by Andrew Cope
‘Nice one,’ yapped Star, patting her collar compartment.
‘And last, but definitely not least,’ said Professor Cortex proudly, ‘the Big Squeeze.’ He held up two little rubber balls on chains.
‘They’re not going to do much damage,’ said Ben. ‘They’re only the size of marbles.’
‘Ah, but it’s what’s inside them that counts,’ said Professor Cortex, as he clipped the chains on to Spud and Star’s collars. ‘These little balls are packed with my special shrinking powder. One good squeeze and the powder sprays out. Pouff!’
‘Yes, but what does it “pouff”?’ asked Sophie.
‘Any man-made fibre,’ said Professor Cortex. ‘It won’t shrink natural fibres, like wool or cotton, but nylon or Lycra will shrivel away to a tenth of its original size.’
‘So, only useful if our baddie happens to be wearing a leotard,’ woofed Star.
‘If we find a ballet-dancing bank robber, we’re in business,’ added Spud.
‘I know what you’re thinking, pups,’ said Professor Cortex. ‘But man-made fibres are everywhere. With this shrinking powder, you could stop a criminal in his tracks. He can’t run if his shoes have no soles! He can’t drive away if his car seat has fallen apart! He can’t call for a taxi if his mobile phone is the size of a postage stamp!’
‘Brilliant!’ said Sophie.
‘Thank you, Sophie,’ said Professor Cortex, straightening up and wiping his hands on his shorts. ‘I must say I’m very proud of my shrinking pow … ow … OWW!’ Professor Cortex stopped and looked down at his shorts, wondering why they were suddenly pinching his bottom. ‘Oh no, I must’ve somehow picked up a trace of the powder on my hands!’
His shorts, which had been down to his knees, now looked like hot pants – and they were getting smaller by the second. Professor Cortex turned and ran, covering his bottom with his hands. By the time he reached the van, his shorts were so tight he could not bend his legs to climb inside. Instead, he had to flop through the back door and shuffle in on his belly like a seal. Just before he disappeared from view, there was a high-pitched squeal as his shrinking shorts snapped up over his bum cheeks and became a thong.
Sophie looked alarmed. Ben stifled a giggle. Ollie laughed out loud. ‘Cool,’ he marvelled. ‘The prof’s got a wedgie!’
‘Well,’ woofed Spud, as the sound of wailing and ripping cloth echoed from the darkness of the van. ‘At least we know it works.’
6. Kaboom!
Gaz Guzzler sat in his favourite armchair, chomping his way through a plate of deep-fried chicken legs. ‘Are my cars washed?’ he asked.
‘Yes, sir, Mister Guzzler,’ said Pete.
‘Every single one?’ demanded Gaz, pointing a greasy finger at Pete.
‘All fifty of them,’ said Pete, looking down at his own fingers, which were white and wrinkly after a day stuck in a bucket of hot water.
‘Good. Tomorrow you can give them all a good wax and polish. That should keep you and your team busy until The Beast arrives tomorrow night. After that, you can get back to what I’m paying you for: Project Midas!’
After Pete had gone, Gaz settled back with a satisfied grunt. ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty!’ he snarled, glaring out of the window at the lake. ‘What are they on about? There’s nothing lovelier than gold – and nobody is going to stop me from getting more of it.’
He chuckled to himself. After months of trying, he had finally found a way to tunnel under their precious National Park without them suspecting a thing – and the entrance to his secret mine was so cleverly hidden, the chances were that no one would ever discover what he was up to.
‘And if they do find out and put a stop to Project Midas, I’ve got a very nasty parting gift waiting for Clearwater Valley.’
Gaz hooked his finger under the gold chain round his neck and pulled a tiny gold box from inside his shirt. The box was a radio-controlled ignition switch; one press of the ruby set into the middle of it, and a timer would start ticking.
‘Twenty minutes,’ said Gaz, stroking his finger over the ruby. ‘Just enough time for me to nip across the lake in my jet-ski and take off from the airfield in my private plane. Then – KABOOM!’
Nobody, not even Pete, knew about the bomb he had planted on the side of Clearwater dam. Gaz suspected that his mine foreman would have refused to do it, so he had squeezed into his mini-sub and done the job himself. He smiled as he imagined the dam blowing apart, releasing an avalanche of water on to the towns and villages below.
‘And if they ever try to halt Project Midas, it’ll serve them right,’ he gloated. ‘Anyone who stops Gaz Guzzler from doing exactly what he wants, deserves to be punished!’
7. The Three Dinners
This is the life! Lara thought.
She was sprawled in front of a log-burning stove, in the main room of the Tall Trees Outward Bound Centre. To one side of her, Sophie was snuggled up with a book. To the other side, Ben and Ollie were sitting together looking through the Tall Trees activities brochure.
‘Wow! Abseiling!’ said Ben.
‘What’s abs … ab … What’s that sailing thingy?’ asked Ollie.
‘Not sailing. Abseiling. You climb down a cliff with a rope,’ said Ben, showing Ollie the photograph in the brochure. ‘I can’t wait to try that.’
Ollie’s eyes lit up. ‘Me too!’ he yelled.
‘Well, I’m excited about canoeing over the sunken village,’ said Sophie, looking up from her book. ‘Imagine. A whole village at the bottom of the lake, with fish swimming in and out of the windows, and eels in the chimneys, and anemones in the gardens!’
Lara smiled to herself. Sophie had a good imagination.
‘I wonder if you can see the houses down below?’ said Ben.
‘We’ll ask Andrew when he comes back,’ said Sophie.
Andrew, the friendly young owner of Tall Trees, was in the kitchen preparing their dinner. He seems to do everything round here, thought Lara. Good job we’re the only guests, or he’d be run off his feet!
The smell drifting through from the kitchen made Lara’s mouth water. She felt a pang of guilt as she remembered that Spud and Star were out in the forest, foraging for their supper. Spud had looked stricken when X had made him leave his food rucksack behind. He kept glancing sorrowfully back at it as he trailed into the forest after X, Hero and Star, with his tail between his legs.
Poor Spud, thought Lara. But he could do with losing a few centimetres round his tum.
‘It’s ready!’ called Andrew from the kitchen.
They all raced for the big table in the middle of the room. Lara jumped up on to a chair, tied a napkin round her neck and picked up her knife and fork. When she looked up, she saw all three Cook children staring at her.
‘What?’ she woofed.
‘You’re meant to be an ordinary dog, remember?’ hissed Ben.
Hastily, Lara dropped her knife and fork just before Andrew came in, carrying a big pot of stew.
‘Haha!’ laughed Andrew. ‘Is your dog joining us?’
‘Is that OK?’ asked Sophie.
‘Of course it is,’ said Andrew, serving Lara with a generous portion of stew.
‘She has very good table manners,’ said Ollie. ‘For a dog,’ he added, as Lara began to tuck in with a loud slurping sound.
Cheek! Lara thought, giving Ollie a look. You try eating this without a knife and fork. See how you get on!
‘So, what do you want to do tomorrow?’ asked Andrew.
‘Abseiling!’ Ben and Ollie cried.
‘No problem. What about you, Sophie?’
‘Canoeing over the sunken village, please.’
Andrew’s face fell. ‘Sorry, Sophie. I’m afraid that activity is no longer available.’
‘Why not?’
‘Well, it’s a bit of a long story. It all started when a man called Gaz Guzzler bought Lakeside
Mansion, the big house just along the shore.’
The Cook children and Lara shared a look. Gaz Guzzler again!
‘He thinks he can do anything he likes just because he’s rich,’ Andrew continued. ‘He won the lottery seven years ago with the first ticket he ever bought, and since then, he’s made loads more money mining for gold. He seems to have a knack for finding the stuff. Anyway, he moved here because he wanted to start mining in this valley.’
‘There’s gold here?’ gasped Ollie. ‘Right under our feet?’
‘Gaz Guzzler thinks so,’ said Andrew. ‘But this is a National Park; you can’t just walk in and start a big mining operation. Plus, this lake is actually a reservoir, so the water mustn’t get polluted.’
‘Ah! So that’s why there’s a village at the bottom of the lake,’ said Sophie.
‘Yes. When they built the dam, the valley flooded and the village got submerged.’
‘So what happened about Gaz Guzzler’s gold mine?’ asked Ben.
‘Lots of people objected to his plans, including me,’ said Andrew. ‘And the council told him he couldn’t do it.’
Tantrum time, thought Lara, imagining Gaz Guzzler lying on the floor of the council chamber, drumming his heels and howling like a big baby.
‘I bet he didn’t like that!’ said Ollie, echoing her thoughts.
‘That’s the odd thing,’ said Andrew, looking puzzled. ‘We all thought he’d kick up a big stink, but it’s been months since the council told him he couldn’t mine here, and there hasn’t been a peep out of him.’
‘I don’t get it,’ said Sophie. ‘What’s that got to do with us canoeing over the sunken village?’
‘Well, unfortunately, the sunken village is right in front of his mansion. After I objected to his gold mine, he turned nasty. Whenever I took my guests canoeing or windsurfing on that part of the lake, he would chase us off on his jet-ski. The last thing you need when you’re out in a canoe for the first time is a dirty great jet-ski roaring across your bows. I had to call a halt, for the safety of my guests.’
‘So we can’t go on the lake at all?’ asked Ben.
‘Yes, but only here, in front of the centre.’ Andrew suddenly looked very sad. ‘It’s been so bad for business. I had to get rid of all my staff – and I’m not sure how much longer I can keep the place open on my own.’
So that’s why we’re the only guests, thought Lara.
‘It’s really unfair!’ said Ben. Sophie and Ollie nodded their agreement.
Andrew shook himself. ‘Enough gloom and doom!’ he said, jumping up and collecting their plates. ‘Ice cream and home-made apple pie coming up!’
Spud lifted his nose and sniffed the night air. He was sure he had just caught a whiff of apple pie. Impossible! he thought. I’m in the middle of a dark, cold forest! ‘I’m hallucinating, sis,’ he whimpered. ‘It must be the lack of food.’
Star laughed as she pushed another branch into the sack X had given them. ‘Don’t be daft!’ she said. ‘You had a huge pile of sandwiches for lunch.’
‘I know, but that was hours ago!’ Spud’s stomach rumbled and he groaned.
‘Never mind,’ said Star, taking pity on her brother. ‘Look, our sack is full now. All we need to do is drag it back to camp. Come on, Spud, grab the other corner, and let’s see what’s for dinner!’
Spud’s spirits lifted when they reached their campsite. X was stirring a billycan over a fire and delicious smells were drifting across the clearing. His mouth watered. ‘Is it ready?’ he yapped.
‘Nearly,’ woofed Hero. ‘While we’re waiting, bring your branches over to this fallen tree, and we’ll build our shelter.’
Star’s tail began to wag. She loved learning new things.
‘What do you notice about the ground?’ asked Hero.
‘Dry and crumbly,’ said Star, scratching at it with her paw.
‘Exactly!’ said Hero. ‘Which makes it easy to dig.’
Spud groaned. ‘We have to dig now?’
‘That’s right,’ said Hero. ‘We need to scoop out a sleeping area all along the sheltered side of the tree.’
They set to work and in no time they had dug out a long hollow.
‘Next, we fill it with leaves,’ said Hero.
‘This is fun!’ laughed Star, as she and Spud gathered up leaves and piled them into their bed. ‘But why did we have to collect branches?’
‘Every good shelter needs a rainproof roof,’ explained Hero.
Together, they leant branches against the fallen tree to make a sloping roof. Then they added a layer of leaves before stacking the remaining branches on top.
‘Brilliant!’ said Star, crawling under the roof and snuggling down into their bed of leaves.
‘Dry, warm and soft,’ agreed Spud. ‘We’re proper survival experts, sis!’
‘Come and get it!’ called X.
This living off the land stuff isn’t so bad after all, thought Spud as he bounded to the campfire where four tin plates had been set out. ‘What’s on the menu?’ he yapped, trying not to dribble too much.
‘These are made from wild buckwheat,’ said X, putting a hot pancake on each plate.
Spud got ready to take a big bite of the pancake, but X ladled something else on to it from the billycan. It smelled delicious.
‘This stew is a mixture of wild onions, wild mushrooms, bracken roots and dandelion leaves,’ explained X. ‘All easily found in the forest.’
Again, Spud got ready to take a big mouthful, but X still hadn’t finished.
‘And finally,’ said the survival expert proudly, ‘boiled beetle grubs!’
Spud gulped as he stared at the spoonful of fat white grubs X had added to his plate. All of a sudden, he had lost his appetite. He glanced at Star. She was looking as sick as he felt.
‘Dig in!’ said X, shoving some of the glistening white bodies into his mouth. ‘Grubs up!’
Mrs Cook was sitting in the hotel conservatory, eating her dinner from her lap. The food was delicious, but Mrs Cook hardly noticed the taste; she was much more interested in what she could see through her binoculars. Between forkfuls of food, she was watching the Tall Trees Outward Bound Centre on the other side of the lake.
Mr Cook was sitting on the next sunbed. His plate wobbled on his knees and he sighed as one of his sausages went skidding across the floor. ‘Why don’t we eat in the dining room? They’ve got proper tables and everything.’
‘I’m sorry, dear, but after what happened on our last holiday, I’m determined to keep an eye on Ben, Sophie and Ollie.’
‘It would be a real waste if you spent your whole holiday sitting here. What about trying some of the spa treatments tomorrow?’
‘No, thanks. But you go ahead.’
Mr Cook gave up and settled down with a spa treatment booking form and a pen. He was keen to make the most of his free holiday. ‘Now, let’s see,’ he muttered. ‘Which treatments shall I book? Hmm. “Deep Muscle Massage”. That sounds relaxing.’ He ticked the massage box. ‘And “Hydrotherapy”. I’ll have a go at that. What else? Oooh! Here’s something called a “Full Body Wax”. I wonder what that could be?’ Mr Cook shrugged. ‘Oh well, only one way to find out!’ He ticked the box.
8. Over the Edge
Lara gazed into Ollie’s eyes as he stood at the top of the cliff. She was looking for any hint of fear, but all she could see was excitement.
‘Ready?’ asked Andrew.
Ollie tightened his helmet strap and grinned. ‘Ready!’
‘OK,’ said Andrew, gripping the safety rope. ‘Off you go.’
Ollie leant back and stepped over the edge with a cry of ‘Geronimo!’
Lara held her breath, but she need not have worried – Ollie abseiled down the cliff as though he had been doing it all his life.
‘Well done!’ shouted Andrew, as Ollie landed neatly at the bottom, where Ben and
Sophie were waiting. They had both already done their first abseil.
‘Can we do it again, please?’ cried Ollie.
‘Of course!’ called Andrew. ‘Ben and Sophie, can you help Ollie to unclip himself? Then just make your way back up the track. We’ll be waiting for you, won’t we, Lara?’
Lara woofed her agreement as she watched Andrew attach a new harness to the ropes. I wish I could have a go, she thought. No, I mustn’t! This weekend I’m just an ordinary family dog.
She cocked her ears as an engine roared in the forest, shattering the peace. A second later, a quad bike burst on to the moor. The rider spotted Ben, Sophie and Ollie and changed direction. The quad bike roared up the slope, heading straight for them.
‘Look out!’ barked Lara.
Ben and Sophie were still unclipping Ollie from the rope. The quad bike bore down on them as they struggled to free him. Ben detached the final clip and they yanked Ollie out of the way just before the squat four-wheeler roared over the spot where they had been standing.
The rider turned his bike round and then raised his helmet visor, revealing podgy cheeks.
‘Guzzler!’ cried Andrew, dropping the abseiling harness and sprinting for the track that would take him down to the base of the cliff.
‘Hey!’ shouted Ben. ‘You nearly ran us over!’
‘Nearly? Oops. Sorry,’ Gaz Guzzler said. ‘I’ll try to do better this time.’
He slammed down his visor, revved his engine and drove at them again.
Lara raced for the harness Andrew had dropped. Holding it between her teeth, she jumped over the edge of the cliff. The harness whizzed towards the ground, slowed only by the metal figure of eight the rope had to pass through. As Lara picked up speed, the rope began to swing, slamming her into the rock face. ‘Oof! Ouch!’ she yelped, using all four paws to push herself away again each time. The world’s first abseiling mutt!