…how an ordinary schoolgirl became an

INTERNET VOYAGER!

"Da da da da da da da da da da da da da!"

It was a car horn - but one like Dot had ever heard before. She looked round the sky of the Search Zone, trying to see where it was coming from. All she could see was all the other search engines - including, amazingly, one shaped like a bag of tortilla chips - zooming about doing what they had to do, getting all the information people had asked for out of the Internet.

"Give us a link then!"

Dot twisted right round and her heart gave a big jump. Right behind them was something that ought to have been a search engine, but somehow... wasn't.

It was a dirty white van, with four big wings, two sticking out each side. It reminded Dot of the van drive by Reg Ruxtaby, the Com family's plumber, who always came when they needed help with things like the washing machine or the water heater or something like that. He was very friendly, always late, and would come in through the front door of the Coms' house EVERY TIME with a very loud "Now then! What HAVE we done to our waterworks now!" which for some reason always made her Mum giggle.

But the driver of this dirty white van wasn't like Reg at all. Through the windscreen Dot could just see who was driving it - and who was in the passenger seat. The driver was a bulldog - he was wearing dirty white overalls and a baseball cap, with a big Union Jack flag design on its peak. Sitting next to him was an owl with a headscarf round her head, and what looked liked an old-fashioned apron with a flower pattern on it tied up tightly round her neck. She also wore a pair of big glasses with bright red frames, and had big gold earrings in her ears: one was the word 'YES' and the other was the word 'NO'. She had a big old-fashioned mop tucked under her wing.

The bulldog brought the van round so it was hovering next to them - but not too near in case the wings touched. He hit a button on his steering wheel and grinned, giving Adrienne a big "thumbs up" sign.

"Da da da da da da da da da da da da da!" Out it came - it was that tune again, blaring out from two big loudspeakers on the front of the dirty white van. The little red squirrel groaned and covered her eyes. "Why must zey do zis!" Dot heard her say to herself. Dot kind of thought she heard the tune before - but she just couldn't remember what it was called. Mr Mouse could though!

"That's... that's... NO WAY!" he spluttered, looking really cross. He shook his little paw at the bulldog driving the white van, who just gave him the thumbs up sign and grinned. "That's one of the greatest American tunes ever - 'The Battle Hymn of the Republic!' How DARE they mess around with that! TOTALLY out of order!!"

But it got worse. The bulldog hit a button on his steering wheel again, giving Mr Mouse a big wink as the white van bobbed gently alongside them. Now there were words too!!

"Oh mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord "He is - "

With a grunt Mr Mouse reached round and slid a little cover of the top of his backpack. A shiny red light gleamed out and he leant forward so it could shine over his head at the loudspeakers on the van. The horn-music stopped.

"Oh orl right,orl right!" went the bulldog. "Know it's not everyone's cup of tea! You can turn that zapper of yours off - won't play it again!" He rubbed his big paws together. "Nah then - who needs us Mopples?"

Adrienne gave a little wave, looking more embarrassed than ever.

"Right then darling" said the bulldog, twizzling his baseball cap round to the back of his head. "How about that link?"

"It'll be all right dear" said the owl, waving her old-fashioned mop and smiling in a kindly way. "Ron and me'll have you all nice and tidy in a jiffy!"

Adrienne sighed and leant forward, flipping up a lid on top of a button Dot hadn't seen before, on the control panel next to one of her computer keyboards - the green one this time. She gave the button a sharp tap and the search engine jumped slightly.

As Dot and Wizzie watched, a band of flickering silver light about a metre wide came out of its side and unrolled like a carpet towards the dirty white van. It made a sort of "ZEEEEE" noise as it rolled towards the van, flickering and sparkling at its edges. With a clunk it stopped as it touched the side of the van, just under the left-hand side door. "Link - established" said Adrienne's computer in its calm, metallic voice.

It didn't look like something you could walk on - but that's just what the two Mopples did! Opening the door next to her (it made a creaking grinding noise like it badly needed some oil) the owl with the mop climbed out and stood on the link. Dot held her breath but the flickering strip of silver light seemed to carry her easily. Even though they were at least sixty metres above the floor of the Search Zone!

"Come on then Ron" said the owl. She took a funny looking kind of bucket out of the van. It was very big, and made of a shiny blue plastic. It had a kind of funnel at the top coming out of a deep lid, which was held down by four shiny steel locks. She smiled a kind, owly smile at Dot. "Don't suppose this young lady's got all day!"

"Coming Dezza me old darlin' " said the bulldog, sliding across to the open door. He was carrying what looked like a coil of plastic piping and a big bundle of wires with plugs on the end.

"Don't call me Dezza - Deirdre's my name as well you know or you ought to by now after 'ow long we've been together" replied the owl, tightening up the scarf round her head.

"Orl right orl right" said the bulldog, winking at Dot and joining the owl on the pathway (Dot held her breath again and Wizzie whined anxiously- but it was still safe.) "Don't get the 'ump!"

The two Mopples walked across the pathway. It didn't look like there was room enough in Adrienne's search engine for both of them, but just like before, when they got in there was plenty of space for everyone.

"Afternoon all!" said Deirdre the owl as she and Ron joined Adrienne in her cockpit. She waved her mop at Dot. " 'Ope that dog doesn't chase birds lovey!"

Wizzie snuffled and lay down with his head on his paws. It was all too much for one dog!

"Whatcha got then my darling?" asked Ron putting his coil of pipe and his wires down and peering at Adrienne's screen (the purple one.) "Oh! Don't tell me! ZITS isn't it? Oh dear oh deary me!"

"Nasty things" said Deirdre. "Don't know what they were thinking of, dreaming those up! Blooming nuisance, I call it!"

Dot smiled to herself. "Blooming nuisance" reminded her of Fred the schoolkeeper at her school, St Mary's - he was always saying things like that.

"Well - this won't buy the baby a new frock!" said Ron, reaching in his pocket and putting on a pair of glasses mended with sticky tape. "We've got a bit of a job on if we're to see you right. Better get started - or you could get stuck with this lot for good! It's a proper mess and no mistake!"