Astrosaurs 3 (7 page)

“That's for sure,” murmured Gipsy.

“Anyway,” said Mira. “Now that I've set you free, you must help me find my spaceship! I'm sure I parked it round here somewhere, but that was a long, long time ago.” He gave a sad little sigh. “I've been searching ever since.”

“You parked a spaceship under the sea?” Teggs turned to Gipsy. “Bump on the head or not, this so-called sea monster is a nut!” he hissed.

Gipsy nodded. “But he's a very big, very dangerous nut with
extremely
big teeth!” she pointed out. “We'd better not upset him.”

“Well?” asked Mira. His gleaming eyes narrowed a little.
“Are
you going to help me?”

Teggs gulped. “Umm . . . Yes.”

“Hurrah!” cried Mira, brightening again. “I know it's round here somewhere. We're bound to find it soon. Follow me!”

Gipsy cleared her throat. “Actually, I think we should stay here—”

“Follow me!” Mira yelled crossly, cutting her off. “My cave is this way.”

Teggs and Gipsy couldn't move very fast underwater. They shivered in the awful cold. Their heavy bodies ached as they trudged over the thick dark sand.

“We have to get back to the surface,” muttered Gipsy. “We don't have enough air to stay down here for long.”

“I know,” said Teggs. “But how?”

Mira kept swimming round them in a big circle. “Keep up!” he yelled. “I can't wait to show you my cave! It's ever so cosy, and you'll love the colours! I've chosen brown rock, with bits of darker brown rock and just a hint of very,
very
brown rock . . .”

“This Mira is as batty as a belemnite,” said Teggs quietly. “But he seems friendly enough.”

Gipsy nodded. “So why has he been attacking factories and submarines?”

“What?” asked Mira, zooming up behind them. “Me? Attack factories and submarines? Why would I do that?”

“You tell us,” said Teggs bravely. “That's what you've been doing, isn't it?”

“Don't be so silly,” said Mira, floating upside down and going cross-eyed. “I've never attacked a factory in my life! I stay well away from those flipper-flappers with their big nets. I don't want to get caught!”

Gipsy turned back to Teggs. “Do you believe him?” she whispered.

“I don't know,” said Teggs. “But why would he bother to lie? He could eat us alive in a couple of bites!”

“Stop chatting and get a move on!” nagged Mira. “Honestly, dinner will be ruined!”

Teggs perked up. “Dinner?”

“Yes!” cried Mira, waggling his flippers. “Din-dins! Come on! Come and get it!”

“Brilliant!” Teggs quickened his step. He was still starving.

“But
Captain
. . .” Gipsy tapped his diving helmet with her hoof. “How are you going to eat through
that
thing?”

“Arrgh!” Teggs groaned. “I'm going as nutty as Mira!”

But when they finally reached the liopleurodon's lair, Teggs found he was glad to miss Mira's meal. It was floating all about them in the cold, dark water – tons and tons of raw, rotten squid!

“Come on, chaps! Dig in!” Mira beamed. “Took me ages to catch this lot!”

“Oh.” Gipsy swapped an awkward look with Teggs. “Sorry, Mira, but we're, er, not really hungry.”

“Not hungry?” Mira looked hurt. “But . . . I wanted to celebrate meeting you.

I've been very lonely down here on my own, you know.” Mira opened his giant jaws and guzzled down fifty squid in a single gulp. “So take those glass hats off your heads and tuck in!”

“We can't!” said Teggs.

“Of course you can,” said Mira briskly. “No need to be shy.”

“But we can't breathe in water like you do,” Teggs protested.

Mira folded his fins firmly. “Take them
off
.”

“If we do, we'll drown!” cried Gipsy.

“Drown? Don't be so silly!” said Mira crossly. “Only the flipper-flappers
breathe air.
We
live in the sea!” He came closer. “And if you won't take off those silly glass bubbles yourselves . . . I'll take them off for you!”

Mira's mouth swung open, revealing rows of lethal teeth, as he lunged towards them . . .

Teggs and Gipsy dived out of the way – just in time. Mira's razor-sharp teeth scratched the side of Gipsy's glass helmet.

“Let me wear it,
please!
” she begged Mira.

“What a lot of fuss you're making!” Mira tutted. “The silly thing doesn't even suit you!”

He opened his mouth again to pluck off Gipsy's diving helmet. This time, he couldn't miss . . .

Teggs flexed his armoured tail, ready to whack Mira right on the flipper. But as his tail swung back it struck some rotten squid floating in the water. The power in his armour sparked through them – and made them glow a spooky electric blue!

Mira moaned in horror. “Ghosts!” he cried. “My breakfast has come back to haunt me!” A cloud of bubbles burst from his behind. “Aaaaagh!”

With that, the terrified giant sped from the cave.