It was a kind of roaring noise – like the first sound you hear at the
seaside, which lets you know you’re near the ocean.
It’s like a sigh and hiss together, and it fills the air – it’s as if the sea is breathing out, breathing in, breathing out breathing in, as its waves crash onto the beach and then go back, with the rustle of a million million pebbles.
Well, something very like that sound was coming from Phargon – and it
was getting louder as the last of the cyber bikes shot off, the rats totally beaten in their bid to take over Phargon.
As they went, the cachou trees roots (or tentacles, if you like!) folded gently back inside the huge rootball at the base of the tree – vanishing as if they’d never existed!
“Good bye, cyber rats, and good riddance!” said the tree in his deep, deep voice.
“Yeah - don’t come back soon! Like, NEVER would be good!” shouted Mr Mouse, high-fiving as if he’d beaten them all single –handed.
Dot looked at Wiz and grinned as he rolled his eyes and let out a big sigh.
“Super! Excellento!” beamed Drindel. “This, I like!”
The sighing, roaring noise got louder. It was a friendly noise, mind – sort of welcoming. Just the way the seaside feels on your first day on a summer holiday!
It seemed to be coming from Phargon itself – but there was no sign of any change on the outside of the black mountain.
“Drindel… ” said Dot. “What is that sound?”
“Hee hee!” said Drindel, giving her a big hug. “Oh, you’ll see! You’ll see! You’re all in for SUCH a treat!”
But just then –
VRRRRRRRRRMMM! VRRRRRRRRRRMMM!
It was Cruncher, swooping his cyber bike down next to where they were all sitting in the cachou tree, grinning and giving a big thumbs up. His passengers, the Children of the Casement, were grinning from ear to ear too.
“Hey guys” said Carvelia “I could get to like riding these bikes!”
“Me too!” said Thoranon. “Wonder if we could take one into Phargon?”
“Watch it you two” laughed Cruncher, wagging a black-gloved finger. “Hands off!”
“LOOK!” said Wizzie suddenly. “Oh LOOK Dot!”
The black mountain of Phargon was opening – opening as if two giant doors were sliding back into the sides of the mountain. And the roaring sound
was louder than ever!
As they watched the cachou tree slowly sank down, like a helicopter gently coming into land.
A shaft of light shot out of Phargon, beaming its way over the net-plain in which the black mountain sat.
“JUST as I thought!” said Drindel, clapping his hands together. “Oh how marvellous! An Acclaim! Only the third one we’ve ever had!”
“Wow!” said Mr Mouse. “Will you LOOK at that Dot!”
Curling out of the mountain was a huge procession – hundreds and hundreds of Zildiths, their cloaks all gleaming and jumping with the moving pictures each one had taken as her or his own.
At the front of the procession was Zamelqa, the Regent of Phargon. Her hands were held out towards the cachou tree, a wide, wide smile on her beautiful face. Next to her, behind her to left and right, were Cambor and Poolbear, their two friends from when they had arrived in Phargon.
It all seemed such a long time ago…
And behind them, like an ever-widening triangle in rows of four, then eight, then sixteen, then thirty-two wide, and on and on, came all the Zildiths of Phargon. All were smiling, and all were singing out the strange sound that Dot had first heard.
Then she jumped, as Drindel opened his mouth too and began making the same roaring, sighing sound, just like that friendly sea breaking on the beach at the seaside.
Drindel saw her jump and winked.
“All Zildiths have to join in, you know” he said. “An Acclaim is only for the most special of people. Like you, missdorothy.com!”
