The Ideas Pirates by Hazel Edwards Read Free Book Online Page A

safety exit. It’s a catch holding the seats to be pulled out when we jump.’
    â€˜If we jump. But why does she flick it in?’
    â€˜Because the drinks trolley won’t fit past.’
    â€˜Huh.’ said Amy. She wished she’d worked that out for herself. Someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned. It was Dr Chung..
    â€˜Excuse me. My bag slipped under your seat during take-off. Something fell out. Could you give it back to me?’
    Amy rummaged under her legs. Her hands touched a bone. It felt smooth and like a human leg! But it was cold! At that angle, it couldn’t belong to Dr Chung’s leg! It wasn’t warm enough anyway!
    Was Dr Chung carrying bits of people?

    â€˜Is this yours?’ Amy wasn’t sure what to do. Skeletons or stray bones weren’t usually hand luggage. Or even leg luggage?
    â€˜Yes. thank you.’ Dr Chung accepted the bone as she passed it over the seat.
    â€˜Do you usually carry bones in your bag?’
    â€˜It isn’t human. It’s to show at my herbal medicine lecture.’
    â€˜Oh.’
    â€˜I’m warning about the illegal use of fake tiger bone.’
    â€˜Oh.’
    Christopher whispered. ‘D’you think he’s carrying a whole skeleton in that bag? How did he get it through the security scanner? Would a bone show up?’
    Amy shrugged. That bone had felt weird.
    Just then, the drinks trolley rattled. At home, they drank water. That’s one reason they liked flying.
    Soon, the drinks trolley stopped at their row of seats. ‘Lemonade please. Thank you.’
    â€˜Tea or coffee sir?’ asked the attendant to the seat behind ‘It’s Dr Chung isn’t it sir?’
    â€˜Hot water please. I have my own herbal tea bag.’ Dr Chung rooted around in his bulging brief case. The bone stuck out a bit.
    Amy turned around.’ What does herbal tea do for you?’
    â€˜It depends which herbs.’ Dr Chung dangled a tea bag. ‘This helps with aches and pains, especially in older people, like me. I’m a herbalist. We use herbal teas, acupuncture and massage. The results speak for themselves. How old do you think I am?’
    That was a hard question. Dr Chung looked ancient. But if Amy said one hundred, he’d probably get upset like Aunty Viv when they called her an antique.
    â€˜Forty?’ That was older than Dad.
    â€˜Fifty four but I feel like a ten year old.’
    The twins doubted he felt like them.
    â€˜Is acupuncture when you stick needles in people?’ Amy knelt around on the seat.
    Dr Chung looked over the top of his glasses at Amy.
    â€˜Acupuncture is about balancing your body. I help people with back pains. And with bone problems. I’ve worked with Chinese athletes. Some went to the Olympic Games.’
    â€˜Ace.’ Amy was impressed. “ If you’re a bone expert, do you fix tiger’s bones?’
    Dr Chung peered over his glasses. ‘No. I don’t. Some herbalists use ground tiger bone in their medicines. Internationally, tigers are protected animals. If tigers all go, so will their forests. And that affects everybody.’’
    â€˜Our parents are always talking about saving the forests.’ said the twins. ‘They take photos ALL the time!’
    Sometimes the twins got tired of eco-photography.
    Dr Chung continued. ‘That’s why poachers are hunting wild tigers illegally for their bones. These are used in some traditional medicine... for problems like rheumatism.’
    â€˜Rheumatism?’ Christopher repeated.
    He’d had heard the word before, but couldn’t remember what it meant.
    â€˜Stiffening joints -mainly from old age.’
    Dr Chung AND Aunty Viv might need to know about that soon.
    â€˜Do some people sell fakes?’ Amy was sleuthing again.
    â€˜Yes. They sell fake animal parts.’ From the way he spoke, Dr Chung didn’t approve of tiger poachers or fake tiger bone