The Stolen Star

by Halyna Franko

keel. In this calmer environment the cousins were able to gradually prepare for their vital mission. The boys got to know the city like the back of their hand. They found out where all the surveillance cameras and neutralisation apparatus were located and also where the security dogs patrolled most often. The dogs were the most dangerous hazard for people with a normal energy field. Michael and Ben would more often than not wonder around the city in "invisible" mode. No matter how careful the boys were, the dogs would always get a fix on them. Then they would start howling, switch on their liquidation apparatus and out of nowhere unpleasant old men with rucksacks would appear. However, the boys soon learned to get the better of them. They would turn into animals much smaller than the dogs while remaining invisible and thus fall out of range of the dogs’ neutralisation equipment. Having got to know the whole city, the boys began to explore the area right next to the Museum-House. Here their task was even trickier because the museum was guarded from all sides, literally above and below. The only possible way of getting in was with a tour group and each member of these groups would be assigned their own special “observer”. In terms of its architecture the museum reminded the boys of the ancient Chinese Imperial palaces. It had a huge ornate roof which sat atop the walls like a separate structure. In the evening hundreds of multi-coloured rays would radiate out of the building and especially the roof making it look a bit like a hedgehog. In addition to this hundreds of searchlights were pointed at the Museum House.

  “Not even a fly would be able to get past all this,” Ben noted sadly.

  The restoration expert burst out laughing.

  “But at least it is beautiful to look at even if it is a little bit pompous. Because the thing that is being protected here is very important to the robots and far more valuable than the finest of jewels.” said ‘dad’ thoughtfully.

  “Well that means we'll have to act during the day," Michael suggested.

  However, it’s clear that these rays are invisible in daylight and just as dangerous to an intruder as they would be at night,” ‘dad’ pondered.

  “But what about the robots?" asked Ben.

  “I noticed during the excursion that all the people working in the museum and the security guards were wearing special costumes and that during our visit the security system was not switched on to “full”. The main thing is to ensure that the machines don’t get a fix on your positive energy flows. On the one hand it's good that you have been so well prepared and trained for this mission. But on the other hand your energy is so positive that the robots’ instruments will sense you from a hundred yards. Of course it’s going to be very dangerous for you to go into the museum,” said the restoration expert.

  Then Michael remembered:

  "Our kind exiled friends promised to help us.”

  “Yes, I'd forgotten. Let’s ask their advice,” Ben added, “they promised to help us. I suggest that we go and see them all together tomorrow.”

  “No, no I mustn’t. My absence from work would be noticed and what’s more I can’t get past the city gate unnoticed,” said ‘dad’ sadly folding his arms, “and anyway I will have my own role to play in this operation. First you need to agree on a plan with the specialist and his comrades in misfortune. You need to agree everything down to the last detail then I will tell you what my part in the mission is going to be. We need to agree an exact day for operation 'free the Princess’s ring'.”

  “Our friend the security specialist will start by turning off the part of the security and alarm system which the snake moves through so that it can be substituted by our friendly snake under the display cabinet. Then he will swap the dog in front of the museum for our one and do his utmost to disable the observation equipment used to track visitors," said Ben relating the details of their plan.

  “I will be in my car next to the museum with a sign saying: "excursion". After you have completed operation 'free the Princess’s ring' you will switch on your invisibility bracelets and sit down next to me in the car and we will drive out of the city as fast as we can. Operations will start in two days, which will give us time for you to speak to our helpers and for me to get everything ready for our escape out of the city. But for now, let’s just go for a casual walk around the city,” and with that ‘dad’ hugged the boys like a proud father and stepped out on to the street.

  The next day the restoration artist went to work and Michael and Ben set off to see their friends. Having successfully made it past the city checkpoint the brothers headed to the canal - only to find that their friends weren’t there. Next to the canal they found a sign saying "Forbidden Zone". The boys looked further along the canal… but to no avail.

  “Where could they have gone?” said Michael wiping his forehead with his hand.

  “Look, in that forest in the distance, there they are,” said Ben.

  Everyone was overjoyed to see each other. The dog wagged its tail, the snake raised its head high and the specialist rushed forward to greet the boys. The cousins soon informed the others about their plan of action.

  “It’s a really good thing that we start operations tomorrow, because it’s getting more and more dangerous for us to stay here. I am still pretending to be a tramp but tramps don’t usually live in the forest. They prefer inhabited places where they can beg for food from people. But now, let's get down to business. Tomorrow you need to bring me a museum worker’s outfit, your dad knows the sort that I need. And we’ll need to find a way of getting around the check point robots at the city gate because they’re very vigilant,” said the specialist looking at the boys inquiringly. “As a matter of fact how do you manage to get past it so easily?”

  “We were given bracelets by the Angel which have an invisibility button," said Ben switching on the button as he did so and thus producing the rest of his speech out of thin air. “And that’s how we’ll get you past the checkpoint. When we touch you, you will also become invisible.”

  The specialist whistled in amazement and said:

  “Wow, remarkable! Can you do the same with your energy? Because that is what the machines immediately fix on to."

  “We wait until a car goes past and then sneak through low under the beams," Michael explained.

  The boys and the expert discussed everything down to the finest detail; there was no room for error because the robots would be utterly ruthless with any “spies”.

  “If you want I can tell you what they do in their torture chambers,” the expert suggested.

  “We definitely don't want to know," said Ben decidedly, "what we see on television is bad enough.”

  “We will just have to hope that everything works out for you, but if the machines do get a fix on you, or to be more precise, your energy here are two small devices. Put one in your chest pocket and they will trick the surveillance machines into thinking that you have a different type of energy. The most important thing is that you manage to avoid the neutralisation machines. They are my invention," the expert said with evident pride.

  Michael and Ben hid the priceless devices in their pockets while Michael asked:

  “Do they only work once or can you carry them around with you all the time?”

  The expert laughed:

  “They will protect you against the robots’ evil instruments whatever the situation.”

  “But surely there must be some people in the city with positive energy?” said Ben in surprise.

  “Of course there are, otherwise the robots wouldn’t be able to survive. There are many cases when robots marry good people with excellent positive energy levels. And they proceed to live and flourish at their expense."

  “How can good intelligent people go through life married to humanoid robots,” asked Michael in disbelief, “and what happens to them later in life?”

  “Sometimes they even die. There are many ways of seducing a person and once they have made the wrong choice they have a real job
getting them out of this “dark hole”. The most important thing for a person is to protect their soul, and then they will see things as they really are and stop dangerously experimenting with their own lives. But don’t you worry just yet, as far as I can see it’s going to be a little while before you two get married.”

  Then suddenly Ben asked:

  “Is it a sin to marry?"

  “No it's more like a sort of ordeal. But it’s upsetting when this suffering is borne for such an artificial reason. And moreover they say to you – it’s all down to fate…” and the experts eyes filled with tears, “I have seen these sorts of families. It turns out that the robots are more inventive in their struggle for life than good but gullible people. But that is the key thing here, the most important thing is to knock a good person from the true path and Satanists of all sorts are working towards this end with all their modern technologies and inventions."

  The boys could see that the expert was upset and realised that he had gone through something of this sort in his own life. So Ben tactfully asked:

  “Is it from your own personal experience that you've learned so much about their tricks?”

  “Yes. Everything is fine with me, but my sister…, but let’s not talks about this; it’s very difficult for me to think about it.”

  “And is there no way of helping?” Michael