Barney and Mr. Thomas: Barney and Mr. Thomas, #1

By Mimi Strom

Book one in the Barney and Mr. Thomas series 
 

                                                                       Inventor's Assisatant or Best Friend?

 

Eleven year old Barney Gile turns into an alligator creature when he's upset. The hardest part of this is keeping it secret. Luckily, the inventor he lives with, Mr. Thomas, can help him. Barney also has another issue. He wants to get closer to Mr. Thomas, but the inventor calls being close to anyone dangerous. Barney never knew why this was until a gun-and-science loving couple starts hunting them down.
    Together, Barney and Mr. Thomas go on all sorts of adventures, each one a separate story. Sometimes they're battling the crazy couple and other times they're going to strange places like inside a video game or the Mirror World. They're also meeting people like a clone who thinks he's a goat or a brave girl who might have a crush on Barney.
    As they go on more and more adventures, Barney realizes Mr. Thomas is the closest thing he's ever had to a friend. Maybe he's even the father Barney never had, but does Mr. Thomas feel the same way?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mimi Strom
• Release date: Jun 20, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393375166

Book preview

Evolved Dust

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Barney Gile could only watch in horror from the alligator creature’s eyes—who had taken over his body when he got too emotional. As the alligator creature charged down the hall, the inventor Barney lived with, Mr. Thomas, was sprinting, shouting for Barney to calm down.  

Barney tried. He really did, but nothing happened.  

Mr. Thomas pivoted around so he was facing Barney. Try and stay still, Barney. He pulled a syringe full of time juice out of his pocket.  

Barney wanted to tell Mr. Thomas to hurry with the remedy, but he couldn’t speak. He couldn’t do anything but watch as the alligator creature swiped its massive claws at Mr. Thomas. 

Mr. Thomas jerked his head back, avoiding the claws. Without blinking, Mr. Thomas injected the time juice into the alligator creature’s arm using a special syringe. Barney waited for the alligator creature to fade, change into his eleven-year-old boy form, but nothing happened. The alligator creature roared, and Mr. Thomas’ face matched how Barney was feeling: complete horror. 

Why wasn’t he changing back? Was he building a resistance to time juice? No. He couldn’t be. It was his only remedy. 

Mr. Thomas bolted down the steps to his lab and the alligator creature followed. There was another syringe of time juice on the counter and Mr. Thomas swiped it up.  

Stay still, my assistant, he said.  

Barney couldn’t. He couldn’t even feel it when Mr. Thomas injected the syringe into the two-legged, muscular alligator creature’s snout.  

The creature collapsed to the floor and changed back into Barney.

He blinked and the fuzziness in his vison cleared. Mr. Thomas sat in a spinning chair, sweat shining on his forehead.  

Barney groaned. I’m sorry, Mr. Thomas. I just got so stressed over starting middle school and not being home schooled anymore. Tears stung Barney’s eyes.  

Mr. Thomas sighed. "You need to work on those relaxation techniques we found online. And school will be fine. I’ll drive you there every day and I’ll only be a phone call away. 

Okay. Barney sniffed and wiped his eyes. 

Also, you may be building a resistance to time juice. Mr. Thomas winced as he spoke. 

Barney’s throat felt like it was made of cotton. I-I saw that.

I’m sorry, Mr. Thomas said. 

He placed a hand on Barney shoulder. That was as close to a hug that Mr. Thomas would do. He believed that getting too close to people meant breaking their hearts. But, a hand on his shoulder was good enough for Barney. Mr. Thomas had given him a home, an adult figure to take care of him, a remedy from being the alligator creature, and a chance to be his inventing assistant. With all that Barney didn’t want to push Mr. Thomas to give more.  

Are-are you sure there isn’t another remedy? Barney asked.

Mr. Thomas’ nose scrunched. Well, there is. It’s called evolved dust. It is dust that has the same properties as time juice because it has been unexposed to sunlight and fresh air for years. I believe it may be able to work as another solution for your problem. 

Really? Let’s go get some! Barney leapt to his feet. There was another remedy. He had to go get it.  

Mr. Thomas grabbed Barney’s wrist as Barney turned to bolt out of the lab. That’s the problem, Barney. It’s only found in places that have been sealed off for years. This town doesn’t have anything like that. 

But...but.... A pang stuck Barney’s heart. There has to be a place in Blizzington that’s old. What about that old steakhouse?

Mr. Thomas cocked his head. Green’s Steakhouse? Yes, it’s been around for a long time, but I doubt there’s any evolved dust there. It’s cleaned regularly. 

Can’t we try? Barney didn’t want to sound like a whiny child, but his voice had that certain pitch to it. 

Mr. Thomas sighed. Okay, let’s take the teleporter. Maybe we can eat there, too. I’ve been avoiding that place, but I can’t remember why now.

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Mr. Thomas was pointing the teleporter—a purple orb attached to a computer-programmed rod—at the floor. Ready for seamless teleportation? 

Barney nodded. As long as Mr. Thomas was with him, he was ready for anything. 

Mr. Thomas used the end of the teleporter with the orb to draw a glowing purple circle around them. Quick! Close your eyes and think of Green’s Steakhouse. And be detailed. 

Barney had never been to Green’s Steakhouse, but Mr. Thomas had looked up pictures of it on the internet. With his eyes closed, Barney imagined a tan building overlooking a shimmering lake. The roof of the building rose to a sharp peek and above the door hung a creepy cow skull. 

Barney’s stomach flipped like he was on a terrifying roller-coaster. Wind howled around him, but he couldn’t feel it. Seconds later, the summersaulting in his stomach got stronger and the wind screamed louder. Barney wrapped his arms around him. Please let it end. Let it end. Seconds later, it did. 

Barney, are you okay? Mr. Thomas nudged him. 

Barney yelped at the sudden touch and jumped back. 

As Barney took some deep breathes, Mr. Thomas retracted the teleporter and stuck it into his signature lab coat’s pocket. 

Well, it has a few bugs, he said. We’ll have to fix that. Wait? Do you hear that? 

Barney listened for a moment. Loud dance music boomed from the direction of the steakhouse and the windows of the restaurant flashed different colors. 

Mr. Thomas tipped his head back and groaned. "Oh-no! Now I remember why we haven’t come here in a while...the city council  throws a free party here every Saturday. I hate parties!"

The front doors to the steakhouse opened and a man called Mr. Thomas’ name. The man was Willis, Mr. Thomas’ friend since childhood. 

Willis jogged over to Barney and Mr. Thomas. Thomas! You came!  

It was a complete accident. Mr. Thomas pulled the teleporter out of his pocket. Well, we’ll be going now. 

Willis grabbed Mr. Thomas’ wrist. Oh, come on, Thomas. It’ll be fun. He looked down at Barney. Do you want to come inside? 

Out of the corner of his eye, Barney noticed Mr. Thomas shaking his head. Barney ignored this. He was on a mission to find evolved dust. Sure, we’ll come in. 

Mr. Thomas slapped his forehead before he, Barney, and Willis entered.  

As soon as Barney stepped in, another voice—a woman’s—called Mr. Thomas’ name. This time it was Elouise who was not only Willis’ sister, but the mayor. 

Thomas! Elouise bounded over to Barney and Mr. Thomas. You came! She flicked her blond ponytail. Do you like my new hairdo? I added black streaks. 

You look like a bumble bee, Mr. Thomas responded. 

Barney nearly laughed at his adult figure’s comment, but he swallowed the giggle. It wouldn’t be very nice to laugh at someone’s new hairdo.   

Elouise grinned. Aw, thanks. Come on. Let’s dance. 

Mr. Thomas stepped back. I’d rather be sucked up a black hole. 

Aww.... Elouise frowned. Well, then can you at least meet some of my friends? 

Before Mr. Thomas could answer, Elouise took him by the hand and pulled him in into the dense crowd. 

Those two are like complete opposites. Willis chuckled. So, Barney how did you come to live with Thomas again? 

Memories the town Mr. Thomas had found Barney in, flashed through Barney’s mind. Mainly it was of the swamp where he had spent countless years as the mindless alligator creature, scaring the townspeople. Although Barney didn’t remember what he had done while he was the alligator creature, he knew one thing: that Mr. Thomas had worked days and nights trying to concoct a serum to make Barney human again. After turning seven-year-old Barney human, Mr. Thomas had taken him in, and Barney couldn’t be happier.

Um, he found me, Barney answered. And now I live with him. 

Oh. Neat. Willis scanned the crowd of dancing people. You know my sister is the thirtieth mayor of Blizzington? Yeah, she gets to open a really old vault tomorrow afternoon. It’s full of artifacts. Maybe you and Thomas would like to come? I think it would suit Thomas better than a party. 

Mr. Thomas bolted out of the crowd and stopped running when he got to Barney’s side. "Well, this has been a horrible experience, Willis, but we need to go. He glanced back into the crowd. Yes, we should go." 

Aw, come on, Thomas, said Elouise over the music. I just want to hold your hand. 

No, Mr. Thomas said. Holding hands is for when you’re helping a child get somewhere. It’s not something adults should do. Ever. So, we’re leaving. 

Now? Barney frowned. But what about finding the dust?

What dust? Willis scrunched his eyebrows.  

Mr. Thomas waved his hand, dismissing his childhood friend’s question. Nothing, Willis. Come on, Barney. 

Mr. Thomas ushered Barney outside and shut the doors to the steakhouse.  

But what about the dust? Barney didn’t like pestering Mr. Thomas, but this evolved dust was going to be his new remedy. 

Mr. Thomas locked eyes with Barney. We’re still going to look for the evolved dust. We just need to keep a low profile, so nobody thinks we’re doing something weird, okay? 

Barney nodded. Okay. 

Good. We should look in the oldest and most untouched place here. Where would that be? 

Under the steps? Barney pointed to the set of wooden stairs underneath his feet.  

"That could have evolved dust. Let’s go check." Mr. Thomas followed Barney down the steps and when they got to the bottom, they crouched. 

The steps were cloaked in shadows, so Barney pulled out his phone and switched it to flashlight mode. He shone the light under the steps. There was hardpacked dirt and cobwebs, but no dust.  

I don’t see any. Barney panned the light around. Nope. None. 

I guess you’re going to have to crawl under there, Mr. Thomas said.  

Me? Barney nearly dropped his phone. But there could be spiders and rusty nails. 

Mr. Thomas tapped the side of his head. But there could also be your remedy. Plus, I’m too big. 

Barney couldn’t disagree. There could be evolved dust. He just needed to be brave to find it.  

He dropped to his stomach and wiggled underneath the steps, the asphalt parking lot scraping at his knees.  

What does evolved dust look like? Barney asked when he was all the way in. 

Mr. Thomas slipped Barney his phone through the space between the steps. It looks like regular dust, but should give you a calming effect, like time juice does, so just wait and see if you start to feel calm. 

Barney took his phone from Mr. Thomas’ grasp, accidently sticking his hand through a cobweb. Panic shot though as he wiped his hand on his pants. Spiders. There could be a massive spider on him right now. How was this a good idea? 

Something wet dripped onto his neck and he bit back a scream. This place was crawling with who knew what! 

His heart raced, and he was about to shout for Mr. Thomas, but an odd calmness washed over him. His eyes widened. He had just found evolved dust.   

I think I found some, he said.  

Good job all we need is— Mr. Thomas was cut off by a man’s gruff voice.  

What are you doing, sir? Is there someone under there?

Yes, and we’re doing something important, Mr. Thomas’ grey eyes flared in the sunset’s light. 

Well, please get them out of there before I call the police, the man responded. I’m the manager of this place and I don’t want people crawling under the steps. 

Mr. Thomas stood, and now all Barney could see of him was his shoes. "Alright. We’ll go. Come on, Barney. 

Barney whipped his hand on the wood above him, hoping to collect some evolved dust, before crawling back between the steps. When he was out, he followed Mr. Thomas who was storming to the edge of the parking lot. When they were both teleported home, Barney showed Mr. Thomas his wrist.

Is this evolved dust? 

Mr. Thomas squinted at it. "No, that’s just bits of cobweb.

Barney buried his head into his arms. Nooo. We failed.  

There has to be some other place that has evolved dust. Mr. Thomas placed a hand on Barney’s back. We just have to think. Where’s some place with dusty, old stuff? 

Barney shot his head out of his arms. Blizzington Vault! Willis said Elouise is going to open it tomorrow afternoon. That has lots of dusty stuff. 

You’re right, Mr. Thomas said. But town hall is closed right now. We’ll have to go there tomorrow morning." 

Barney frowned. Tomorrow? He couldn’t wait that long. But before he could complain, Mr. Thomas spoke. 

Listen, he said. "I know you don’t want to wait until tomorrow, but we just can’t break into town hall. 

Barney’s frown deepened, but he nodded. Alright. I’ll wait.   

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Barney, Mr. Thomas called, as Barney laid in bed the next morning. Cinnamon rolls. 

Coming. Barney scrambled out of his bed, already dressed. Lately, he had been sleeping in a t-shirt and jeans, instead of his pajamas, in case he changed into the alligator creature in the night. But, the thought of finding another means of stopping him from changing gave him hope. 

Out in the kitchen, Mr. Thomas slid of plate with steaming cinnamon rolls onto Barney’s placemat. Be careful. They’re hot. 

Barney sat and let the sweet scent of his breakfast warm him. So, we’re going to town hall today? 

That’s the plan. Mr. Thomas flipped a page in the newspaper. We’ll go as soon as you’re finished. 

With that said, Barney devoured his breakfast and he and Mr. Thomas took the car to town hall. 

Mr. Thomas pulled the car into the parking lot which was empty. They got out and Something blue glinted on the road. It was a  speeding car headed right towards Mr. Thomas. 

Barney gasped. Look out, Mr. Thomas. 

Mr. Thomas sprung out of the way as the blue car zoomed past him. The car’s tires squealed as it spun into a parking spot, nearly sideswiping Mr. Thomas’ car. 

Mr. Thomas! Barney ran to him. Are you okay?  

What a moron! Mr. Thomas’ face was red as he stormed past Barney. They could have killed us! 

Barney struggled to keep up with Mr. Thomas’ pace as he marched to the blue car.  Mr. Thomas knocked on the window. Hey! Jerk, you nearly hit my assistant and m—  

The window rolled down revealing Elouise.  

She brushed a loose strand of hair out of her face. Oh, hey, Thomas. Funny running into you again. What were you saying?

The red on Mr. Thomas’ cheeks darkened. That you’re a terrible driver. 

Elouise removed her sunglasses. Sorry. But, it’s only blue cars I have a hard time driving. I can drive any other color. Too, bad the car they gave me when I became mayor is blue. Isn’t that a funny story? 

No, Mr. Thomas said. A story contains a beginning, middle, and end. Yours contained neither. And it didn’t make me laugh. 

Elouise glanced around her. I didn’t hit anything did I?

Mr. Thomas jabbed his thumb over his shoulder. Well, back there you almost hit me and Barney. Oh, and my car and you’re on the line. 

Elouise’ face lit up. Wow, I swerved around all of that? I’m getting good at this. So, what are you guys, doing here? I’m just here to double check to make sure everything’s in order. But you two can’t be here. Town Hall’s locked up and I’m not supposed to let other people in before nine. 

Nine! Barney’s voice came out as an embarrassing squeak, but he didn’t care at the moment. I can’t wait that long. 

Elouise smiled. Cool. You’re excited for me to open the vault, right? 

Barney hung his head. If only he could tell her. Yeah. 

Mr. Thomas nudged Barney. Come on. Let’s go. 

When they were in the car, Barney sighed. Now they couldn’t get the evolved dust. They would have to wait, but if they waited until Elouise opened the vault then the evolved dust be exposed to fresh air and sunlight. If that happened, then it would change into regular