“Acclaim: Applaud loudly or enthusiastically. Hail as king, winner or saviour. Shout of applause.”
…said Cambor Zildith, reading out loud. “There you are!” he said. “That’s what you’ve just had from all of us at Phargon, as a thank you for saving us. And very well deserved too, if I may say so!”
“Hear HEAR!” said Poolbear.
“Absolutely!” said Drindel.
Dot opened her eyes. Well, she actually opened one eye, because she didn’t dare to look.
But it was OK – she hadn’t made all the words slide off the book she’d picked up, like before.
WHAT a relief!
In fact now something else was happening. As Dot - still very nervously – turned a page, it was blank when she turned it – but then it filled up with words and information!!
This book from the book forest seemed to be all about words and things beginning with the letters ACC. So there on the page was “Accra. Capital of Ghana. Population 1,970,400” and so on.
“Yeeearrggh…” went Mr Mouse, yawning very loudly in Dot’s ear.
“So, cool” he said, smacking his lips. “Everything’s fixed! But all this stuff – it’s kinda boring!”
“Oh not really” said Poolbear, winking at Dot. “What do you think that’s for, my dear Mr Mouse?” He pointed to a little symbol in the top right hand corner of the page with Accra on it.
It was a little silver aeroplane. It kind of stuck up from the page, so it was almost 3D. It looked… real somehow… if you peered at it really closely, you could almost make out people inside it, snoozing, reading, having a drink.
But it wasn’t going anywhere.
Not just then, anyway!
“How should I know?” said Mr Mouse, yawning again so you could see his pink tongue quivering away.
“Cheesepaws REALLY!” said Wiz crossly. “Didn’t your mum ever teach you to cover your mouth when you yawn like that?”
The Children of the Casement whispered to each other and giggled.
“Nyah, yeah, whatever” said Mr M. “So what is the big deal anyway?”
“Well why don’t you touch the little plane and find out?” said Cambor with a little sigh.
Mr Mouse let out a big sigh. “All right” he said. “Then do we get to go back and have some more eaties?”
“Of course!” said Drindel.
“Right!” said Mr Mouse. He hopped off Dot’s shoulder and onto the page. A skip and a jump took him up to the little aeroplane symbol. “Anything to get back to the party! Here we go!”
And he hopped onto the little plane – and vanished!
“What’s happened?” said Dot, in a panic. “Where’s he gone?”
“Accra, of course” said Cambor. “It’s very useful that – we can travel on the internet too, just like you Dot! If you want to find out anything about somewhere – or something - you just hit the aeroplane button and go!”
Wizzie let out a bark of laughter. “Serves him right!” he said. “That’ll teach him to make sassy remarks!”
“I’d have thought he knew enough about that already!” smiled Cambor.
“But… but… ” spluttered Dot “How’s he going to get back?”
“Oh, easy” said Poolbear. “You just hit the little aeroplane button again.”
So he did. And nothing happened!
Again. Still nothing.
“Er…” said Poolbear looking really puzzled. “I don’t remember that happening before!”
The Children of the Casement, Carvelia and Thoranon, came and peered over Dot’s shoulder.
“Hmm!” said Carvelia. “It’s a freeze - probably because Phargon is still coming back to life after all our troubles. Never mind – Nohtacra will do it! He can reverse everything in Phargon, you see!”
Dot was surprised to see Drindel go pink. “Mmmm... ahhh… ” he went. “I’ve been meaning to tell you about that - explain how Cruncher got it, back there in the cyber rats’ cavern, I mean!”
“Yes” said Thoranon, looking at the Day of 23 in a way that reminded Dot of her head teacher Mrs Rudman when she had something strict to say in Morning Assembly at school. “And we’ve been meaning to ask you, too. It’s NEVER supposed to leave Phargon!”
“Oh... well… ” said Drindel. “The truth is… I… I… took from the Casement… when I was helping that fallen programme with a patch … It was stuck to Arcathon you see – I didn’t know those little medals stuck together like that. I’m SO sorry, I know it was very bad of me…and then when the cyber rats kidnapped me, Cruncher found it, And, now I come to think of it, he’s still got it!”
VVVVVVVVVRRRRRRMMMM! BBBBBBBRRRRRRRRMMM!
“Someone mention my name?”
It was Cruncher!
He glided his cyber bike down and switched the engine off.
“Wondered where you’d all gone!” he said. “Had enough to eat at the party, so I thought I’d come find you! Hey – guess what! I’m gonna be an outrider for Phargon! Look after all you Zildiths on patrol outside the mountain! How about that!”
“Cruncher!” said Drindel anxiously. “I’m so glad to see you! Have you still got Nohtacra?”
“No!” said Cruncher. “Not now! Thought I’d better give it back, and you Casement guys weren’t around – so I asked Mr Mouse to look after it for me!”
