Deleted scene from Chase Tinker and the House of Magic:
"This way," said Grandfather, stopping in front of a very narrow hallway.
"How do we get through there?" asked Andy. "It's only, like, three inches wide."
"It's quite simple," said Grandfather. "All you need is confidence and belief that you can succeed. Come along." He walked straight toward the hallway, and as he got closer, his whole body flattened until it looked like a giant pancake. He slipped between the walls.
Chase watched Andy and Persephone walk through with no problems. He took a deep breath. "I can do it. I have confidence in myself. I believe," he whispered. He squeezed his eyes shut, expecting to feel as if he was being squashed like peanut butter between two thick slices of bread. He felt nothing different. A few seconds later, he made it to the other side. He patted his body, happy to find it back to normal.
"What happens if you don't think you can make it?" Chase asked. He grinned as he watched Andy feeling his head to make sure it was round again.
"You would bounce off the wall like a big rubber ball," replied Grandfather.
Aquarium scene cut from Chase Tinker and the House of Magic
"Do you suppose this has a magical power in it?" Andy asked, leaning against the aquarium's glass to stare at the multi-colored, strangely-shaped fish.
He gave a surprised yelp as he began oozing through the glass, like it was made of some sort of gelatin or pudding. With a slurping, squelching noise, he was sucked to the other side.
Andy stared out at the other kids as his arms fluttered back and forth. His hair was floating around his head like short, dark-brown spaghetti noodles, while his glasses magnified his eyes, making them appear rounder and darker against his ghostly white face. Bubbles floated from his mouth as it slowly opened and closed.
"Andy!" yelled Chase. He eased his arm through the gooey barrier and grabbed Andy's elbow. But instead of pulling his brother out, Chase was sucked in with him.
Chase tried to hold his breath, but when a red and green striped fish shaped like a hammer swam up to him and said, "Nice of you to join us," Chase had to gasp.
The water flowed into his lungs exactly like regular oxygen. He took several deep breaths. He was actually breathing underwater!
Andy stuck his finger into his water-filled ear and wiggled it around. "You can talk?"
The hammer fish laughed and zipped around the boys. "Sure. We all can," he said. "What's so surprising about that?" The rest of the fish crowded around them and nodded.
"How are we able to breathe and talk in here, anyway?" asked Chase, twisting his body as he reached out to touch a mitten-shaped fish.
"It's just part of the magic," replied the hammer fish, "giving humans the ability to breathe underwater."
"So why don’t you look like normal fish-shaped fish?" asked Andy
"What's wrong with the way we look?" said the mitten fish, looking outraged.
"Yeah!" said a lunch-box-shaped fish, while the other fish all grumbled to each other as their eyes took on a reddish glow.
"Uh, nothing," said Chase. "Absolutely nothing." He grabbed hold of Andy's arm and pulled him toward the gelatinous wall. "Well, um, it was—nice meeting you," he said. Chatting with fish would definitely fall under World's Strangest Things category.
"Come back again sometime," called the hammer fish right before Chase and Andy oozed back through the barrier. They both flopped to the floor and took in deep breaths of cool refreshing air.
"Don't count it," muttered Chase.
"Wow!" said Andy. "That was weird. For a moment there I thought those crazy fish were going to attack us."
Janie and Persephone dropped to their knees next to the boys.
"You guys scared the daylights out of us," said Persephone. "I was about ready to run get Mr. Hiram."
"What were you doing in there, anyway?" asked Janie.
"Chatting with the fish, of course," replied Chase as he sat up. "What else would we be doing?"
"Chatting—what!"
"It was kinda cool," said Andy. "We could breathe and talk like normal."
"And you guys aren’t even wet," said Persephone, touching Andy's shoulder. "If I didn't know better, I wouldn't even think you'd been swimming."
Chase gazed into the aquarium. After living in this house, he was sure nothing else in the world would ever surprise him again.
"This way," said Grandfather, stopping in front of a very narrow hallway.
"How do we get through there?" asked Andy. "It's only, like, three inches wide."
"It's quite simple," said Grandfather. "All you need is confidence and belief that you can succeed. Come along." He walked straight toward the hallway, and as he got closer, his whole body flattened until it looked like a giant pancake. He slipped between the walls.
Chase watched Andy and Persephone walk through with no problems. He took a deep breath. "I can do it. I have confidence in myself. I believe," he whispered. He squeezed his eyes shut, expecting to feel as if he was being squashed like peanut butter between two thick slices of bread. He felt nothing different. A few seconds later, he made it to the other side. He patted his body, happy to find it back to normal.
"What happens if you don't think you can make it?" Chase asked. He grinned as he watched Andy feeling his head to make sure it was round again.
"You would bounce off the wall like a big rubber ball," replied Grandfather.
Aquarium scene cut from Chase Tinker and the House of Magic
"Do you suppose this has a magical power in it?" Andy asked, leaning against the aquarium's glass to stare at the multi-colored, strangely-shaped fish.
He gave a surprised yelp as he began oozing through the glass, like it was made of some sort of gelatin or pudding. With a slurping, squelching noise, he was sucked to the other side.
Andy stared out at the other kids as his arms fluttered back and forth. His hair was floating around his head like short, dark-brown spaghetti noodles, while his glasses magnified his eyes, making them appear rounder and darker against his ghostly white face. Bubbles floated from his mouth as it slowly opened and closed.
"Andy!" yelled Chase. He eased his arm through the gooey barrier and grabbed Andy's elbow. But instead of pulling his brother out, Chase was sucked in with him.
Chase tried to hold his breath, but when a red and green striped fish shaped like a hammer swam up to him and said, "Nice of you to join us," Chase had to gasp.
The water flowed into his lungs exactly like regular oxygen. He took several deep breaths. He was actually breathing underwater!
Andy stuck his finger into his water-filled ear and wiggled it around. "You can talk?"
The hammer fish laughed and zipped around the boys. "Sure. We all can," he said. "What's so surprising about that?" The rest of the fish crowded around them and nodded.
"How are we able to breathe and talk in here, anyway?" asked Chase, twisting his body as he reached out to touch a mitten-shaped fish.
"It's just part of the magic," replied the hammer fish, "giving humans the ability to breathe underwater."
"So why don’t you look like normal fish-shaped fish?" asked Andy
"What's wrong with the way we look?" said the mitten fish, looking outraged.
"Yeah!" said a lunch-box-shaped fish, while the other fish all grumbled to each other as their eyes took on a reddish glow.
"Uh, nothing," said Chase. "Absolutely nothing." He grabbed hold of Andy's arm and pulled him toward the gelatinous wall. "Well, um, it was—nice meeting you," he said. Chatting with fish would definitely fall under World's Strangest Things category.
"Come back again sometime," called the hammer fish right before Chase and Andy oozed back through the barrier. They both flopped to the floor and took in deep breaths of cool refreshing air.
"Don't count it," muttered Chase.
"Wow!" said Andy. "That was weird. For a moment there I thought those crazy fish were going to attack us."
Janie and Persephone dropped to their knees next to the boys.
"You guys scared the daylights out of us," said Persephone. "I was about ready to run get Mr. Hiram."
"What were you doing in there, anyway?" asked Janie.
"Chatting with the fish, of course," replied Chase as he sat up. "What else would we be doing?"
"Chatting—what!"
"It was kinda cool," said Andy. "We could breathe and talk like normal."
"And you guys aren’t even wet," said Persephone, touching Andy's shoulder. "If I didn't know better, I wouldn't even think you'd been swimming."
Chase gazed into the aquarium. After living in this house, he was sure nothing else in the world would ever surprise him again.