05 The Pit

CHAPTER FIVE THE PIT The Naughty Nightcrawlers from Neptune dug and dug and dug. Quickly, they made their way to the area underneath Ricky's fort.

Up, up, up they tunneled, until the earth below the fort was hollow and unstable. Ricky's fort began to creak and groan. "What's wrong with my castle, Ricky?" asked Lucy while the family was eating dinner. "Why is it making that noise?" "I don't know," said Ricky.

Ricky's Mighty Robot walked over to the fort. He checked the steel columns as the fort swayed from side to side. Then he kicked the ground gently with his giant foot.

Suddenly, the earth below the Mighty Robot's feet crumbled, and he fell into a deep, dark pit. "Robot!" cried Ricky. "Are you OK?"

Finally, Ricky's fort began to rumble and bend. "It's going to fall!" cried Ricky's dad. "RUN!"

All at once, the heavy steel fort collapsed and came crashing down into the deep, dark pit. Ricky's Mighty Robot was buried alive beneath the thick metal beams. He tried and tried, but he could not even move one inch. The Mighty Robot was trapped.