Читать книгу The Gismo Trilogy MEGAPACK®: The Complete Young Adult Series - Keo Felker Lazarus - Страница 8

CHAPTER 4

Park Lane, Planet Three

Planet Three Ron was quiet while Jerry’s words sank in. He turned and grinned sheepishly at Jerry. “If he really is a man from outer space, I’ll bet our message really shook him, huh?”

Jerry smiled too. “Yeah. Maybe we’d better call him back and tell him it was just a joke.”

“You call him, Jerry, I don’t know what to say to a spaceman.”

“Well, neither do I, except tell him we’ve found the gismo.”

Ron reached over and stroked the furry wires with his fingers. “You really think it’s a communication system to a spaceship?”

“There’s one way to find out,” Jerry said and lifted the receiver on the telephone. “Calling Base Ship Plymo…calling Base Ship Plymo…over.” Ron grabbed the earphones and put them over his head.

The static crackled and the high-pitched voice had relief in it. “We read you, XR, go ahead…”

Jerry hesitated. “I’m sorry, sir, about that swamp thing. It was just a joke. This isn’t XR calling, this is…its communication system, I guess…what I mean is, I’m Jerry Cole, and I found this gismo, see, and hooked it up to a crystal radio, and that’s how I’m talking with you.”

“Jerry Cole?” The voice sounded puzzled. “Who are you?”

“Oh, I live here on Earth… Planet Three, that is…you know, near Sun G six zero eight in Syklo Galaxy?”

“An… Earth—ling?” The voice sounded surprised.

“Yes, sir, I guess that’s what you’d call me.

There was no sound from the receiver, and Jerry clicked it up and down. “Can you still hear me, sir?”

“Yes, yes… I can hear you… An Earthling, you say. A scientist, no doubt.”

“Well, not yet,” Jerry said. “I’m in seventh grade…so is my friend here, Ron Baily…he’s listening in, too.”

“You…you are children?”

“Well, not exactly. What is your name, sir?”

There was a long pause as though the listener was thinking and suddenly became aware of the question. “Oh, I’m sorry! My name is Monaal. But why…how…”

Jerry grinned at Ron. “You mean how come I’m talking with you?”

Monaal hesitated again. “Yes…as you say…‘how come?’”

“Well, you see I found this gismo in the weeds and…”

“Gismo?”

“Yes, this little rectangular thing. It has knobs on three sides, tiny wires all over the top, and it glows red when you talk.”

“Oh that!”

“So I hooked the gismo to my crystal radio set. I heard your message about XR and…”

Ron leaned over to the telephone mouthpiece. “I’m Ron, sir. When I hooked the telephone to the radio, you heard us!”

“Children! Mere children!” Monaal seemed to be talking to himself. “The culture on Planet Three is advancing!”

“Please, Mr. Monaal, could you tell us if this gismo is the communication system for your spacecraft XR?” Jerry asked.

“It’s part of the system, yes. Just where did you find it?”

Jerry related his discovery of the gismo.

“Were there power lines close by?” Monaal asked.

“Oh, sure. They run all along the alley,” Jerry answered.

“That might explain it.” Monaal seemed to be talking to himself again.

“Explain what, sir?” Jerry asked.

“I’m afraid you wouldn’t understand, Jerry. That is your name, isn’t it?”

“Yes, sir, I’m Jerry.”

“Now, Jerry, I’m going to ask you some questions, and I want you to answer them as carefully as you can.” Monaal spoke slowly. He sounded like Miss Mills about to give a test.

“Where exactly on Planet Three—Earth, as you call it—are you located?”

Jerry looked at Ron. “Well, sir, that’s pretty hard to do unless I’m looking at a map.”

“Wait!” Ron jumped down from the workbench. “I’ve got this old globe here in the junk box. He rummaged under the workbench and brought the dusty globe of the world out. He dusted it clean with his shirttail, and set it on the workbench in front of Jerry.

Jerry turned the globe until the map of the United States faced him. “Mr. Monaal, I have a map now, can you hear me?”

“Yes, Jerry, I read you. Go ahead.”

“Well, we’re about halfway between the North Pole and the equator in North America—that’s the continent with oceans on either side, a big bay at the top, and a big gulf at the bottom…some very large lakes up at the top right-hand corner…”

Monaal’s voice broke in, “And a large river running down the center?”

“Yes, the Mississippi River, but it’s not quite in the center.”

Monaal’s voice had a smile in it. “Well, almost in the center. How near to this river are you, Jerry?”

“Not very near. We’re about halfway between the Mississippi and the Atlantic ocean…that’s the ocean on the right-hand side of the continent.”

Ron leaned over. “But we are near a river, sir. We’re in a V right between two big ones, the Wabash and the Ohio, in southern Indiana.”

Jerry turned. “Look, Ron, he wouldn’t know the names of the rivers, and state lines don’t show from the air.” He turned to the mouthpiece. “We’re halfway between the tip of Lake Michigan—that’s the big lake farthest down in the continent—and the Gulf of Mexico—that’s the gulf at the bottom of the continent.”

“Oh, yes! I’ve found the place where the two rivers come together,” Monaal exclaimed.

“Do you have a map, sir?” Jerry asked. “Yes, an exploratory type, but it isn’t named like yours.” Monaal answered. “Now, Jerry, locate your town for me.”

Carefully Jerry described Bridgeville’s position between the two rivers. “And Park Lane is where we live. Our houses are right across the street from the park. Ron’s is a big white house with a green roof, and mine is the yellow one next door with a white roof.”

“Are you in one of those houses right now?” Monaal asked.

“No, we’re out in Ron’s workshop back of his garage.”

“You’ve done very well in locating yourselves,” Monaal said.

Ron leaned over. “Are there really spacecraft flying around our Earth, Mr. Monaal?”

“Why, of course,” Monaal said. “Lots of spacecraft!”

“What do they look like?” Ron was eager. “Are they like saucers or cigars or eggs or tops?”

“Saucers? Cigars? I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Monaal sounded puzzled.

“I mean, are the spacecraft round and flat shaped, or long and thin?”

“Well, that depends.” Monaal said. “We have many kinds, but the ones from our galaxy that enter Planet Three’s atmosphere are usually cylindrical base ships that house the dome-topped explorer discs.”

“How big are the explorers?” Jerry asked.

“Oh, many sizes. Some are perhaps eighty feet across, some nearer thirty feet, while some unmanned ones are very small. But you’ll have a chance to see one soon, if the description of your location is accurate.”

“When?” Jerry and Ron spoke at once.

“When your continent has turned away from your sun and is halfway through the darkness.”

“You mean, tonight?” Ron asked.

“Yes, tonight… I must sign off now…”

“Wait, Mr. Monaal, wait! How did you learn our language?” Jerry asked, but it was too late. The voice had clicked off. The gismo was fading back to pink. All that was left was a faint hum.