The Great Galloon and the Pirate Queen Read Online Free PDF

seal round it, snapped back against the mast, and before long looked exactly as it had done before.
    Cloudier stared, and was soon aware that something more was required. So she pulled up the hem of her black dress, which she had taken care to make a good six inches too long so that it got wet and muddy as it dragged along the ground, thereby proving that she didn’t care about it. She flung it over one arm, and feeling like Rambleschnitzel the fairytale goblin, who lived in a spinning wheel and wove her magical hair into golden hay because she couldn’t remember her name (or something), she began to climb.
    If he can just go in there, I can too …
she thought to herself, but knew full well that where the Galloon was concerned, there were many things that the Captain could do that others would struggle with. This was not a comforting thing to be thinking as she put a hand to the warm red canvas of the mainb’loon, and pulled at the seam where it met the mast. A gust of warm air, like the breath of a friendly rubber cow, hit her on the face. She climbed on, and managed to pull the canvas over her head as he had done. She looked up and saw his boots still climbing the mast.
    â€˜Well done, Cloudier!’ he called. ‘Now you’re on the inside!’
    Cloudier looked around her, and gasped. She was, of course, inside the main balloon. Once her eyes had adjusted, she was surprised by how much light there was. Everything was suffused with the red colour of the canvas, but she could see a long way. The space was truly vast – a cathedral of canvas. It was warm – she could see, far away across the curve of the lower edge of the balloon – the great hole where it was attached to one of the funnels that she was used to walking round on the deck of the Galloon. This was the hot air funnel that brought heat up directly from the great boiler below, to heat the air that gave the Galloon its lift. Another funnel on deck was not attached to the balloon, and brought smoke out from the furnace that made the heat. More than the warmth and size, though, she was astounded to see that there were things in here. As she climbed, a small flock of birds flitted past her, squeaking. There was a criss-cross of struts inside the balloon, keeping the tension, so that the space felt almost like an organic thing. Cloudier had the sense that she was inside some gigantic lung, or a dusky forest. Some of the struts had things hanging from them, like strands of hair, or vines. Still climbing, Cloudier craned her neck round to see all around, and swore for a second that she saw something trot past below, like a deer glimpsed through trees at dusk.
    â€˜Impressive, in’t she?’ called the Captain over his shoulder.
    â€˜Amazing!’ called Cloudier.
    â€˜That’s not the half of it, you know!’ he said.
    â€˜There’s more?’
    â€˜Yep – watch this. And, for your mother’s sake as well as yours, I should point out that what I am about to do will look for a moment as if I am going to die. Rest assured that I am not. Your mother has a tendency to tell me off when I do things that might give you the heebie-jeebies.’
    â€˜Sorry about her,’ said Cloudier, and managed to flick her fringe across her eyes moodily, even while marvelling at the joy of being alive.
    â€˜Not at all. Your mother is … or rather would be, if … that is to say,’ said the Captain. ‘Oh, squidink and boondocks, never mind that. Watch this.’
    And the Captain fell off the mast. He just stopped holding on, and fell backwards. He passed Cloudier, and spun lazily over as he dropped towards the ‘floor’ of the balloon.
    Cloudier knew better than to call out or scream. She turned herself round as best she could to see where he landed. She thought maybe he would bounce back up past her, as if he were on a trampoline, but he didn’t. He hit the canvas, quite a long way out