Read Online Toad Away by Morris Gleitzman - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Morris Gleitzman
Ads: Link
“My cousin's talking to you.”
The fly gave them both a stressed look.
“Go away,” said the fly.“I'm not a tourist informationservice. If I don't lay these eggs quick smart, they won't hatch out into maggots and eat this worm from the inside before the rainy season.”
“That's right,” said the orange jelly, who Limpy could now see was a giant worm. “You holidaymakers just don't get it, do you? We're working here.”
“Sorry,” said Limpy.
Goliath was watching the fly, wide-eyed.
“That's a great secret weapon,” he said. “Laying eggs under your enemy's skin. Could you teach me how to do that?”
Limpy could see that the fly and the worm were both about to tell Goliath to take a hike, but neither got to because there was a slither and a hiss and they both disappeared into the gaping mouth of a snake.
Limpy hopped back in alarm. Then he realized the snake probably wasn't going to try and fit any more into its mouth, not unless it wanted to risk stretch marks, and seeing Goliath's stretch marks would probably put it off that.
“Excuse me,” said Limpy to the snake. “Can you help me? I'm looking for my sister and our rellies.”
The snake rolled its eyes and Limpy thought it was saying it couldn't talk because its mouth was full.
In fact, Limpy saw a moment later, it was saying it couldn't talk because a giant spider had just injected a fatal dose of venom into its neck.
Limpy gasped.
He'd never seen a spider bigger than him before.
“Stack me,” said Goliath, sounding scared and impressed at the same time.
Limpy grabbed Goliath and dragged him behind a tree just as another giant, a wasp this time, plunged its sting into the spider's body.
Limpy felt faint.
The wasp was as big as a human taillight.
The spider stopped sucking the juice out of the snake and rubbed its back legs along the side of its body. A cloud of tiny hairs floated up and covered the wasp, who immediately swelled up and dropped dead.
“Cop that,” muttered the spider, and then dropped dead itself.
Behind the tree, Limpy stared in horror. He glanced at Goliath to see if Goliath was having an anxiety attack. Goliath was staring at the spider in admiration.
“That commando thing with the hairs,” said Goliath. “I wish I could do that. I wonder if wart flakes would work as well.”
Limpy couldn't speak.
This was a nightmare.
And Charm was somewhere out there, in the middle of it all.
Limpy wasn't sure whether to try and yell her nameor not. If the cane toad rellies had her in a safe hiding place and she heard Limpy calling her, she might come out to find him and be killed by some horrible monster.
Like this one arriving now, for example.
Limpy clung on to Goliath and watched as a huge gangling insect creaked its way over to the dead spider and wasp. Rubbing its long spiky front legs together with relish, the insect grabbed the spider and the wasp and stuffed them into its mouth, ignoring a scorpion who was trying to stab it in the back.
“Wow,” said Goliath. “Check the armor-plating on that bloke.”
A very big blue and green lizard appeared and bit the insect's head off. The dying insect's twitching legs tried to rip the lizard's scales off, but failed.
“Double wow,” said Goliath. “Check the armor-plating on that even bigger bloke.”
While the lizard dozed in a thin shaft of sunlight, picking its teeth with the back end of the scorpion, Limpy stayed hidden and tried to get his breath back.
He and Goliath had barely been in the Amazon long enough to say “peace and friendship,” and already they'd seen creatures ripping each other, crushing each other, and inserting maggots into each other.
I hope we can find Charm and the rellies soon,thought Limpy. If Goliath starts trying to eat any of the locals here, we're history.
“There's some very impressive military hardware around here,” said Goliath. “Very impressive. This tree sap's pretty good too.”
Limpy saw Goliath was chewing
The fly gave them both a stressed look.
“Go away,” said the fly.“I'm not a tourist informationservice. If I don't lay these eggs quick smart, they won't hatch out into maggots and eat this worm from the inside before the rainy season.”
“That's right,” said the orange jelly, who Limpy could now see was a giant worm. “You holidaymakers just don't get it, do you? We're working here.”
“Sorry,” said Limpy.
Goliath was watching the fly, wide-eyed.
“That's a great secret weapon,” he said. “Laying eggs under your enemy's skin. Could you teach me how to do that?”
Limpy could see that the fly and the worm were both about to tell Goliath to take a hike, but neither got to because there was a slither and a hiss and they both disappeared into the gaping mouth of a snake.
Limpy hopped back in alarm. Then he realized the snake probably wasn't going to try and fit any more into its mouth, not unless it wanted to risk stretch marks, and seeing Goliath's stretch marks would probably put it off that.
“Excuse me,” said Limpy to the snake. “Can you help me? I'm looking for my sister and our rellies.”
The snake rolled its eyes and Limpy thought it was saying it couldn't talk because its mouth was full.
In fact, Limpy saw a moment later, it was saying it couldn't talk because a giant spider had just injected a fatal dose of venom into its neck.
Limpy gasped.
He'd never seen a spider bigger than him before.
“Stack me,” said Goliath, sounding scared and impressed at the same time.
Limpy grabbed Goliath and dragged him behind a tree just as another giant, a wasp this time, plunged its sting into the spider's body.
Limpy felt faint.
The wasp was as big as a human taillight.
The spider stopped sucking the juice out of the snake and rubbed its back legs along the side of its body. A cloud of tiny hairs floated up and covered the wasp, who immediately swelled up and dropped dead.
“Cop that,” muttered the spider, and then dropped dead itself.
Behind the tree, Limpy stared in horror. He glanced at Goliath to see if Goliath was having an anxiety attack. Goliath was staring at the spider in admiration.
“That commando thing with the hairs,” said Goliath. “I wish I could do that. I wonder if wart flakes would work as well.”
Limpy couldn't speak.
This was a nightmare.
And Charm was somewhere out there, in the middle of it all.
Limpy wasn't sure whether to try and yell her nameor not. If the cane toad rellies had her in a safe hiding place and she heard Limpy calling her, she might come out to find him and be killed by some horrible monster.
Like this one arriving now, for example.
Limpy clung on to Goliath and watched as a huge gangling insect creaked its way over to the dead spider and wasp. Rubbing its long spiky front legs together with relish, the insect grabbed the spider and the wasp and stuffed them into its mouth, ignoring a scorpion who was trying to stab it in the back.
“Wow,” said Goliath. “Check the armor-plating on that bloke.”
A very big blue and green lizard appeared and bit the insect's head off. The dying insect's twitching legs tried to rip the lizard's scales off, but failed.
“Double wow,” said Goliath. “Check the armor-plating on that even bigger bloke.”
While the lizard dozed in a thin shaft of sunlight, picking its teeth with the back end of the scorpion, Limpy stayed hidden and tried to get his breath back.
He and Goliath had barely been in the Amazon long enough to say “peace and friendship,” and already they'd seen creatures ripping each other, crushing each other, and inserting maggots into each other.
I hope we can find Charm and the rellies soon,thought Limpy. If Goliath starts trying to eat any of the locals here, we're history.
“There's some very impressive military hardware around here,” said Goliath. “Very impressive. This tree sap's pretty good too.”
Limpy saw Goliath was chewing
Similar Books
