"Okay, I believe we need to make a schedule," Sarah announced.

Lucas's shoulders shrugged at the mention of a schedule. "Argh, not a schedule. I hate your schedules."

"Lucas, we have a mission to complete and we have limited time," Sarah pointed out. "We need to get organized if we want to finish on time and go back home."

"Fine," a gloomy Lucas agreed.

"By the way, Floufli how much time do we have until the twin moon eclipse?" Sarah asked.

"We have five snacks, one breakfast, one lunch and one dinner until the twin moon eclipse," Floufli the Amazing replied.

"Hm? Five snacks, one dinner, one lunch and one breakfast. In human time that would be like what, twelve hours?" Sarah said as she flipped through the pages of the 'prophecy' book.

"I forgot to mention nap time..." Floufli added while looking intently at his fingernails. "It should be soon."

"Okay, there should be a list somewhere in here with all the parts of the machine..." Sarah muttered as she turned the pages looking for above mentioned list. "Aha! Here we go." She voiced proudly, as if she had just found a secret stash of candy.

Sarah started reading off the page. "Let's see, we need the following - screen, keyboard, control panel, thermal fuse, mixing motor, three multi rib belts,"

"Blah, blah, blah," Lucas mumbled while playing with a loose belt.

Sarah rolled her eyes at her brother's antics. "Can I have a white board or something to write on?"

"Your wish is my command," Floufli snapped his fingers and a beautiful gold board appeared before Sarah.

"Oh, wow! It's gold! I have never seen a gold board. Most unusual." She went close to it and brushed her fingers on the slightly bumpy surface. "Now, I need something to write with."

"Simply tell it what you want to write and it will appear on the board." Floufli explained.

"Ah, okay. Screen," she talked to the board. "Um, Floufli. I think it's broken."

Floufli the Amazing turned to the board, "Goldie on."

"Screen," Sarah tried once more. "It works, Lucas did you see it?"

"Aha! So cool!"

"Yes, we are very proud of our Goldie here. She is one of my inventions," Floufli gloated.

"A very practical invention. Bravo Floufli."

"Please don't urge him on. I am still trying to recover from the latest invention - the ultimate air purifier that turned the house into an ice cube." Lalapap the Crankiest said with a long face.

"Um, guys...sorry to interrupt but why is the sky green?" Lucas asked.

"Green? No, no, no. The sky is purple not green," Floufli the Amazing corrected Lucas as he turned to him.

"No, it's most def... most defi...just look!"

"Take your time my Lucas. Sound it out," Floufli gently told him.

Lucas beamed at him and continued, "defi-nit-ely defi-nitely green." Lucas finished and pointed at the dome above.

Floufli the Amazing did a double take on the dome. As soon as he realized the sky was indeed green, his beautiful magenta stipes turned green as well. He started running around the room. His ears shaking more than any other time. His hands were flailing above his head. "Sound the sirens! The Crits are coming. Everybeast needs to take cover!"

"What's happening?" Sarah asked nervously.

"The Crits are back, we need to lock down everything. They will destroy the rest of the machine, if we don't manage to keep them out." Floufli the Amazing explained.

"What do we do?" Lucas asked.

"We need to lock all the doors. There are five entrances in the dome so we each take one," Floufli the Amazing said.

"We are four," Sarah voiced.

"Five," Lucas said. "You don't see DI? He is standing right next to you."

"I guess not...," Sarah said as she fiddled with her fingers.

"Not a believer yet, eh?" DI startled Sarah with his low, bass voice.

"Let's focus. You can make your acquaintances later," Lalapap the Crankiest snapped at them.

"Right, so I get door number one, Lucas you get number two, Lalapap the Crankiest number three, Sarah number four and DI you get number five," Floufli the Amazing hurriedly said, and they all started running towards their door. It's a good thing that the doors had numbers on them...

"Oh my, thank the sunshine we got everything locked down on time," Floufli the Amazing breathed out after they all had the entrances locked and sealed.

"I was wondering," Lucas started, "how big are these Crits exactly?"

"Why does that matter?" Lalapap the Crankiest asked.

"Lalapap, why are you being so...nevermind. I think she is still upset that my ultimate air purifier turned her into ice and ruined her makeup. To answer your question Lucas they are about a quarter of your size." Floufli the Amazing said.

"So, about thirty centimeters...hm," Lucas thought out loud.

"What are you thinking Lucas?" Sarah asked.

"Well, I'm thinking that they could fit in the vent-venti-lator," he replied as he scrunched up his nose.

All four of them stared at Lucas with their eyes nearly falling off their sockets.

"Little human is right," Lalapap the Crankiest shrieked. "Doom is upon us, there is nothing we can do."

"Actually, if we can find a way to block the ventilators. It should keep the Crits out," Sarah said. "Can't you use magic to seal them off?"

"No, our magic only works when the sun is up in the sky. We can't use our magic in the shadows or at night," Floufli the Amazing explained. "And the Crits are covering the sun."

"Sarah, I'm scared," Lucas whimpered.

Sarah placed her hands on Lucas' shoulders and looked at him straight in the eyes. "Lucas, have I ever lied to you?"

"No..."

"Whatever happens, I don't want you to worry Lucas, we will be just fine. As long as we are together. But I need your help. Do you think you can help me?" Sarah asked gently.

Lucas nodded.

"Lucas, I need you to do your worst," she teased him as she ruffled his hair, "what do you think? Is there anything you can destroy and use it to shut the vents entrances?"

Lucas tilted his head to the side and, as if a light bulb had switched on in his head, he rushed to the back of the machine and started to throw things around.

Sarah looked around at the beasts. "Please don't tell me it's nap time." When no reply came from Floufli the Amazing she turned to find him dozing off on the floor.

"Seriously? You have got to be kidding me,"  Sarah deadpanned. She walked the few steps to where the beast was and nudged him on the shoulder. Floufli the Amazing simply rolled over. "Is Lalapap the Crankiest also asleep?" She called out to Lucas.

"Yup, and DI too!"

Sarah pushed her glasses back up her nose and pressed her lips in a thin line. 'This is not good. Not good,' she thought to herself.

"Well then, I guess we have to get what needs to be done by ourselves until nap time is over," she said with her hands placed on her waist.

What Sarah and Lucas didn't know was that when nap time came, all the creatures of Otherworldly Land fell asleep right away. That's why they made sure that nobody was using the express pipes or having some good old time fun by jumping around or even cooking at that instant. It would have been very hazardous to be in the middle of such activities when nap time came around.

I can just imagine the headlines on the morning news.

Extra, extra read all about it!

'Beast bumped his head while jumping around during nap time' ,or

'Disaster on the express pipe, huge delays experienced last night. Beasts used it just before nap time', or

'Kitchen burned down, fire stove was on during nap time!'

That is why this is the first lesson everyneast attents at schools: being beastly 101. Oh my gosh, you would not believe the horror of being taught by Professor Beastiality.

I was not allowed to talk in that class. Literally. My lips were under lock and key. Thank the sunshine that is over!

But let's get back to the two siblings, where were we? Oh yes, the beasts' of Otherworldly Land had just fallen asleep.

Lucas came back with an orange-pink panel that he had disassembled from the exterior of the magic finding machine in his hands. "Take the screwdriver and help me put these on."

"The Crits won't eat those?" Sarah asked unsure of the solution.

"I think no. These are the only parts of Lambis that don't have a single scratch on them."

"Okay. Let's do this."

And on they went, Lucas and Sarah, to seal shut the three ventilators. Unbeknownst to them two little Crits managed to sneak in when they weren't looking from one of the ventilator shafts.

Sarah held the last panel up while Lucas was putting in the screws. "All done," he said.

"We need to get a move on and fix the machine." Sarah said not wanting to waste any more time.

"There are some wires missing. Can you tell me how many Lambis had to begin with?"

"Let's see..." Sarah skimmed the page with her finger. "There! It should have three wires. How many are there left?"

"Um, there were three before..."

"Before? And how many do you have now?"

"Um, Sarah I think we have a tiny problem here...." Lucas trailed off.

She walked around to the back of the machine were her brother was. "What?"

Lucas simply pointed inside Lambis.

Two little fur balls were quietly sitting and eating one of the left over wires.

"They don't look so dangerous," Lucas whispered. "They're kinda cute."

"Cute or not cute, they are eating our wire. We need to stop them." Sarah said as she regarded the two shiny fur ball creatures.

"Do you think they'll eat us?"

Sarah scratched her head. "Floufli the Amazing said they only eat magic, happiness and sunshine. I assume they won't eat us. We need to get them out of there before they eat more parts."

Sarah grabbed a pipe that was laying on the ground and stepped in front of Lucas. She started, carefully, marching towards the two creatures. The noise startled the two Crits and they moved further into the depths of Lambis.

"It's okay. I won't hurt you," Sarah reassured the Crits.

The two Crits were shaking and holding hands. Their big round eyes were getting glossier by the second. Sarah placed the pipe behind her back. Their eyes followed her movement. Too scared to make any sudden movement that would have them hiding deeper into the machine she stood her ground. Slowly but steadily she moved the pipe above her head. The two fur balls again followed the direction of the pipe.

They were small creatures and twichy little things. Sarah wondered how such small creatures could instigate so much fear within such a massive beastly creature that was Floufli the Amazing. The only thing that added size to their peculiar bodies was their curly fur. It was as if they were larger, disheveled tennis balls with hands and legs growing out of them.

She waved the pipe again. The Crits never lost eye contact with it.

Then it hit her. The Crits were starving. "Are you hungry?" She asked softly. "Lucas move away from the entrance."

When she heard the shuffling of Lucas feet. She threw the pipe with all her strength behind her and took small steps to the side. The Crits didn't waste a second. They started jumping  around and run after the pipe.

Looks like Sarah and Lucas have found a way to deal with the Crits...I wonder what Lalapap the Crankiest will do when she wakes up?

_______