Wayside School Beneath the Cloud of Doom (Wayside School 4)

Deedee counted the points on her fork.

D.J. swirled his plastic fork through the gray muck. “Well, here goes,” he announced.

He poked his fork into something solid. It could have been a vegetable, or maybe a piece of meat, or perhaps part of a shoe.

He lowered his fork. “Maybe later,” he said.

“Looks delicious!” Kathy said enthusiastically. She took a big spoonful, brought it to her mouth, and swallowed.

“Yummy!” she declared.

The other kids couldn’t be sure. They could never tell anymore when Kathy was speaking in opposites.

Calvin stabbed something gooey with his fork. He brought it to his mouth, chewed a while, and then chewed some more.

“Well?” asked Bebe.

Calvin wasn’t sure how to describe it. “Red,” he said at last.

“Red?” questioned Allison. “That’s a color, not a taste.”

“And blue,” said Calvin.

Rondi took a bite. She chewed awhile. “Purple!” she declared.

“I taste yellow!” said Todd.

Dana swallowed. “Pink!” she exclaimed.

John finished chewing, then swallowed. “Kind of a blue green,” he said.

“It’s delicious,” said Sharie. “Purple and green with yellow polka dots.”

The more they chewed, the more colors they tasted.

“That’s silly,” said Allison. She took a bite.

Her eyes shone. She tasted orange, with green and purple stripes, and a black outline.

“Do you like it?” asked Rondi.

“Only the best lunch ever!” said Allison.

Mr. Pepperadder grabbed and shook Miss Mush’s arm. “They like it!” he said excitedly. “Look at them! They really like it.”

Miss Mush didn’t say a word. A tear rolled down her sweaty and sooty cheek.

“Did you write down the recipe?” he asked.

Miss Mush shook her head. “There is no recipe,” she whispered. “No two rainbows are the same.”

She gazed out across the lunchroom. This was all she ever wanted.

Everybody chewed.