War on Whimsy Read Online Free PDF Page B

Whimsy is by first landing on Volcomania and then scuba diving through the Underground Sea?” said Greta.
    â€œExactly,” said XYZ40.
    Oh my, thought Nicola.
    â€œAnd that’s where Mom and Dad and Squid are?” said Shimlara.
    â€œWe’ll get to that,” said XYZ40. “First I want to brief you on the Planet of Whimsy.”
    The king yawned enormously.“Surely they know all about Whimsy? What are they teaching them in school these days?”
    XYZ40 cleared her throat. “Ah, your majesty, apart from Shimlara, the members of the Space Brigade are Earthlings. It’s my understanding that most Earthlings have little or no awareness of the existence of life on other planets.”
    â€œSilly creatures,” said the king.
    â€œThe Planet of Whimsy is quite a different kettle of fish from Volcomania,” said XYZ40. A picture of an exquisite lake appeared on the screen.
    â€œI won’t belabor the point, but it’s simply the most beautiful planet in the universe.” XYZ40 clicked through a number of pictures, each one more stunning than the last. Nicola felt like her eyes were being assaulted by beauty. She couldn’t describe the feeling it gave her. It was like she’d just listened to a type of music she’d never heard before and it had touched her soul.
    â€œAh,” moaned Nicola and Katie at the same time, as the last slide disappeared.
    XYZ40 narrowed her eyes at them. “I see that you two are susceptible to Whimsy’s beauty. Arty types, are you?” She said the word arty as if it were something vaguely disgusting.
    â€œI like to write stories sometimes,” admitted Nicola.
    â€œI play the cello a little,” said Katie. (Nicola knew she was being modest. Katie was actually a very talented cellist, although she was shy about performing in public.)
    â€œYou two will have to be extra careful on Whimsy,” said XYZ40.
    â€œSo we’re going to Whimsy, then?” said Shimlara. “To rescue my family?”
    â€œI am getting to that,” said XYZ40.
    A new slide appeared on the screen. It showed a group of people lying in a meadow. They all had long wispy hair, rosy faces, and dreamy expressions. Some of them were holding flowers. Others were staring in blissful wonder at the sky.
    â€œThe people of Whimsy are the most artistic in the universe,” said XYZ40. “The landscape seems to inspire them. They write symphonies and plays. They paint. They sculpt. They sing. They’re really very talented. Unfortunately, they’re also somewhat . . .”
    â€œHopeless,” supplied the king.
    â€œYes,” admitted XYZ40.“They’re incredibly absentminded. They’re not at all practical. They don’t grow crops even though the soil would be perfect for it, and they have no business sense whatsoever. They’re always running out of food, and sending messages to Volcomania asking for urgent supplies. Up until now, the Volcomanian government has put up with this. In fact, being an entrepreneurial type of people, they’ve tended to exploit it. In return for supplying bread and milk, they demand that the Whimsians hand over their paintings or sculptures. Then they sell them around the galaxy for huge profits.”
    â€œI’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, those Whimsians all need to be packed off to business school,” said the king.
    â€œI think I remember Mom and Dad talking about a Whimsian painting that’s now worth a billion bars of gold,” said Shimlara. “The person who painted it sold it to a Volcomanian for a ham sandwich. ”
    â€œSo why has Volcomania declared war on the Planet of Whimsy?” asked Tyler. “It seems like they’ve got a pretty good arrangement going.”
    â€œVolcomania has a new president,” said XYZ40. A picture appeared on the screen of a Volcomanian woman in a crisp business suit. If it wasn’t for