slimy on the inside. And there were big paper cups for all of us (even Poog!) filled with a black liquid that looked a lot like something I once saw my dad pour into the engine of our car. I’ll be honest: It all looked extremely unappetizing.
But the smell! It smelled
fantastic
. At least ten times as good as most of the fast-food places back in Middleton, and maybe even better than my mom’s cooking.
“Eat up, folks!” the restaurant man said proudly, as if he couldn’t wait to see what we thought of it. “And keep your money in your pockets,” he added. “It’s all on the house!”
Thank goodness. I didn’t even
have
any money in my pockets.
Spuckler didn’t need to be told twice. He picked up two Smud Burgers, one in each hand, and stuffed both into his mouth at once. It was a pretty impressive sight, and it made me curious to try one myself.
I’ll never forget my first bite of Smud Burger. The bun was quite soft and spongy, but the meat was, well,
crunchy
! It was sort of like eating a mouthful of peanuts, except it was also very juicy, like a big, ripe tomato. There were all kinds of flavors in it, from sour and salty to sweet and spicy. I finished the whole thing in under a minute, then started on another.
Mr. Beeba seemed more impressed with a doughnut-shaped food that was as soft and light as cotton candy but tasted a little like some sort of baked fish.
“Heavens, my good man,” Mr. Beeba said, his mouth still full of food, “these are some of the finest Moolo Rings I’ve ever had.”
“Please,” the restaurant man replied with a great big smile on his face, “call me Yabby.”
“Yabby,” Spuckler declared, half rising to his feet, “I reckon you’re the best cook in the galaxy, and I ain’t jus’ sayin’ that, neither!”
Yabby beamed and blushed both at once. You could tell he was
very
proud of his cooking.
“So where are you folks headed?” he asked us.
“Just to the end of the bridge,” I said, glancing at Mr. Beeba to make sure it was okay to talk about our mission. He nodded and waved a reassuring hand, his mouth stuffed full of Moolo Rings.
“You can tell him more if you like, Akiko,” he said, swallowing loudly. “I’m sure we can trust Mr. Yabby not to tell anyone what we’re up to.”
“That’s for sure,” Yabby chuckled. “I get
very
few customers, as you’ve probably guessed.”
“We’re on a mission to rescue Prince Froptoppit,” I explained. “He’s been kidnapped by Alia Rellapor.”
“Oh dear,” Yabby said, a worried expression coming over his face. “I hope you have warm clothes.”
There was an awkward pause as I tried to figure out what he meant by this. I glanced at Mr. Beeba and Spuckler, who both gave me an
I don’t know either
look in return.
“And, uh, what if we don’t?” I asked Yabby.
“Well, Alia Rellapor’s castle is surrounded by miles of snow and ice,” Yabby explained. “Without proper clothing you’ll all freeze to death before you get anywhere near it.”
Spuckler turned to Mr. Beeba, pointing an accusing finger at his face.
“You never said nothin’ ’bout no snow and ice!”
“Yes, well, the books
I
read on the subject were, um, more concerned with the
topography
than the climate, you see. . .”
“Well, of all th’ . . . ,” Spuckler fumed. “What’re we gonna do
now
?”
“Relax, my friends,” Yabby said. “I’ll have a look around back. Maybe I can find some coats for you.”
Yabby went back into the kitchen and reemerged a minute or two later with his arms full of coats, blankets, and other pieces of cloth. He also produced a needle and thread and a measuring tape and began taking my measurements.
“I haven’t got anything in your size, little girl,” he said to me, “but I think we can work something out.”
We spent the next several hours chatting about this and that as Yabby made a coat for me. Spuckler told a bunch of exciting stories about things he’d done when he
But the smell! It smelled
fantastic
. At least ten times as good as most of the fast-food places back in Middleton, and maybe even better than my mom’s cooking.
“Eat up, folks!” the restaurant man said proudly, as if he couldn’t wait to see what we thought of it. “And keep your money in your pockets,” he added. “It’s all on the house!”
Thank goodness. I didn’t even
have
any money in my pockets.
Spuckler didn’t need to be told twice. He picked up two Smud Burgers, one in each hand, and stuffed both into his mouth at once. It was a pretty impressive sight, and it made me curious to try one myself.
I’ll never forget my first bite of Smud Burger. The bun was quite soft and spongy, but the meat was, well,
crunchy
! It was sort of like eating a mouthful of peanuts, except it was also very juicy, like a big, ripe tomato. There were all kinds of flavors in it, from sour and salty to sweet and spicy. I finished the whole thing in under a minute, then started on another.
Mr. Beeba seemed more impressed with a doughnut-shaped food that was as soft and light as cotton candy but tasted a little like some sort of baked fish.
“Heavens, my good man,” Mr. Beeba said, his mouth still full of food, “these are some of the finest Moolo Rings I’ve ever had.”
“Please,” the restaurant man replied with a great big smile on his face, “call me Yabby.”
“Yabby,” Spuckler declared, half rising to his feet, “I reckon you’re the best cook in the galaxy, and I ain’t jus’ sayin’ that, neither!”
Yabby beamed and blushed both at once. You could tell he was
very
proud of his cooking.
“So where are you folks headed?” he asked us.
“Just to the end of the bridge,” I said, glancing at Mr. Beeba to make sure it was okay to talk about our mission. He nodded and waved a reassuring hand, his mouth stuffed full of Moolo Rings.
“You can tell him more if you like, Akiko,” he said, swallowing loudly. “I’m sure we can trust Mr. Yabby not to tell anyone what we’re up to.”
“That’s for sure,” Yabby chuckled. “I get
very
few customers, as you’ve probably guessed.”
“We’re on a mission to rescue Prince Froptoppit,” I explained. “He’s been kidnapped by Alia Rellapor.”
“Oh dear,” Yabby said, a worried expression coming over his face. “I hope you have warm clothes.”
There was an awkward pause as I tried to figure out what he meant by this. I glanced at Mr. Beeba and Spuckler, who both gave me an
I don’t know either
look in return.
“And, uh, what if we don’t?” I asked Yabby.
“Well, Alia Rellapor’s castle is surrounded by miles of snow and ice,” Yabby explained. “Without proper clothing you’ll all freeze to death before you get anywhere near it.”
Spuckler turned to Mr. Beeba, pointing an accusing finger at his face.
“You never said nothin’ ’bout no snow and ice!”
“Yes, well, the books
I
read on the subject were, um, more concerned with the
topography
than the climate, you see. . .”
“Well, of all th’ . . . ,” Spuckler fumed. “What’re we gonna do
now
?”
“Relax, my friends,” Yabby said. “I’ll have a look around back. Maybe I can find some coats for you.”
Yabby went back into the kitchen and reemerged a minute or two later with his arms full of coats, blankets, and other pieces of cloth. He also produced a needle and thread and a measuring tape and began taking my measurements.
“I haven’t got anything in your size, little girl,” he said to me, “but I think we can work something out.”
We spent the next several hours chatting about this and that as Yabby made a coat for me. Spuckler told a bunch of exciting stories about things he’d done when he
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