4 At the Bridge

CHAPTER Four At The Brige "Umph!" Eric rolled over and over until he stopped under the bridge. He looked up. He couldn't believe his eyes. "Neal! Julie! I thought I'd lost you—mmmf!" Neal put his hand over Eric's mouth. "Shhh!" Julie pointed to the top of the bridge. "Those ugly red guys are up there." Eric nodded. Neal pulled his hand away. Eric started speaking as quickly and as softly as he could. He told Neal and Julie what had happened to him.

"We're in someplace called Droon," he whispered. "I met a princess named Keeah. She gave me a message for her father, King Zello." Neal glanced at the paper in Eric's hand, then gave him a strange look. "Uh-huh. Sure." "The red guys are called Ninns," Eric continued. "We have to see what they're up to. Give me a boost!" Neal grumbled but put out his hands so Eric could hoist himself up. A moment later, Julie was next to Eric. Together they peeked over the top of the bridge. "Uh-oh," Julie whispered. On the bridge were at least a dozen Ninns. Up close, their red faces were puffy and fat. Their slitty eyes were set close together. Their chins were pointed. So were their ears. On each hand were six clawed fingers. "Lord Sparr will be angry!" one Ninn snarled. "The girl's too quick!" snapped another. "And my groggle's too slow." He nodded at his lizard. Ooga! Ooga! A sound like a horn blasted through the forest. Then the ground rumbled. "Is that a car?" Neal whispered from below. "Uh… sort of," Julie answered. But it wasn't like any car they had ever seen. It was long and yellow and had a bubble on top.

It bounced down the road on eight fat tires. When it screeched to a stop in front of the Ninns, a tall man stepped out. He was different from the others, Eric thought. He wasn't a Ninn. His skin wasn't red, or pale like Keeah's. He was human… pretty much. Well, except for two purple fins sticking up behind his ears. "Where is the girl?" he snarled. His long black coat dragged heavily across the ground.

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The Ninns trembled. One looked up. "The others helped her escape, Lord Sparr," he said. Lord Sparr's eyes flashed in anger. And the fins behind his ears suddenly grew darker. "Did you see that?" Julie whispered. "He's some kind of wizard," Eric whispered back. "Princess Keeah said he was pure evil." "How many others?" Sparr demanded. Another Ninn held up his claw. He lowered three of his six fingers. "Three, my lord." "Scour the forest! Burn it down if you must, but find the girl! Find her friends, too!" Lord Sparr turned and stormed back to his yellow car. Ooga! Ooga! the horn blasted. The engine roared. The car tore away loudly down the road, leaving a cloud of thick blue smoke behind it. Fwap! Fwap! The sound of flapping groggle wings filled the forest. A moment later, Eric and his friends were alone at the bridge. "Lord Sparr is definitely bad news," Julie said. "And those ear fins are very weird." "This whole place is weird, if you ask me," Neal said. "How do we get out of here?" Eric frowned. "Keeah said to find somebody named Galen who lives in a tower. If we do, she promised to help

us get home. And Galen is also supposed to send this message to her father." Eric unfolded the wrinkled paper Keeah had given him. In thin blue ink, it read, Eric scratched his head. "Well, this doesn't make any sense." Julie laughed. "No kidding! I mean, flying lizards, bubble cars, a guy with fins on his head?" "And all under your stairs," Neal added. Eric didn't answer. He looked into the forest where he had last seen Keeah. He hoped she was safe. But something told him she wasn't. "I think she's in danger," he said quietly. "So are we," Julie added. "Let's find this Galen guy," Neal said. "The sooner we do, the sooner we get home. There's a path this way. Come on." Neal started running along the path. He rushed into a clearing. And he bumped his nose on something that wasn't there.