“Find the termite with the stones,” the whisper went. “The queen wants that termite caught.”
And then Molly heard barking outside. It was muffled because of the denseness of the mud walls, but Molly would recognize that bark anywhere. Petula! She was barking incessantly—a bark that meant there was trouble. Breaking into a run, Molly followed the sound of Petula’s bark and pushed through the crowds of soldier termites that were entering the mound. She burst out into the open.
Above her, a massive Petula barked at Miss Hunroe, who was so big that Molly could hardly see her face. Micky was there, too, as well as Lily and Bas and Canis. Cappuccino the capuchin monkey sat on a low rock surveying the scene. It was pouring rain, and the ground was so muddy and waterlogged that small rivulets flowed next to the termite mound and beside the Logan Stones. To Molly the termite, these streams were like torrential rivers. She looked up at Miss Hunroe and wondered desperately whether it would be possible to morph into her.
All the while Petula and Canis barked and snapped at Miss Hunroe, who was brandishing a stick and trying to hit anyone who came to close to her. The commotion of barking and shouting, along with the thunder, was deafening.
Then Molly saw Petula drop something onto the ground. It was the blue stone. Miss Hunroe saw it, too. All at once, Molly understood that it had been her dear friend Petula who had been changing the nearby weather. She’d been causing all this rain.
Miss Hunroe dived for and snatched the blue stone and then, like some insane person, began to scale the tall termite mound. Slipping as she gripped its wet surface, she made her way up to its top turret.
In a flash, Molly meegoed into her own body and surveyed the scene.
Miss Hunroe was sitting on the top of the colossal termite mound, holding the stones aloft.
“Molly!” Micky shouted through the rain. In the next moment, Miss Hunroe disappeared. All that was left of her was a pile of safari clothes, and balanced on top were the four colored weather-changing stones.
“Get the stones!” Molly yelled. Wasting no time, Molly dived onto the termite mound and began climbing toward them.
But in the time it takes to turn a page, Miss Hunroe was back. This time she was wearing a long red dress with flames embroidered up the side. A pattern of green leaves twisted around the side, and its hem was blue like the sea. A scarf of gray chiffon framed her beautiful face.
“It’s heaven!” she exclaimed, holding the four colored stones up to the sky. “Heaven! I have complete control!” She saw her audience’s amazement. “Yes, I look wonderful, don’t I? This is called style. You didn’t think I would wear an ordinary safari suit to become the queen of the weather, did you?” She began to laugh.
Molly raised her head and stared straight up at Miss Hunroe. “Look me in the eyes, Miss Hunroe, if you dare.”
Miss Hunroe began to giggle like a crazy schoolgirl. “I shall have to decline your offer, my dear,” she tittered. “Instead, why don’t you look down the barrel of my—” The instant the word barrel left her lips Molly knew what Miss Hunroe was about to pull from the silk of her dress. Micky realized, too, and thinking as one, the twins both morphed into Miss Hunroe.
As Molly arrived, she saw how twisted and cruel Miss Hunroe was. But she didn’t have the time to dive into Miss Hunroe’s memories and see why she was such a vindictive sociopath. Like a great friendly presence, Micky arrived and joined Molly. The battle was on.
Molly and Micky worked together. Using all their mental might, they wrestled with Miss Hunroe. They edged and shouldered her into a smaller and smaller place, taking the fury that they felt for the woman and turning it into strength. With two determined minds against one, Miss Hunroe didn’t stand a chance. Though she pushed and wriggled, she couldn’t expand herself past the twins. In fact, she was shrinking. Shrinking and shriveling like a poisonous flower in the hot sun. Like a car in a metal crusher she was being squashed. The button-sized thing that was her was flattened to the size of a sunflower seed, and then was squeezed to the size of a poppy seed.
“NOOOOO!” she screamed, her voice now a squeak.
And then, using the tiny amount of energy that she had left, Miss Hunroe did what might have been a clever thing. She somersaulted out of her own body and into the form of the white-faced capuchin monkey that sat on a branch eating a piece of fruit.
With a pop, Miss Hunroe’s body disappeared.
Molly and Micky were prepared. Simultaneously they meegoed into themselves, and calmly watched Cappuccino. He was doing exactly what Molly had told him to. He pushed his shoulders up and down as he positively refused to let Miss Hunroe take over his body and mind.
“Did you hypnotize the monkey?” Micky guessed.
“Yes,” Molly replied, and grinned. “Hello, Micky.”
Bas and Lily ventured out from their hiding places.
“Look,” Molly said. “Miss Hunroe morphed into Cappuccino. He’s got her completely under his thumb.”
“How long can he keep her in check?” Bas asked, watching as Cappuccino nibbled at the core of his forest fruit.
“I told him to keep her quiet until he’s convinced that she’s turning good.”
“Really? Do you trust Cappuccino to do that?”
“Yes,” Molly replied. “You said he was a very good judge of character, so I decided to let him decide.”
“Wow.” Bas sighed, rubbing his head. “This is just all too amazing.”
The rain had stopped, and the sun was now out. Rays of light lit up Miss Hunroe’s gold coin, lying abandoned in the mud. Molly bent down, scooped it up, and put it in her pocket.
Lily put her arm around Molly.
“I’m so glad you’re all right,” Lily said. “I was worried about you.”
“I was worried about you, too.” Molly gave Lily a hug back, then picked up Petula. Micky picked up the four stones.
A termite on the ground caught Molly’s eye. It was carrying a piece of rotten bark. Molly watched it. It had no idea what drama had just unfolded.
“Hey!” Molly said to the termite. “Tellleee all your friendseees thank you!” But of course the termite had no idea what Molly had just said. It simply felt a wind from the giant moving thing above, and it moved on.
Thirty-two
“I wish you were here,” Molly said. She was on the phone to Rocky, with fat headphones on her ears and a mike at her mouth, sitting in a moving helicopter hovering over the rain forest canopy. “And it’s so lucky that Hunroe’s hypnotism on you wore off…. It’s been a bit hairy here. Actually, that’s an understatement. But it’s over now, and everyone’s fine.” She paused as Rocky spoke. “Yup, we got the hypnotism book…. No, couldn’t find the crystals…. Maybe Miss Suzette has them. And I can tell you, if I ever find them, I’m not letting Lucy and Primo take them again. But I got Hunroe’s coin. It’s quite cool.” Molly took Miss Hunroe’s coin out of her pocket and fingered it before putting it away again. “A memento.”
Rocky asked something. “Oh, yes, the stones are all back on its front cover.” Molly patted the book. It was on her knee. “I know, isn’t it amazing…! Yeah, maggots…Malcolm said he’s going to stay here with Bas for a bit. Says he wants to forget about aliens and get into ecology. The cloud forest is so beautiful, you see…. Hey, why don’t you come out?” Molly paused. Below her, the jungle was vast and green and rolling away on every side, and ahead, in the western skies, the sun was setting in red and pink. A pink blush spread through the white cumulus clouds there so that they floated like magic puffs of rose-tinted smoke. Molly hugged Petula. Sometimes life felt too good to be true.