by Henrik Tamm
“Well, come in, then. But if you try anything, we’ll whoop your behinds again, and this time so you won’t be able to sit for weeks! And don’t touch anything!”
With that, he stepped aside, and Dobie and the other Gribble cousins hurried inside.
A few minutes later, they all sat in one of the back rooms, eating chocolates. Alfred took a break from his work to taste some. Timmy and the others were still wary but were going to let the Gribbles explain their case.
Dobie began by introducing all his cousins: Sly, Wheezer, Tribble, Dibble, and Fibbledee and Fibbledoo (they were the youngest). Seven in all. The ninja friends pretty much forgot who was who right away.
Dobie started to explain how they had come to work for the Blue Rabbit some months back. “See, at first he was really nice, complimenting us on our large stature and our impressive thick necks. We ran some errands for him and helped move oversize materials, that sort of business. There was apparently a machine he was building that required a lot of heavy lifting. Oh, and he paid us well. But then the threats began. Rabbit had made us steal stuff, and if we didn’t, he threatened to hurt us in unspeakable ways. I can’t remember exactly how he was going to hurt us, just that there were lightning bolts coming from his eyes when he spoke. That was when he ordered us to bring him children, and we never dared ask why. Luckily, the kids were okay when he was done with them. After a few days, he had me and the others return the kids to where we’d found them. From then on, it was a downward spiral. Our missions became more frequent, and we stole, or ‘borrowed,’ as Rabbit calls it, more and more kids. Rabbit threatened that if we stopped, he would turn us over to the city guard. By now, with the Iguanas, his machine must be almost complete.”
Timmy and the others listened attentively. The story seemed clear enough, even believable. If the machine was close to being operational, there was no time to lose.
And the Gribbles did come across as quite regretful for their bad behavior and kept apologizing. “It was because we’re big boys,” they would say. They explained how they were always teased in school for being big and how everyone assumed they were dumb jocks.
“But we’re not that dumb!” piped up Wheezer. Someone had hired them, and it had made them feel important. Like they had found their place in life. Well, at least before the threats had begun.
Dobie finally stopped and looked at the four friends and Alfred pleadingly.
“Could we stay here awhile? Perhaps we could even be of some help? Is there any heavy lifting to be done?”
The friends shared a serious look. Timmy turned back to Dobie.
“Wait here,” he said sternly.
The friends gathered in another room to discuss matters. Everyone agreed that the Gribbles seemed sincere and that the chocolates had been delicious. They even felt sorry for the Gribbles. But it also seemed quite unnatural to simply forgive and forget. Casper suggested that as a condition of accepting the Gribbles’ apology, they should make them bring chocolates every day. Jasper did a quick calculation and suggested that twice a day would be more appropriate. They all thought Jasper’s math made a lot of sense. Perhaps they would also make them lift some seriously heavy things.
At the end of the day, said Timmy, he supposed it would be a sign of greatness to forgive these culprits. That was what great figures in history had done. It would be noble. And being noble would be right in line with how they wanted their crime-fighting ninja gang to be perceived.
“Furthermore,” Simon added, “the Gribbles might come in very handy when the plan to find Flores is put into action. They’d add some much-needed muscle to the gang.” Everyone nodded at this.
So it was decided that they would let the Gribbles stay. The cousins wouldn’t be full members of the group—at least, not yet. They would have to prove themselves first. If they did well in the next day’s rescue operation, lifted lots of heavy stuff, and weren’t late with the chocolates, then maybe they could even begin as trainees.
The group spent the rest of the afternoon coming up with a plan of attack. The Gribbles turned out to be pretty helpful. They knew the layout of the factory and where Rabbit might be keeping Flores and the children. Apparently, after the laughter-extraction procedure was over, the children would be put into dark and scary rooms, to give them a taste of what it would be like to never laugh again.
“The extraction happens in Rabbit’s lab,” Dobie said. “The laughter is collected in glass jars that are then sealed.”
“That’s how my grandma makes strawberry jam,” said Jasper.
“It was peach jam, if you recall,” Casper countered.
“Focus!” cried Simon.
The brothers quieted down and let Dobie continue:
“The jars are transported to a room on the top floor, and Rabbit wheels them away in a red wagon. The laughter would work like fuel for the machine. Word on the street is that with the help of the Iguana gang, the Rabbit has almost completed it.”
“Oh, I know the Iguanas.” Alfred shivered. “They’re bad news.”
“Apparently, the leader of the Iguana gang, Gack, and the Rabbit are bonding over their love of éclairs,” Dobie added. “Anyway, the best way to get in is through the balconies on the upper levels. That way we can sneak by the Iguanas, who are probably patrolling the gate around the compound. That means we’ll have to fly there to avoid them.”
“But how will we fly without Flores here to pilot?” asked Jasper.
Just then, Timmy realized that all his friends were looking at him expectantly.
“No. Not a chance. No way.” Timmy actually physically took a step back. “I almost died in that thing.” But even as he spoke, he knew all his reasons why and realized that colorful retellings of his near-death experience would fall on deaf ears.
After much persuasion from the others, Timmy agreed that he maybe, possibly, perhaps with a lot of luck, could manage to fly it. And most likely crash it.
“I’m good pals with the old captain who runs the air-balloon station”—they had lifted a lot of heavy equipment for him—“and we might be able to borrow one of the balloons,” said Dobie. “We could fly right next to you.”
The discussion and planning continued until late. On a crude map of the abandoned factory, they marked strategically important points and possible escape routes. The basic plan was that the Gribbles would deal with the Iguanas, and Timmy and his gang would find and rescue the kids and Flores.
Nobody mentioned what would happen when they came face to face with the Rabbit himself, since nobody really had a good plan for that. It worried Timmy, but there were so many other obstacles facing them that he figured they would simply cross that bridge when they came to it.
After they had gone through every detail for the third time, they finally fell silent. It seemed they were really going to attempt this. Timmy felt scared, but he could also feel a strange calm. He knew they were doing the right thing by saving Flores and the children. They would try their best but would also let Fate play her role. He latched on to that feeling and tried not to think of anything at all. It would go as it would go.
It was at that moment that Alfred stepped into the room. He looked at Timmy.
“It is ready,” Alfred said.
Chapter 13
FLORES OPENED HER eyes. Her muscles ached, and when she tried to move, she realized in horror that she was still bound. She strained against the thick ropes, but they didn’t budge. The room was dark and cold. High above, she could make out giant crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.
Anger pulsed through her. It hadn’t been fair; there had been too many Iguanas. She hated unfair fights. Those hideous, spiteful lizards on their noisy bikes! And they stank. And their little motorcycles stank too.
She remembered hearing Timmy calling out to her, and spinning and being really happy to see him. Happy that he had come to see her off. She was really beginning to like that Timmy. But her joy had turned to anger at that awful racket the bikes had made
, and at the dust and dirt being kicked up into her face. Then the nets had come flying.
It was an awful feeling to be trapped, unable to fight back. It was also a new feeling, as Flores had never been powerless in her life. But what could she have done when she’d been hoisted into the air, face to face with a furry blue rabbit peering at her with his red eyes? Then her vision had gone black.
“When I get into the same room with that blue rabbit again,” she murmured, “I will show him who he is dealing with.”
“Hello. Are you awake now?” a voice said.
The Blue Rabbit stepped toward her. She wondered if he had been standing in the shadows all along.
He was tall for a rabbit. Probably six feet tall. He wore a long black coat draped over his brilliantly blue fur. He was chewing on something that looked to Flores like an éclair.
“How do you feel? I hope my boys didn’t hurt you,” he continued.
Flores struggled against the ropes, but it was hopeless. She shifted and managed to sit up against the wall behind her.
“Release me!” she roared.
Blue Rabbit peered at her blankly with his little red eyes, wiping his mouth carefully with a napkin.
“But I just captured you. That wouldn’t make much sense, now, would it?”
“You…you crook! You no-good, long-eared, furry freak! You don’t know who you’re dealing with! Untie these ropes, or I will…make you wish you’d never been born!”
“Again, you make no sense at all. After all, I was never born, per se.”
Rabbit turned and walked across the room to a table, where he picked up another éclair. He took a bite and smacked his lips. The sweet smell of the pastry wafted up into his nostrils. His favorite smell. He had a thought, perhaps something that would calm the angry feline.
“Do you want to smell an éclair?” he asked.
“What? Smell an éclair? No!”
This rabbit character was clearly crazy. Smell an éclair?
“No? I was just being generous. Fine, no smelling for you.”
Rabbit carefully stepped closer, moving in and out of the shadows, until he was standing right next to her. Flores looked up at him.
“My friends will come for me. You wait and see. Then you’ll be sorry.”
“Your friends? Oh good. Is that old grump Alfred with them? I would very much like to see old Alfred again. It’s been so long since I’ve seen my creator.”
Flores felt a shiver go up her spine. She tried to calm down. Stay cool, she thought. The night sky visible through the windows was a deep ultramarine, and she let her gaze fall on that.
“What do you want with me?” she asked slowly.
“I’m very sorry, but you may not ask questions. I will ask some of you, though, and I hope you can answer them. For your own sake.”
“And if I don’t?”
Rabbit just took another bite of the éclair and chewed. He looked at her calmly.
“Why were you spying on me? From that flying machine of yours?”
Flores just stared at the night sky.
“Were you looking for the children? Are they friends of yours? They are quite fine, save for one little detail, of course. You may think I am cruel to take away their laughter. But they can go on with their little lives quite well without it.” Rabbit walked around, glancing at Flores to make sure she was listening. He continued.
“Lives, yes. Life…You see, those children can give me the one thing I don’t have. And I want it. The thing all of you take for granted. Only I seem to understand the true value of it.” Rabbit paused, then spoke coldly and clearly. “Life, my dear feline friend. What you would call…a soul.”
Flores stared at him. She suddenly felt sad for this creature. What a horrific way to go about getting a soul.
“So you’re stealing the souls of innocent children in order to get one yourself?” she spat out, staring at him.
The Blue Rabbit made no sign of even hearing her. Instead he leaned down so his face was right next to hers. His voice was very soft.
“Who is that cat friend of yours? Why was he dressed like a ninja? Is he a real ninja or a fake who just dresses like one? Is he your, what do you call it…boyfriend? I would very much like to meet him too.”
Flores pursed her lips. She wasn’t going to say a thing.
“No? No answers?” Rabbit patted his delicate little mouth again with a napkin. Then his voice turned icy cold.
“Then you are of no use to me.”
Rabbit lifted Flores by her nape (she hated that more than anything) and walked across the room. She dangled helplessly in his grasp. Through the windows, she could see the lights of the city far, far below.
In the floor by the windows was a trapdoor. Rabbit opened it. He held Flores over it and then dropped her into the black hole. And down she fell.
Chapter 14
ALFRED LED TIMMY and the gang into his workroom. Timmy could feel his heart race in anticipation. This was it. The concoction Alfred had created with the blue flower stood ready. Timmy knew this moment was as important to Alfred as it was to him. The old man’s chance to right forty years of wrong. It was both frightening and exciting that Alfred was entrusting him, Timmy, with his device. It seemed that Alfred saw something in him that Timmy did not see himself. All Timmy knew was that he couldn’t let Alfred down.
Alfred stopped and turned. He folded his hands behind his back, looked Timmy in the eye, and nodded once. Next to him, in the center of the room, was something covered with a large blanket. Timmy walked closer and stopped. He could feel the others pushing into his back, whispering excitedly. They all squeezed into the cramped workshop, trying to find somewhere to stand, while trying their best not to knock down any of the books or tiny glass bottles that lined the shelves. A hush spread through the room. Everyone stood wide-eyed in anticipation. Alfred smiled at his captive audience.
“As you know, I didn’t have much time.” He paused for effect as he slowly moved behind the cloth. “And I didn’t want to repeat the mistakes of the past. Harnessing the power of the blue flower known as Eufsporia galitinos marillimus was not easy. But I suppose I have learned a thing or two over the years. Only time will tell. The object that I have made does not look like much, but I hope it will do the trick.”
He pulled the blanket away.
On a small table in front of Timmy stood a small bluish metal object. It didn’t look like anything Timmy had ever seen before. It was more or less round, with something that looked like a dial on one side, and with a button made of brilliant blue stone on the top. The stone sparkled in the soft light.
The whispering behind Timmy started up again. He stepped up to the strange device, took it, and held it carefully in his paw. It was surprisingly heavy. Its smooth surface was cool to the touch, but as Timmy held it, he could feel a strange warmth surge through him. A tingling sensation came with it, spreading from his heart and sweeping through his body, all the way out to the tip of each strand of fur. It felt almost like a tickle that coursed through him, touching every nerve on its way. The sound around him faded, as if receding into a dream, and for that moment, the only sensation he had was that of the weight of the object in his paw. It seemed to grow even heavier and appeared to glow softly as he regarded it. Wisps of light curled up from it like smoke, then disappeared into thin air. Timmy felt completely aware, yet the room around him seemed distant.
The sensation lasted for only a moment. Then the glow faded, and the whispers of his friends filtered back into his consciousness. As he looked up, he could see how Alfred watched him intently, then smiled with recognition. He spoke calmly:
“What you are feeling is only a tickle of the power contained within. It is feeling you, as you are feeling it. In a way, it is alive—just like you. Powerful magic works that way. You could say that it is saying ‘Hello, and nice to meet you.’ ”
Timmy shuddered involuntarily as the object’s power receded into its cool blue shell. He put it back on the
table.
“It feels very good,” he finally said with a smile. “Strange, and a little scary, but good. And it looks quite nice.”
“It’s called a Ziliosphere,” Alfred said.
“Ziliosphere,” Timmy repeated softly.
He turned and saw how the others watched him in awe. Jasper and Casper had their notepads out but hadn’t written a thing. Simon stood looking transfixed, his fur for once ruffled. Dobie and the cousins just looked slack-jawed, much like they always did. Everyone stood spellbound, waiting for what would happen next. Alfred stepped forward, laid his hand on Timmy’s shoulder, and said:
“Now, let me show you how this works.”
Chapter 15
THE TROOP SILENTLY snuck through the alleys of Elyzandrium. A quarter moon hung like a giant slice of peach in the deep blue sky, reflecting on the slick cobblestones. They were all wearing varying degrees of ninja clothing—all black, of course—to blend in with the night. Some of them still even had the headbands.
As Timmy looked around at the ragtag gang, he felt a real sense of purpose. Nobody spoke. They would communicate with hand signals. After a moment, Timmy raised his paw and twisted his fingers into a signal, and he and Simon broke away. Nervously they headed down the alley where Flores’s plane was parked.
They had arranged to rendezvous in the sky over the main square, Timmy and Simon in the flying machine and the others in the balloon they would borrow from Dobie’s captain friend.
Getting the flying machine started was no joke. Maneuvering it on the ground was even harder, and Timmy feared how the taking-off-and-flying part was going to go. He didn’t even want to think about the landing.
