In the Ice Age : In the Ice Age (9780307532497) (3 page)

“What?” asked Andrew.

Uncle Al handed Andrew a big chunk of fur. “Doctor Kron-Tox has been capturing animals from different times,” he said. “He’s hidden them in the glacier.

“I’ve found some of them, but there are more. We have to find them all and get them back to their own times. And we have to do it very fast.”

“What’s the rush?” asked Beeper.

“There’s an enormous flood coming very soon,” said Uncle Al.

“Not another stupid disaster!” said Judy.

Uncle Al held a hunk of fur up to Beeper to check the size. “The Ice Age has been getting warmer for a while now,” he said.

“Not far from here, there’s a huge ice dam that’s two hundred stories high. It’s started to melt. It could break anytime. When it does, more water than all the rivers in the world will rush out.”

“Wowzers schnauzers!” said Andrew. “We’ve got to get Max to a safe place, too!”

“We’d better hurry,” said Winka.

Winka and Uncle Al fitted everyone with capes and scarves. There were big pieces of fur to wrap around their waists like skirts. Then Uncle Al handed out small pieces of fur and leather strips.

“Here,” he said. “Wrap the fur around your feet and tie it on with the leather strips. Not fashionable, but warm. Andrew, here’s an extra strip. You can make a little holder for Thudd and hang him from your neck.”

“Where did all this fur come from?” asked Andrew.

“I found piles of it inside the cave where I’ve been staying,” said Uncle Al. “They’re beaver skins, from giant beavers. The skins were collected by human hunters, but I haven’t seen them.”

Beeper wrapped his egg in a piece of fur. Then they all hopped out of the Time-A-Tron.

“Bye, Time-A-Tron!” said Andrew.

“See you soon,” said Judy.

bong …
“Keep warm!” said the Time-A-Tron.

Everyone, including Max, followed Uncle Al toward the glacier.

Andrew’s breath made little clouds in the cool air. He could feel the hard, cold ground through his furry foot wraps.

“Hoo boy!” yelled Beeper, who was straggling behind. “I almost slipped on some ice. I almost dropped the egg. Can I get a ride on Max?
Please?”

Uncle Al turned to Beeper and rolled his eyes. “Well, I guess we could arrange that,” he said.

“Max!” said Uncle Al. He held his hand up. Max stopped. “Beeper, go stand in front of Max.”

Uncle Al raised his hand from his waist to the top of his head.

Max curled his trunk gently around Beeper and slowly raised him to the top of his head.

“Hot doggies!” said Beeper, settling himself on top of Max’s head.

Suddenly eerie sounds came from a distance.

Harooooo! Wahoooooo!

They gave Andrew the shivers.

“Wolves!”
said Winka.

“Yes,” said Uncle Al, looking toward a line of trees. “Two kinds of wolves live here. Dire wolves are big with small brains. They’ll go extinct in a few thousand years.

“Gray wolves are smaller and smarter. The gray wolves will be alive in our time, too. Those are the ones you hear now.”

Judy walked closer to Uncle Al. “That sound gives me the creeps,” she said.

“They’re howling to get ready to hunt,” said Uncle Al. “There’s no reason to fear wolves. They’re not interested in hunting us.

“But if a wolf ever did attack you, you must never run. The creatures that stand and face the wolves survive.”

“Even squirrels?” Beeper yelled from Max’s head.

Uncle Al smiled. “It probably doesn’t work for squirrels,” he said.

They arrived at a jagged crack in the glacier. It was as wide as a door.

Uncle Al held up his hand to Max. He raised his other hand above his head and lowered it to his waist. Max reached his trunk up to Beeper and lowered him slowly to the ground.

Suddenly an enormous zigzag of white light slashed through the sky! They hurried into the blue shadows of the glacier entrance, then peered out to see what it was.

Floating outside was an enormous cube-shaped chunk of blackness. Lightning flickered around it and inside it.

“It’s the Tick-Tox Box!” said Andrew.

The Tick-Tox Box was Doctor Kron-Tox’s time-travel machine.

“It looks a lot bigger now,” said Judy, peering over Andrew’s head.

“The Tick-Tox Box grows to fit whatever’s inside it,” said Uncle Al. “Doctor Kron-Tox must be carrying a big load.”

The lightning inside the Tick-Tox Box faded to a flicker.

Suddenly a jagged crack split one wall of the Tick-Tox Box. Out of the crack stepped a tall, thin man in a black cape. Long white hair fell past his shoulders. His nose and mouth were covered by a white mask. In his fists he gripped fat chains.

“It’s my uncle!” said Beeper, pushing in front of Uncle Al.

“Creep-a-roony!” said Judy. “Why’s he wearing that stupid mask over his face?”

“He’s allergic to many animals,” said Winka. “He wears the mask to keep from breathing in the dander.”

meep …
“Dander is little skin flakes,” said Thudd.

“Like dandruff,” chuckled Beeper, pulling Judy’s hair.

“Doctor Kron-Tox can’t control himself when he’s sneezing,” said Uncle Al. “He’s helpless.”

Eeeeeeeeee!

From inside the Tick-Tox Box came a high-pitched scream.

Doctor Kron-Tox flung himself toward the crack in the Tick-Tox Box. He seemed to be struggling with something inside.

Andrew heard a voice that sounded like a hiss:

“Not time to go,

Not yet, I say.

Just two come now,

The rest must stay.”

Doctor Kron-Tox yanked the chains. A boulder-like creature on stumpy legs crept out.

“What is
that?”
asked Judy. “It looks like a Volkswagen Bug with feet!”

“Look at that giant spiky ball at the end of its tail!” said Beeper.

meep …
“Glyptodont!” said Thudd.

“It’s a kind of giant armadillo,” explained Winka.

“Doctor Kron-Tox must have stopped off in South America,” said Uncle Al. “That’s
where those glyptodonts live.”

Following slowly behind the glyptodont was a furry thing as big as an elephant. But it was standing on its hind legs. It was so tall, it could look into your bedroom window, even if your bedroom was on the second floor of your house.

“Santa Claus on a snow cone!” said Uncle Al. “It’s a giant ground sloth. Look how slowly it’s moving.”

meep …
“Sloth mean laziness,” said Thudd.

Unk … Unk … Unk …

Grunty noises were coming from the Tick-Tox Box.

“No!
NOOOOO!”
screamed Doctor Kron-Tox.

Suddenly a crowd of furry pig-sized animals poured out of the Tick-Tox Box.

“Hoo boy!” said Beeper, sticking his head out of the doorway. “They look like guinea pigs—
gigunda
guinea pigs!”

“In a way they are,” said Uncle Al, pulling Beeper back inside.

meep …
“Capybara!” said Thudd.

“Right!” said Uncle Al. “Capybaras belong to the same family of animals as guinea pigs. They’re rodents, like mice and rats and squirrels.”

The capybaras seemed frantic to get out. They were climbing over each other. They were climbing over Doctor Kron-Tox!

“Back, back, you pigs,

Into your pen!

You brats

Will never eat again!”

The capybaras got tangled in Doctor Kron-Tox’s chains.

“AKKKK!”
he cried as he toppled over and let go of the chains.

The glyptodont scuttled down a hill and out of sight. The sloth lumbered slowly toward a pine tree.

Doctor Kron-Tox picked himself up, dusted off his cape, and yelled after the escaping animals.

“Go on, you beasts,

Do as you please.

Without my help,

You’ll starve and freeze!”

Doctor Kron-Tox caught up with the sloth. He grabbed its chain and tugged the enormous animal toward the glacier. He pulled something out of a pocket and pressed it. A huge slab of ice slid aside, revealing a secret door.

“I’ve got to go after Doctor Kron-Tox now,” said Uncle Al. “He’ll lead me to where he’s hidden the other animals. I want you all to stay in my cave till I get back.” He pointed to a path leading into the glacier. “You’ll be safe and warm.”

Uncle Al slipped out of the crevice and hurried after Doctor Kron-Tox.

Winka, Andrew, Judy and Beeper made their way deeper into the glacier.

“The light is blue in here!” said Andrew.

Winka nodded. “It’s like the sea,” she said. “Light is made up of all the colors of the
rainbow. As you go deep into water or under ice, blue is the only color that gets through. All the other colors get filtered out.”

Krik … krik … krik …

“Hoo boy!” said Beeper. “My egg is cracking! It’s gonna hatch any second! Hey, I can see its teeth!”

Judy patted Beeper on the back. “Even the little ones will try to eat you,” she said.

They came to a low arch and crept under it. On the other side was a rocky cave. In the middle of the floor burned a small fire. Smoke curled up to a crack in the ceiling.

“It’s cozy here,” said Judy. She squinted at the walls. “Look at this,” she said, tracing her fingers along the dark stone.

The walls were covered with drawings!

“Neato mosquito!” said Andrew. “I found a herd of galloping horses!”

Winka pointed out long-horned bison drawn in brown and black.

“Hey!” said Beeper. “I see a camel!”

Winka came over to look. “Yes,” she said. “Camels lived in North America during the Ice Age. Look, there’s the beginning of another animal here, but the artist didn’t finish it.”

Winka leaned down to examine a stone bowl on the floor. “I’ve found the artist’s tools!” she said.

She held up fat sticks of black and red and brown.

“The black one is charcoal,” said Winka. “The red and brown ones are made from a mineral called hematite. Hematite has lots of iron in it.”

“Here’s a really strange picture,” said Judy. “I can’t figure it out.”

Winka came over to see it. It looked like two mountains. Between them was a white
wall with a zigzag crack. Giant waves were painted all around it.

“That must be the ice dam your uncle Al told us about,” said Winka.

“Ouch!” yelled Beeper. “The Tyrannosaurus nipped my neck!”

He held the cracked egg as far away from himself as he could.

Winka hurried to a heap of fur scraps in a dark nook. “We need to wrap up that little guy to keep both of you safe,” said Winka.

KREEEEEEEEEK!

The cave trembled and the fire flickered. The baby Tyrannosaurus kicked off its broken egg and scrambled into Beeper’s arms.

meep …
“Sound of glacier ice cracking,” said Thudd. “Ice crack. Ice move. Glacier noisy.”

KREEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!

The cave shook again. Bits of rock fell from the ceiling.

“Down, boy!” said Beeper to the Tyrannosaurus baby.

The Tyrannosaurus sank its teeth into Beeper’s cape, leapt out of his arms, and scampered out of the cave.

“I’ll get it!” said Winka, chasing after the little dinosaur. “You stay here till I get back.”

Judy rolled her eyes at Beeper. “Nice work, Bozo-Boy,” she said.

Beeper picked up one of the colored sticks. In big letters on the cave wall, he wrote
“I LOVE DINOSAURS!” Then he drew the head of a Tyrannosaurus.

“I’m worried about those capybaras,” said Andrew, pacing the stone floor. “It’s too cold for them outside. Maybe we could find them. Then we could bring them back here where it’s warm.”

“They were pretty cute,” said Judy. Her eyes had a faraway look. “They reminded me of my guinea pig, Nibbles.”

“I remember Nibbles,” said Andrew. “He liked to eat my shirt.”

meep …
“Not supposed to leave cave,” squeaked Thudd.

Beeper stopped drawing. Andrew, Judy, and Beeper looked at each other.

“Uncle Al and Professor Winka wouldn’t want the capybaras to freeze,” said Andrew.

“For once I agree with you, Bug-Brain,” said Judy.

“Hookay!” said Beeper. “Let’s go!”