The Slime Volcano Read Free Page A

food. One bag was open. Kip could see some kind of dried vegetable inside.
    So they don’t eat Slime Crawlers, Kip noted, standing up. But then where does their food come from? The room swayed. Kip shook his head, trying to get his balance.
    â€˜Their house hangs in mid-air,’ Finbar explained.
    Kip wobbled towards the window. Outside, it was night. A bright green moon hung in the sky.
    Kip could see two other houses shaped like beehives. Their tops were stuck to the underside of a rock ledge with dried sap from the blue vines.
    â€˜I guess they’re designed to be protected from the hot slime,’ Finbar commented. ‘Slime runs right over the ledge and misses them.’

    Kip knew these houses would be hard to build. Too hard for simple aliens…
    Kip’s stomach growled. He took a can of his favourite snack BurgerMousse from his backpack. He squirted some into his mouth through a hatch in his helmet. He then passed the can to Zert, who knew exactly how it worked.
    She’s done that before, Kip thought. But there’s nothing else like it on Grimor…
    Kip’s brain ticked over. When he’d first seen the aliens, they looked dirty. Kip had decided they were a bit gross, and maybe even stupid. But jumping to conclusions was one of the worst mistakes Space Scouts could make!
    He thought about the spotless, cleverly designed houses. The way Zert used the can of BurgerMousse so easily.
    They’re actually quite advanced! Kip thought. He was annoyed for getting things so wrong. But why are there so few of them?
    â€˜Where are the rest of your people?’ Kip asked.
    Zert looked out the window and pointed towards the green moon. A tear rolled down her face. The aliens had funny hugs and handshakes. But tears meant the same thing all over the universe.
    Kip was sure he could guess the sad truth. ‘I think Zorg and Zert come from Grimor’s moon,’ he said quietly to Finbar.‘Judging by their provisions, they might have been on a short mission to explore Grimor, just like us!’
    â€˜Why are they still here?’ asked Finbar.
    â€˜Problems with their spacecraft?’
    Kip turned to Zorg. ‘Did you crash here?’
    Zorg nodded glumly. He began to explain the aliens’ story. Kip set the Space-Cuff to translate aloud this time so Finbar could hear.
    â€˜Our transporter was small.We crashed into a river of slime and it was carried away. We’ve searched Grimor but can’t find the wreckage. The only place left is the Slime Pond near Pustula, the giant volcano.’
    They said they were searching the Slime Pond before, Kip thought . They must have been looking for their transporter, not hunting Slime Crawlers to eat!
    â€˜We could take you home,’ Kip offered. ‘You could come in our starship, MoNa.’
    Zorg and Zert grinned.
    MoNa hated giving anyone lifts, but Kip didn’t care. He tried to call her on his SpaceCuff again.
    Communicate mode:

    â€˜Still no reception!’ Kip said to Finbar, his stomach lurching.
    â€˜Maybe the slime damaged the Space-Cuff’s satellite receiver,’ Finbar replied. ‘To fix it, a Technobot will have to totally rebuild it.’
    â€˜Well, we don’t have one of those here,’ Kip said grimly. ‘And if we can’t call MoNa, we’re trapped on Grimor. Just like Zorg and Zert!’

CHAPTER 6
    â€˜There’s got to be a way to find your transporter!’ Kip said to Zorg and Zert, and the SpaceCuff translated.
    Zorg replied.‘We think our transporter is at the bottom of the Slime Pond. But we don’t have any diving gear.’
    â€˜We do,’ said Kip with a grin. ‘Come on, let’s go!’
    At the door of Zert and Zorg’s house, there was a rope made of knotted dried slime vines, hanging down to the ground. Kip climbed down from the hanging house, using the rope’s knots as footholds.
    Finbar, Zorg and Zert followed. Zorg called