Mr Gum and the Power Crystals by Andy Stanton Read Free Book Online Page A

crystals to do evil.’
    â€˜IT’S TRUE,’ admitted Nicholas from up in the sky. ‘SORRY ABOUT THAT, EVERYONE.’
    â€˜But by reversing the crystals,’ continued the boy, ‘they will now do
good
deeds instead. From this day forth the windmill will be on our side, and it will make delicious loaves of bread for all!’
    â€˜A wop bop-a-lu bop, a wop bam boom!’ shouted everyone happily.

    And from where she sat, Polly saw something thateverybody else had missed. It was Nicholas de Twinklecakes again. He was still made out of clouds, but he was no longer an evil madman. No, he was a handsome young man indeed, with the merriest smile Polly had ever seen.
    On either side of him stood his wife and son. They too were made out of clouds, with happy bluebirds perching on their eyebrows and smiles so dazzling that Polly had to put on sunglasses just to look at them.
    â€˜Thank you, Polly,’ said Nicholas de Twinklecakes in a gentle voice like a soft summer breeze. ‘You and your pals are the best.’
    â€˜Hoorah,’ said his wife and son. ‘Hoorah hoorah hoorah.’
    â€˜Now come on,’ said Nicholas, turning towards his beautiful dead family of ghosts. ‘Let’s go to Heaven and play table tennis forever and ever and ever, or even longer if possible.’
    And as the reunited de Twinklecakes driftedaway to that magical place, the rain stopped falling and the storm clouds disappeared. And the moon rose peacefully in the evening sky, humming a jazzy melody on its silvery breath. It was going to be a beautiful night.
    But Alan Taylor isn’t here to see it,
remembered Polly all of a sudden. And though the battle was won, her heart was filled with sorrow.

Chapter 21
Captain Excellent
    â€˜A
shes to ashes,’ said Friday. ‘Crumbs to crumbs.’
    The heroes stood beneath a starry sky in the Old Meadow yonder, down by the Lamonic River where the water rushes grow. They were burying their good friend, Alan Taylor.
    Well, actually they were burying a small drawing of him done by Polly especially for the occasion. It was all they had to remember him by.

    Gently Friday laid the drawing in a hole in the ground and together, Jake and Barcelona Jim covered it over with earth.
    â€˜â€™Tis a sad night,’ said Old Granny, who had come down to the meadow when she heard the news. ‘Aye, ’tis a sad, sad night,’ she said again, weeping into her handkerchief and having a crafty sip of sherry at the same time.
    â€˜Very true,’ said Friday, gazing off into the distance. ‘But life is life and death is death and Alan Taylor will never be forgotten. THE TRUTH IS A LEMON MERINGUE! He was the best biscuit I ever knew. For a start, he was the only one whocould talk and run around and ride a little toy bicycle.’
    â€˜He done taught me so much ’bout the natural world,’ sniffed Polly. ‘He knew all the names of all the creatures, no matter how great nor snail.’
    â€˜And though he himself was small, he was a true giant among men,’ nodded Friday, ‘and I hereby award him the highest title possible – the title of Captain Excellent. Thank you, CaptainExcellent, wherever you are!’
    â€˜Yes, thank you, Captain Excellent!’ echoed the others. And for a long while everyone sat there in silence, remembering their friend.
    â€˜But come,’ said the Spirit of the Rainbow at last, as dawn was breaking over the horizon. ‘Today is a new day and just as the sun rises, so too do delicious loaves of bread. Let us feast together.’
    Wearily the others followed the lad over tothe windmill. They watched unenthusiastically as he started up the machinery. No one really felt like breakfast but presently an early morning breeze caught the windmill’s sails. And soon enough, a fresh loaf of bread appeared on the conveyor belt, the first loaf of bread the windmill had made since Nicholas de