Alligator Action (6 page)

“Anything we like!” Josh let out a chuckle, which came out as a series of grunts and hisses.

“How are we talking?” asked Danny.

“Not the usual way,” Josh said. “We don't have any vocal cords. We just use the air in our bodies
to sort of grunt and hiss and bellow. But it's the other ways too—you know, scent, body language, animal telepathy—that kind of thing.”

“Come on!” hissed Danny. “Let's take a walk!” He rose up a little on his stumpy legs and walked across the lawn to the jungle gym and back again. His body and tail swung from side to side, low to the ground. “I feel heavy!” he said.

“You are heavy!” Josh said. “You're designed to be in water. We must get down to the lake in the park and S.W.I.T.C.H. there. That would be
amazing
!”

“I'm hungry,” Danny said. “Really hungry!” He could hear lively yapping. Piddle was scratching at the kitchen door. “Hey—check out my teeth!” He opened his jaws, revealing about eighty sharp teeth.

“When they fall out, new ones grow in in their place,” Josh said. “Alligators can go through three thousand teeth in a lifetime. Imagine that!”

There was a sudden rattle down inside the passage—the sound of the kitchen door being opened. Josh and Danny stared at each other, alarmed. They heard the voice of their big sister.

“Get out, you disgusting little pee bag!” Jenny was shoving their dog outside. “Go and do your business outside! All I want to do is watch
Destiny Darcy
and you have to come along and pee on my feet!”

And then Piddle came trotting into the back garden. When he saw Josh and Danny, he froze, and all the hair on his body stood up.

“Piddle! It's OK!” hissed Danny. “It's us!”

Piddle whimpered and backed away, terrified.

“Really—it's just us,” went on Danny,
lumbering toward Piddle. “Danny and Josh!”

Piddle backed right into a corner by the shed, growling and shivering. “You don't have to be afraid!” insisted Danny. And then he opened his immense jaws . . .

And closed them on Piddle.

“DANNY! STOP! STOP!” Josh bellowed.

“Whaaa-at? I'm only playing!” Danny said. He turned around and grinned at Josh. Piddle, jammed in Danny's teeth, squirmed and yelped.

“STOP IT! You might eat him by mistake!” Josh whacked Danny hard with his powerful tail. Piddle shot out of Danny's jaws and landed in a soggy lump right in front of Josh.

Josh had to admit that the urge to snap up the little dog was very strong. Poor Piddle lay in a puddle, staring up at Josh in horror. But to Josh, he smelled a lot like dinner. Josh realized his jaws had opened. Very wide . . . .

Which was why it was a very good thing that he S.W.I.T.C.H.ed back right at that moment. He found Piddle's tail in his mouth, even so.

“Sorry—
sorry
!” He grabbed the shocked pet and rubbed his head. Over by the shed, Danny was also back in boy shape and looking rather ashamed. He came over to say sorry to Piddle too. But Piddle just wriggled out of Josh's grasp and bolted away through the side yard.

“That was a bit . . . bad,” muttered Josh. “We've never tried to eat Piddle before.”

“No,” agreed Danny. He shrugged. “But he's tried to eat
us
. Several times. So I think we're even.”

Josh still felt bad, even though Piddle
had
nearly eaten him when he was a daddy longlegs—and had actually chewed on Danny when Danny was a frog.

“Come on,” he said. “Let's go down to the park and try to AlligatorS.W.I.T.C.H. in the lake.”

“What if we get seen, though?” asked Danny. It was Saturday, and he knew the park would be busy. “And what if we get munchy around some person's dog. . . ?”

“Or some dog's person . . .” said Josh darkly. He sighed. He was still very shaken up by nearly eating Piddle. “Maybe we should just stay here. Think harder about what we're going to do about Petty.”

“Yes,” said Danny. “We shouldn't really be having fun while she's in some kidnapper's den.” He shook his head. “There could be torture. Screaming, yelling, slapping, shouting in the face . . . . I bet they won't keep her for long once she starts all that.”

They went back indoors and hid the lunchbox deep under the bunk bed. Then they sat on the floor, trying to think. After a few minutes of this, Jenny barged into the room and chucked something at them. “Just came in the mail,” she muttered. “Can't think why anyone bothers to send stuff to you two dweebs!” And she turned and went out again.

Danny picked up a yellow envelope with their names on it. He ripped it open while Josh leaned
over his shoulder. This could be it . . . a message from the kidnapper.

Inside, though, was a printed invitation. It read:

DESTINY IN THE PARK!

Don't miss the
Destiny Darcy Show
, recording at
YOUR LOCAL PARK this Saturday at noon!

“That's today!' said Josh, peering at the glossy photo of Destiny Darcy in front of a live studio audience. “In about an hour! It's a bit late to send an invitation out to everyone, isn't it?”

“But I don't think this
has
been sent to everyone,” Danny said. He flipped the card over, and on the back was some familiar scrawly writing.

COME ALONG, JOSH AND DANNY. IT'S
TIME TO MEET DESTINY. AND SEE YOUR
MARBLE MAKER AGAIN!

Josh and Danny stared at each other. Destiny?
Their
destiny? Or . . . Destiny Darcy?

“Come on!” Danny said, jumping to his feet.
“The marbles and Petty's kidnapping—it's all tied up with Destiny! Destiny Darcy!”

“Wait,” Josh said, grabbing the lunchbox back out from under the bed. “We're going prepared!”

The park was busier than usual. There were big trucks and a couple of large yellow tents set up by the lake. There was a large, metal dish thing set up on one of the trucks.

“It's a TV show all right,” Danny said.

“Look—they've got cameras and an audience and stuff.” Audience clapping and cheering and whooping could be heard from inside the larger tent.

Josh screwed up his face when he saw what was written on the tent in huge black letters. “I can't believe we're going to see the
DESTINY DARCY SHOW
! It's the one Mom and Jenny are so nuts about. It's awful!”

“But it all connects with the Mystery Marble Sender and Petty,” Josh said. “So we
have
to go in.”

Danny suddenly stood still, clutching the yellow envelope.

“Let's go in,” Josh said. “Or we might never see Petty again.”

They gazed at the big yellow tent for a few seconds. Then they walked toward it.