4 What Looks Like a Worm and Tastes Like Peanut Butter

Chapter 4 WHAT LOOKS LIKE A WORM AND TASTES LIKE PEANUT BUTTER? Andrew shook his head. "The Hologram Helper is probably having battery problems again," he said. Judy checked the bush's branches for katydids before moving into the shade. "I know how to windsurf," said Judy. "If we had something to use as a sail, we could windsurf over the sand." "Or if we had something to make a big kite with," said Andrew. "Let's think while we walk toward Uluru."

"Humph," grumped Judy. "At our size, it could take us months to walk there, Bug-Brain." "It'll take even longer if we don't start," said Andrew. "Let's go." Andrew crept over the bush's woody roots. Suddenly he tripped and fell into a crack. He landed facedown on something soft and squishy— and wriggling. "Holy moly!" cried Andrew. He was on top of a fat, white wormy thing squirming inside the root! Judy peered into the cracked root as Andrew struggled out of it. "Aaaack!" she hollered. "There's something disgusting in there!" meep… "Called witchetty grub," said Thudd. "Larva baby of big moth. Native people eat larva. Sometimes raw. Taste like egg. Sometimes cooked. Taste like peanut butter. "This bush called witchetty bush cuz witchetty grub live in roots." Judy rolled her eyes. "Yuck-a-rama!" she exclaimed. "Eating worms! Drinking frog water. What's wrong with these people?"

meep… "Australian people smart, smart, smart!" said Thudd. "Witchetty grubs and frog water lots more healthy than hot dogs and soda!" "Urp!" burped Andrew. "I'm getting hungry. Uncle Al said there were restaurants at Uluru. Chop-chop, Judy! Let's go!" They began plodding away from the puddle and onto the dry sand. Even with their sunglasses, the blazing sun was blinding. Andrew propped his hand over his eyes like a visor. With the heat and the wind, their wet, muddy clothes dried quickly. Soon they were meltingly hot again. Sweat trickled down their foreheads and dripped into their eyes. But they kept on trudging toward Uluru. After what seemed like hours, they came to a place where the tall grass didn't block their view of the distance. "Look!" hollered Judy. "There's a patch of blue ahead! It's a lake! We can tell Uncle Al to meet us there!"

"Noop! Noop! Noop!" said Thudd. "Oody not see lake. Oody see mirage! "In the desert, air near the ground super-hot. High up, air is cool, air is heavy. "Light travel, light bounce. When light from ground hit cool air up high, it bounce back down to ground. "What look like blue lake is reflection of blue sky." "Darn!" said Judy. "It's not real!" meep… "Can take picture of mirage," said Thudd. "Stuff is real. Just not in place Oody see it. Like stuff in mirror."

"Neato mosquito!" said Andrew. "Stupid, stupid mirage," complained Judy. They were coming close to one of the mysterious tall mounds that loomed above the grass. "Looks like a weird sand castle ahead," said Andrew. meep… "Castle for termites," said Thudd. "Home of termite colony. Termites mix spit with dirt. Make stuff hard as cement to build mound. A million termites in colony, maybe. "Got all kindsa rooms inside. Garden rooms. Nursery rooms for babies. Rooms for queen termite. "Termites even got way to make breeze come through. Keep rooms cool!" Judy frowned. "I thought termites were supposed to eat wood," she said. "There's hardly any wood in this stupid desert. Just a few scrawny trees and bushes."

meep… "Desert termites eat poop and dead plants," said Thudd. "Yuck-a-roony!" said Judy As they came closer to the termite mound, they saw dark streams spilling away from it. These weren't streams of water, they were rivers of insects—thousands of ants! meep… "Meat ants!" said Thudd. "Eat up any dead animal. Even dead cow." One of the ant streams was heading toward Andrew and Judy. The ants skittered on their skinny, stick-like legs. Some ants were carrying plump, white wormy things in their jaws. Others dragged ant-like