Nikki Powergloves and the Power Council, Page 3
David Estes
Chapter Three: Mr. Miyagi sees a ghost
After flying Spencer home to get cleaned up, Nikki snuck into her own backyard. While hiding behind a bush, she put away one of her flying gloves and donned one of her invisibility gloves again. She didn’t want her mom to see her wearing her Nikki Powergloves outfit when she came into the house.
Instead, she flew up to her bedroom window, which she always kept unlocked. She slid the window open and crawled through the frame. As she squirmed across the bed, her clothes made a squishing sound on the bedspread. She was drenched!
She heard a low growl from the other side of the bed. Nikki said, “Shhh, Mr. Miyagi. It’s just me, Nikki.” Her dog continued to growl. He was confused at hearing noises but not being able to see who was making them.
“Okay, okay. I’ll take off my invisibility glove, just let me get a towel first.” Mr. Miyagi started to bark but Nikki ignored him. She opened her closet and found a big white towel. She put it over her head and started to dry off her hair and face. When she turned around, Mr. Miyagi had stopped barking and his eyes were wide with fear. With a frightened yelp! he turned and ran from the room, his tail between his legs.
Nikki frowned. “What’s gotten into that dog?” she asked herself. When she turned to close her closet, she saw herself in the mirror on the back of the door. She started to laugh when she saw what she looked like. “No wonder Mr. Miyagi ran away like that,” Nikki said out loud. “He thought I was a ghost!” In the mirror all she could see was the white towel, which was floating above her invisible body while she dried off.
Still giggling, Nikki finished drying off and then removed both gloves and returned them to the powerchest. She changed into dry clothes and scampered down the stairs. The mouthwatering smell of hot homemade chicken soup wafted from below.
“Hi, Mom,” Nikki said, entering the kitchen.
Mrs. Nickerson shrieked. “For heaven’s sake, Nikki, you almost gave me a heart attack! I didn’t think anyone was home. How did you sneak past me?”
“Sorry, I just slipped through the front door a few minutes ago. I didn’t want to bother you since I was all wet. The sunny day didn’t last very long.”
“That’s okay, dear. I was getting worried when I heard the rain again, I’m just glad you’re home safe.”
“Of course. I was just down the road at Spencer’s. Can he come over for dinner? His mom is working late at the hospital.”
“Yes, honey, of course he can.”
“Thanks, Mom, it smells great.” Mrs. Nickerson smiled just as the doorbell rang.
Nikki said, “I’ll get it. It’s probably Spencer.”
Nikki opened the door to find her best friend smiling on the doorstep under a big green umbrella. Nikki glanced at his head—no underwear. “Glad to see you figured out how to dress yourself properly.”
Spencer laughed. “Hey, don’t knock it until you try it, Ice-Woman.”
Nikki grinned. “Come on in. My mom’s almost done with dinner.”
“Great!” Spencer said.
Nikki let her friend pass and was about to close the door when she heard a blast from a car horn. She peeked out the door, half-expecting to see Jimmy Powerboots and Peter Powerhats driving across the lawn in a giant monster truck, ready to smash Nikki into little crumbs, barely big enough for a mouse to eat.
Instead, all she saw was her dad pulling his car into the driveway, waving to her.
She waved back and held the door for him. Using his work satchel as a covering for his head, he slammed the car door and ran up the front walk and through the door. “Hey, Nikks,” he said energetically. Seeing Spencer, he added, “Hey there, Spence.”
“Hi, Dad,” Nikki said.
“Hi, Mr. Nickerson,” Spencer said.
“It’s raining cats and dogs out there, kids. I hope you haven’t been too bored inside all day.”
“We’re okay,” said Nikki. “We got some fresh air when the sun came out for a few minutes in the afternoon.”
“Yeah, that was weird. It didn’t last long though. I heard there was a disturbance in town today.”
“Really?” Nikki said, pretending to be shocked.
“What kind of disturbance?” Spencer asked, playing along.
“I’ll tell you all about it during dinner.”
A few minutes later they were settled around the dinner table, slurping down spoonfuls of chicken noodle soup. Mr. Miyagi was crunching dog biscuits out of a bone shaped bowl in the corner of the kitchen. Nikki was watching him curiously. Every few seconds he would jerk his head from side to side, as if he expected something to sneak up on him. He was probably worried about the ghost. Nikki giggled.
Spencer said, “Mr. Nickerson—what happened in town today? You said there was some sort of a disturbance?”
“Ah, yes. I had almost forgotten. There were a couple of boys terrorizing the town. The police think one of them was that kid who was vandalizing the town a few weeks ago. And he brought another boy with him. Witnesses said they have strange powers. One of the kids supposedly grew to be ten feet tall and attacked Mr. Davis at the hardware store. I don’t know how much of it I believe though. The whole thing seems a little farfetched.”
“Did anyone try to stop them?” Nikki asked innocently. She already knew the answer, but wanted to hear what her dad had heard.
“Again, I am just going off of what the witnesses said, but apparently Nikki Powergloves showed up and stopped them from doing too much damage. All they managed to do before she stopped them was to steal a little kid’s ice cream cone and damage a fire hydrant.”
Mrs. Nickerson shook her head. “I still can’t believe there is a little girl flying around town playing superhero. It’s crazy!”
“I think it’s really cool,” Spencer said, winking at Nikki.
“It’s dangerous, is what it is,” Nikki’s mom said. “I mean, where are her parents anyway? She could get hurt or killed. And who are these weird boys that can do incredible things? Someone has to be playing a big prank on Cragglyville.”
“I don’t know …” Nikki said. “I think it seems pretty real.”
After flying Spencer home to get cleaned up, Nikki snuck into her own backyard. While hiding behind a bush, she put away one of her flying gloves and donned one of her invisibility gloves again. She didn’t want her mom to see her wearing her Nikki Powergloves outfit when she came into the house.
Instead, she flew up to her bedroom window, which she always kept unlocked. She slid the window open and crawled through the frame. As she squirmed across the bed, her clothes made a squishing sound on the bedspread. She was drenched!
She heard a low growl from the other side of the bed. Nikki said, “Shhh, Mr. Miyagi. It’s just me, Nikki.” Her dog continued to growl. He was confused at hearing noises but not being able to see who was making them.
“Okay, okay. I’ll take off my invisibility glove, just let me get a towel first.” Mr. Miyagi started to bark but Nikki ignored him. She opened her closet and found a big white towel. She put it over her head and started to dry off her hair and face. When she turned around, Mr. Miyagi had stopped barking and his eyes were wide with fear. With a frightened yelp! he turned and ran from the room, his tail between his legs.
Nikki frowned. “What’s gotten into that dog?” she asked herself. When she turned to close her closet, she saw herself in the mirror on the back of the door. She started to laugh when she saw what she looked like. “No wonder Mr. Miyagi ran away like that,” Nikki said out loud. “He thought I was a ghost!” In the mirror all she could see was the white towel, which was floating above her invisible body while she dried off.
Still giggling, Nikki finished drying off and then removed both gloves and returned them to the powerchest. She changed into dry clothes and scampered down the stairs. The mouthwatering smell of hot homemade chicken soup wafted from below.
“Hi, Mom,” Nikki said, entering the kitchen.
Mrs. Nickerson shrieked. “For heaven’s sake, Nikki, you almost gave me a heart attack! I didn’t think anyone was home. How did you sneak past me?”
“Sorry, I just slipped through the front door a few minutes ago. I didn’t want to bother you since I was all wet. The sunny day didn’t last very long.”
“That’s okay, dear. I was getting worried when I heard the rain again, I’m just glad you’re home safe.”
“Of course. I was just down the road at Spencer’s. Can he come over for dinner? His mom is working late at the hospital.”
“Yes, honey, of course he can.”
“Thanks, Mom, it smells great.” Mrs. Nickerson smiled just as the doorbell rang.
Nikki said, “I’ll get it. It’s probably Spencer.”
Nikki opened the door to find her best friend smiling on the doorstep under a big green umbrella. Nikki glanced at his head—no underwear. “Glad to see you figured out how to dress yourself properly.”
Spencer laughed. “Hey, don’t knock it until you try it, Ice-Woman.”
Nikki grinned. “Come on in. My mom’s almost done with dinner.”
“Great!” Spencer said.
Nikki let her friend pass and was about to close the door when she heard a blast from a car horn. She peeked out the door, half-expecting to see Jimmy Powerboots and Peter Powerhats driving across the lawn in a giant monster truck, ready to smash Nikki into little crumbs, barely big enough for a mouse to eat.
Instead, all she saw was her dad pulling his car into the driveway, waving to her.
She waved back and held the door for him. Using his work satchel as a covering for his head, he slammed the car door and ran up the front walk and through the door. “Hey, Nikks,” he said energetically. Seeing Spencer, he added, “Hey there, Spence.”
“Hi, Dad,” Nikki said.
“Hi, Mr. Nickerson,” Spencer said.
“It’s raining cats and dogs out there, kids. I hope you haven’t been too bored inside all day.”
“We’re okay,” said Nikki. “We got some fresh air when the sun came out for a few minutes in the afternoon.”
“Yeah, that was weird. It didn’t last long though. I heard there was a disturbance in town today.”
“Really?” Nikki said, pretending to be shocked.
“What kind of disturbance?” Spencer asked, playing along.
“I’ll tell you all about it during dinner.”
A few minutes later they were settled around the dinner table, slurping down spoonfuls of chicken noodle soup. Mr. Miyagi was crunching dog biscuits out of a bone shaped bowl in the corner of the kitchen. Nikki was watching him curiously. Every few seconds he would jerk his head from side to side, as if he expected something to sneak up on him. He was probably worried about the ghost. Nikki giggled.
Spencer said, “Mr. Nickerson—what happened in town today? You said there was some sort of a disturbance?”
“Ah, yes. I had almost forgotten. There were a couple of boys terrorizing the town. The police think one of them was that kid who was vandalizing the town a few weeks ago. And he brought another boy with him. Witnesses said they have strange powers. One of the kids supposedly grew to be ten feet tall and attacked Mr. Davis at the hardware store. I don’t know how much of it I believe though. The whole thing seems a little farfetched.”
“Did anyone try to stop them?” Nikki asked innocently. She already knew the answer, but wanted to hear what her dad had heard.
“Again, I am just going off of what the witnesses said, but apparently Nikki Powergloves showed up and stopped them from doing too much damage. All they managed to do before she stopped them was to steal a little kid’s ice cream cone and damage a fire hydrant.”
Mrs. Nickerson shook her head. “I still can’t believe there is a little girl flying around town playing superhero. It’s crazy!”
“I think it’s really cool,” Spencer said, winking at Nikki.
“It’s dangerous, is what it is,” Nikki’s mom said. “I mean, where are her parents anyway? She could get hurt or killed. And who are these weird boys that can do incredible things? Someone has to be playing a big prank on Cragglyville.”
“I don’t know …” Nikki said. “I think it seems pretty real.”
