The Dark World (4 page)

‘Check out that big rock!’ Finbar called, interrupting Kip’s thoughts. ‘There’s something growing on it.’

Kip bent his knees and launched himself into the air. With one almighty bounce, he landed next to the rock Finbar was pointing at.

Sticking out from a hole in the rock was a big, ugly plant with sharp thorns on the woody stem. Unlike Earth’s green plants, this one was completely white, since it grew in the dark. Thick purple goo oozed around the stem.

Kip squinted closer. He saw lots of milky-white berries clustered all over the plant. They had to be the ones the aliens had described.

Kip just needed to pick the berries. Then they could get back to the aliens and cure them.
Or find out what’s really going on,
Kip added silently.

Kip bounced once and launched himself onto the rock to pick the berries.

Feels kinda warm and squishy for a rock…

NNNNNNNNNNAAA ARRRRGH!

There was a horrible, gut-churning roar, and Kip was thrown into the air.

‘
Whoa!
’ he yelled as he landed on the rubbery water.

He was almost paralysed with shock! It took him a second to realise there wasn’t a
rock
in the middle of the rubbery lake.It was actually the tip of
something’s nose
. And that something was…

‘A lake beast!’ shrieked Finbar.

‘Stay back!’ Kip called to Finbar, who was bouncing over to help. If Kip was injured, he wanted Finbar in one piece to rescue him.

Kip was furious. The aliens hadn’t mentioned that a horrible, raging beast lived in the lake.

Now Kip knew for sure the aliens weren’t to be trusted. He still didn’t know why they wanted the plant, or whether they really were sick. But a decent alien would have mentioned this monstrous beast!

Again the creature roared, louder than twenty asteroids colliding.

It bared its rotten brown fangs at Kip. The beast was huge, with cruel eyes, leathery skin and spikes down its back like a dinosaur.

I’d be angry too, if I looked like that,
Kip thought.

‘Duck!’ yelled Finbar as the beast swiped its claws at Kip. He bounced out of the way just in time.

The beast gave a chilling cry. It thrashed around looking for Kip, sending tidal waves of rubbery water across the lake.

It can’t see me properly,
Kip guessed, as the beast’s claws whistled past his ear.

The beast lived in near darkness, so it probably had terrible eyesight.
Still, its hearing and sense of smell probably make up for that,
thought Kip. He knew it would catch him eventually.

The more Kip dodged the lake beast, the angrier it got. Its beady eyes rolled back in its head. Drool dripped from its fangs.

‘RUN!’ Finbar yelled.

Kip shook his head. The aliens had sent him here for that plant, surely knowing about the lake beast. They must want that plant badly.

If he got it, Kip knew he’d have power over them. That could be useful in finding out what the devious Neron aliens were up to.

The beast lunged towards him. Kip gasped, exhausted. As well as dodging the beast, he still had to move fast enough to keep from sinking into the gloop.

I can’t take this much longer,
he thought.

Mentally, he ran through the contents of his backpack. There had to be something in there that could help!

Ration pack with retractable toothpicks
… useless right now.

Finbar’s fur clippers
…why had he brought those?

Then…

Of course! My Sooth-a-Torch!
Why hadn’t he thought of it before?

The Sooth-a-Torch had been developed for the first ever mission to the planet Sookilala, where the aliens looked like giant, constantly crying babies.

It shot out a beam of light like any normal torch. But the light-waves were at a special soothing frequency, and the torch also played a lullaby that tamed even the most restless aliens.

Kip wrenched his backpack open and grabbed the torch from inside.

Let’s hope it works on lake beasts too!
he thought.

The rubbery surface of the lake rocked violently. The beast lumbered towards Kip, sniffing him out with its gaping nostrils. Globs of purple snot rained down everywhere.

But this time, Kip stayed put. He bounced on the spot, just enough to keep from sinking.

‘Move, Kip!’ yelled Finbar. ‘It’s almost on top of you!’

Closer and closer the beast came. Kip felt its warm, stinky breath on his skin. The beast raised its claws, and…

With one swift move, Kip engaged his Sooth-a-Torch.

A soft beam of light hit the lake beast’s eyes and a gentle tune filled the air. Kip felt his own hammering heart slow down a few beats.

The lake beast blinked.

It stopped roaring.

Its gaping mouth seemed to smile. And in the back of its throat, the lake beast made a sweet cooing sound.

The Sooth-a-Torch had worked perfectly!

The lake beast blinked and cocked its head at Kip.
Aw, it’s kinda cute,
he thought.
As far as hideous monsters go.

Obviously, Finbar thought the same thing. Kip’s 2iC was already digging in his backpack for treats to feed the beast.

Finbar held out a paw to it. ‘Try these chips,’ he said kindly. ‘They’re Flamin’ Asteroid flavour. My
flavourite
.’

Kip tried not to laugh. Finbar was such a softie!

‘You’re not so bad, are you, boy?’ Finbar added. ‘You just needed someone to treat you nicely.’

Finbar’s words stuck in Kip’s head.

Of course!
he thought.
If the aliens wanted those berries so badly, they probably did all kinds of cruel things to the lake beast to get them.
No wonder it was suspicious of everyone who came to its lake.

Now that Kip and Finbar had shown the beast some kindness, it seemed to be eating out of their hands. Literally!

The beast waded through the rubbery lake towards Finbar. It was too heavy to bounce across the surface like Kip and Finbar.

With a soft snuffle, the beast sucked up the chips in Finbar’s paw. When all the chips were gone, the beast nuzzled its purple snotty snout into the crook of Finbar’s arm.

‘Can we harvest those berries now, eh, boy?’ said Finbar, offering the beast more chips.

Happily munching, the beast didn’t seem to mind Finbar and Kip plucking the berries from the plant in its nose. Kip stored them safely in the side pocket of his backpack and zipped it closed. Finbar went on stroking the beast’s nose.

Kip was determined to find out exactly what the aliens were up to. Why were they really so desperate to get their hands on the berries? Something told him that whatever the reason, it wouldn’t be good.

No way am I letting the aliens get away with something dodgy!
he thought firmly
.

There was just one problem. Kip had crashed his E-Zee-Flight when they arrived at the lake. Finbar’s wasn’t strong enough to carry both of them.

After all that bouncing around, walking all the way back to the city wouldn’t be much fun.
Unless,
Kip thought suddenly,
the beast wouldn’t mind doing his new best friends a favour?

‘Do you think the lake beast is amphibious?’ Kip asked Finbar.

Finbar nodded. ‘Possibly. A lot of Earth’s reptiles are.’ He paused. ‘Kip, you’re not thinking…’

But Kip had already bounced over to the lake beast. After a friendly pat on the beast’s slimy chest, Kip hauled himself up onto its back.

‘Giddy up!’ Kip yelled, offering Finbar a hand up. The beast seemed to like having passengers.

‘Take us to the city, boy,’ Finbar said. He guided the beast by throwing Flamin’ Asteroid chips on the ground.

The beast began to trot, and then picked up pace. It was heavy, so every step was bone-rattling. Its gigantic feet sprayed dust as it galloped across the eroded ponds on the way back to the city.

‘Wooooo-hoooo!’ Kip shouted, holding on tight. He hardly even noticed how slimy it was to ride an alien lake beast bareback.

He couldn’t wait to tell Jett when he got home!

When the beast arrived in the cube city, there was no sign of the aliens.

‘Hello?’ Kip yelled up at the nearby gleaming towers.

‘We’ve found the miracle cure!’ Kip yelled. He waved the backpack full of berries in the air.