Chapter 12

Chapter 12 Nina pushed me out the door, and we hailed a taxi. "Quick!" I ordered. "Take us to the National Science Headquarters, so we can get help from our nation's greatest thinkers." "I can't," said the cabbie, who by the way was a donkey. "Why not?" "Your goat just ate the steering wheel." We hailed ANOTHER taxi! "Quick!" I ordered. "While carefully protecting the steering wheel, gearshift, and other important car parts,

take us to the National Science Headquarters, so we can get help from our nation's greatest thinkers." "OK," said the cabbie. He drove about thirty feet and stopped. "What's the problem?" I demanded. "We're there," said the cabbie, who by the way was a mule. Oops. I had forgotten the National Science Headquarters is right next door to my office. "That'll be fifty bucks," said the mule. "Yeah, and two hundred bucks to replace my steering wheel!" shouted the donkey from thirty feet away. Suddenly the buzzing sound got louder. The giant alien space fly was coming right for us. Two of its massive legs— each as big as a telephone pole- reached down and grabbed the two taxicabs.

Luckily, Nina pushed us out the door just as the fly was taking off with the taxis. Clatter! went my skateboard onto the sidewalk. Thud! Oof! went me and my flowerpot onto the sidewalk. Spluff... went Nina as she landed softly on a nearby sloth, who was eating a hot dog. Nina helped get me and my flowerpot back on the skateboard, and then she began eating a sign that said NATIONAL SCIENCE HEADQUARTERS-RING

BELL IN CASE OF THRILLING NATIONAL EMERGENCY. "No time for that now, Nina!" I yelled, pushing the doorbell button. "We've got to get inside and solve this case before the giant Venus fly strikes again." "Pig deal," she said. I saw that the door was open and twenty-three pigs in lab coats were waiting for us.