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open.
    Aha! So that was how the parrot collected information.
    Mudshark looked over at Ms. Underdorf, who had her back to the room, her nose in a book. He stole a peek around the room, where everyone was deep into either whispered gossip or homework.Although improbable, it
was
likely that no one noticed the bird getting out of his cage and out of the library to stealthily patrol the halls of the school from time to time. Especially if it happened when the school was empty.
    Like Mudshark, the bird paid attention to details and gathered information in a way that no one, not even Mudshark himself, had noticed.
    “Well done, my good bird, well done,” Mudshark whispered approvingly. “But I'm the big fish around here, and more important, I can't let you see everything; that's no good.”
    The parrot belched, ruffled his feathers and, with his beak, picked at the loose door of his cage. “Going. Walk. Shhhh.”
    Mudshark quickly tied the cage shut with a piece of string he pulled out of his backpack. He knew that it was just a matter of time before the parrot noticed that the custodian was the person putting up the art posters and was responsible for piping classical music into the library, and then heard the talk about the erasers. Sooner or later the parrot might blurt outeverything he knew about the custodian. And Mudshark didn't want a person who believed in beauty and peace in a zero-tolerance world to get in any trouble because of some bird. The delicate balance of his school must be kept.
    But short of physical intervention—say, letting a Tasmanian devil into the library one night—how to shut the parrot up?
    Mudshark listened to music drifting up the stairs from the basement and stared at the parrot and considered his options, and the field of possible partners and how he might most effectively utilize their particular gifts and strengths.
    He let the energy in his mind jump around: the parrot … Kyle's magic … Bill's beautiful workroom and Ms. Underdorf's library … Betty Crimper's science projects … Helen and Toby/Mr. Cuddles … the cook's scary and disgusting recipes … the faculty restroom. Stop! Even Mudshark shied away from the thought of the faculty restroom.
    He knew that the practice of free thinking, allowing random thoughts to drift through his mindundirected, would eventually lead him to the solution.
    Operation Eraser Return.
    He opened his eyes and said quietly, so that only the parrot could hear, “You, my fine feathered friend, are a problem about to be solved.”

This is the principal . I cannot stress strongly enough that, for your own safety and per the restrictions of Homeland Security, to whom, by the way, we'd like to offer a warm welcome, please refrain from going anywhere near the faculty rest-room. Oh, and great news about Mr. Patterson. While he still hasn't caught the gerbil, his application for another summer of teaching wilderness camp has just been approved. Way to go, Mr. Patterson! Thank you .
    Kyle Robertson was outside the library door, hopping from one foot to the other. “So, Mudshark, what'sthe plan? Operation Eraser Return: that sounds like a good new trick!”
    Betty Crimper stood next to Bill the custodian. Helen Cartwright held Toby/Mr. Cuddles's cat carrier. Ms. Underdorf was on the other side of Mudshark, eyeing the large cardboard box next to Bill.
    The school day was over and all the teachers were in a meeting with the school board. The entire building was quiet and, except for the faculty in the cafeteria and Mudshark's team outside the library, deserted.
    “Bill here,” Mudshark said, “for reasons of his own, is responsible for the temporary removal of all the classroom erasers. We need to return them this afternoon. Fast. And we need to make sure the parrot doesn't find out anything about this because he'll tell and then Bill will get in trouble.”
    Helen, Kyle and Betty nodded and Ms. Underdorf looked at Bill sympathetically.
    “Let's work together to