Chapter Thirty-Eight
Don’t Mess With My Monster
A low growl began in the chest of Titus, as he focused all of his considerable power. His huge arms bulged, his broad shoulders rippled, and his teeth clenched in determination.
Sensing the severity of the challenge (though he could not even see what was resisting him), Jasper applied his attention to the controls of the Mecha-Machine with renewed vigor. His arms moved this way and that inside of the cab, as he muttered around his corncob pipe.
Responding to the commands, the Mecha-Machine pushed against Titus with all of its might, achieving a wavering stalemate. The dinosaur-like contraption roared like a T-Rex, and it bellowed in mechanized rage. Though it could not operate without the input of its pilot, in that moment, it almost seemed like a living thing – a furious, ill-tempered beast.
As big as Titus was, the Mecha-Machine was much, much bigger. It was several feet taller than the swamp beast, and its weight must have been staggering, considering that it was built mostly from pieces of tractors and construction vehicles. The fact that Titus was able to go toe-to-toe with the monstrosity was testimony to his astonishing strength.
The Mecha-Machine’s great, hinged mouth dropped open, and it shrieked down at the swamp beast. Its red eyes blazed and smoldered, and the light at the back of its throat burned bright. But Titus was unfazed and unafraid. With the fate of his friends in the balance, he would not back down.
Standing in the shadow of this showdown between giants, the Beans whooped and hollered, cheering Titus on. Nibbler woofed, and Murphy squeaked, and perhaps most remarkable of all, Lefty had begun to snore.
The strength of the swamp beast was truly awesome. The nine-foot tall monster was like a force of nature – something that simply could not be altered, once its course was set. As the Mecha-Machine groaned and growled, Titus snarled right back. He pushed, and strained, and it looked as if the enormous muscles of his arms might burst right through the green skin. His broad shoulders rippled, as they worked to answer this mighty challenge.
With a terrific roar, Titus heaved and lifted, and he continued to turn the tide of struggle further in his own favor. He dug his huge feet into the earth, and pushed with all his strength. The Mecha-Machine resisted as best it could, but its efforts were futile. It tilted farther and farther back upon its heels, while Jasper hollered in protest.
With a final, gigantic effort, Titus upended the machine, bellowing as he did so. “GROOOOOOARRR!!!”
The Mecha-Machine fell to its backside amid a thunderous amount of noise, dropping the crushed van atop itself as it was pushed over. It briefly kicked its upside-down legs, but to no avail. Sparks shot this way and that, and thin streams of black smoke snaked their way from the undercarriage. The red eyes dulled, and the light that emanated from its throat slowly lost intensity, until it disappeared. With one last, dwindling groan, the Mecha-Machine powered down and lay still.
Somewhere, on the far side of the contraption, the Beans could hear Jasper groaning, and mumbling incoherently. Though he had been protected from severe injury by the cab and the roll-cage of his strange vehicle, he had clearly been knocked silly by the collision.
Neil whooped with joy, and in the direction of the foiled Jasper, he called, “Boo-yah! How do you like us now, you broom-wielding Cyclops? Don’t mess with my monster!”
Titus sighed, stretched his shoulders, and then swiftly dusted off his palms, pleased with his work. He lowered himself to one knee, and the Beans gathered close around him. Their excitement was tangible, as they all talked at once and exchanged high-fives with one another. Nibbler scurried this way and that, barking and panting.
Titus grinned broadly at the Beans, and embraced the whole lot of them (including Nibbler) in his enormous, powerful arms. There was a strong, pleasant aroma of moss and the woodlands.
“It is so good to see you again, little ones! But is your friend alright?” Titus asked, indicating Lefty, who continued to snore blissfully.
“Yeah, I’m sure he’ll be fine. Even though he picked a particularly horrible time to faint, he’s actually quite resilient,” Jack said. With pride, he added, “He’s my uncle.”
A dark shape came speeding upon their group, cutting through the sky. Amid a flurry of feathers, a falcon landed on Titus, perching on his shoulder. The Beans immediately recognized the bird’s gray-blue feathers, and his striking profile.
“Hey, it’s Arturo!” Maria exclaimed.
“Ah, so that’s what happened to Ebenezer,” Sara said.
It was now clear why the mad scientist had lost control of his jetpack, and spiraled into his unceremonious crash-landing. Titus’ trusted friend, the swift-winged falcon, was capable of extraordinary feats of speed. The bird had blasted past Ebenezer as he had hovered above, and the mild collision was enough to send him into his 360-degree spin.
“Thanks for your help, Arturo,” Jack said.
The falcon eyed the Beans from his perch, and loosed a low call from his beak. He shook his plumage about, as if in recognition of their praise. Turning his attention to Ebenezer, who was beginning to stir upon the earth, Arturo made another noise in his throat. With a graceful ascent, he departed Titus’ shoulder, spread his wings, and flew off, heading for the forest.
“My feathered friend is right… it’s time for us to go. It looks like your uncle is beginning to wake up, as well,” Titus said.
Lefty had begun to murmur under his breath, smacking his lips. He moved slightly from side to side, as he began to come around.
Titus squeezed the Beans in his embrace one last time, and then released them, rising to his feet. “I must go now,” he told them. “Take care of each other, little ones.”
“We will,” Neil promised, as he rested a hand on Jack’s shoulder. “Thanks again for all your help, Titus!”
With the same surprising speed with which he had arrived, Titus took off for the woods, disappearing between the trees. As he went, there came the noise that was by now familiar to the Beans: Rustle-rustle-rush-crush.
“You know, the Mecha-Machine isn’t even much of a monster, if you think about it,” Sara chuckled, as they watched the swamp beast disappear. “Now, that guy there… that’s a monster!”
The Green Beans, Volume 2: The Strange Genius of Lefty O'Houlihan Page 38
