CHAPTER 9

“Chives, go get Luna and Antonia,” I said. “Make sure they bring all their flowers. Trot like you’ve never trotted before!”

He hurried off as fast as his stubby pig legs could carry him, and I went into action. I grabbed two buckets from an empty stall and put them on the ground in front of me. Then I found an old wooden board behind one of the stalls and placed it across the buckets.

Next, I needed paper. I searched my jeans pockets and came up with an old spelling test I had forgotten to have my parents sign. Too late now! I tore it up into little pieces. Using the pen from my Pocket Buddy, I wrote out numbers from one to twenty-five on the little slips of paper.

When Chives returned with Luna and Antonia, I climbed up on the wooden board that I’d placed across the buckets.

“Tiger, what are you doing?” Luna asked.

“No time for questions,” I told her. “Just translate. And talk loudly. We need to attract a crowd.”

“Ladies and gentlemen,” I yelled like one of those guys at the county fair who are trying to get you to toss Ping-Pong balls into fishbowls. “May I have your attention?”

Luna stood by me and hollered in Spanish into the crowd. Only a few people turned.

“It’s not working, Tiger,” Luna said. “They don’t care.”

Chives looked up at me with a sly squint in his piggish eyes.

“You can’t send a boy to do a pig’s job,” he whispered.

Without waiting a heartbeat, he sucked in air and let out the loudest, most eardrum-shredding squeal you’ve ever heard. Everyone in the plaza stopped what they were doing and stared at him. When he had their attention, he stood up on his hind legs, faced the crowd, and took a long and stately bow. The crowd applauded and gathered around us.

“They’re all yours,” Chives whispered.

All eyes turned to me. Suddenly, I felt very confident. I had an invention in my pocket that I truly believed in. I couldn’t sell flowers, but this I could sell!

“Ladies and gentlemen,” I cried. “My name is Tiger Brooks, and I am the grandson of the world-famous inventor Thomas Edison.”

Luna stopped translating and gave me a look when she heard that part.

“Just play along,” I whispered to her. “It’s for a good cause.”

“I have come all the way from America,” I shouted, “to share my amazing invention.”

I took the Pocket Buddy out and held it up in the air.

“I present to you the Pocket Buddy, an all-purpose tool to serve your every need. It has a pen, a pair of scissors, a magnifying glass, and a spork. What is a spork, you ask? It’s a combination spoon and fork. The eating tool of the future!”

Luna translated, and the crowd seemed impressed, but I was just getting started.

“Best of all, you can use these tools while listening to your favorite tunes.”

I pulled out the antenna and flipped on the radio switch. A bouncy dance tune wafted into the plaza, and the crowd cheered.

“We are giving you the opportunity to own this one-of-a-kind invention by joining our raffle,” I shouted. “All you have to do is buy one of Antonia’s beautiful calla lilies. Ten pesos each. Your money will go to help her baby sister, Sofía, get the eye surgery she desperately needs. Step right up for your chance to win!”

A huge line formed immediately, with people shoving and pushing and holding their pesos up in the air.

All three of us worked together to handle the rush. Luna took the money, Antonia gave out the flowers, and I handed out the raffle tickets. Soon we had sold every one of the calla lilies. Luna’s palms were filled with pesos. She handed the money to me, and I carefully placed it in my pockets.

The crowd was calling for the raffle to begin. I looked at my watch. It was 4:48 p.m. That meant we had exactly twelve minutes to do the raffle, get Antonia and her family to the bus, and get back to Viola and David in time to return home.

This was going to be tight.

I reached my hand into the pile of tickets and swished them around, trying to build up the drama. It worked. In fact, it worked too well. When they saw my hand reach for the tickets, people in the crowd started to buzz with excitement. One thing was clear: They all really wanted to win. The noise got louder and louder.

“Quiet down, everyone,” I said. “There can only be one winner. Let’s all stay calm.”

Luna translated, but no one wanted to hear what she said. All they wanted was to win. The crowd started chanting. Normally, I would have been happy that my Pocket Buddy was so popular, but instead, a wave of worry shot through my entire body.

We didn’t have a minute to lose. After the raffle, we would need everyone in the crowd to clear out so we could get back to Viola and David.

I swished the tickets one more time until my fingers found the one. Slowly, I pulled it from the bucket.

I hope this goes smoothly, I thought. Please be calm, everyone.

The crowd was chanting. I looked up, took a deep breath, and read the number out loud.

“Number fifteen!” I called.

“¡Número quince!” Luna echoed.

My heart was beating so fast and so loud, I couldn’t hear the crowd’s reaction.