Chapter 53 - BOING for Blackshanks!
"PLINK - ZISS!"
Suddenly, along the side of Adrienne's Search Engine, a row of lights flashed one after the other. Computer screens in the cockpit and on its side lit up, the familiar blue-green desktop colour glowing again. "Ding- DIDLINGG!" went the log on tune. A sharp little voice came out of one of the speakers on the side. "Uncrash - complete!" it went, over and over again. Finally, the search engine let out a whistle just like an old-fashioned railway train, and the voice stopped.
The little red steam engine was alive again!
The little man scrambled to his feet and turned round to Adrienne, his arms open wide, his moustache bristling. "See?" he laughed. "I told-a you I fix it!" He popped the strange little gadget he'd been playing a tune on into the holder on his belt, and punched the air in triumph. "Yessss! You just a-gotta know what tune she wants to hear, and - ecco!" (which means something like "There you are!") "Your leetle bambino is A-OK again!"
Adrienne clapped her little squirrelly hands together. "Merci millefois!" she gasped (which means "Thank you a thousand times" by the way - sounds better in French though. You say "Mercy meelfwa" though to make it sound right in French! Try it!) "I am so grateful! You are a ver' good friend to help me so!"
Cursor the Cat, Louise D and Luis de la Zarpana all started clapping together. Wizzie put back his head and gave his special howl. Even Mr Mouse had something nice to say! "Cool!" he went. "Nice work plumber man!"
Dot felt totally relieved. Now, at last, they could start searching again for the information her dad needed so badly. She couldn't wait. She felt like she'd spent years on this net search - though of course no real at-home time had gone by at all. That was the magic of the Net.
But there was one bit of unfinished business they all had to deal with - in the shape of a very cross, all-black canary!
"CRAACK!" came Blackshanks the Baron's horrid noise again. "OK so when you've finished telling each other what good guys you all are - we hadda deal, Adrienne, remember? Time to let this Baron go!"
He waddled over the Search Zone floor towards the red squirrel - his feathers still ruffled up from where Cursor had been holding him down to keep him quiet.
Adrienne looked at him doubtfully. Then she sighed. "OK" she said. "Eet ees part of my honour - I keep my word. Only, I wish you would too, Blackshanks!"
"Cut the goody-goody stuff" snapped Blackshanks. "Just get me out of this canary suit and I can go!"
Dot felt cross to s hear Adrienne talked to like that - but she knew the little Searcher would have to do it. You must keep promises. Just sometimes... it's so hard. But not to keep the promise - that would just mean you were as bad as Blackshanks. No way!
Slowly, Adrienne climbed into the cockpit of her search engine. The silver wheels weren't going round because it wasn't flying along, but everything else was working. Her little paws rattled over the main keyboard. She turned to Mr Mouse and smiled "Not in 'Caps Lock' this time my friend!" That puzzled Dot for a moment, but then she remembered what had happened before, when Adrienne turned Blackshanks into a canary - she had the 'Caps Lock' key down so everything she typed was in capital letters, which meant her computer hadn't been able to work out what she was trying to make it do. Because the programme she was using then was "case sensitive" - needed the letters all in "lower case", or ordinary small letters, not capitals.
"Ready?" said Adrienne.
"Yeah yeah" snarled Blackshanks.
ZIPFORSSCHKATANG!
And with a blue and gold flash, Blackshanks was a crow again - still wearing his red stripey legwarmers, eyeshade and mirror sunglasses, and yellow waistcoat and T-shirt with 'Information Inverters - Internet Busters!' on it.
"CRAAAACK!" went Blackshanks again. "That's better! About time too! Well I'm off - and good riddance to the lot of you!"
Wizzie did his deepest growl. "Wish I could get him!" he muttered to Dot.
"Ah-ah!" went Blackshanks, wagging a glossy black wing at Wiz. "You leave me be! We had a deal!" He turned to Luis de la Zarpana. "Don't go getting dusty again Luis!" he sneered. "Something you better a-VOID! Get it? Nyaa nyaa nyaa!" He flapped his wings ready for take off. "Goodbye!" he said. "And If I don't see any of you ever again - it'll be too soon! Get it? Nyaa nyaa ny - "
"Well everyone say, I can't bobble
Maybe that is too much trouble
You could be right - yo' could be wrong
But no-one said - no BOING!"
Blackshanks hadn't thought about Cursor. The big cat didn't reckon he was part of any deal. He spun round to face him, his beak clicking furiously. "You WOULDN'T! he squawked. "You CAN'T, you great black hairball, you - "
Too late! With one huge paw, Cursor scooped the horrible Information Inverter up, rolled him in a ball, and BOINNNNNG! - off he went, bounced off the floor of the Search Zone like a crazy bouncer ball, and disappearing up into the Search Zone sky with a long, long wail: "WAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH..."
Cursor watched him go with a lazy smile curling his lips, which turned to a deep chuckle as Blackshanks pinged off the side of a Search Engine shaped like an avocado, feathers flying as he faded away into the Search Zone sky... till he was just a black speck, and then... nothing!
Cursor sighed with satisfaction. "Y'know" he said to Dot. "I do like Bobble - but Boing - now that's my favourite!"
JOIN US EVERY MONDAY FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER!
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