Wolfe(4)

Running along the wall to the right of the room was a laboratory bench covered with beakers, Bunsen burners, test tubes, a microscope, a magnifying light and other paraphernalia.

"Perhaps Uncle Travis is a mad scientist." Marty did his best impression of Frankenstein's monster.

Grace was not amused. "You're as frightened as I am," she said. "You always joke around when you're scared."

"Oh, please," Marty said, but he knew she was right. He walked over to the stone fireplace, which was big enough to do jumping jacks in. On either side of it were large aquariums. In one were two of the ugliest fish he had ever seen. They were about a metre long and were covered with large, metallic blue scales that looked like armour plating. "What are they?"

Grace wandered over behind him. "I'm not sure." "Well, that's a first!" Marty moved over to the sec ond aquarium. "Even I know what these are.

Grace joined him and watched the ten-legged crea tures darting around the artificial reef. "What kind of person would keep a school of squid in his library?"

Her question was answered by a high-pitched barking. A moment later, a tiny black dog dashed into the room. It tried to stop when it reached them, but slipped on the slick floor and slid three metres past where they were standing.

A pink identification tag hung from its tiny collar. "What is it?" Marty asked. "A dog, you dunce."

"It sounds like a dog, but it looks like a curly black squirrel without a tail." "Welcome to Cryptos Island!" a deep voice boomed behind them.

Grace and Marty jumped, then looked in the direction of the voice, and saw a very large man framed in the doorway, leaning on a cane. He had long, black, unkempt hair and a bushy black beard.

Marty whispered to Grace, "That's the kind of man who keeps squid in his library." He is a pirate! Grace thought. Just as Bertha said. The only thing missing is a black eye patch and a bloody cutlass. She felt herself go faint and put a hand on Marty's shoulder.

"You OK?" Marty asked. "I'm not sure," she answered weakly. "Stay close."

The man walked over to them. His eyes were the same shade of brown as their mother's, but there was something wild and unsettling about them. He was dressed in baggy cargo trousers, slippers and a thick black jumper. Around his neck he wore a tag like the ones Bertha had given them, but his was turquoise.

"Uncle Travis?" Marty asked. The man nodded. "But please call me Wolfe. Everyone does." The tiny dog started running circles around the group, yapping frantically. "Stop that nonsense, PD." The dog obediently sat down in front of him, panting with a tongue no bigger than a pinkie finger. "You'd better get used to these kids. They've come to live with us." He held his cargo pocket open and said, "Snake!"

To the twins' amazement, the dog jumped into his pocket, then poked its head out for one last defiant yap before disappearing.

"I'm sorry for all the confusion, Wolfe apologized. "Bertha and Phil probably already told you, but just got back, and I wasn't able to get things ready the way I wanted. And now we have this kayaker problem."

"Did you get him? Marty asked. "Yes." "Good." Marty point at his uncle's pocket. "What kind of dog is he?" "It's a teacup poodle, and it's a she, not a he."

"PD is an odd name." Hearing her name, the dog poked her head back out of the pocket and gave another yap. "Short for Pocket Dog," Wolfe explained. "We were in the desert, looking around one day, and she ran into a rattlesnake. There was no place to hide, so she hopped into my pocket. She's been doing it ever since."

"All you have to say is 'Snake'?" "That's right. Let's get some more light in here." He turned on a lamp next to the sofa. When he turned back to them a look of astonishment crossed his rugged face.

"What is it?" Grace asked.

Wolfe closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them and stammered, "Nothing... I'm... I guess I'm more tired than I thought. We just flew in this morning and I've been-"

"There you are!" Bertha came into the library with her arms full of groceries. She set the bags down and walked over to Wolfe. "Sorry to interrupt, but Phil needs to talk to you right away."

"Of course. I'll see you both at dinner," Wolfe said hurriedly, obviously relieved at the interruption. "In the meantime, Bertha will show you to your rooms so you can get some rest. You must be tired after your long flight." He rushed out of the room with PD still in his pocket. Bertha picked up the bags and said she would show them their rooms after she put the groceries in the kitchen. Marty started to follow her, but Grace held him back. "What was that about?" she asked. "Did you see the way Uncle Trav... I mean, Wolfe looked at me?"

"I thought he was looking at me," Marty said.

"He wasn't. And he sure seemed to get over his exhaustion quickly. He didn't just leave the library. He fled from it." Marty shrugged his shoulders. "It must have been an emergency. Wasn't the Pocket Dog great?" Grace was more interested in pursuing their uncle's peculiar behaviour. "Don't change the subject." "I'm not," Marty said. "By the way, what does

cryptos mean?" "I think it comes from the Greek word kryptos..."

Bertha came back in. "Are you ready?" "Sure," Marty said. Grace caught him by the sleeve. "The word means "hidden," she whispered.