2 Bad Time for a Booby

Chapter 2 BAD TIME FOR A BOOBY Andrew looked up. Around the edge of the whale's mouth, in the place where teeth would be, were rows of black fringes. They were as long as a person's leg and hung down like a curtain all around the whale's mouth. Judy was clinging to a piece of the fringes. "It's like I landed in some disgusting car wash," she said. meep… "Oody hanging on baleen," said Thudd. "Made from same stuff as fingernails. Whale scoop up millions, millions of krill. Squash water out of mouth with tongue. Krill get stuck in baleen. Tongue scoop krill from baleen."

"Then I'd better get off this stupid stuff before I get squashed and swallowed, too!" Judy said. She let go of the baleen and swam down to the tongue next to Andrew. "Hey!" she said, pointing below the tongue. "There's something shiny down there. It's got to be the Water Bug!" "Super-duper pooper-scooper!" said Andrew. "Let's get it and get out of here!" Just then a clump of seaweed smacked into Andrew. As he tugged it off, he accidentally pulled open the pocket with Thudd in it! The little Bubble Bag that kept Thudd dry flipped out. "Thudd!" cried Andrew. "What's the matter?" asked Judy. "Thudd fell out of my pocket!" Andrew said. Andrew squinted through the rushing water. All he could see was little pink krill. But then something large and shaggy and white swirled past.

It couldn't be a bird, thought Andrew. Could it? But it was! It looked like a seagull with big red webbed feet and a long blue beak. And caught in its beak was Thudd. Andrew reached out for the bird and snagged a big red foot! "Thudd!" yelled Andrew. Andrew wedged himself between the whale's tongue and lip. Then he tugged the Bubble Bag, with Thudd inside, from the bird's beak. Andrew

tucked Thudd back into the pocket of his Bubble Duds. meep… "Booby bird grab Bubble Bag," said Thudd. "It really is a silly-looking bird," said Judy. "But it's not nice to make fun of it," said Andrew, still holding on to the bird. "It saved Thudd." meep… "Not make fun!" said Thudd. "Bird name is red-footed booby. Fishing bird. Booby hold breath and dive to catch fish. Whale catch booby! Booby catch Thudd!" The rush of water slowed. It was getting darker. The gigantic mouth was closing! Judy quickly snapped on Andrew's mini- flashlight. Andrew felt a sharp tapping on his arm. The booby was pecking him. The bird cocked its head and looked up at him, then blinked its beady black eyes. meep… "Drewd and Oody breathe cuz of Bubble Duds," said Thudd. "Booby not hold

breath much longer!" "Uh-oh," said Andrew. "We have to do something fast. Judy, hang on to him. I need to check my pockets." Judy slipped the flashlight into a pocket of her Bubble Duds and grabbed the booby. Tat! Tat! Tat! The booby was pecking at Judy's face mask. "Knock it off, booby!" she said. Andrew reached into a front pocket. Nothing there. He tried another pocket and found something squishy. It was a patch for the Bubble Duds, in case the underwater suit got torn. "Perfect!" Andrew said. He stretched the patch over the booby's head and wrapped it firmly around the bird's neck. There was just enough to make a helmet for the booby. Just its beak was sticking out. The bumpy green Bubble Duds material had bubbles of oxygen in it and pulled oxygen out of the water, too. Now the booby could breathe. "Gack!" squawked the booby.

Judy handed the booby back to Andrew. As the whale's mouth closed, the baleen from the top of the mouth slipped below the whale's bottom lip. It was dark as night, except for the beam of light shining up from the flashlight in Judy's pocket. Suddenly the giant tongue pushed up! The roof of the giant mouth was only inches above them! meep… "Hide under tongue!" said Thudd. Andrew and Judy slid below the tongue. Andrew felt the baleen brushing the top of his head. It was stiff and plasticky.