3 Umbubble to the Rescue

chapter 3 UMBUBBLE TO THE RESCUE Andrew stuck to the outside of the drop. It was like riding a giant water balloon! Plop! The drop crashed and dragged Andrew under the churning water near the faucet. Thudd! thought Andrew as he held his breath and swam to the surface. Uncle Al had warned him that Thudd should never get wet! As soon as Andrew popped into the steamy air, he pulled Thudd out of his pocket and held him above the water.

The buttons on Thudd's chest were blinking red. They were supposed to be green! meep… "Where sheep go to get haircut?" asked Thudd. There was a goofy smile on his face screen. "What?" asked Andrew. meep… "Baa baa shop!" said Thudd. "Hee hee!" Then Thudd's eyes closed. "Schnurm… schnurm… schnurm…" It sounded like Thudd was snoring! "Thudd?" said Andrew. He shook Thudd gently. Andrew was worried. Thudd had never told jokes before. And he'd never gone to sleep, either. The Umbubble in Andrew's mouth was nice and soft now. Andrew started blowing a clear blue bubble. When the Umbubble was twice as big as he was, Andrew stopped blowing. The Umbubble floated gently on the water.

There was a little hole in the Umbubble where Andrew had been blowing. Andrew pushed himself through it. The walls of the Umbubble were thin and rubbery and a little sticky. They stretched tightly around Andrew and kept the water out, then snapped shut behind him. I'd better keep my legs in the water so I can paddle around the tub, thought Andrew. He pushed his legs back through the Umbubble.

As soon as the Umbubble sealed up tight again, Andrew started blowing on Thudd, trying to dry him off. Thudd's eyes opened. "Are you all right, Thudd?" asked Andrew. meep… "Wet! Wet! Wet, Drewd!" Thudd whimpered. "Dizzy, too." Andrew stuck Thudd to the wall of the Umbubble to dry. "Drewd seen Oody?" Thudd asked. "Not yet," said Andrew. "Did you see where she landed after she bounced off the bubble?" meep… "Oody fall near there!" said Thudd. He pointed to a mountain of bubbles between the faucet and one of Harley's towering legs. "She's so small," said Andrew. "Do you think we can see her?" meep… "Thudd use Goggle Scope!" The Goggle Scope was a clear, flat mask that let Thudd see things in different ways. It sat on top of his head when he wasn't using it.

Thudd pressed the Goggle Scope button on his chest, and the Goggle Scope flipped down over his face screen. Thudd pressed another button to set the Goggle Scope to "telescope." This made faraway things look near. Andrew kicked through the choppy bathtub sea toward the bubble mountain. Blobs of soapsuds rained down as Mrs. Scuttle scrubbed Harley. Ahwoooo! Harley howled. "Down, mister!" yelled Mrs. Scuttle. Harley's paw smacked the water.

"Whoa!" Andrew yelled as a swirl of water caught the Umbubble and dragged it toward the bubble mountain. An avalanche of bubbles began to tumble down from its top! The bubble mountain collapsed, and a dark, craggy island came crashing through it!