25-THE TRUE GUARDIAN OF THE RUBY

THE TRUE GUARDIAN OF THE RUBY I was still dreaming about that bubble bath when I heard a loud CRASH. I gasped. Nastytail had smashed the RUBY with his machete! "If I can't have it, no one can!" he sneered. Monkeyfur burst into tears. "The RUBY is lost forever!" she groaned. But for some reason a strange smile crept over her face. WHY? I wondered what secret she was hiding this time. Trap tied up the villains with his rope. They sat glumly underneath a tall tree. Then Monkeyfur led us to the other side of the temple. "I have a surprise for you!"

she said with a wink. She pushed aside some banana leaves. They hid a narrow tunnel. At the bottom of the tunnel, I saw two yellow eyes shining. They belonged to an enormouse boa constrictor. It was guarding a SPARKLING ruby. "Ssssssssssssssssssss!" Monkeyfur hissed. The snake slid obediently toward her. I was impressed. Monkeyfur couldn't read or write, but she could speak two other languages monkey and now snake! The snake placed the ruby in Monkeyfur's paw. She explained that this was the real ruby. For many years, EVIL RODENTS had been trying to steal it. So the villagers came up with a plan. They would put a fake ruby inside the temple. The boa constrictor GUARDED the real ruby day and night.

Thea turned on her two-way radio. She put in a call to the local police. "We have captured three nasty rodents," she said. "They have been cutting down all of the trees in the forest. Please come and get them. Over and out!"