw Freddy punch his phone and say, “Hello.”

Turning back, three Alien Chasers were running our way. But then, from over near the high school band, I heard the song again. The Alien Chasers turned and ran that way.

Confused, I waited until Freddy told his mom and dad where he was. When he hung up, I asked, “Where did you get that ring tone?”

Freddy shrugged. “My mom played the piano music. Your dad made it the official F.O.P. Parade song and ring tone. I got the email last night about it and downloaded it.”

That’s what Dad had been doing! The “Home on the Range” ring tone meant the Alien Catcher App had found an alien. But now, the Alien Chasers would hear the song everywhere. The S.A.C. would chase songs everywhere and get tired when they found nothing.

But Mom, Dad and I still needed to avoid the Alien Chaser App.

Quick, I found Bree and we made a plan. I found Mom and Dad and told them the plan. It might not work, but it was the best plan we had.

Bree and I had almost everyone lined up. The parade was about to start.

If you liked bugs, you might think Freddy the Bug looked awesome. His t-shirt and sweat pants had bugs glued to them everywhere.

Tarantulas, bees, hornets, giant ticks and centipedes. Yuk. I decided to stay away from Freddy the Bug until after the parade.

The soldiers marched after Freddy the Bug. The next-to-last act was the Tricycyle Gang. Mom said to put them near the last. Once they marched, their parents would probably go home and we didn’t want people to leave early.

Bringing up the rear was the Horse Apple Patrol. People who bought a Horse Apple Hopscotch square would stay for this, too.

Edgar’s van pulled into the park. Chief Glendale’s convertible top was already down, and Mary Lee sat on the back, letting her legs dangle onto the back seat. Mr. Van Dyke, Edgar’s Dad, carried him to the convertible and got him settled. The first car in the parade was ready!

It was time.

Bree and I walked down the parade line again, making a last check. Smiles, nervous laughs, stamping hooves.

Then, two cellphones went off at once, playing “Home on the Range.” There was a black horse with red ribbons braided into its mane. The horse whinnied and pawed the ground. The policeman on his back jerked the reins up, and the horse turned around to look at him. I don’t think the horse and policeman were friends.

And there, walking toward us, was Mom. She had on jeans and a white t-shirt and looked very human. No one would guess that she shed her skin once a month and was an alien from Bix. With her was Mrs. Hendricks, Bree’s Mom. She wore jeans, too, but she had on a suit jacket. I guess lawyers never really relax.

Mrs. Lynx came out of the crowd and walked toward mom, saying, “Mrs. Smith, you’ve done an amazing job—”

Her phone started to play that cowboy song. She stopped and turned around. The song stopped. When she circled back to Mom, the song played again.

“Mrs. Smith?” Mrs. Lynx’s brow and forehead wrinkled together. She looked from her phone to Mom. Then a huge smile lit up her face. And she grabbed Mom’s arm and cried, “I’ve got you.”

And Bree, my best friend on Earth, grabbed my shoulder and cried out, “Oh, no!”