…how an ordinary schoolgirl became an

INTERNET VOYAGER!

"Aaaaarrggh!" It was about all Dot could manage to say. For a moment, just a moment, as all the junk in the back of Ron and Deirdre's van had started to slide away underneath her, Dot thought she could hold on.

But then the Mopple rubbish landslide was going too fast, and out she went!

Surrounded by a cloud of Mopple rubbish - pipes, wires, old mops and mop heads, what seemed like about a hundred old copies of the 'Daily Net' news paper and about a thousand Yorkie bar wrappers, Dot fell through the search zone sky.

She wasn't on her own either. Right next to her was Wizzie, his hair streaming out in the breeze, with something black and shiny and wriggly in his mouth.

It was the squidglet!

Wiz saw Dot the same time she saw him. His eyes open wide in fright as they fell, he tried to tell her something.

"SFPRED YOUR RMSNLEGS OUT MOT!" he shouted - he couldn't speak properly because he was still holding the wriggly little black squidglet firmly in his teeth. Dot could see it had two green eyes with a long bushy orange eyebrow above them, but that was all. She spread out her arms and legs like Wiz had said - and it worked! They were gliding!!

But they were still falling too. Dot could feel it and her tummy fluttered. The funny thing was though, the floor of the Search Zone didn't seem to be getting much closer. In fact it looked like it was getting further away. Even though the rest of all the rubbish that had come out of the van at the same time had already scattered itself all over the ground below them, they were still up in the air. Suddenly it felt wonderful - not scary at all! And then, with a shock, Dot realized they weren't gliding downwards any more.

They were FLYING!

She could tell that the moment she turned slightly to her left - she realized she was banking, like an aircraft in the sky, turning in the direction she was leaning. Wizzie turned with her too, his silky fur streaming out around him in the cool breeze of the Search Zone - which had gone back to its old dark blue colour, now the HyperDataStorm and the blackdown that followed it had completely gone.

She could see for miles and miles, the millions and millions of sparkling search zone lights stretching away as far as she could see. Even the nasty old ZITS searchlights had started again - Dot squeezed her eyes shut just too late as they flew through one of the beams, but just like before - though it looked so bright it would hurt your eyes but somehow didn't.

Suddenly there was a ZOOSH! that made Dot jump. It was Ron and Deirdre's dirty white van coming up alongside them, its back doors still flapping open, with Ron leaning out of the driver's window. Dot could see Deirdre's anxious face next to him.

"TOLD ya not to touch that red handle" grinned Ron. "Didn't I? Emergency back door release that's what that is!" "Er... yes..." said Dot. She couldn't quite believe all this was happening - flying alongside a dirty old white van in cyber-space, having a conversation with a bulldog wearing a baseball cap about how she'd fallen out of the back of his van!

"Umm... Ron..." she said, turning gently to her left (Wizzie followed again) so as to get closer to the van. "How... how do I get down? And how am I staying UP??"

"Oh no problemo babe" said Ron, waving another Yorkie bar at her while he drove (?flew?) the white van with his other paw. He took a big bite from the chocolate. "All you neophytes, new kids on the block in the Net, can do that. Some of you keeps it always - maybe you will too!"

"I think you will dearie!" said Deirdre in an encouraging voice, her tawny yellow owl's eyes glowing kindly as she peered out at Dot past Ron's shoulder. "You look just at home up here, really you do!"

It was true - Dot did feel at home. There was something so lovely about it, the cool, slightly scented air of the net flowing past her cheek, the flickering lights of the Zone below her, and the dark blue sky above and around her. It was just so nice!

"Mot!" said Wizzie. "Whaff'm goingdo wv msuidglet?" He still couldn't speak properly while he had to keep the squidglet in his mouth, of course.

Ron heard and chuckled. "Oh yus we'll have to deal with him!" he said. "Can't let him out - they grow, you see! We'll have to discalibrate him - and we'll have to land to do that. All of us. That's Deirdre's job, that is. Now then" Ron went on, finishing his Yorkie "just you and ol' Wiz point yourselves downwards and you'll be as right as ninepence. Just remember to swing your legs down under you before you hit the deck, that's all!"

Dot didn't like the sound of this much, but she knew she'd have to do it.

"OK... right... just follow me, Wiz" she said, taking a deep breath. Wiz nodded and the squidglet, still firmly held in his mouth, let out a little squeak.

VERY gently, Dot pushed her head forward and downwards. And...

Down she went!