Felix Fumble stood at the top of the staircase.

He stared into the darkness.

The darkness stared back.

At least…

Felix thought it was staring.

Dotty stood beside him.

Captain Sneeze hovered above them.

Professor Noodle stood behind everyone.

Nobody wanted to go down.

Felix cleared his throat.

“Well.”

Nobody moved.

Felix looked at Dotty.

“After you.”

Dotty stared at him.

“You’re the detective.”

“Exactly.”

“So you go first.”

Felix nodded.

“That’s a good point.”

He took one step.

The staircase creaked.

CREEEEAK.

Felix froze.

Dotty froze.

Captain Sneeze froze.

Professor Noodle froze.

Felix whispered:

“Did you hear that?”

Dotty nodded.

“Yes.”

“What was it?”

“I don’t know.”

Felix slowly took another step.

CREEEEAK.

Felix jumped.

“IT’S ALIVE!”

Dotty grabbed him.

“It’s a staircase!”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

“Because staircases don’t usually attack people.”

Felix pointed downward.

“How do you know?”

Dotty opened her mouth.

Then closed it.

Felix smiled.

“Aha!”

“Don’t say aha.”

“Why?”

“Every time you say aha something goes wrong.”

Felix considered this.

“Aha.”

A brick fell from the ceiling.

THUMP!

Dotty stared at him.

Felix looked innocent.

“Coincidence.”

---

They began walking down.

The staircase seemed endless.

One hundred steps.

Two hundred.

Three hundred.

Felix stopped.

“How far down are we?”

Professor Noodle looked at a sign.

“Seven miles.”

Felix stared.

“Seven miles?”

“Yes.”

“Underground?”

“Yes.”

“Under Giggleton?”

“Yes.”

Felix looked at Dotty.

“How did they build this?”

Dotty shrugged.

“Maybe they dug.”

Felix nodded.

“Good theory.”

They continued.

After another thousand steps…

They reached a door.

It was enormous.

Made of metal.

On the door was a warning.

DANGER

Underneath:

VERY DANGEROUS

Underneath that:

SERIOUSLY.

And underneath that:

WE MEAN IT.

Felix stared.

“That’s a lot of warnings.”

Dotty nodded.

“We should turn back.”

Felix grabbed the handle.

“Of course not.”

“Why?”

“Because we’re detectives.”

“You’re going to say that every time, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

Felix opened the door.

---

BOOOOOOM!

A blast of air hit them.

Felix flew backward.

Dotty flew sideways.

Captain Sneeze flew upward.

Professor Noodle landed inside a trash can.

Felix stood.

“What was that?”

Dotty pointed.

“A fan.”

Felix stared.

“A fan?”

“Yes.”

“Why is it so powerful?”

Dotty looked at the fan.

It was the size of a house.

Felix nodded.

“That’s not a fan.”

“What is it?”

“A very large fan.”

Dotty sighed.

“You’re impossible.”

---

They entered.

The underground facility was enormous.

Pipes covered the walls.

Gears moved everywhere.

Machines beeped.

Lights flashed.

Yellow smoke floated through the air.

Felix stared.

“What is this place?”

Professor Noodle looked nervous.

“I don’t know.”

Felix turned.

“You don’t know?”

“No.”

“You’re a professor!”

“Yes.”

“Shouldn’t you know?”

“Not necessarily.”

Felix sighed.

“Fine.”

Dotty walked toward a machine.

She read a label.

SNEEZE PRESSURE CONTROL SYSTEM

She stared.

“Felix.”

“Yes?”

“Look.”

Felix joined her.

He read the label.

“What does that do?”

“Controls the pressure of sneezes.”

Felix nodded.

“Okay.”

Dotty looked confused.

“Why would anyone build this?”

Felix pointed.

“Obviously, someone needed to control sneezing.”

“Why?”

“Maybe they sneeze too much.”

“Who?”

Felix looked at Captain Sneeze.

Captain Sneeze looked offended.

“Don’t look at me.”

Felix pointed.

“Your name is Captain Sneeze.”

“That’s not evidence.”

“It is very strong evidence.”

---

Suddenly…

A loud alarm began ringing.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Everyone froze.

A red light flashed.

A voice came from the ceiling.

“WARNING.”

Felix looked up.

“Yes?”

The voice continued.

“UNAUTHORIZED PERSON DETECTED.”

Felix pointed at himself.

“Me?”

“YES.”

Felix looked at Dotty.

“That’s rude.”

The voice continued.

“UNAUTHORIZED PERSONS DETECTED.”

Felix pointed at everyone.

“All of us?”

“YES.”

Felix frowned.

“Then why did you say person?”

Silence.

The voice answered:

“ERROR.”

Felix smiled.

“Ha!”

Dotty grabbed his arm.

“Felix, stop arguing with the machine.”

“Why?”

“Because it might kill us.”

Felix looked at the machine.

“Can it?”

The machine made a strange sound.

BEEP.

Felix stepped backward.

“Okay.”

“Run!”

They ran.

---

A giant mechanical arm suddenly came out of the wall.

It grabbed Felix.

“HELP!”

Dotty screamed.

“FELIX!”

The arm lifted him into the air.

Felix hung upside down.

“PUT ME DOWN!”

The machine scanned him.

A light moved across his face.

Then a voice said:

“IDENTITY CONFIRMED.”

Felix relaxed.

“Good.”

The machine continued:

“FELIX FUMBLE.”

Felix smiled.

“Yes.”

“PRIVATE DETECTIVE.”

“Yes.”

“SUCCESS RATE.”

Felix froze.

“Wait.”

The machine continued.

“ZERO PERCENT.”

Everyone became silent.

Dotty slowly covered her face.

Felix shouted:

“THAT IS NOT RELEVANT!”

The machine continued:

“CASES SOLVED: ZERO.”

Felix screamed:

“TURN IT OFF!”

“CASES FAILED: TWENTY-THREE.”

“STOP!”

“CASES ACCIDENTALLY CAUSED: NINETEEN.”

Felix looked at Dotty.

“That’s unfair.”

Dotty nodded.

“Actually, that’s accurate.”

Felix stared.

“Whose side are you on?”

“The truth.”

The machine continued.

“INTELLIGENCE LEVEL.”

Felix panicked.

“NO!”

The machine beeped.

“CALCULATING.”

Felix shouted:

“STOP CALCULATING!”

The arm dropped him.

He landed on the floor.

The machine announced:

“RESULT: QUESTIONABLE.”

Felix stood.

“I HATE THIS PLACE.”

---

They continued deeper into the facility.

Finally, they reached a giant underground chamber.

In the center was a huge machine.

It looked like a giant metal nose.

But this one was much larger.

Felix stared.

“What is that?”

Professor Noodle whispered:

“The original Sneezium Generator.”

Dotty looked at him.

“You know what it is?”

Professor Noodle nodded.

“Yes.”

Felix walked closer.

“Then tell us.”

Professor Noodle sighed.

“I built it.”

Everyone froze.

Felix slowly turned.

“You?”

Professor Noodle nodded.

“Yes.”

Dotty stared.

“Why?”

Professor Noodle looked ashamed.

“Because I wanted to solve the world’s biggest problem.”

Felix frowned.

“What problem?”

Professor Noodle pointed toward the machine.

“Sneezing.”

Felix stared.

“That’s the world’s biggest problem?”

“Yes.”

“Not war?”

“No.”

“Not hunger?”

“No.”

“Not climate change?”

“No.”

“Sneezing?”

“Yes.”

Felix looked at Dotty.

“He’s insane.”

Professor Noodle became offended.

“I am a scientist!”

“Same thing.”

---

Professor Noodle walked toward the machine.

“One hundred years ago, I created the Sneezium Generator.”

Felix raised his hand.

“Why?”

“To stop sneezing.”

Dotty looked at the machine.

“Then why does it cause sneezing?”

“Because I made a mistake.”

Felix nodded.

“Obviously.”

Professor Noodle continued.

“The machine was supposed to absorb sneezes.”

“What happened?”

“It multiplied them.”

“How many times?”

Professor Noodle looked embarrassed.

“One sneeze became two.”

“Okay.”

“Two became four.”

“Okay.”

“Four became eight.”

Felix slowly understood.

“How many now?”

Professor Noodle pointed toward the machine.

“All of them.”

Felix stared.

“All the sneezes in the world?”

Professor Noodle nodded.

“Yes.”

Dotty gasped.

“So every sneeze…”

“Is being collected here.”

Felix looked at the machine.

“Then what happens when it’s full?”

Professor Noodle became silent.

Felix stared.

“What?”

Professor Noodle whispered:

“It explodes.”

Everyone froze.

“When?”

Professor Noodle pointed at the countdown.

00:12:00

Felix stared.

“Twelve minutes?”

Professor Noodle nodded.

“Yes.”

Felix grabbed his head.

“WHY DOES EVERYTHING HAVE A COUNTDOWN?”

Dotty shouted:

“FOCUS!”

Felix looked at her.

“Right.”

He pointed at the machine.

“How do we stop it?”

Professor Noodle shook his head.

“We can’t.”

Felix froze.

“What?”

“The machine is already overloaded.”

“Then turn it off!”

“I tried.”

“Then unplug it!”

“There is no plug.”

“Then hit it!”

“I tried.”

“Then kick it!”

“I tried.”

“Then scream at it!”

“I tried.”

Felix stared.

“You did all that?”

Professor Noodle nodded.

“Yes.”

“And?”

“Nothing.”

Felix sighed.

“Of course.”

---

Suddenly…

The giant machine began shaking.

BOOOOOOM!

The floor moved.

Dust fell from the ceiling.

Dotty grabbed Felix.

“What was that?”

Professor Noodle looked terrified.

“The machine is starting.”

Felix shouted:

“HOW LONG?”

Professor Noodle looked at the countdown.

00:09:00

“Nine minutes.”

Felix ran toward the machine.

“Everyone, look for a switch!”

They searched.

One minute passed.

Nothing.

Two minutes.

Nothing.

Three minutes.

Nothing.

Felix opened a control panel.

Inside were hundreds of buttons.

He stared.

“Which one?”

Professor Noodle shook his head.

“I don’t know.”

Felix pressed one.

The lights went off.

Everyone screamed.

Felix pressed another.

The lights turned on.

Everyone sighed.

Felix pressed a third.

A door opened.

A chicken walked out.

Everyone stared.

The chicken stared back.

Felix pointed.

“WHY IS THERE A CHICKEN IN THE MACHINE?”

The chicken walked away.

Dotty shouted:

“IGNORE IT!”

Felix nodded.

“Right.”

They continued searching.

---

Suddenly…

Captain Sneeze shouted:

“WAIT!”

Everyone stopped.

He was standing near a small panel.

“What?”

Captain Sneeze pointed.

“This.”

Felix walked toward him.

The panel had one button.

A label read:

EMERGENCY SNEEZE RELEASE

Felix’s eyes widened.

“What does it do?”

Professor Noodle shook his head.

“I don’t know.”

Felix stared.

“Of course.”

Dotty asked:

“Could it release all the pressure?”

Professor Noodle nodded.

“Maybe.”

Felix smiled.

“Then press it.”

Professor Noodle stepped backward.

“No.”

“Why?”

“It might destroy everything.”

Felix pointed at the machine.

“Everything is already going to explode!”

Professor Noodle shook his head.

“If we press that button…”

He paused.

“…we could release every stored sneeze at once.”

Felix stared.

“How many sneezes?”

Professor Noodle whispered:

“One hundred years’ worth.”

Silence.

Felix looked at Dotty.

Dotty looked at Felix.

Captain Sneeze looked at both of them.

Felix asked:

“What happens?”

Professor Noodle answered:

“Every sneeze in the machine will be released.”

“At once?”

“Yes.”

“How powerful?”

Professor Noodle looked terrified.

“Enough to destroy the underground facility.”

Felix thought.

“Only the underground facility?”

“Probably.”

Felix smiled.

“Then press it.”

Dotty stared.

“Felix!”

“What?”

“You’re going to destroy the facility!”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because the town is above us.”

“So?”

“If we let the machine explode…”

He pointed upward.

“…the town will be destroyed.”

Dotty understood.

“But if we release the sneezes…”

“The explosion will happen underground.”

Professor Noodle shook his head.

“That’s crazy.”

Felix smiled.

“Exactly.”

---

The countdown reached:

00:05:00

Felix grabbed the emergency button.

“Ready?”

Dotty shook her head.

“No.”

“Me neither.”

Captain Sneeze flew backward.

Professor Noodle covered his ears.

Felix pressed the button.

CLICK.

Nothing happened.

Felix stared.

“That’s it?”

The machine remained silent.

Dotty looked at him.

“Maybe it doesn’t work.”

Felix hit the button again.

CLICK.

Nothing.

He hit it harder.

CLICK!

Still nothing.

Felix became angry.

“WORK!”

He punched the button.

BEEP!

The machine came alive.

Every light turned red.

Every gear started spinning.

The floor shook.

Professor Noodle screamed:

“RUN!”

Felix shouted:

“WHY?”

Professor Noodle pointed.

“LOOK!”

A giant screen appeared.

SNEEZE RELEASE INITIATED.

TOTAL SNEEZES: 999,999,999

Felix stared.

“That’s almost one billion.”

Dotty shouted:

“RUN!”

They ran.

Behind them…

The machine opened.

A massive yellow cloud exploded into the underground facility.

ACHOO!

The force threw everyone forward.

ACHOO!

The walls cracked.

ACHOO!

The ceiling began collapsing.

ACHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

The entire underground world shook.

Felix grabbed Dotty.

“WE HAVE TO GET OUT!”

They ran toward the stairs.

But the staircase was gone.

A giant piece of the ceiling had fallen.

Felix stared.

“We’re trapped.”

Dotty looked at him.

“Great.”

Felix nodded.

“Yes.”

“Any ideas?”

Felix thought.

“One.”

“What?”

Felix pointed upward.

“There’s another way.”

Dotty looked.

A ventilation tunnel opened above them.

Felix smiled.

“That leads to the surface.”

Professor Noodle shouted:

“No!”

Felix froze.

“Why?”

Professor Noodle pointed.

“That’s the Sneezing Tunnel.”

Felix stared.

“What’s that?”

Professor Noodle whispered:

“The place where all the sneezes are going.”

Felix looked at the tunnel.

A massive yellow cloud was moving toward them.

Felix swallowed.

“How bad?”

Professor Noodle shook his head.

“Very.”

Felix nodded.

“Okay.”

Dotty stared.

“Okay?”

Felix smiled.

“We’re going in.”

“WHAT?”

“The town needs us.”

“Felix!”

“We have no choice.”

Dotty looked at the tunnel.

Then at Felix.

Then at the collapsing facility.

She sighed.

“Fine.”

They climbed into the tunnel.

---

The force was incredible.

Felix flew forward.

Dotty flew behind him.

Captain Sneeze spun around.

Professor Noodle screamed the entire time.

The tunnel twisted.

They flew upward.

Faster.

Faster.

Faster.

Felix laughed.

“This is amazing!”

Dotty shouted:

“THIS IS TERRIFYING!”

Felix laughed louder.

“We’re flying!”

“We’re GOING TO DIE!”

“Maybe!”

“STOP SAYING MAYBE!”

Suddenly…

They saw light.

The surface.

They were almost out.

Felix smiled.

“We’re going to make it!”

Then…

Something hit them.

BOOOOOOOM!

They flew out of the ground.

Felix landed in the town square.

Dotty landed on top of a fountain.

Captain Sneeze landed on the mayor.

Professor Noodle landed in a tree.

Everyone looked around.

The town was silent.

Felix stood.

“We did it.”

Dotty climbed down from the fountain.

“Did we?”

Felix looked around.

The town was still standing.

People were safe.

The yellow cloud was gone.

Felix smiled.

“Yes.”

Suddenly…

The sky became dark.

Everyone looked upward.

A massive yellow cloud appeared above Giggleton.

Felix’s smile disappeared.

“That’s not good.”

Dotty stared.

“What’s happening?”

Professor Noodle climbed out of the tree.

He looked terrified.

“Oh no.”

Felix turned.

“What?”

Professor Noodle pointed toward the sky.

“All those sneezes…”

“Yes?”

“They didn’t disappear.”

Felix stared.

“Then where did they go?”

Professor Noodle whispered:

“They went into the sky.”

The cloud became larger.

Larger.

Larger.

Until it covered the entire town.

The mayor screamed:

“WHAT IS THAT?”

Felix stared upward.

“I think…”

He swallowed.

“…that’s one billion sneezes.”

The entire town became silent.

Then…

The cloud moved.

Slowly.

Toward the ground.

Felix shouted:

“EVERYONE RUN!”

Nobody moved.

Felix screamed again:

“RUN!”

Everyone started running.

The cloud descended.

The ground shook.

Felix grabbed Dotty’s hand.

“Where do we go?”

Dotty pointed toward the clock tower.

“Inside!”

They ran.

Behind them…

The cloud touched the ground.

ACHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

The force blasted across Giggleton.

Buildings shook.

Windows shattered.

Cars flew.

The mayor’s hat disappeared again.

Felix and Dotty reached the clock tower.

They slammed the door.

BOOM!

The sneeze hit.

The tower shook.

Felix looked at Dotty.

“We’re safe.”

Dotty stared at him.

“Are you sure?”

Felix nodded.

“Yes.”

The tower shook again.

BOOM!

Felix looked nervous.

“Probably.”

Dotty screamed:

“FELIX!”

Suddenly…

The clock began moving.

The hands spun backward.

Then forward.

Then backward.

A secret door opened beneath the floor.

Felix stared.

“Not again.”

Dotty looked down.

Behind the door was a dark staircase.

But this time…

There was something written on the wall.

THE FIRST SNEEZE WAS NEVER THE PROBLEM.

Felix read it.

Then another line appeared.

THE SECOND SNEEZE WILL END EVERYTHING.

Felix stared.

Dotty whispered:

“What does that mean?”

Felix slowly looked toward the sky.

The giant yellow cloud was disappearing.

For one moment…

Everything became quiet.

Then…

A single sound came from beneath the town.

ACHOO.

Felix’s face went pale.

Dotty grabbed his arm.

“That wasn’t from the sky.”

Felix nodded.

“No.”

Another sound came.

ACHOO.

The entire clock tower shook.

Felix looked down.

The staircase was glowing.

Something was coming up.

Something enormous.

Something that had been sleeping beneath Giggleton for one hundred years.

Felix slowly reached for his detective hat.

Dotty whispered:

“Felix…”

“Yes?”

“I think we have a new problem.”

Felix looked into the darkness.

“You’re right.”

A giant shadow appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

Felix swallowed.

“That’s not a problem.”

Dotty stared.

“Then what is it?”

Felix whispered:

“That’s the real mystery.”

The shadow moved closer.

The clock struck twelve.

And a deep voice echoed through the underground darkness:

“WHO…”

A pause.

“…WOKE…”

Another pause.

“…ME?”

Felix and Dotty stared at each other.

Then Felix whispered:

“I think we made a mistake.”

Dotty nodded.

“A very big one.”

From the darkness came another sound.

ACHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

The clock tower exploded with light.

And the entire town of Giggleton…

Went completely silent.

TO BE CONTINUED…