—” Leo tried to say, but Remi elbowed him in the gut. Also, Ingrid had a big reaction to this news. She was up on her feet in the blink of an eye.
“Four Floogers and the iron box?! That’s outrageous!”
Remi was pleased she hadn’t mentioned the bottle of Flart’s Fizz and felt that the small white lie was well worth another world-class burp on the way back to the hotel.
“And the zip rope,” Remi said. “Don’t forget that.”
“Quiet down about the rope,” Ingrid said in a half whisper. She motioned toward Loopa, whose eyes had widened into even bigger green saucers.
Ingrid stepped to the door and met Loopa’s eyes as the monkey swung back and forth.
“Go and check on the duck; make sure she’s not eating the flowers. When you get back you can have a bottle all to yourself.”
The monkey was gone almost before the words left Ingrid’s mouth. As Ingrid turned to the boys, they could see that her expression had changed. She was no longer only nervous. She was downright worried.
“They live for Flart’s Fizz. It’s a very, very rare treat.”
“Why not give it to them all the time?” asked Remi. He thought the idea of monkey burps was hilarious. If he ran this place, he’d be handing out Flart’s Fizz to every monkey in the tree.
Loopa and the other monkeys were gone (they tended to travel in a pack), and Ingrid came back to the table. She was concerned as she looked at the two boys.
“I can’t believe he would send two kids down here for the iron box. And four Floogers. Very unusual.”
“And a bottle of —” Remi started to say, but this time Leo elbowed Remi in the arm and Remi stopped short.
“Why is it such a big deal, Ingrid?” Leo asked.
She walked past them to the box on the floor, kicking open the lid with her foot.
“You can only get Floogers from Dr. Flart,” she said. “He’s not as easy to deal with as I am. Mad scientists are by nature . . . unpredictable .”
Ingrid took out two bottles of Flart’s Fizz and set them on the table.
“It’s a dungeon down there,” she warned.
Remi had been thinking of meeting Dr. Flart and getting all sorts of great stuff he could have fun with. And there were the two bottles of Fizz on the table, which he very much wanted to grab and run away with.But the way Ingrid said dungeon spooked him. He felt a chill in his bones.
“And the iron box,” she said, shaking her head. “It’s held in a perilous place. One only goes there when one must.”
The whole undertaking was starting to sound diabolical to Leo. His responsibility was the Whippet Hotel, and he already had the money he needed to pay the taxes.
“Let’s take the payment back to the hotel,” Leo said. “Maybe that’s all we really need right now.”
“I wouldn’t count on it,” Ingrid said. “Merganzer never asks for something he doesn’t desperately need.”
Loopa had returned, and this time she sat patiently in the doorway. More monkeys were gathered outside, staring into the tree house from the open windows.
“Don’t get too close,” Ingrid said. “This will be terribly loud.”
Remi and Leo had no idea what Ingrid was talking about as she picked up one of the two bottles of Flart’s Fizz and carried it to the door. She cracked it open on the windowsill with a loud pop! and the metal cap flew into the air. All the monkeys leaned even closer to watch the orange bubbles, their eyes growing larger and greener.
Ingrid got down on one knee and held the bottle out to Loopa. When she did, the very small monkey grabbed it, tipping it into her mouth with lightning speed. All the other monkeys stood transfixed as the contents of the bottle slowly vanished.
Ingrid ran back into the tree house, hiding behind the table like someone was about to launch a water balloon attack.
“Why are you hiding behind the table?” Leo asked.
“Hiding? Who’s hiding? I’m not hiding.”
Leo and Remi turned in their seats and faced the door, where Loopa’s
“Four Floogers and the iron box?! That’s outrageous!”
Remi was pleased she hadn’t mentioned the bottle of Flart’s Fizz and felt that the small white lie was well worth another world-class burp on the way back to the hotel.
“And the zip rope,” Remi said. “Don’t forget that.”
“Quiet down about the rope,” Ingrid said in a half whisper. She motioned toward Loopa, whose eyes had widened into even bigger green saucers.
Ingrid stepped to the door and met Loopa’s eyes as the monkey swung back and forth.
“Go and check on the duck; make sure she’s not eating the flowers. When you get back you can have a bottle all to yourself.”
The monkey was gone almost before the words left Ingrid’s mouth. As Ingrid turned to the boys, they could see that her expression had changed. She was no longer only nervous. She was downright worried.
“They live for Flart’s Fizz. It’s a very, very rare treat.”
“Why not give it to them all the time?” asked Remi. He thought the idea of monkey burps was hilarious. If he ran this place, he’d be handing out Flart’s Fizz to every monkey in the tree.
Loopa and the other monkeys were gone (they tended to travel in a pack), and Ingrid came back to the table. She was concerned as she looked at the two boys.
“I can’t believe he would send two kids down here for the iron box. And four Floogers. Very unusual.”
“And a bottle of —” Remi started to say, but this time Leo elbowed Remi in the arm and Remi stopped short.
“Why is it such a big deal, Ingrid?” Leo asked.
She walked past them to the box on the floor, kicking open the lid with her foot.
“You can only get Floogers from Dr. Flart,” she said. “He’s not as easy to deal with as I am. Mad scientists are by nature . . . unpredictable .”
Ingrid took out two bottles of Flart’s Fizz and set them on the table.
“It’s a dungeon down there,” she warned.
Remi had been thinking of meeting Dr. Flart and getting all sorts of great stuff he could have fun with. And there were the two bottles of Fizz on the table, which he very much wanted to grab and run away with.But the way Ingrid said dungeon spooked him. He felt a chill in his bones.
“And the iron box,” she said, shaking her head. “It’s held in a perilous place. One only goes there when one must.”
The whole undertaking was starting to sound diabolical to Leo. His responsibility was the Whippet Hotel, and he already had the money he needed to pay the taxes.
“Let’s take the payment back to the hotel,” Leo said. “Maybe that’s all we really need right now.”
“I wouldn’t count on it,” Ingrid said. “Merganzer never asks for something he doesn’t desperately need.”
Loopa had returned, and this time she sat patiently in the doorway. More monkeys were gathered outside, staring into the tree house from the open windows.
“Don’t get too close,” Ingrid said. “This will be terribly loud.”
Remi and Leo had no idea what Ingrid was talking about as she picked up one of the two bottles of Flart’s Fizz and carried it to the door. She cracked it open on the windowsill with a loud pop! and the metal cap flew into the air. All the monkeys leaned even closer to watch the orange bubbles, their eyes growing larger and greener.
Ingrid got down on one knee and held the bottle out to Loopa. When she did, the very small monkey grabbed it, tipping it into her mouth with lightning speed. All the other monkeys stood transfixed as the contents of the bottle slowly vanished.
Ingrid ran back into the tree house, hiding behind the table like someone was about to launch a water balloon attack.
“Why are you hiding behind the table?” Leo asked.
“Hiding? Who’s hiding? I’m not hiding.”
Leo and Remi turned in their seats and faced the door, where Loopa’s
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