Akiko on the Planet Smoo (4 page)

Bip and Bop
led me to the guest chambers, which were very comfortable and warm. There was a big soft bed with dozens of fancy cushions, and a wide fireplace with a crackling fire. There was even a plateful of little cookies next to the bed and a warm mug of something that tasted a bit like eggnog. I suddenly remembered how hungry I was, since I hadn't really eaten much dinner. I gobbled down the cookies, each of which had a pleasant sweet-and-salty flavor that was unlike anything I'd ever tasted before.

There was also a little picture book on the table, so I picked it up and flipped through it as I lay there on the bed. I couldn't read any of it because it was all in this weird, squiggly alien language. But there were lots of interesting drawings of all kinds of bizarre-looking animals, so I just turned the pages and looked at the pictures.

By that time I'd figured out that the only way I'd ever get to go home again was if I did everything that King Froptoppit told me to do. The whole thing was completely crazy and totally unfair, but there was nothing I could do to get out of it. And though I was already starting to miss my parents, and Melissa, and all the stuff in my bedroom back home, I decided that I'd just have to be brave and do my best to be a good leader. Or at least
act
like a good leader.

I closed my eyes, secretly hoping I'd wake up to find that the whole thing was just a dream. A minute or two later I was sound asleep.

When I woke up the next morning it took me a while to remember where I was. Then it slowly came back to me: Bip and Bop, the flight to Smoo, my meeting with King Froptoppit. I yawned and wondered what my parents were doing back home. I was a little worried that the robot might do something that would make them suspicious. My father probably hadn't noticed anything, but my mom would be a little harder to fool. Still, that robot looked so much like me even
I
couldn't see the difference!

I rubbed my eyes and got up to have a look out the window. The sun was just coming over the horizon of Smoo, and the whole palace was covered with a beautiful orange light.

Fortunately there was a small bathroom attached to the guest room. The funny thing was that there was a fresh tube of toothpaste near the sink but no toothbrush. I sat there scratching my head for a second before I remembered the sentence in the letter:

DON'T FORGET YOUR TOOTHBRUSH
.

Luckily, I hadn't. I'd packed it in this cute little carrying case my parents had brought me from Japan one time, and stuck the case into my back pocket. So I pulled it out and gave my teeth a good brushing.

There was a knock on the door. I washed the toothpaste out of my mouth and ran over to peek through the keyhole. It was Bip and Bop, of course. Though I'd hoped they were going to tell me it was time to go home, they were just there to escort me to breakfast.

“Good morning, Akiko,” said Bip.

“I hope you slept well,” said Bop.

“Yeah, I slept like a rock,” I said, trying to squelch another yawn. “I'm not that crazy about Smoo so far, but at least the
beds
are pretty good.” And it was true. I'd slept better on that bed than I did on my own bed back at home.

“Please come this way, Akiko. Your breakfast is waiting.”

They led me out to a small table on an outdoor balcony, where they'd set out an amazing variety of fruits and pastries and stuff. There were bottles of several different kinds of juice, and little bowls filled with something that looked like pudding. The sun warmed my face, and there was a gentle breeze as I looked around and enjoyed the view. I was already starting to feel a little better about things.

I sat down and sampled the unusually shaped pieces of fruit one by one. Each of them had a very interesting taste, and almost none had any seeds whatsoever. The pudding stuff was also delicious and very filling. As nervous as I was about what was yet to come, I had to admit I was enjoying the food!

After breakfast I
was once again taken to see King Froptoppit. He was standing in a small room at the intersection of several corridors. Sunlight poured in from a glass-domed ceiling, covering the walls and pillars with a pinkish glow.

“Good morning, Akiko.” He beamed at me, giving me a hearty handshake. “I hope you enjoyed your breakfast.”

“Well, yes, it was actually quite good,” I said.

“How about the Smagberries?” he asked with a wink. “Good, aren't they?”

“Oh yes, they were delicious,” I answered. Actually I had no idea which of the things I'd eaten was a Smagberry, but I didn't want to make things difficult.

“Come along, Akiko,” he said, taking me by the arm. “I want you to meet Mr. Beeba. You'll like Mr. Beeba. I'm quite sure of it.”

He suddenly stopped and turned to me, raising a finger.

“He takes a little getting
used
to, mind you,” he said. “A bit of a stick-in-the-mud sometimes, I'm afraid. But you'll
like
him, Akiko. I'm sure of it.”

He did his best to reassure me about the mission as he led me down a bunch of long corridors and through a number of different rooms. He kept saying how straightforward the mission really was, and that the only things needed were perseverance and an optimistic outlook. There was something very effective about his cheerful way of talking, and it made me feel a lot less anxious.

Passing through one final doorway, he led me into a small circular room filled from top to bottom with books. There were dozens of shelves and cabinets built into the walls, each of them packed with books. There were tables here and there, all of them covered with books and papers. And (as if the keeper of the room had finally given up on finding space for everything) there were big stacks of books all over the floor, some of them reaching almost up to the ceiling. We found King Froptoppit's friend sitting at a table in a little alcove, nearly buried in books and papers. Startled by our entrance, he jumped to his feet and tried to make himself presentable.

Mr. Beeba was such an odd sight that he made King Froptoppit look quite ordinary by comparison. He had spindly little arms and legs, with oversized gloves and oversized feet. His head had big tufts of fur on either side where his ears ought to be, but no hair on the top or back. His eyes were as big as eggs, and they peered out from above a pair of spectacles that looked as if they'd been plucked from the nearest librarian.

He looked me over with a mixture of surprise and disappointment.

“Akiko, this is Mr. Beeba,” King Froptoppit said as he brought me before the little man. The top of his head was only about as high as my shoulder.

“It is an honor to make your acquaintance, Akiko,” he said, bowing slightly. “Your reputation precedes you.”

“Mr. Beeba is one of four loyal companions I have chosen to help you on your mission,” King Froptoppit explained. “He is a brilliant scholar and highly respected throughout the galaxy.”

“His Majesty flatters me,” Mr. Beeba protested with just a hint of a smile. “To call me a brilliant scholar is to gravely dilute the meaning of the word
brilliant
, I must say.”

“Mr. Beeba is very knowledgeable in all manner of subjects,” King Froptoppit continued, causing the little man to smile even more. “Everything from transgalactic irrigation theory to medieval weather forecasting. He will doubtless prove to be an invaluable part of the mission.”

“Have you ever been on a rescue mission before?” I asked.

“Well, er . . . ,” he replied nervously, making little fidgety gestures with his enormous hands, “I've certainly read my share of
books
on the subject. Some of them more than once. I've definitely got the
theory
end of it down, and it's, er, just a matter of putting that theory into
practice
, you see. . . .”

“Ah, Poog!” King Froptoppit said, turning his attention to someone who had just entered the room. “Good of you to join us. There's a person I want you to meet.” Whoever it was had come in so silently that I hadn't even realized he was there. I turned around quickly to get a look.

Nothing anyone could have said would have prepared me for meeting Poog. Even now it's very difficult to describe him. Poog was really little more than a floating head. He had two eyes, one mouth, and no nose. He was almost perfectly round and covered by pale purple-white skin that shimmered like smooth leather. His eyes were as big as pancakes and as glossy and black as a pair of dark glasses. His mouth was no more than an inch from one side to the other. It was almost impossible to detect any expression on his face; a hint of a smile was all there was to see.

Poog made a quick warbly sound and smiled at me, blinking once or twice. His high-pitched voice was garbled and seemed to pack lots of information into very short bursts, like a tape recorder playing at very high speed.

“Poog says he's pleased to meet you Akiko,” Mr. Beeba translated.

“P-Pleased to meet
you
, Poog,” I said, unable to take my eyes off this strange alien creature. It seemed impossible to me that anyone could understand such a language. Mr. Beeba, however, was evidently very familiar with it and seemed to enjoy playing the part of Poog's translator.

There was nothing scary about Poog, but it was pretty weird meeting him for the first time. I wanted to ask a lot of questions about him, but I didn't know if it would be considered impolite. I decided just to keep an eye on him and see if I could figure anything out on my own.

“Now, before we go any further, Akiko, I must tell you about the person who kidnapped my son, and where you'll have to go to rescue him.” King Froptoppit led us all out onto a balcony overlooking the entire palace. The sun had risen a bit higher in the sky, and the view was quite spectacular. The King cleared his throat, as if he were preparing to deliver a speech.

“Prince Froptoppit was kidnapped by an evil, misguided woman named Alia Rellapor,” he began, stroking his chin and drawing his eyebrows together in an expression of grave seriousness. “She was once the loveliest woman in the galaxy, but that was long ago. Now she is my sworn enemy and desires nothing more than the ruination of my kingdom. Without my son upon the throne, there will be nothing to stop her from destroying us once and for all.

“We know only that she is keeping the Prince in her remote castle hideaway in the mountains,” he continued. “What I need you to do, then, is go to this castle, find him, and bring him back. It should be a relatively simple matter once you've gotten inside Alia's castle. With any luck you'll be able to get him out of there without ever having to deal with Rellapor herself.”

Mr. Beeba nodded in agreement, while Poog hovered silently over his shoulder. I felt a little better about going on the mission now that I knew I wouldn't have to do it alone. I still wished King Froptoppit hadn't put
me
in charge of it, though.

“I thought you said there were
four
people who were going to help me out here,” I reminded him.

“Yes, of course, Akiko,” King Froptoppit said, his face brightening. “You'll
love
the other two chaps I've got lined up for you. Won't she, Mr. Beeba?”

“Spuckler and Gax?” Mr. Beeba asked, as if he was not entirely sure how to answer. “They are both . . . reasonably competent, Your Majesty, yes.”

“Very well then!” King Froptoppit exclaimed, slapping Mr. Beeba on the back. “Off you go!”