5 Knock, Knock Who’s There

Chapter 5 KNOCK, KNOCK, WHO'S THERE? The display lit up. 4 BILLION YEARS AGO Judy held down the Fast-Forward button. bong… "Bravo, Miss Judy!" said the Time-A- Tron. "We are moving through time again!" They had traveled 500 million years since they were trapped inside the baby Earth. Andrew and Judy watched the gooey rock outside the Time-A-Tron change from fiery red- orange to dull brown. meep… "Rock not so hot now," said Thudd.

bong… "Do check the Super-Peeper, little Dubbles," said the Time-A-Tron. "You can watch what is happening on the surface of the Earth." The Super-Peeper showed a lumpy ball covered with pimples—and the pimples were steaming! "Eeeuw!" said Judy. "The Earth looks disgusting!" meep… "Earth got lotsa volcanoes now," said Thudd. "Volcanoes erupt! Throw up lotsa stuff from inside Earth. Lava. Gas. Steam.

"Lava turn into land. Make little continents. Gas turn into air. Steam turn into water!" As Andrew and Judy watched, enormous storms began to swirl over the Earth. Water collected in the shallow places. meep… "Rain make oceans," said Thudd. bong… "And somewhere out there, life is beginning," said the Time-A-Tron. "Wowzers!" said Andrew. "It'll be great to have company!" bong… "It is not the kind of company you would like," said the Time-A-Tron. "It is not even the kind of company you could see. The only things alive now are bacteria. Perhaps you would call them germs." Andrew and Judy watched as chunks of land crept across the Earth like bugs across a kitchen table. meep… "Continents moving," said Thudd. "Continents always moving. Crunch together. Break up. Then smoosh together in different way. Move as fast as fingernails grow."

bong… "That is right, little friend," said the Time-A-Tron. "The changes you see inside the Super-Peeper take millions of years." "Wowzers schnauzers!" said Andrew. "Our piece of land is creeping from the South Pole to the equator!" 600 MILLION YEARS AGO flashed the display. chee chee chee The shrew had scurried up the chair and skittered across Judy's hand. "Ohhhh!" yelled Judy. Her hand flew off the Fast-Forward button. BUH-BUH-BUH ZNERKKK! The digital display stopped at 360 MILLION YEARS AGO. KRAAAAAAAAACK! KRUUUUNK! The Time-A-Tron dropped back into normal time. Instantly, they were caught in a gushing river of rock. They were shooting up through the Earth like a cannonball!

SSSSSSSSSSSSS… With a sizzle, the Time-A-Tron hit black water. An instant later, they burst to the surface. Through twisting pillars of smoke, Andrew saw blue! "Wowzers schnauzers!" he yelled. "The sky!" "Look!" said Judy, peering through the dome. "Land!" A big wave rolled the Time-A-Tron sideways onto a patch of sandy beach. They were surrounded by ferns as tall as refrigerators. Beyond the beach was a forest of strange- looking trees. Their long, skinny trunks rose toward the sky. At the tops of the trees were bushy branches that looked like feather dusters. Clack! Clack! Clack!

Andrew turned toward the sound. A fist was poking out of a fern and knocking on the Time-A- Tron's dome!