At these words, the alarm clock went off.
“EEEEiiiipe!” Crunch yelled. He let go of Charlie, turned, and fled.
Charlie Keene shook himself. He pressed his ribs with his hands.
“No bones broken. But wow! Is that guy ever strong! He could have crushed me, Biff. That was sure quick thinking on your part.”
Charlie walked over to the door. “If I’d known how powerful that man is,” he added, “I never would have let you get yourself captured.”
Biff smiled. “Crunch isn’t as bad as he seems, Uncle Charlie. He’s really a very gentle man.”
“Gentle! You’ve never been given a Crunch bear hug!”
“I mean he’s a simple soul. He’s superstitious. He really thinks I can magic myself out of this place. He thinks that’s how Derek got out the first time. He doesn’t know, of course, that it was I, not Derek, he saw outside.”
“And speaking of getting outside, just how are we going to get you out of this place?” Uncle Charlie demanded.
“Crunch has the key,” Biff said.