Read Online Akiko in the Sprubly Islands by Mark Crilley - Free Book Online Page A

girl!” she said cheerfully as she turned a corner and led us beneath one final decorative arch. “No one has ever been beheaded in the Sprubly Islands! Admiral Frutz makes that sort of thing up just to impress his men.”
    Queen Pwip came to a stop before a large iron gate. It stood about six feet tall and barred the entrance to a walled courtyard filled with miniature trees, colorful gardens, and . . . 
    . . .  Spuckler and Mr. Beeba!
    I couldn’t believe my eyes. There at the far side of the courtyard sat Spuckler and Mr. Beeba, leaning against a wall and resting in the sun. When they saw me looking in at them they scrambled to their feet.
    “Akiko!” they both cried together, dashing across the courtyard as fast as they could.

Queen Pwip smiled as we all chattered excitedly.
    “Thank heavens they found you!” Mr. Beeba said.
    “How ya doin’ there, Gax?” Spuckler asked, stretching a hand through the bars of the gate to touch Gax’s helmet.
    “I’M STILL IN GOOD WORKING ORDER, SIR,” Gax answered. “I DIDN’T FEEL QUITE MYSELF WITHOUT YOU, THOUGH.”
    “
Course
ya didn’t!” Spuckler said proudly.
    “But how did you guys
get
here?” I asked. “I thought you were still out in the forest somewhere.”
    “Yes, and we thought the very same thing about you,” Mr. Beeba replied, scratching his head vigorously. “Your Majesty, perhaps some explanations are in order?”

    “All in good time, friends, all in good time,” Queen Pwip said. She then clapped her hands together twice quickly and made a high-pitched whistling sound through her teeth.
    “Jorrah!” she cried as loudly as she could. “Come on, girl!”
    A soft pattering noise echoed through the complex. It was a galloping sound, like some kind of animal. A fearful look came over Mr. Beeba’s face, and Spuckler seemed to brace himself for a fight.
    I turned my head to follow Mr. Beeba’s gaze and saw a big spotted animal trotting in our direction. It looked something like a leopard and was around six feet long from the tip of its nose to the end of its tail. Its fur was yellow with gray spots, and its tail was two or three times longer than its entire body. It had big sharp teeth but somehow appeared very tame. Coming to a stop at Queen Pwip’s side, the creature sat down and waited obediently.
    “Stand back, Akiko!” Mr. Beeba shouted. “That beast is unstoppable! She uses that tail like a weapon!”
    “Oh, calm down, Mr. Beeba,” Queen Pwip said, stroking the animal’s whiskers. “She’s as gentle as can be, provided she doesn’t see you as a threat.”
    “Now, Jorrah,” Queen Pwip went on, directing the animal to face me, “I want you to meet Akiko.”
    The animal leaped forward with a jerk and gave my face a thorough licking with her big wet tongue. I tried to turn away, but that was pretty much impossible, so I just gave in and tried to enjoy it. She reminded me a little of my uncle Koji’s dog, John, who was just as affectionate (and smelled the same too).

    “Heavens!” Mr. Beeba exclaimed. “I wish this beast had been so docile when she came across
me
!”
    “No way!” I said. “
This
is the animal that attacked you in the forest last night?”
    “The very one,” Mr. Beeba answered ruefully. “She coiled that tail around me so tightly that I was scarcely able to breathe. Then she dragged me all the way back here to Queen Pwip’s palace.”
    “She’s a
fast
little critter too,” Spuckler joined in. “I almost lost the trail a couple times tryin’ to keep up!”
    “I see,” I said. “So
that’s
how you both got here!”
    “Yes,” Queen Pwip explained. “You can imagine my surprise. Jorrah has been known to bring home the occasional forest animal, but never anything quite like
these
two.” She laughed and turned to Spuckler and Mr. Beeba.
    “I’m terribly sorry I had to keep you under palace arrest all night,” she explained to them. “One never knows, though. Not all Big People are as