by Andrew Cope
Cheering and a stampede of footsteps saved her from one of the professor’s lectures.
‘Yikes!’ yapped Spud. ‘School’s out for summer!’
He pointed at the gates just as a herd of cheering children burst into the park and thundered towards the playground, throwing their school bags away as they ran.
‘No way!’ yelped Professor Cortex, watching the crowd stampeding towards him. ‘Get me out of here! I can’t run in these shoes!’
Agents K and T picked up the professor by his elbows and quick-marched him off the playground. As Lara followed, head down, she heard someone shouting her name.
‘Lara!’
She turned, and saw Ben running towards her, followed by Sophie and Ollie. Suddenly she felt a whole lot better. Lara loved all the members of the Cook family, but she and Ben had a special bond, plus he didn’t give two hoots about her losing her Spy Dog skills.
‘Summer holidays, Lara!’ Ben yelled, giving her a fierce hug. ‘Six weeks to do whatever we want! Football, fishing, camping … brilliant!’
And barbecues! wagged Lara.
‘Brilliant!’ yelled Ollie, grabbing Spud and wrestling him to the ground. ‘Yuk, you’re all wet!’ Spud wriggled out of Ollie’s grip, jumped on to his chest and planted his paws on his shoulders.
Victory for the soggy doggy! Get out of that!
‘Brothers,’ said Sophie, sitting down beside Star. ‘Who’d have ’em?’
Star leant against her. Tell me about it!
‘Where’s the Prof?’ asked Ben. ‘I thought he was coming to watch you three do your free-running?’
Lara raised an eyebrow and nodded her head towards Professor Cortex. Check out the skirt and handbag combo.
Ben, Sophie and Ollie stared, open-mouthed.
‘Ah yes. I can explain,’ spluttered Professor Cortex, straightening his wig. ‘My agents and I came here in disguise.’
‘Why?’ asked Ben.
‘To test our Spy Dogs’ observational skills,’ said Professor Cortex. ‘They failed, I’m afraid. You’ll have to work on that, GM451.’
Don’t worry, Prof. I’m on it! Lara scanned the park through narrowed eyes, wishing she had her reading glasses with her.
‘However,’ the professor continued, ‘their free-running was very impressive. And the little fella’s swimming is coming on nicely too! So, well done, Lara. You did exactly as instructed.’
Lara dipped her head modestly, but she knew she had done a good job. Spud’s love of food had been starting to show on his waistline, so Professor Cortex had asked her to get her pup into shape. Admittedly, there had been a few false starts. Instead of exercising on Mrs Cook’s treadmill in the garage, Spud had recorded himself running on it, and had then left the recording playing while he sneaked off to play computer games with Ollie. Lara had tried cross-country runs next, but Spud had simply given up and caught the bus home.
‘It’s so boring!’ he had whined, each time he was found out.
So Lara had tried something that would exercise Spud’s brain as well as his body: free-running. Spud had taken to it instantly. He loved the challenge of racing along, scaling walls and vaulting over obstacles.
‘It’s like a computer game, Ma!’ he had yapped. ‘You have to keep looking ahead and working out exactly when to jump and where to put your paws next. I love it!’
They had been in training ever since, and all three of them had become fitter. There was only one problem: Spud’s muscles had grown bigger, but so had his appetite.
‘Trouble to our left,’ said Agent K, breaking into Lara’s thoughts. Two people were standing beside the flower bed where Agent T had been digging.
I should’ve spotted them first, Lara thought. I really must sharpen up!
‘That’s the real park gardener,’ said Ben.
‘And she’s got a policeman with her,’ Ollie added.
The gardener was pointing at the flower bed and waving her arms about.
‘She doesn’t look too happy,’ said Agent T. ‘Maybe some of those weeds I dug up weren’t weeds after all.’
‘Come on, everyone,’ said Professor Cortex as the gardener and the police officer looked their way. ‘Time for a quick exit.’
Or as quick as you can go in those shoes, thought Lara.
They hurried out of the park with Agents T and K supporting Professor Cortex as he tottered along on his high heels. A black Secret Service van was parked on the street outside. Professor Cortex clambered into the back and sat down on one of the luxurious leather seats with a grateful sigh. Lara, Spud, Star and the children piled in after him, and Agents T and K shut the doors before climbing into the front of the van.
‘Activate the external cameras,’ ordered Professor Cortex.
Agent K pressed a button and the van’s monitor screens lit up, showing the street outside. The police officer and the park gardener were already through the park gates and sprinting towards the van.
‘Put your foot down, Agent T!’ the professor shouted. ‘Now!’
The van pulled away from the kerb with a screech of tyres and shot off down the street, leaving their pursuers far behind.
‘Where to, sir?’ asked Agent T.
‘The Cooks’ house,’ ordered Professor Cortex, easing out of his high heels and unbuttoning his frilly blouse. ‘And go the long way round, to give us time to get out of our disguises.’
Phew! I think we’ve had our share of excitement for the day, thought Lara as the van sped towards home.
4. Storm Spell!
‘Our garden’s full of people!’ Ollie cried as the van pulled up outside the house. ‘And one of them is massive!’
Lara looked at the van’s monitor screens. There were seven people packed on to the little square of grass at the front of the Cooks’ house. Mr and Mrs Cook were there, as well as a man with a camera and a woman with a notebook. Next to them stood an old man with long, white hair and a colourful waistcoat, a beautiful, dark-haired girl dressed as a princess and a – Lara frowned at the screen. What is that?
‘A troll!’ cried Sophie. ‘Look! There’s a troll in our garden!’
‘Really?’ said Ollie in an interested voice. ‘I thought they lived under bridges. Do they eat people?’
‘It’s not a real troll,’ Sophie explained. ‘It’s somebody dressed up as a troll.’
‘Oh.’ Ollie sounded disappointed. ‘But why is he in our garden?’
‘I think I might know,’ said Ben, with a quiver of excitement in his voice. ‘Come on, Lara. Let’s go and find out.’
‘Ah! Here are the children!’ cried Mrs Cook as they all climbed from the van and squeezed into the front garden. ‘Looks like they got a lift home from –’
‘– from their grandfather,’ interrupted Professor Cortex, eyeing the pair with the camera and the notebook. ‘Yes. I am their grandfather. And these two,’ he added as Agents T and K took up their positions on either side of him, ‘are their uncles.’
Mrs Cook looked surprised, but recovered quickly. ‘That’s right,’ she said in a slightly high voice. ‘Grandfather.’
‘And uncles,’ said Mr Cook, nodding furiously.
There was an awkward pause. Lara glanced anxiously between the journalists and Ollie. At twelve and ten, Ben and Sophie were old enough to understand why Professor Cortex was hiding his true identity, but Ollie was only six. Would he blow the Prof’s cover? Luckily, he was too busy staring up at the troll to bother about anything else.
‘Which one of you boys is Ben?’ asked the white-haired old man.
‘That’s me,’ said Ben.
‘Pleased to meet you, son!’ said the old man. ‘My name is Mr Cartwright and I own Enchanted Towers Theme Park. Can you guess why I’m here?’
‘I think so,’ said Ben shyly, glancing across at his mum and dad. Mr Cook was beaming proudly, and Mrs Cook had gone a pretty shade of pink.
‘We asked people to send in names for our new mega-rollercoaster ride. I’m pleased to announce
that you, Ben, are the winner, with your brilliant suggestion, “Storm Spell”.’
Ben grinned as Mr Cartwright shook his hand, and everyone clapped and cheered.
‘Your prize,’ Mr Cartwright continued, ‘is a two-night stay in the Enchanted Towers Hotel for you and your family, a two-day pass giving access to all the rides in the park, plus seats in the front carriage for the launch of Storm Spell!’
‘Yay!’ Ollie yelled at the top of his lungs. The garden was too crowded for him to run around, so he contented himself with jumping up and down on the spot, chanting, ‘Storm Spell! Storm Spell! Storm Spell!’
‘Enchanted Towers!’ cried Sophie. ‘What a brilliant start to the summer holidays!’
‘Your dogs can come too, of course,’ said Mr Cartwright, patting Lara on the head. ‘But we won’t be giving them passes for the rides; we don’t want to terrify the poor things.’
Lara raised an eyebrow. What a cheek! I’ve ridden a space rocket – on the outside! A few theme park rides won’t frighten me. But she allowed Mr Cartwright to keep patting her because she knew he was only being kind.
‘During your stay with us you’ll be looked after by Princess Pretty and her Troll Prince,’ explained Mr Cartwright.
Princess Pretty made a deep curtsy and the Troll Prince gave them a wave.
‘Last but not least,’ said Mr Cartwright, ‘chart-topping singer, Summer Rayne, will be launching the Storm Spell ride for us, and you’ll all get to meet her!’
The press photographer’s camera flashed again and the reporter scribbled furiously in her notebook.
‘When do we go?’ asked Ben.
‘Your adventure starts tonight, Ben,’ said Mr Cartwright. ‘The Enchanted Towers Hotel is awaiting your arrival. Tomorrow, you’ll spend the day enjoying the theme park and, in the evening, you’ll have VIP seats for Summer Rayne’s show in our theatre. Then, on Sunday, you will be our special guests for the launch of Storm Spell!’
‘We’ve already packed,’ said Mr Cook, pointing to the suitcases strapped to the top of their car. ‘All you lot need to do is get changed and grab anything else you want to take.’
‘Computer games!’ yelled Ollie, pushing through the throng and rushing into the house.
‘Ollie!’ cried Mrs Cook. ‘Where are your manners?’
‘No, he’s quite right,’ laughed Mr Cartwright. ‘There’s no time to lose! Go and get sorted, everyone. We’ll see you later at Enchanted Towers.’
Mr Cartwright waved the Cooks into the house and then turned to leave, but the reporter stepped in front of him.
‘Mr Cartwright, would you care to comment on the pick-pocketing plague at Enchanted Towers? I’m sure the Daily Dose readers would like to hear your side of the story.’
The troll, who had been completely silent until now, let out a whimper.
‘Be quiet, Darren!’ hissed Princess Pretty, giving the troll a vicious pinch on the arm.
Hmm, Lara thought, seeing the pinch. It seems our Princess Pretty has a nasty streak.
Mr Cartwright looked upset. ‘There have been a few incidents,’ he admitted, stepping out on to the street and heading for the Enchanted Towers official car. ‘But I have compensated every victim and we are working hard to solve the problem.’
Princess Pretty and the Troll Prince hurried after Mr Cartwright and the Daily Dose reporters. Lara, Spud and Star were left alone in the garden with Professor Cortex and his agents.
‘Well, well, well. Pick-pockets, eh?’ said Professor Cortex. ‘Lara, Spud, Star, I think you’ve just been handed your next mission.’
Lara nodded her agreement. Sounds as though Enchanted Towers needs a bit of Spy Dog magic!
‘It’ll be a chance to work on our observational skills,’ yapped Star.
‘Wait right there,’ said the professor. ‘I have the perfect gadget.’
He hurried to the van, rummaged in the back and returned carrying three pink heart lockets. ‘These might look like pretty bits of jewellery, but they’re solar-powered miniature camcorders,’ he explained. ‘When you want to watch the footage you’ve recorded, all you need to do is find a laptop and …’
The professor took hold of the point of the heart and pulled. It came away, revealing a plug-in for a laptop.
‘Very clever!’ yapped Spud, who loved gadgets. ‘Pity it’s pink.’
‘So, if you spot a pick-pocket, there’s no need for any heroics,’ said Professor Cortex. ‘Simply catch them on camera, then hand over the evidence to the Enchanted Park security people. The camcorders automatically switch to infra-red in the dark, so you can film at night too.’
Professor Cortex attached lockets to Lara and Star’s collars and then he turned to Spud.
‘No way!’ yapped Spud, backing away from the pink, glittery heart.
‘Ah yes. Sorry about the girly bling, Spud,’ said the professor. ‘We’ve been trying to catch a certain master-criminal for ages, but he’s very good at covering his tracks. His new girlfriend adores cats, though, so we’re planning to send her three cute kittens as a gift, each one of them wearing a camcorder locket. After a few days, I think we’ll have all the evidence we need to arrest our guy. Operation Kittie doesn’t start until next month, so you could borrow these for the weekend.’
Professor Cortex held out the glittery locket again. Spud scowled and kept his distance. You might be happy dressing like a girl, Prof, but I’m not!
‘Come on, Spud,’ woofed Lara. ‘It’s for the good of the mission.’
With a resigned growl, Spud allowed the professor to clip the locket to his collar.
‘Suits you, Spud!’ yapped Star. ‘The pink really sets off your black fur.’
‘Are you laughing at me?’ asked Spud suspiciously.
‘I wouldn’t do that! After all, us girls have to stick together.’
Luckily for Star, the Cook family hurried out of the house just as Spud was about to give her sticky-up ear a good twist.
‘Where’d you get the pretty matching lockets?’ asked Mrs Cook as they piled into the car.
Lara looked at Professor Cortex and shook her head. Don’t mention the pick-pockets. I want this to be the best possible weekend for Ben and the rest of the Cook family.
To her relief, Professor Cortex seemed to have come to the same conclusion. ‘Oh, those. They’re prototype gadget cases. Lara, Spud and Star are going to wear them for the weekend, just to see how hard-wearing they are,’ he called, waving goodbye as he headed back to his van.
Lara settled on to the blankets in the back of the car with a relieved sigh. With any luck, everyone would get something out of their stay at Enchanted Towers. The Cook family would have a lovely holiday, Lara and her pups could get down to some serious detective work and Mr Cartwright would have the pleasure of handing the Enchanted Towers pick-pocket over to the police.
‘Mission Pick-pocket, here we come!’ woofed Lara.
5. Star Treatment
Mr Cartwright led the Cook family along the tenth-floor corridor of the Enchanted Towers Hotel to the ‘Wizard’s Suite’. He swiped a key card through the slot and the door swung open on soundless hinges.
‘Welcome to your home for the next two nights.’
‘Whoa! It’s like a house for giants!’ cried Ollie, running into the room and throwing himself on to the sofa.
Lara could see what he meant. The room was easily big enough for a game of five-a-side football, including spectators. The sofas were twice as big as their sofas at home, and the carpet was twice as thick.
‘This is the life,’ Mr Cook sighed, sinking into an armchair and putting his feet up on the footstool.
‘Beautiful,’ Mrs Cook murmured, stroking the polished surface of an oak dining table.
‘Are these for us?’ asked Sophie, pointing to two huge bowls full of sweets and chocolates.
‘That’s right,’ said Mr Cartwright.
Spud’s eyes lit up. ‘My favourites!’ he drooled, peering into the bowls.
&nbs
p; ‘Which ones?’ asked Star.
‘All of them!’ yapped Spud.
Ollie stopped running around the room just long enough to grab a handful of toffees.
‘There’s a bowl of lovely fruit as well, see?’ said Mrs Cook, without much hope.
‘Excuse me, Mr Cartwright. There are no beds. Where do we sleep?’ asked Sophie.
‘This is a suite, Sophie,’ Mr Cartwright explained. ‘The bedrooms are behind those doors.’
‘There’s more? Wow!’ Sophie shot off with Ollie, Spud and Star to explore.
‘Slow down!’ shouted Mrs Cook.
‘Slow down!’ woofed Lara, at the same time.
‘What do you think of the Wizard’s Suite, Ben?’ asked Mr Cartwright.
‘It’s amazing.’
Mr Cartwright smiled. ‘You haven’t seen the best bit yet.’ He pressed a button and the curtains drew back to reveal a wall of windows. The Enchanted Towers Theme Park was spread out below them.
‘You can see everything from here!’ cried Ben, with such excitement that the others ran back from the bedrooms to see what all the fuss was about.
‘Yes. We’re nearly at the top of the hotel,’ explained Mr Cartwright. ‘Only the Penthouse is higher; that’s where Summer Rayne will be staying tomorrow. Now, look over at the forest, Ben. What can you see?’
Ben looked where Mr Cartwright was pointing. He could see something coiling and twisting through the treetops. ‘Is that Storm Spell?’
‘Yes.’
Ben beamed with pride.
‘Everything will be ready for our big Sunday launch,’ said Mr Cartwright. ‘The Enchanted Towers team have been hard at work painting “Storm Spell” on to the ride entrance and on the sides of all the carriages. Now, I’ll leave you all to get some sleep. You need to be in the hotel lobby at nine in the morning. Princess Pretty will meet you there and take you across to the theme park.’
Ben turned back to the windows as the door closed behind Mr Cartwright. ‘Storm-Spell,’ he murmured, ‘the world’s fastest, scariest, twistiest and most stomach-churning ride! I can’t wait for a go!’