Alistair Grim's Odditorium (23 page)

Nigel and I gasped.

“You?”
cried Lord Dreary.

“Yes, old friend.”

“But you just said that you’re much too heavy.”

“I am.”

“But that means—”

“The wasp will not be able to hold me.”

“Then you’ll most certainly—

“Fall into the ocean and drown, yes.”

“But, Alistair—that’s suicide!”

“Precisely!”

“But—”

“Quiet, Lord Dreary!” said Mr. Grim, gazing upward. “Here she comes.”

Cleona floated feet first through the ceiling and down to the floor. “Here I am, Uncle.”

“Thank you for coming, Cleona. I just wanted to inform you in person of my decision to ride Number One.”

“What?”

“At this moment, I fully intend to get on Number One’s back and fly around outside the Odditorium in search of more tracking mechanisms.”

“No tricks?” Cleona asked, amazed.

“What does your instinct tell you?” replied Mr. Grim.

Cleona began to tremble, and her eyes streamed with tears. She clawed at her hair and stretched her lips apart in a ghastly O, and from deep within her throat came a deafening wail of
“AAAIIIEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!”

All of us, even Gwendolyn, pressed our hands to our ears, but it did little to block out the banshee’s wailing—a wail that sounded like a cross between a cat screeching and a wolf
howling at the moon.

“AAAIIIEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!”
Cleona cried again, and the entire Odditorium shook so violently that I was certain the engine room’s ceiling would come crumbling
down on us at any moment.

“I’ve changed my mind!” Mr. Grim shouted. “I will not ride the wasp but will allow Master Grubb to do so in my place!”

And just as quickly as she began, Cleona stopped her wailing. She blinked her eyes a couple of times, then wiped her cheeks with her sleeve and looked around as if nothing had happened.

“Good heavens!” cried Lord Dreary.

“Forgive the experiment,” said Mr. Grim. “Are you all right, Cleona?”

“Oh yes, Uncle. Perfectly fine now, thank you.”

“Experiment?” asked Lord Dreary.

“You see, as Cleona is a banshee who has attached herself to my family, based on my decision to ride the wasp, she foretold my doom. However, when I changed my mind and agreed to let
Master Grubb ride the wasp, Cleona stopped wailing. But Master Grubb, you see, is now
also
part of our family. And so—well, do you see where I’m going with this, Lord
Dreary?”

“You mean, the fact that she stopped wailing when you agreed to let Grubb ride the wasp indicates that the boy will be safe on his mission?”

“At this point in time, yes. However, as I just demonstrated, the future can be altered by even the most insignificant decisions made in the present. And so, Master Grubb, if for some
reason Cleona should start wailing again, you must return inside at once. Do you understand, lad?”

“Yes, sir.”

“You must also be very careful and precise in your instructions to Number One. For example,” he said, leaning over the wasp. “Fly over to the sphere, Number One.”

Immediately the wasp buzzed its wings and lifted off. It flew directly to the crystal sphere, but then just hovered there, as if awaiting further instructions.

“So you see, Master Grubb,” said Mr. Grim, “if you wish Number One to land, you must tell it to do so.”

Mr. Grim instructed the wasp to land on top of the sphere, and it obeyed.

“Now, Number One,” he said, “until I tell you otherwise, you will follow only Master Grubb’s instructions. Do you understand?”

From atop the sphere, the wasp nodded its head and batted its antennae.

“Number One,” said Mr. Grim, “fly back to me and land at my feet.”

The wasp did not move.

“Go ahead, then, Master Grubb. Tell it to fly back to you and land at your feet.”

“Number One, fly back to me and land at my feet.”

The wasp lifted off the sphere and did as I commanded.

“Very good,” said Mr. Grim.

He crossed to a panel on the opposite wall and pulled a lever, whereupon a porthole opened in the floor, and a cool salt breeze flooded the engine room.

“Climb aboard,” said Mr. Grim, and I mounted the wasp. “Hold on tight to that joint casing there,” he added, indicating the raised rim running across the wasp’s
middle segment. “And be sure to keep your appendages clear of the wasp’s wings.”

“No need to worry, sir,” I said. “I don’t have any appendages, far as I can tell.”

“Your
arms
and your
legs
, lad,” said Mr. Grim, and I swallowed hard and nodded. “Now,” Mr. Grim continued, “despite the complexity of the
Odditorium’s inner workings, the outside is relatively simple. Number One should be able to spot the Sirens’ eggs quite easily. However, if you should notice any other objects
inconsistent with the rest of the exterior, direct Number One to fly toward it, and judge for yourself what belongs there and what doesn’t. Understand?”

“I hope so, Mr. Grim.”

“Very well, then, my young apprentice. Command Number One to fly you ’round the outside of the Odditorium. And good luck to you, lad.”

“Right-o,” Nigel said. “Good luck, Grubb.”

“Good luck,” said Lord Dreary and Cleona. Gwendolyn just cooed. And as I grabbed hold of the wasp’s joint casing, I took a deep breath and said:

“Fly me ’round the outside of the Odditorium, Number One!”

The wasp batted its antennae and crawled forward, and then all of a sudden it seemed as if I had fallen into a cold black well. And had I not lost my breath, I most certainly would have
screamed. The moon was full, the sky clear and bright with all its stars, and I could easily make out the silver rolling waves rushing toward me.

Only then did I realize that Number One and I had dropped through the porthole.

Up, up!
I tried to shout, but I could not find my voice.

The wasp’s polished steel wings began to buzz frantically at my sides—but still we kept dropping, the waves coming at me faster and faster. I closed my eyes, certain that at any
moment we would crash. Then, at the last second it seemed, Number One veered sharply and we began to climb.

I opened my eyes, and in an ice-cold whoosh my voice returned.

“I’m flying!” I cried. “I’m flying!”

Number One leveled herself and picked up speed. The cold salt wind whipped at my cheeks, but my entire body felt on fire with excitement. And as I gazed out across the silver sea to the stars on
the horizon, for a moment I forgot all about the tracking mechanisms.

Then Number One swerved unexpectedly to her left, jolting me so hard that I nearly slid off her back. I shrieked and grabbed hold of her antennae, and the wasp gently bucked and hitched me back
into place.

“My apologies, Number One,” I said, panting with fear. “I’ll hang on tighter from now on.”

The wasp nodded and batted her antennae, then banked into a steep climb. And as I tightened my grip on her joint casing, I caught sight of the Odditorium high above us.

Silhouetted against the stars, Mr. Grim’s mechanical wonder resembled a great black cannonball with a flowing tail of glistening yellow smoke. But as we drew closer, the outline of the
Odditorium’s legs and toothy battlements turned the cannonball into a crowned spider with a single, glowing blue eye.

“Well done, Grubb!” Cleona called out, and I realized the spider’s blue eye was in fact the light from the balcony. And there was Cleona, hovering just above Mr. Grim’s
pipe organ. “Tell Number One to locate the tracking mechanisms!” she shouted.

“You heard her,” I said to Number One. “You locate the tracking mechanisms, and I’ll keep a lookout for anything else!”

The wasp batted its antennae and leveled into our first pass. We hadn’t far to travel before I caught sight of the Siren’s egg flashing about ten feet below the battlements. Number
One swooped in beside it, and in the blue light from her eyes we discovered a large black egg as big as my head.

“It must be attached with a clamp of some sort,” I said, but the wasp just hovered there, her antennae waving back and forth as if examining it. Then the egg flashed and Number One
began tapping away at it with her hammer and chisel. After a few moments the egg came loose and fell, flashing one more time just before it disappeared far below us with a splash.

“Well done, Number One,” I said. “Now, let’s see if there are any more of those tracking mechanisms flashing about.”

And with that, Number One banked away from the Odditorium for another pass.

“Look!” I exclaimed as we came round the front again. “There’s another one of those eggs lodged under the balcony!”

Without being told, Number One swooped in toward it.

“Were you able to remove the tracking mechanism?” asked Mr. Grim, rushing out onto the balcony. Nigel and Lord Dreary followed close behind.

“Yes, sir, but there’s another one flashing just below your feet!”

“Good heavens!” cried Lord Dreary.

“Nice work, Grubb!” Nigel shouted, and then the wasp and I were under the balcony.

“You know what to do,” I said, and Number One quickly went to work. This egg took some coaxing to come loose, but finally it fell and plunged into the sea, flashing one last time
just beneath the surface in a brilliant circle of red.

“Another job well done,” I said. “Now, Number One, rise up and hover before the balcony so I can speak to Mr. Grim.”

The wasp pulled away from the Odditorium and did as I commanded.

“The egg is gone now, sir,” I said.

“Are there others?” asked Mr. Grim.

“I didn’t see any, sir. But I’d need another pass or two to be certain.”

“A worthy apprentice, indeed,” said Mr. Grim. “Very well, then, Master Grubb: another pass or two.”

“Yes, sir, Mr. Grim!”

“And try not to look so pleased with yourself, will you?” he said, smiling.

“I will, sir. I mean, I won’t, sir. I mean—another pass, Number One!”

And just like that we were off again.

“Be careful, Grubb!” Nigel called.

“And don’t forget to look for other objects!” shouted Mr. Grim.

“I won’t forget, sir!” I shouted back, and as Mr. Grim and the others disappeared around the side of the Odditorium, I leaned forward and said, “Would you please shine
your eyes a little brighter, Number One?”

The wasp nodded her head and her eyes grew brighter.

“Very good, Number One. Turn your head toward the Odditorium and shine your light on the outside as we pass. I should think that if we travel from top to bottom and then from bottom to
top, that would allow us to cover the most ground.”

Number One nodded and quickly turned upward.

“Go slowly, Number One,” I said. “Other than those Sirens’ eggs, I’m not quite sure what I’m looking for.”

Number One nodded and batted her antennae. And as we crested the battlements at the rear of the Odditorium and turned downward again, in the blue light from her eyes I noticed a
Shadesman’s battle-ax lodged in one of the Odditorium’s massive leg joints.

“That doesn’t belong there,” I said. “Stop here, Number One, and see if you can’t remove that battle-ax.”

Number One pulled the battle-ax loose and let it drop.

“You’re very strong, Number One. I certainly could have used a friend like you back home.”

The wasp again batted her antennae and flew on. And when we reached the bottom of the Odditorium, I commanded Number One to circle the lower gunnery. Finding nothing unusual there, we turned
upward again, careful to avoid the Odditorium’s large rear-exhaust vent, out of which a trail of Gwendolyn’s yellow energy fizzled and popped.

“As soon as the Odditorium is charged again,” I said, “the blue animus will come out of here too. Mr. Grim said the Yellow Fairy dust makes it safe. The blue controls the
steering mechanisms and the yellow makes the Odditorium fly. They work together to become something better. Just like you and me, right, Number One?”

The wasp nodded her head, and we continued on with our flight pattern—up and down, down and up, my eyes combing every inch of the Odditorium’s exterior. I did not find anything else
other than what appeared to be battle damage, and by the time Number One and I came round to the front again, I saw that Mrs. Pinch and Broom had joined the others on the balcony.

“All clear, Master Grubb?” asked Mr. Grim.

“Yes, sir,” I replied, hovering before him. “I believe we’re finished now.”

“Well, it’s about time,” said Mrs. Pinch, squinting at me over the balustrade. “And blind me if I’m going to reheat your supper. Letting this boy fly around on
wasps—your heads need oiling, the lot of you!”

Cleona giggled.

“You heard her,” said Mr. Grim, smiling. “Let’s clear off the balcony so Master Grubb can land Number One, after which we shall retire to the dining
room—”

It was then that I heard a woman singing—soft and far away at first, but at the same time loud enough to drown out Mr. Grim and the buzzing from Number One’s wings.

Who could be singing out here? I wondered, and as I turned in the song’s direction, in the distance I saw a flowing black shape coming toward me against the stars.