Marvin didn’t know. “It’s not fair!” he exclaimed. “Everybody picks on Joe. First the kids at school, and now my own parents!”
“We’re not picking on him. We’re trying to help him.”
“You think he’s a liar!”
“I like Joe, but I’m worried about him. You have to admit that some of the things he does are a bit odd.”
“He’s my friend,” said Marvin.
“I think I better call the police,” said Marvin’s mother.
Linzy began to cry.
“He’s not a criminal!” said Marvin. But despite all his protests, he was worried about Joe, too.
Marvin’s mother went to the phone, but just as she reached for it, it rang.
She picked it up. “Hello?”
Marvin saw her face brighten. “Hi, Joe,” she said. “We were—You’re very welcome. Well, thank you. We enjoyed your visit, too. May I please talk to your mother? Oh, I see. Listen, you really shouldn’t have—what? Okay, well, bye.”
She hung up. “That was Joe. He called to thank us.”
“See, I told you everything was okay,” said Marvin.
Marvin’s mother still looked worried.
12
Wizzle-what?
Monday morning, Marvin left his house carrying a package of paper plates. He tapped the red post for luck as he walked through the gate.
Nick and Stuart were waiting at the corner.
“What are the paper plates for?” asked Stuart.
“Wizzle-fish,” said Marvin.
“Wizzle-what?” asked Nick.
“Wizzle-fish. It’s a cool game. Joe taught it to me. He spent the night on Friday.” Marvin waited to see what his friends would say about that.
“How do you play?” asked Stuart.
Marvin explained it to them. He hoped they’d give it a chance. He hoped all the kids at school would like wizzle-fish. Then maybe they’d like Joe, too.
“You just walk around on plates?” asked Nick.
“Do you try to get anywhere?” asked Stuart.
“It’s fun just to walk around,” Marvin said. “You only have two plates. If you toss a plate too far away, you’re in big trouble. Then the sharks will get you!”
“What sharks?”
Marvin told them about Lake Wizzle, and about the people who try to walk across the lake stepping on big, flat, slimy fish. “Man-eating sharks swim below the fish.”
“Let me try,” said Stuart.