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| 10. The launch that went wrong. |
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Ben Madigan was checking his blood sugar level on the glucometer when Uncle Sid's good ear shot up, and seconds later mayhem filled the entire castle. It was the moment the team had been waiting for.
It sounded, and felt, like a helicopter was being chased by a police car from room to room.
'Yippeeee!' cried the professor, sprinting towards the launch site. 'Come on Team!'
Beatrice the yellow Beetle's boot lid had opened by itself - as planned - and the green lights on the roof were flashing away merrily.
Uncle Sid was doing that 'running-around-in-circles' thing. He was rather excited.
The professor reached into the car boot and grabbed a set of headphones. She pressed a button on the radio and listened in to hear what was happening. And exactly where it was happening.
She pressed another button and printed off a map reference for Fergus.
'What is it, Prof?' shouted Ben, who was busy strapping the bright yellow and green backpack onto the goose.
'Some kid has fallen off his mountain bike up in Cairn Valley.' She showed Fergus the map. 'Shouldn't take you long to get there Fergus, it's only a couple of miles away.'
'Is he hurt?' asked Ben.
'Says here he might have broken his arm,' replied the professor, 'and apparently it's bleeding quite badly. But he isn't trapped; no need for the Fire and Rescue Service. But the nearest ambulance is up in the city, probably half an hour away.'
Fergus was ready - backpack primed, helmet fastened, knee and elbow pads on.
A quick systems check by the professor, followed by a five-second countdown from Ben, and their little superhero would be airborne.
At least that was the plan!
Uncle Sid had other ideas.
For as Ben Madigan removed the piece of magic stone from its hiding place behind a wall plaque, the dog was still doing its 'running-around-in-circles' thing.
Its tail caught the back of Ben's hand. The stone whistled through the air towards the target on Fergus' backpack.
Ben tried in vain to catch it. He tried in vain to warn the professor. But Uncle Sid's aim was perfect. And as the boom and whoosh sent Fergus skyward, Professor Dunlambert and Ben Madigan were splattered with the leftover of rotten fruit.
It smelt quite nice actually. But, of course, they couldn't see a thing...not even the goose flying around in circles over the castle.
And there were only three possible reasons for that;
(a) only one wing was working
(b) it was looking for somewhere to land
(c) it was lost!
Well, it wasn't (a ) because they could see BOTH his wings flapping gracefully.
And because he was nowhere near Cairn Valley, he shouldn't be looking for somewhere to land yet, so it wasn't (b).
Which meant...you guessed it...FERGUS WAS LOST!
From up above, it all looked the same on the ground. He could see the castle and its grounds. He could see the prof's golf course. He could even see the green flashing lights on Beatrice. What he couldn't figure out, was which way was north, or south, or east, or west.
At this point he wasn't even sure which was left and which was right.
'What's he doing?' asked Ben.
'Oh dear,' replied the professor. 'I'm afraid Fergus has no sense of direction.'
Uncle Sid giggled, in a doggy sort of way.
'It's not funny,' snapped Ben. 'How would you like it if you...?'
'No it isn't funny!' the professor interrupted. She bolted towards her workshop. There was a loud clatter and a few quiet bangs. A smash, followed by a muffled moan.
Seconds later she reappeared with her old doctor's case and a blanket. She tossed them into the Beetle's boot.
'C'mon Ben!' she snarled. 'What are you waiting for?' as she slammed the boot closed and dived into the driver's seat.
'I'm not quite sure,' Ben replied, slipping into the passenger seat beside her. 'Where are we going?'
'Cairn Valley, of course!'
And she was right, for with or without Fergus, the boy was still in need of help. And if a goose with no sense of direction was otherwise engaged, then everything relied on Professor Edna Dunlambert.
She stuck her head out the window and looked over her shoulder.
'You're in charge until we get back Uncle Sid,' she shouted. 'Keep an eye on Fergus, and watch you don't get too dizzy!'
She raced toward the castle's front gate.
'Stoppppppp!!!!' Ben wailed, just in time. Uncle Sid had made it to the gates first.
'Get out of the way, you silly mutt!' the professor yelled getting out of the car angrily.
Uncle Sid bounced in to her seat. She stood with hands on her hips.
The dog caught hold of Ben's waistcoat with his teeth and pulled. Ben tried to brush him off.
Uncle Sid growled and pulled harder, dragging Ben's bum over towards the driver's seat.
'Of course!' laughed the professor. 'Who's a clever boy then?' she added, giving Uncle Sid a cuddle.
'"Of course" what?' asked a rather confused Ben. 'Why is he such a clever boy?'
'Because I'm not allowed to drive this thing on the roads anymore, because of my epilepsy. You'll have to do the driving.'
Ben Madigan tried to slip across to the driver's seat, but he was far too tall. His knees kept banging his chin. The professor suggested it might be quicker, in the long run, if he just stepped out and walked around to the driver's side.
Ben and the professor fastened their seatbelts and headed for the open road, only to find Uncle Sid once again blocking their way.
'What is it now?' the professor gasped. 'Don't you realise we've a life to save?'
The dog spun around, just as he'd done earlier at the launch pad. Ben ducked, just in time to avoid the chocolate bar winging its way in through the open window.
'What on earth is he playing at?' Ben began.
Professor Dunlambert laughed.
'What was the blood sugar reading on your glucometer?' she asked.
'Three point four,' Ben replied. 'Quite low for me, really.'
And then he realised, he hadn't eaten anything after he checked it. All this excitement would make it fall even lower. A chocolate bar was just what he needed to keep him going for now.
They smiled at each other.
'Turn right, just up here,' she pointed.
Behind them, just inside the castle entrance, Uncle Sid had found a nice little spot to curl up in the shade and wait for Fergus to come back down.
It was all shaping up for a pretty daft day!
Watch out for the next BLOG...coming soon.
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