Chapter 1: The Beginning CHAPTER 1 THE BEGINNING


··· MONDAY ···

On a warm summer morning in the city of Metrosalis, Walnut Avenue was empty and quiet but for the sound of shoes tapping against the pavement. Those shoes belonged to Tim, who sat at a bus stop next to a massive backpack. To his left sat Tito, his best friend, and standing right behind them was Rachel, Tim’s teenage sister, who scrolled on her phone with her thumb over and over.

Rachel was there, supposedly, to ensure that Tim and Tito got safely onto the bus that would take them to Sunny Lake Camp. In truth, her eyes were so glued to the screen that she wouldn’t have noticed if a crew of screaming aliens had tried to abduct the boys. It was a chilling thought, but that wasn’t the reason for Tim’s uneasiness. Tim reached into his pocket and scanned his packing list for the thousandth time.



“Relax,” Tito laughed. “I’m sure you’re not forgetting anything. I mean, look at the size of your bag. You’re basically ready for the apocalypse!”

Tito wasn’t exaggerating. Tim had packed clothes for every occasion and weather possibility. He was carrying enough shampoo, shower gel, and sunscreen to last a year. He had a fully stocked first aid kit, complete with bandages of all sizes and colors and three different kinds of bug repellent. And that was just the basic stuff. He’d also packed a waffle toaster, an antique bullhorn, a bagful of catnip, and a travel shaving kit that he’d found in the medicine cabinet—you know, just in case he suddenly grew a beard!



Tim was being cautious because ever since he’d mistakenly drunk the IMPOSSIBLE JUICETM, his worries, no matter how wild and unlikely, turned into reality. Luckily, he’d learned to block them, but he had to remain vigilant. One slip, and he could literally destroy the world. As if that awful superpower weren’t nerve-racking enough, Tim also had to deal with the whole situation of the time-traveling T. rex living in his backyard. Oskar had become a good friend, sure, but the dinosaur’s wacky inventions were a menace to society and a constant source of worry for Tim. Not for the next week, though, thought Tim with relief. Apparently, Oskar had better plans than joining them at summer camp. At least that was what Tim thought, right up until…



A giant pickle on wheels pulled up to the curb, and Oskar’s green head emerged from an open window.

“What are you waiting for? The Picklemobile is here. Jump in!”