Do you know the story of Stone Soup? There are a few different versions of it, but basically, it's about how a group of people cooperate to make a wonderful meal, even when they think they have no food at all. They start a pot of water boiling, and add some "magic" stones. Then one person adds a carrot, and another one adds a potato, and somebody else adds some cabbage. Before you know it, there's a big pot of delicious soup. it's a great story.

But Mal was having some trouble convincing the kids of that fact. They still seemed restless, and they weren't paying much attention. Mal tried to put a lot of expression into her reading, and after she read each page, she held up the book so the kids could see the picture. She even tried to read with the book held up next to her, so they could see the picture as she read, but that was pretty hard.

Finally one of the boys yelled out, "This is a dumb story. And the pictures are too little. I can't even see what the people look like!"

Mal blushed. Her first story hour was bombing in a big way. She glanced down at the floor and saw Tikki Tikki Tembo. "Okay," she said. "How about if we move on to the next book? This one has really big pictures." She picked it up and showed it to them.

"Yea!" yelled a couple of kids. Mal looked around at her audience and noticed that it had grown. A couple of slightly older kids were there now, kids Mal thought she had seen in the bookstore before. One was a blonde girl who looked about six, and the other was a boy, obviously her brother (he had the same turned-up nose, Mal told me), and apparently a couple of years older. They were on their own, and they were a little dirty and scruffy, but they were behaving well. The girl looked up at Mal and smiled. "I love that book. I can say Tikki Tikki Tembo's whole name," she said.

"Good," said Mal. "I hope everybody will be able to do that by the time we finish reading this." She opened the book and tried to hold it up so everybody could see. It was a huge book, so the pictures were big enough, but it was floppy. Mal struggled to keep it upright as she began to read.

Tikki Tikki Tembo is the story of two young brothers who live in a small mountain village in China. One of them is named Chang. He is the second-born son, and so, because it's the custom, he has a very short name. But his older brother, the first-born son, has a long, long name and that's what causes the trouble. What happens first is that Chang falls into a well. His brother runs for help, and help comes quickly. But then the older brother, the first born son, falls into the well. And when Chang runs for help, it takes a lot longer. Why? Because every time Chang tries to tell somebody that his brother has fallen into the well, he has to start by saying his brother's name, which is this: Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari ban ruchi-pip peri pembo!

Kids, naturally, love that book. The name is repeated over and over, and soon they learn to chant it along with whoever is reading to them. By the middle of the story, Mal's arms were tired from holding up the giant book and turning the pages, and her neck was stiff from looking at the book sideways, and her throat was scratchy from reading out loud - but Mal was happy. The kids were crazy about the book, and every time Mal started to say "Tikki tikki tembo," the kids joined in and said it along with her, shouting out the last "pip peri pembo!" so loudly that shoppers from all over the store came to see what was going on in the children's section. Mal was a big hit.

After she finished Tikki Tikki Tembo, Mal swung right into The Cat in the Hat, which was also a crowd-pleaser. And when Mal finished that, they begged for another. "Sorry," said Mal, who had noticed that a lot of parents were already waiting to pick up their kids. "That's all for today, but come back next week." By the time Mal had tidied up the children's section, all of the kids had been picked up.

The blonde girl and boy were met by an older girl, maybe twelve, Mal thought. She looked

as if she might be their sister. After being congratulated by Ms. Munro, Mal headed for the bus, and we all rode home together. She filled us in on her story hour.

"That sounds like fun," said Jessi, enviously.

"All I got to do today was sweep up popcorn and sc.r.a.pe chewing gum off the theatre floor." "I had a good day," said Logan. "The cook at Casa Grande taught me how to make enchiladas."

"Cool," said Claudia. "I had fun today, too. I unpacked a new shipment of paints and set them up in a window display."

"Well, I made my first big sale today," said Mary Anne. 'Twenty pounds of dog biscuits to a lady who owns a Saint Bernard."

Then it was my turn to report on that day's work. "My day wasn't so great," I said. "You know all that stuff we heard about shoplifting? Well, it happened to me today. I was right there, too, working at the cash register. Some sing-along ca.s.settes disappeared from practically right under my nose."

"Oh," said Claudia. "That's awful. Was your boss mad?"

"No, she was really nice about it. But still, I feel responsible. I just wish there was something I could do about it."

'I'll look into it," said Kristy importantly. "Security has cameras in every store, you know. I'll make sure my boss reviews today's tapes from Toy Town extra carefully."

"Thanks," I replied. But I didn't hold out much hope that the shoplifters would be caught that way. They had done their job well, and it was my guess that they knew all about the cameras and how to avoid them.

"Speaking of cameras," said Mal, "I wish we'd had one at story hour today. I thought I saw something weird happen, but now I'm not so sure." She told us about the blonde boy and girl, and said that at one point during Tikki Tikki Tembo she thought she saw the boy pick up and gobble down a pack of cookies that belonged to a little girl sitting nearby. It wasn't a big deal and the girl didn't make a fuss, so Mal thought maybe she'd been mistaken. Still, it bothered her.

"Ooh," said Kristy, grinning. "Crime wave at story hour. What will it be next? Crayon s.n.a.t.c.hing? Puppet kidnapping?"

We cracked up, and I forgot about the bad parts of the day as we talked and laughed for the rest of the ride home.

Chapter 6.

"So, I talked to my boss some more about the videotapes from Toy Town - " Kristy stopped in mid-sentence and whirled around in her seat. "Alan Gray, you cut that out," she yelled. "Spitb.a.l.l.s are disgusting and juvenile. You are so immature." Then she raised her hand to her cheek, where another spitball had just landed. "Alan," she said. "We're trying to have a serious discussion here!"

It was Monday, and my friends and I were on the bus together, heading to the mall to start our second week of work. I was looking forward to my day at Toy Town, although I was having a hard time forgetting about those ca.s.settes that had disappeared. I had even talked to my mom about it. She told me that there's shoplifting at every store, including Bellairs, and that I shouldn't feel guilty that it had happened to me. But I did anyway. April hadn't seemed too upset (I guess she was used to it), but it sure bothered me. "So what did she say?" I asked Kristy. She had told us at Friday's BSC meeting that her boss, Ms. Garcia, had planned to review the tapes, but that was the last I had heard.

"Well, she called me on Sat.u.r.day," said Kristy. "And it turns out that there were some people doing suspicious-looking things on the tape. Teenagers - older ones. I guess security has been watching them for a while: they think a gang of kids is responsible for a lot of the shoplifting that's been going on recently."

"Wow!" I said. "A gang? That sounds major."

"Do they have guns and stuff?" asked Mary Anne, looking scared.

"I don't think it's a gang gang," said Kristy. "It's just a group of kids out for kicks. But Ms. Garcia is taking them seriously."

"Good," said Claudia. "They shouldn't be allowed to get away with what they're doing. My boss said shoplifting costs him thousands of dollars a year! He said his prices would be a lot lower if he didn't have to make up for what he loses when people shoplift."

"That's what my boss said, too," said Logan.

The bus pulled up at the mall entrance, and we all hopped out. As she pa.s.sed Alan Gray, Kristy stuck her tongue out and made a face.

"Very mature," I whispered to her. She giggled.

"Have fun, everybody!" she said, as she headed for the security office.

Claud and I walked together until we reached Toy Town. We glanced into store windows as we went by them, checking out new displays of shoes and dresses. "One of these days we're going to have to stay a little late and do some serious shopping," said Gaud, eyeing a white lace baby-doll dress. "I'll ask my dad if he can pick us up one day next week."

"Great," I said. "I could use a new pair of shoes." I had hardly thought about shopping, even though I had been spending so much time in the mall. Being there as an employee was very different. Somehow the stores didn't seem to have the same magic, now that I knew what it was like behind the scenes. April had explained a little more about pricing to me, and she'd told me how displays can be used to "move" merchandise that might otherwise sit on the shelves. Still, even though the magic wasn't there anymore, shopping with Claudia was always fun. And knowing more about how stores worked would only make me a better shopper. I gazed at a pair of black lace-up boots and wondered how they would look with this old-fashioned floral-print dress my mother had given me.

"Hey, we're going to be late," said Claud, pulling on my arm.

I checked my watch. "You're right!" I cried. "I better run. See you!" I took off for Toy Town, and arrived a little out of breath.

"Tay-see!" said Sandy, when he saw me walk in the door. He ran to me, grinning. Sandy had turned out to be pretty friendly, and he seemed to like me a lot, maybe because April kept asking me to play with him whenever he started to get cranky and bored. "See my doggie?" Sandy asked, holding up a black-and-white stuffed puppy. "Ruff, ruff," he said, giggling as he made the dog jump up and down.

"You can show Stacey your doggie later, honey," said April, stepping out from behind the cash register. "Right now, Stacey and I need to have a little talk, so I want you to sit quietly for a few minutes, okay?"

Sandy nodded, and April settled him into a corner with his dog and a little blanket made out of a towel. "You tuck your doggie in, and tell him a bedtime story," she said.

Then she turned to me. I was just standing there, shifting my weight from side to side and feeling extremely nervous. What did she want to talk to me about? Was she going to tell me I couldn't work at Toy Town anymore? Had she decided that it was my fault, after all, that those ca.s.settes had disappeared?

"I need to talk to you about shoplifting," said April. "Why don't we sit down for a few minutes?" She gestured toward a pair of kid-sized chairs standing next to the train-set table.

A knot had formed in my stomach, and as I walked toward the chair I felt it growing. "I'm really sorry about what happened on Wednesday," I said as soon as we sat down. "I'll pay you back for the ca.s.settes, if you want."

"Oh, Stacey," said April, reaching out to touch my arm. "That's not what I wanted to talk to you about. That wasn't your fault at all!" She smiled at me. "You're a wonderful worker, and I trust you completely."

"Thanks," I said, relieved.

"I just wanted to go over some procedures with you. Security came around and talked to all the store owners last Friday. They're concerned about the major increase in shoplifting lately, and they want us to be on the lookout. Also, they asked us to talk to our staffs about what to do if they see someone stealing something." She held up her hand and started to count off on her fingers. "First of all," she said, "keep your eyes peeled for people who linger in the store without buying anything. People who are carrying big bags or wearing oversized coats or jackets are suspicious, too. Watch them if they make a move toward merchandise. But if you see somebody take something, don't go after the person yourself, whatever you do. That could be dangerous. Next, don't panic. And don't make it obvious that you saw them. Instead, you should press our security b.u.t.ton, which will alert security to a problem at Toy Town, and they'll get here as fast as they can."

"Where's the b.u.t.ton?" I asked. I had never seen April so serious, and the discussion was making me nervous.

"It's under the counter, right below the cash register," said April. "I'll show you." She stood up, and I followed her to the counter. Sure enough, a little red b.u.t.ton was hidden underneath. "n.o.body can tell if you press it," she said. "And it definitely works. Security re-tested all the b.u.t.tons over the weekend."

"Mommy!" cried Sandy, running to us. "Doggie woke up!"

"Okay, Sandy," said April, patting his head. "Want to come help Mommy unpack some boxes?" She looked at me and smiled. "I hope I didn't scare you, Stacey, but this is important stuff. Anyway, I have to unload some new merchandise now. Can you work the counter for awhile?"

"Sure," I said. I tried to sound confident, even though I was feeling pretty shaky. I would have preferred to unpack boxes with Sandy, but I didn't want April to know I was scared. I watched her head for the back room, and then I turned my attention to the counter. I tidied up a display of troll key rings and refilled a box of miniature yo-yo's. I checked the batteries on the display sample of a Gamester, a hand-held computer game. Then a man and a woman walked into the store as I was straightening up a bunch .of pinwheels. I checked the couple out. The woman was wearing a long coat, and carrying a shopping bag. The man was dressed in a business suit, but a leather backpack was slung over his shoulder. Shoplifters? I had no way of knowing. I moved behind the counter and ran my hand beneath it, checking for the b.u.t.ton. The woman had picked up a special microphone that adds sound effects when you talk into it, and I wondered what I would do if she slipped it into her bag.

I ran over April's directions in my mind. "Don't let her know you saw her. Don't chase her. Push the b.u.t.ton." It all sounded simple, but what if there were complications? What if a shoplifter were armed? What if he or she were caught and figured out who had fingered him? What would he do to me? My palms felt sweaty, and my heart was beating fast. About five minutes later, though, the couple left. I had watched them closely the whole time, and I was almost positive they hadn't taken anything.

April emerged from the back of the store, brushing her hands off. "Everything okay out here?" she asked.

"Just fine," I said, trying to smile.

'Tay-see!" shouted Sandy, waving his stuffed dog at me. "Play with me!"

April smiled at me. "Could you?" she asked. "I'll be checking the shelves, to see if we need, to re-stock anything. You two can play right up front here, and you can run the cash register if we have customers."

"Okay," I said. I was glad to have the distraction of playing with Sandy. I could still keep an eye out for shoplifters, but maybe I wouldn't be quite so nervous. "Let's see your dog," I said to Sandy. "What does a doggie say?"

For the rest of the afternoon, I was so busy I forgot to be nervous. I still checked out every customer who came into the store, but I stopped worrying about whether he might be armed and dangerous. Sandy kept demanding my attention, but I was able to keep him entertained and also watch the store.

Or so I thought. Unfortunately, I was wrong.

As I was getting ready to leave, April approached me with a worried look on her face. "Stacey, have you seen the Gamester?" she asked. "Or did you sell it to someone?"

I shook my head. "I didn't sell it. And the last I saw, it was right there, on the - "I looked at the counter, where the Gamester had been. It was gone.

"I didn't sell it either," said April. "It must have walked out of here." She shook her head. "Darn," she said. "I guess I'll have to report it to security. I'll see you tomorrow, Stacey - and don't worry. It wasn't your fault."

I felt awful. I knew I had watched as well as I could, considering that I was entertaining Sandy and all. But obviously I hadn't watched closely enough.

On the bus going home, I told my friends what had happened.

"That's terrible!" said Kristy. "Those shoplifters must be really good." She banged her fist into her palm.

"Still, I might have caught them, if I hadn't been taking care of Sandy, too," I said. Then, suddenly, I had an amazing idea. "Hey!" I exclaimed. "You know what the mall needs? A day-care center."

"Definitely!" said Claudia. "What a great idea! It could be near the middle of the mall, like the food court, and it could be for shoppers and for store-owners like April."

My friends and I spent the rest of our ride talking excitedly about my idea. I was happy to think about something positive, instead of being preoccupied with the disappearance of the Gamester. A day-care center might "not solve the shoplifting problem, but it would sure help with a lot of other problems in the mall. And if the members of the BSC put their minds to it, I knew we could make it happen.

Chapter 7.

"You know how I said all my friends were enthusiastic about my idea for the day-care center? Well, that wasn't totally true. There was one exception: Kristy. I noticed she was a little quieter than usual during the bus ride that afternoon, and she didn't seem so eager to talk about the idea. I wasn't sure why. Maybe she was preoccupied with the shoplifting problem. Maybe she was just tired. Or maybe she was having a hard time accepting the fact that I had come up with a great idea - one she wished she had thought ofl-Kristy's used to being the idea person, and I think it's hard for her sometimes when somebody else comes up with one.

Anyway, by the time we climbed into the bus on Tuesday afternoon, Kristy had recovered from whatever was wrong. She had obviously given the day-care idea a lot of thought overnight, and she couldn't wait to talk about the details. As soon as we found seats on the bus, Kristy whipped out a little notebook and a pen. "Okay," she said. "This day-care center will be great, but there are a lot of aspects we need to figure out."

Claud, who was sitting next to me, nudged me with her elbow and grinned at me. I smiled back. We're used to the way Kristy takes an idea and runs with it.

"First of all," said Kristy, "I can't see why the people at the mall wouldn't go for it. I mean, it's perfect. I'm sure business would increase if people had a place to leave their kids while they shopped. And if 11 be great for employees at the stores, too. But where would the center be? And who would pay the rent for it? And who would run it?"

"There's a huge empty storefront over by the games arcade," said Logan. "It would be ideal. And I bet the store-owners would chip in for the rent - or maybe they could work out a deal with the mall management."

"There must be a lot of other store-owners like April, who are parents, too. I bet we could organize a group of them to run the place," I said.

"What about equipment?" asked Mary Anne. "You know, toys and stuff. And mats for naptime."

"Naptime!" said Jessi. "That reminds me.

You know what's strange? My manager told me he thinks somebody's been sleeping overnight in the movie theatre!"

"Weird," I said. It was weird, but I was too busy thinking about the day-care idea to pay much attention to what Jessi had said. Instead, I turned to Kristy and said, "We'll need art supplies and books, too."

"Good point," said Kristy, making a note. "Maybe we could get people to donate a lot of these things."

"We could have a fund-raising drive," added Jessi. "For start-up costs."

"I guess the first thing to do is for us to talk to our bosses," I said. "We can see if they think it's a good idea, too. Maybe they'll have some thoughts about what to do next."

And that's how we left it. When the bus pulled up to the mall, we piled out, eager to start on our new project.

But as it turned out, I didn't get a chance to talk to April - not right away, anyway. When I walked into the store, I found her looking frazzled. "Oh, Stacey," she said. "Boy, am I glad to see you. I've been so busy here today that I haven't had a break in hours. Could you run the register for a while? I'll be in the back."

"Sure," I said. I looked over at the counter and noticed that another Gamester was on display. April saw me looking at it.

"I know, I know," she said. "It's tempting fate. But it won't sell if ifs not on display, so I'm stuck leaving it out."

"I'll keep an eye on it," I said. I realized that might be easier today, since Sandy didn't seem to be around. "Where's Sandy today?"

"I'm trying out a new sitter," said April. "But she's only available on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so ifs not really the ideal solution."