Skeeter crashed through the broken tiles, and clattered through the straw dust, thudded aginst a support beam, span around it and fell on, smacking hard against the floor of the loft. She pulled herself up, coughing, and waved away the swirls of dust from her face. As the dust cleared, Skeeter saw she was in a store-room of sorts. Crates, boxes, and barels lined the walls. Piles of old furs were stacked floor-to-celing. And a ticking sound came from everywhere.
A crack, and crash. Skeeter lept aside as Robin smashed through the celing after her. "Hey," he said. "I wondered where you'd got to." The light from outside streamed through the broken ceiling in rays of colored dust-beams. "Wow. What is that ticking?"
"I don't, know," Skeeter said. She strated walking, and the musty floorboards creaked under her feet.
"You know I'm not sure this room is totally safe," Robin said.
Skeet's foot broke through a rotted board, and she jumped aside, barely escapng another fall. "You don't say." Skeeter said.
"Where are we?"
"I'm thinking that strange lady's loft," Skeeter said.
Robin chuckled. "She's not much of a lady. I told you about the time..."
Skeeter shushed him. "Time," she said. "The ticking."
"What do you mean? There's no clocks here."
(*)(*)(*)(*)
Pepe the Prawn stood on a wet stone staring surprised like at the sea. He'd seen the big-brown hulk of Beauregard fall in, and the creature hadn't surfaced yet. "He sure can hold his breath ok, ok."
The rain was still going, his hoodie was soaked and stuck to his skin. His fringe hung damp over his eyes. "Oh no, the poor guy, ok. I still don't see him no where, ok."
"Who are you talking to?" Rizzo asked from behind.
Pepe turned. "How did you find me, ok?"
"I just folowed the smell, you see, I was hiding a certain piece of cheese, which I loved, and I thought, hey, why not hide it somewhere with my best friend, he can be a guard person. I put it in your hoodie while you were sleeping."
"Is that what it was, ok! I thought it was me, I was thinking about a shower ok."
"Yeah, buddy. But, look at this rain? Isn't that shower enough? And, um, you can keep the cheese. I wasn't expecting you to wear your hoodie today, and, I don't fancy munching on somethink that's been that close to your body."
"Whatever you say. But, Rizzo, dat Beauregard fell into the sea, ok."
"He fell in the sea?"
"That's right."
"And he ain't surfaced yet?"
"No, I was begining to get a little worried ok. Also I saw a strange light under there ok, after he fell in."
Rizzo gave him a strange look. "A light? A light?"
"Yes, a light."
"Like, Follow the light, a light?"
"I don't know, I'm just saying..."
"Sure. Come on, that cheese realy has got to you. Maybe you should have a shower after all. Now the rain has stopped."
Pepe hadn't noticed, but Rizzo was right. The clouds had swept out to sea, and sun was shining now. In fact a huge rainbow arched in the sky...except....it was flickering...strangely....like the last fight of a lightbulb filiment before it goes phut.
"Oh no!" Rizzo said. "We got trouble. I dread to think what Bunsen and Beaker are up to with that Raibow Maker machine."
"Rainbow maker?"
"Didn't you hear? Robin lept through the rainbow."
"Oh, I did get that bit, ok."
"Yeah, and now the rainbow machine is broken. Saburtaged, they say. By someone. We don't know who."
"Who would saburtage something Bun and beak made??? Surely it's bad enough already, ok."
"Hey, don't look at me, I'm just passing on the gossip here."
"Oh, I sure hope they ain't messin' with the rainbow. I think somone would sue, ok."