7. Kidnapped!

7 Kidnapped! "Oda Nobu's been kidnapped!" cried Arthur. "What should we do?" "Seems to me it's those ninjas who should be worried," chuckled Mrs. Lambchop. "If your famous friend is half the fierce warrior you boys say he is, I believe they'll have their hands full!" "Still, Harriet, a crime has been committed," Mr. Lambchop reminded his wife. "We must call the police at once and give them our report." Stanley shook his head. "Oda Nobu made me his personal ninja," he said. "It was my responsibility to protect him, and I didn't. Now it is my responsibility to find him." George Lambchop put a hand on his older son's shoulder. "Your mother and I have always taught you boys to live up to your responsibilities.

However, there's school on Monday. That's a responsibility, too." "And besides," Arthur said, "all Oda Nobu has to do is use his Incredible Kick of Catastrophe. Those ninjas will wish they'd never been born!" Stanley thought sadly about what Oda Nobu had confided in him. The movie star was probably very afraid right now. And if the kidnappers found out he couldn't protect himself, his career would be over. "No," he told his family. "I must save him." "But where are we going to start?" asked Arthur. Stanley looked all around the garden. Something on the ground near the gate caught his attention. He walked over and picked it up. "How about here?" he said, and held it up for the others to see. It was an origami star, made from Oda Nobu's shiny paper. Stanley's family followed him, as he looked for more paper stars. "There!" Stanley called time after time as he ran ahead to pick up another one. "This way!"

They hurried along like this for hours. Mrs. Lambchop, who was in excellent shape because of daily exercise, greatly enjoyed the hike. But Mr. Lambchop found himself huffing and puffing. "Too much time behind the desk at the office," he said. "I guess this should be a good lesson for me." Eventually, the stars led them to a footbridge that crossed a stream and then ran along a long row of trees. Finally, just as the sun was about to set, they came to a lake.

At the shore, Stanley found one more paper star. He pointed to an island in the middle of the lake. On the island was a beautiful little pagoda. "There," Stanley said. "That's where Oda Nobu is." "But how are we going to get there?" Arthur asked. "I don't see any boats." Stanley thought a little and then smiled. "Who wants to go first?" he asked. Then he lay down and slipped onto the lake's surface.

One by one, Stanley ferried his family across to the island. He kicked as quietly as he could. In a few moments, they were all together again, crouching in the darkness outside the pagoda. "Now what?" asked Arthur. "Lift me up, Arthur," Stanley said. "I want to look in this window." Arthur gave his brother a boost, and Stanley peeked in the window. He did not see the four ninjas, but he did see Oda Nobu, gagged and tied to a chair, with his wrists bound together in his lap. Stanley hopped down. "He's in there," he reported. "They have him tied up."

"So what should we do?" asked Arthur. Stanley tried to think like a ninja. He remembered what Oda Nobu had said about the art of stealth. He looked down at the last origami star in his hand. "I have a plan, Arthur," he said. "Fold me up exactly as I say. First, my left foot to my right shoulder. Next…"