by Tom Hoffman
“That sounds perfect. Let’s watch.”
Proto popped in the storage crystal and pushed a blue tab. A brightly colored moving image of Muridaan Falls appeared on the display screen.
Orville laughed out loud, pointing at the screen. “Look, there’s the bakery! And that’s Madam Shearan! I always see her there. I think she has a crush on Master Fernelld, the owner. I can tell because she laughs way too loud at all his jokes. Look, the glowbird is flying... he’s landing again... he’s right near the Book Emporium! That’s where I work, Proto! This is amazing! He’s looking across the street now. Look, there’s two mice standing behind that building. I can’t see who they are though.”
Proto paused the record. “If you would like, I can enlarge the image to show much greater detail, and I can also focus the sound so we can hear every word they’re saying. It’s all quite marvelous, and the technology is fascinating to study. Watch what happens to those two mice now.” Proto turned a small dial and the faces of the mice in the alley suddenly filled the screen.
“It’s Master Marloh! This is astonishing, I can’t believe we’re seeing this. What’s he saying? He’s probably trying to sell a book to the mouse in the red cloak. Or maybe he’s telling him about the huge raise he’s going to give me!”
“I’ll focus the sound so you can hear what they’re saying.”
Sophia and Orville grinned as Proto adjusted the sound. The cold raspy voice they heard was not that of Master Marloh, but came from the mouse whose face was hidden by the red hood.
“I won’t tell you again. We can’t afford to wait. He’s getting too powerful. You know what might happen. Do it, Marloh. Kill Orville Mouse and his little friend Sophia. Kill them both or you will forfeit your own life.”
Sophia gasped, slapping her paw over her mouth. She turned in horror to Orville. His eyes were enormous. “Did that mouse just say what I thought he said??”
Sophia grabbed Orville’s arm tightly. “This is it! This is why my inner voice sent us here. Master Marloh is planning to kill us both.”
Chapter 13
The Rising Storm
“Now, Orville, I’ve packed two large boxes of tasty snacks and some yummy beverages for your trip back to Muridaan Falls. I’ve also tucked away a very special surprise in your backpack. No peeking until you get home, though! That would ruin the lovely surprise.”
“Thanks, Proto! You’re sure you don’t want to come down to the gorge and take a look at The Glowbird?”
“Perhaps on your next visit. I’m not quite ready to travel such a great distance from my lovely home. First I’ll take a few short walks just outside the front door to get used to the great outdoors again. You’re quite certain you didn’t spot any of those dreadful silver spiders?”
“Not a single one. Besides, Rabbitons are completely indestructible. Nothing can hurt you.”
“You’re quite right of course, but strangely enough those dreadful spiders still give me a terrible fright.”
Sophia stepped over to Proto and gave him a hug. “Thanks for everything, Proto. If it wasn’t for you and your lovely glowbirds we never would have discovered what Master Marloh and the Red Mouse were up to. You very well may have saved our lives.”
“Oh, my, how thrilling! I’m so glad I could help you both. Do be careful now, and have a very safe trip home. Keep a wary eye out for those awful silver spiders.”
With a wave goodbye Sophia and Orville stepped through the front door of the Cube and headed back down the ravine toward Pavorak Gorge.
Sophia was anxious to get back to Muridaan Falls, but as she was hurrying across the gorge she stopped in her tracks. “Orville, why is it so dark this early in the day?”
“It is dark, isn’t it? Maybe the clouds–” Orville turned to look at the sky behind them and gave a loud gasp. He pointed to the monstrous pitch black rolling storm filling the entire northern sky. “Creekers, it’s heading this way! We can’t fly through that. We’ll have to go back and stay with Proto until the storm blows over.”
Sophia’s ears perked up. “Do you hear that? That roaring noise?”
Orville froze, his eyes focused on the ground. “Oh no! I just realized something! The floor of the gorge is perfectly smooth because when there’s a storm it turns into a river and washes everything away. That roaring noise is water coming down the gorge toward us! We have to get to The Glowbird before it’s destroyed! Run, Sophia, run!!”
Orville and Sophia sprinted madly to The Glowbird. “Jump in! Hurry up!” The roar of the water pounding through the gorge toward them was growing louder by the second. Brilliant bolts of lightning flashed in the ominous swirling black sky. Orville flipped on the duplonium motor and pushed the left control stick forward. The Glowbird’s wings unfurled and began gently flapping. “The wind from the storm will help us take off!” Orville inched the left stick forward. The Glowbird rolled forward across the sandy floor, powerful gusts of wind from the storm pushing them along, helping them gain the speed they needed to take off.
Sophia cried out, “Twenty miles an hour!” The wind was buffeting the ship and Orville could barely hold it steady.
“Grab your control stick help me keep her going in a straight line!”
“Got it! Thirty miles an hour!”
Orville jammed the stick forward and the duplonium engine roared, the wings now a blur.
Sophia glanced behind them and let out a shriek. There was a massive thirty foot tall wall of water screaming through the gorge only a hundred feet behind them. “The water is right behind us! Faster!!”
Orville pushed the left stick forward as far as it would go. The ship shot ahead, the gigantic torrent of water now a scant twenty feet behind them.
“Forty miles an hour! Take her up! The water’s going to hit us!”
Orville yanked back on the right control stick and The Glowbird darted up into the sky. Sophia looked down and saw the massive wall of crashing water thunder through the gorge beneath them.
“We made it! We made it!”
“Head east, and keep it at top speed! We still have to outrun the storm! If we get caught in it we’ll lose control of The Glowbird, and I’m not even going to mention what happens if we get hit by lightning!”
Orville held the control stick forward as far as it would go. “Okay! We passed sixty miles an hour. We should be able to outrun it.”
Twenty minutes later The Glowbird had left the terrifying storm behind.
“Whew, that was close. Thank goodness you heard the water coming. I really can’t wait to get back to Muridaan Falls.”
Sophia’s face was grim. “Neither can I, Orville, neither can I.”
“Oh, you’re thinking about Master Marloh and the Red Mouse. Who do you think that other mouse was? He was scary. Even Master Marloh seemed afraid of him.”
Sophia watched Orville thoughtfully as he gently corrected the course of The Glowbird slightly to the east. “You’re my best friend, right?”
“Of course I am, Sophia, you know that.”
“So you would trust me no matter what?”
“Of course I would. There’s not a mouse in the world I trust more than you.”
“I’m glad. I just want to warn you. There’s going to be serious trouble when we get back to Muridaan Falls.”
“I already know that. We’ll just have to keep our eye on Master Marloh and find out who that other mouse is.”
“It’s much more complicated than that, but I can’t tell you everything right now. You’ll just have to trust me.”
“What do you mean, much more complicated? Wait, I just thought of something! If Proto had come down to look at The Glowbird he would have been washed away by that giant wall of water.”
“Oh dear, thank goodness he wasn’t there. I really do like him very much. He’s one of the nicest fellows I’ve ever met.”
“Not to mention the most polite Rabbiton I’ve ever met. Well, he’s actually the only Rabbiton I’ve ever met. Wouldn’t it be fun i
f he moved to Muridaan Falls and was our friend there?”
Two things happened within a split second. First, Sophia let out a piercing shriek, almost jumping out of her seat, and second, Orville gave a wild screech, briefly losing control of The Glowbird and swerving it wildly through the sky until he managed to grab the control stick again. A squawky voice had come from the storage compartment behind their seats.
“Oh my, that’s the nicest thing I’ve ever heard. You two are the very best friends I’ve ever had. I knew we would be dear friends from the first moment I saw you.”
“Proto?? What? Where are you?”
Sophia’s eyes searched the small storage area behind them. “I don’t see anything. Where is he? Proto, where are you?”
“Ha ha ha ha! This is my surprise! Sophia, open Orville’s backpack. It’s dark in here.”
“What are you talking about, Proto?” Sophia grabbed Orville’s backpack and flipped it open. She gave another shriek. There was a large glowbird sitting in the backpack, staring at her with big yellow blinking eyes. Proto’s voice was coming out of the glowbird’s mouth.
“It’s me, your old friend Proto! I’m talking to you from the Cube through this glowbird. Isn’t this marvelous? I’m safe and comfy in my lovely home, but I can see and hear everything through the glowbird. It’s quite thrilling, although I’m glad I wasn’t looking when you were dodging that deadly storm. Dreadfully frightening, even when I was hiding in your backpack. Sophia, would you mind holding me up so I could have a quick peek over the edge of the The Glowbird?”
Sophia lifted the plump glowbird out of Orville’s pack and held it over the edge of The Glowbird.
“Aggghhhh!! Too high, too high! Put me back, please!”
Sophia quickly set the glowbird back in Orville’s backpack. “Sorry. Wait, I just had an idea! Can you spy with this glowbird?”
“Most certainly, that’s what glowbirds were created for, although I did think it also might help me to overcome my fear of the outside world. If I could safely experience the wild outdoors through the eyes of a glowbird, I might not be so afraid to venture out of the Cube.”
“That’s a wonderful idea, and very clever. How would you like your first adventure to be a secret spy mission? I was hoping you would be able to locate the mysterious Red Mouse who told Master Marloh to kill us.”
“Oh, my, that does sound thrilling. A dark and sinister Red Mouse who is deadly intent on killing you. How frightening!”
“You don’t have to get very close to him. Just close enough so you can hear what he’s saying.”
“Oh, I would be more than happy to spy on that dastardly Red Mouse. You know, it just struck me how lovely it is that I can now talk to my two dearest friends whenever I wish. It does get a little lonely in the Cube sometimes with just the glowbirds for company. Orville, have you tried any of the snacks I packed for you? There are several dozen very tasty chocolate cookies and some of those little cakes you like so much. Twenty-four of them, in fact. And two small boxes of assorted chocolate creams. Also some chilled lemonade. You should probably drink the lemonade before it gets warm. Oh, and there’s also some of that warm cocoa you like so much. You might want to drink that before it gets cold. Goodness, how high up are we? That quick peek I had at the ground below was quite terrifying. How long do you think it will be until we arrive at Muridaan Falls? Did I ever tell you about the time I was almost attacked by one of those dreadful Anarkkian silver spiders?”
Sophia looked over at Orville and raised both eyebrows as high as she could. Orville snickered. “You never told us that story, but I’ll let you in on a little secret. Sophia loves stories like that. Tell us everything that happened, and don’t leave out a thing, not even the tiniest detail.”
Sophia leaned back in her seat and covered her face with her paws, but not before she had punched Orville’s arm.
“Oww! What was that for??”
Chapter 14
Proto’s Discovery
I’m home, Mum!”
“Hi, sweetie! I hope you had a pleasant trip. Did you find everything you were looking for?”
“Yes, I found everything and had a marvelous time. I brought you back a box of tasty snacks. You should try the little cakes, they’re delicious.”
“Why thank you. I do have such a fondness for little cakes.”
“How lovely!” A squawky voice popped out of Orville’s backpack.
“What’s wrong with your voice? Are you sick?”
Orville cleared his throat loudly. “Oh, umm... I think I might be getting a cold or something. Anyway, I’m really tired from my long trip, so I think I’ll run up and take a quick nap.” Orville grabbed his backpack and dashed upstairs to his room.
“Shhh... quiet, Proto! No one can know about you. If you’re going to be a spy you can’t go around talking to everyone about tasty snacks. Besides, how would I ever explain a talking bird to my Mum? I don’t know about other planets, but on Earth birds don’t talk.”
“Oh, I completely understand. I was just so excited to hear how much your Mum likes little cakes that I forgot about my secret spy mission. I do wish there was a way I could send you more of those little cakes.”
“Well, maybe one day you can come visit us in Muridaan Falls. It might take a while for the mice to get used to seeing a Rabbiton strolling around town, but I’m sure it wouldn’t take long until you had ever so many new friends.”
“You make it sound quite lovely, and not the least bit scary.”
“It’s not scary at all in Muridaan Falls. Now, I think it’s time to send you out to track down the Red Mouse who– wait, I just thought of something. What happens if you need charging?”
“Oh dear, I almost forgot about that myself. Hmm... is there any chance you might be able to shape a battery?”
“Good idea. That’s one thing I do remember from science class, especially the part about never touching both terminals of a battery at the same time. Owie.”
Orville flicked his wrist and a large rectangular battery blinked into existence. “How’s that?”
“Marvelous work. Now, we’ll need two cables, one connected to each battery terminal. To charge myself I’ll just grab one cable with each foot.”
“Creekers, isn’t that dangerous?”
“It would most assuredly be quite dangerous for you, but not for me. My feet are wired directly to my internal power supply core.”
“Oh, that sounds all right then.” Two copper battery cables appeared and Orville carefully connected each one to a battery terminal. “There you go. Would you like to try it?
“Most certainly, I would.” Proto waddled over to the battery cables, sat down and grabbed one cable with each foot. Orville jumped back when a few sparks shot out, but Proto seemed quite comfortable.
“Ahhh... quite lovely, nice and toasty warm and my power core is charging right up. This really hits the spot.” Two minutes later Proto released the cables and stood up. “I’m ready to hunt down your dastardly Red Mouse. I’ll be on my way if you would be kind enough to flip that window open.”
Orville swung the heavy sash open and Proto scrambled up onto the sill, spread his wings and soared out over the trees.
Orville sighed. It was time to face Master Marloh and feign ignorance of his murderous plans. “Urghh. How could I have been so wrong about him?”
Orville closed the window just enough so Proto could squeeze back in, then headed downstairs. He called out a hurried goodbye to his Mum and stepped out the front door. He didn’t want to be late and risk any unnecessary conversation with Master Marloh. Orville was definitely not an accomplished liar and was afraid his face would instantly betray him.
Orville groaned to himself when he entered the Book Emporium. Master Marloh was standing behind the long wooden counter adding up the previous day’s receipts.
Before Orville could say anything, Sophia darted out from behind a tall bookshelf and scurried over to him, saying in a voice loud enough for Master
Marloh to hear, “Hi, Orville! I already told Master Marloh about our trip and how we discovered the Anarkkians used the glowbirds to send each other secret messages during the war, but we still don’t know how they are connected to a future war in Symoca.”
Orville played right along with Sophia’s story. “Oh, right. Kind of a wasted trip, but it was fun flying in The Glowbird. Maybe we can go flying again sometime. Well, I guess I should get to work.”
Orville attempted a friendly wave to Master Marloh, then hurried back to the loading area. He wanted to spend as much time as he could away from Master Marloh.
Sophia joined him a few minutes later and said in a hushed voice, “Did you send Proto out to look for the Red Mouse?”
“Yes, I sent him about an hour ago. I also shaped a battery so he can charge himself. Hey, you should come over for dinner tonight in case Proto finds something.”
“Good idea. I’ll come by around six o’clock. It’s okay with your Mum?”
“Oh, sure, Mum likes you a lot.”
Orville spent a good portion of his day doing his best to dodge Master Marloh. He only had to talk to him once, about a crate of scientific journals being shipped to one of their best customers. Orville thought the conversation was going well until Master Marloh stopped and said, “Are you all right, Orville? You seem nervous.”
“Umm...sure, everything’s fine. I’m... uhh... still a little jittery from flying in The Glowbird. It’s the first time I’ve been up that high. It was a lot of fun but also sort of scary.”
“Ahh, of course, I completely understand. I’m not especially fond of heights either. Feel free to take a few hours off if you need to recuperate from your trip.”
“Thanks, Master Marloh, I’m sure I’ll be fine soon.”
Orville wasn't sure how convincing he had been, but Master Marloh seemed to accept his explanation.