Akiko in the Sprubly Islands Read Online Free PDF Page B

to imagine what it would feel like to have my intestines explode. “Aren’t
any
of these plants safe to eat?”
    “I appreciate your desire for a good square meal, Akiko, but you can’t go through the forest eating things willy-nilly,” Mr. Beeba answered, reaching out and grabbing hold of a small, smooth-surfaced fruit hanging from a nearby plant. “Take
this
fruit, for example: plump, fragrant, and pleasing to the eye; one might think it would make a
delightful
snack. . . .”
    “That’s all I need to hear,” Spuckler said, snatching the fruit out of Mr. Beeba’s hands and twisting it free from its stem.
    “Spuckler! Wait!” Mr. Beeba pleaded. “I know
nothing
about this plant! It might upset your stomach! It . . . It could be poisonous!”
    But it was too late. Spuckler ate the entire thing in a couple of bites and swallowed with an audible gulp. There was a long, frightening pause as we watched to see what would happen. Gax made a squeaky churning sound as he raised his head to get a closer look at Spuckler’s face. Poog hovered near Spuckler’s shoulder, a slightly nervous expression in his eyes. Then Spuckler let out a loud belch and chuckled happily.

    “These things are
good
!” Spuckler declared triumphantly, quickly plucking another one and tossing it in my direction. “Here, ’Kiko. Try one!”
    I caught the little fruit with both hands and raised it to my face, slowly turning it over and inhaling its faintly sweet aroma. It was about the same size and texture as an eggplant, but its skin was dark blue with light blue spots, like some kind of exotic butterfly.
    I knew that it was wrong to eat something out in the forest without being sure what it was. There was always the possibility that I’d end up getting a bad stomachache or even worse. Still, I was so hungry and the fruit smelled so good that I finally couldn’t resist. I took a tiny little bite, chewed, and swallowed.
    “Mmmm, they
are
good!” I said, taking another bite. It was a lot like a peach, except it tasted a little like strawberries, too. It was soft and juicy and had just one seed in the middle about the size of an almond. I went over and helped Spuckler find some more.
    “Try one, Mr. Beeba,” I said, handing him a smaller one I’d just picked. “It’s better than staying hungry, trust me!”
    “Well . . . ,” Mr. Beeba replied, his resistance wearing down, “it
does
have a rather pleasant aroma. . . .”
    After inspecting it thoroughly and wiping it vigorously against his clothes like a boy polishing an apple, Mr. Beeba took a bite of the mysterious blue-spotted fruit. Spuckler and I watched him as he slowly chewed and chewed and chewed. Finally he swallowed loudly and wiped the juice from his chin.
    “Oh my,” he said quietly, opening his eyes wide and licking his lips. “ It
is
good, isn’t it?”
    Spuckler gave me a wink as if to say “I knew it!”
    “Let’s pick as many of them as we can!” Mr. Beeba said excitedly, no longer sounding the least bit cautious. “We’ve got to hurry! The daylight’s almost gone!”
    He was right. The forest was growing darker and darker, and now only the very tops of the trees were lit with a faint red-and-orange glow. Spuckler, Mr. Beeba, and I picked as many pieces of the fruit as we could and began placing them on the ground in little piles. Even Gax helped out a little, though as a robot he wouldn’t end up eating any of them. Finally we all sat down on the ground and began our feast.

We laughed and joked with one another as we stuffed ourselves with the fruit, smiling and spitting the seeds in all directions. Mr. Beeba turned out to have even more of an appetite than Spuckler and me put together. By the time I had reached my limit, Mr. Beeba had eaten more than two dozen pieces of the fruit and showed no sign of slowing down.
    “Beeba, take a
breather
for a second, will ya?” Spuckler said, chuckling. “You’re gonna make yourself