Some egg-citing adventure! (part 3)

We went to the house where Master had to met the egg-collector. 

I was not surprised to look at a giant egg. “Got not a door, neither a doorbell. How will we get in?” 

Master laughed. “Easy, you will see!” 

He put his hand on the egg-house, a crack appeared and turned into a door, big enough for us to enter. Master hissed at me. “Remember, Tardiscleaner, you are my servant, so behave like one!” 

I shook my shoulder. “But Master, I always behave!” 

He rolled his eyes. “Depends on the meaning of behaviour, mind me!” “Okay, I will be best servant as best Tardiscleaner!” “Come one”, he grumbled.

Inside the egg, we stepped into something like a great hall, light came from many cabinets, filled with...eggs or things that must be eggs but looked like other things. Small ways lead to other rooms, probably all filled with eggs and eggs and eggs. Must be some egghead. 

“Welcome, welcome, great Timelord Master.” 

I felt my heard nearly jump from my throat, good thing I don’t dropped the box. I didn’t want to imagine what would had happened if the egg would play egg ball on the floor. 

Behind us a some of that tiny, gleaming metal bean things was flying in the air. Inside it sat one of the collectors. His eyes were brown, his nose had a little red point on it, as if he loved red whine to much. 

He spread both hands in a gesture of welcoming. Master bowed a little. 

“I came to bring you what you want. Servant give it to me!” His voice got that old OBEYE ME sound. Humph. I got my mouth closed and gave him the box, with the dignity of the servant of Lewis XIV, the Earth-French Sun King. 

The collector stared at the box. “Oh my” His eyes get even bigger. “Is it really what I want?! Oh my, oh my, I am so excited. Come one, I had to put it on a special plate to look at it.” He gave me a quick look. 

“Your, hem, servant can wait here. But he had to touch nothing, you understand”, his voice get a little shrill, “absolutely nothing. My collection is priceless and very sensible to the slightest touch, that is not mine.” Master coughed slightly. “ You can take my word, my servant is a good trained one. He will absolute comply with my orders, meaning, he will touch nothing!” 

The egg collector gazed at me, but being no egg, I didn’t get his full attention. Mind me, was okay with me. 

I saluted to Master and smiled. “So we can go and see the wonderful egg, come, come, Master Timelord, great Master”, the egg collector rubbed his hands. 

They disappeared but before that Master turned his head and send my his “melt an ice cube”-sight.

Away they were and time began to drop down like honey, but not so sweet, but boring. 

I felt so lost without my broom to twist around, my duster and feather duster to hunt dust mice, my mop filled with the wonderful smelling galaxy cleaner. And my thoughts went home to Tardis and little dodo Dickens. Hope the cats would play with him until I am back. So sorry about his/her brother sister, but after all could I rescued the little one. 

All those eggs, must come from over the universe. But if you ask me, boring to collect only one thing. 

I like to collect many things, cleaning things, Christ mess ornaments, unicorns, greeting cards from around the universe. Master said my room is like a white elephant stable. 

Goodness, what is keeping Master. That collector must had to begun showing him his collection. 

Boring. 

Hem, no one told me not to move and keep a little look outside the house. 

Just a look at the street, maybe someone is standing there, waiting to have a nice little chat with little Tardiscleaner!

Next moment I was trough the crack that was supposed to be the door and on the street.

Ah, the fresh air, wonderful and around me the beautiful clean houses and the nice clean street, not one piece of paper or something else. 

I looked to the sky as suddenly someone’s voice came into my ears. I turned around to the one, who just said a nice “hello” to me. It was another one of the collectors race. 

Inside the bean shaped thing sat a nice chap. He/she had very huge eyes and they were in a melting violet colour. It waved his hand aside, I waved back. “Hello too!” I said. 

“You must be with that Timelord the egg collector was excited to see. He told us, he would bring him a wonderful thing for his collection.” The little one smiled. I nodded. 

“Oh yes, a egg from terra, you know, that planet from a fare distance galaxy. “Oh yes, terra, now that you say the name I remember. “ His hand tipped at his nose. “And you are from?” 

“Well, I am from terra too.” “You come from an egg?” I laughed. “No, well, in a way, but not such eggs as...oh forgot it. We breed in a special way.” “Oh”, his eyes widened again. “You must be an very interesting race, that a Timelord took you with you?!” I blushed a little. 

“I am not sure about that, after all I am travelling with him as a cleaner of his craft!” “His craft, I understood. We are not able to fly, I mean to get up into space. But we get many visitors that bring us nice peaces for our collection.” 

“Do you announce things in some galaxy search lists?” He laughed a tiny laugh. “Something like that. Say, want to have a look at my house. You would love it. It is not fare from here. You must know, I collect cleaning things.”   

My eyes went huge. “You collect cleaning things?” His mound went round. 

“Yes and from all over the universe, for example I got a very special device that those Judoons use to clean up the cells, absolute rare to get your fingers on, I can tell you.” 

I thought so too. Those rhino like looking things with their stubborn minds, little bit like a Dalek, had a planet like one whole safety cell. Must be something to catch a cleaner thing for their cells, mind you. I felt my mouth watering and not only literary. But the voice of reason whispered in my mind. I sighted. 

 “Oh, I can’t’. My Master, you know, he will soon come back and then he would be angry if I am not waiting here!” Another voice whispered that after all he doesn’t said, that I had to stay inside the house. 

“But is no problem”, he tipped at something inside his bean travelling thing and a small cube appeared., as if it had stuck inside. “See, I tell my little helper here that he tells your Master the place where I live. He can come and all will be nice an easy!” 

Seemed a nice idea to me. Such a nice guy. Nice guy, may be, too nice, said the first voice again. 

Hem. I remembered that fairy dragon disaster. They were so nice too and in the end my bump was nearly burning and I had to listen to Masters “didn’t I told you!” for hours but those Judoons cleaner things... 

Only a little glimpse could really do no harm. But in case there was something wrong…

I pointed at a house in the distance. “I was wondering…could you tell, what kind of collector lives in that nice house over there?” He turned in his bean thing around. Quickly I grabbed in my backpack and took a small spray gun filled with my faithful companion, the galaxy cleaner. Always be ready if one had to clean a spot, you know my motto! “Cleaning never, ever stops!” 

It is a very small spray gun, small enough to put it into my hand. As he turned back to me, my hand was filled. “Oh that, no one important, I tell you. Collecting  words, not impressive.” 

My mouth dropped. "Words! How can one collect WORDS!" He/she rolled it`s eyes. 

"Ah, boring, I tell you, cleaning things are so much nicer, I can tell!" Okay, then let’s go.” 

As I followed him, each time we crossed a corner I gave the next house a little splash, and a small spot of the cleaner keeps stuck. Dried it would look like a tiny blue spot.

After a while we reached his house. It looked like a huge Swiss cottage, with flowers in rainbow colours in the flowerboxes. We entered it and all was nice. I saw pictures at the walls, all were showing creatures from all over the universe. Some I knew, most I didn’t. 

Strange, didn’t he told me that he was collecting cleaning things? What is the point of collecting such and having then such pictures on your wall. If I understood one thing about that collectors, that they are strictly stuck to their collecting thing. 

A nasty thing appeared in my mind and I turned around, just was about to ask a question as I felt something strange. To say at least. I was unable to open my mouth. Not only that, worse, I was unable to move a finger. Great, some kind of force field. 

Certainly, that fairy dragon thing, never trust too sweet looking creatures and never don’t do what Master told you. But he didn’t said, don’t go out. Damned!

I heard the bad guy goggling. “Welcome my new collection thing. I was always hoping to get a human being for my collection. “ He looked at me and smiled. 

Nice smiling, bad words. Damned second time. 

He rubbed his two tiny hand together, being in a very good mode. 

Me, little Tardiscleaner as part of some butterfly-collection? HOTDAMNED!

“See, I will put you in a nice box, with a picture of your blue planet. Bye the way” he scratched his chin. “What I never ever will understand why you are living on the surface, having mostly of your planet filled with water. May be there are other creatures down there. Nice to have some of them too. May be I find a trustful service, after all. But for now, I am really, really pleased!”

“That will change in a minute!” 

Oh, the relief to hear my Masters voice! 

He was standing with the other collector in the open door. 

In his eyes were a distance light, you know, those light like a burning fire deep inside. 

The other collectors face was sad and angry. “Xttmbll, you disappoint me, you disappoint us. We all had an agreement, not ever to harm visitors, especial not that one, who came to make business with us. What will happen someone finds out. Collecting will be going down!” 

My catcher grumbled. “Oh shut up, no harm is done. After all that he is only servant. Who mind about a servant.” 

“I do”, Master said with his cold voice. He raised his screwdriver and….puff…

On the way back to Tardis Master did not say one word to me,

I thought it would be better to shut up my mouth too.

In Tardis I decided the best thing was feet cats and dodo, who went nearly crazy about me, sweet little Dickens. Then I put on the cattle and brew a strong tea. 

Just when I had my cup filled, Master came into the kitchen. He took a seat, I jumped up and brought him his favourite china-bone teacup.I filled it with tea and sat down. 

“Sometimes you drive me crazy.” His voice was calm but not filled with ice crystals.

Thanks the gods of the universe.

“I am sorry, but I was, well, a little bored, just stepped a little step outside and, and..” 

He nodded. “Only one little step, yes, yes, good that you made that signs. Otherwise you might have ended in a box.” “I know, Master, I am sorry, please don’t be mad at me.” 

I stirred in my cup, Dickens gave a sound, wanting a cookie, I gave him one. He loves cookies, all dodos do, like me, and Master!

“Anyway, thought I would miss you and your “shimmering company”. 

I looked at Master and he smiled liked the Cheshire cat. 

My heard filled with joy. After all, seemed he likes me a little.

“I think we should call it a party and I will throw my last package of pink wafers on the table.” 

Said and done.

Master glimpsed at the cookies. He laughed. “Your precious pink wafers?” 

“Yup, for you, my favourite Master, who saved me from becoming a butterfly on a pin.” 

“Your favourite Master, hem, after all there is only but one Master going to rule this universe some day.” 

I raised my cup of tea. “I drink to that.” 

Certainly little dodo Dickens got his share of the pink wafers too. Could not resist a shy picking at my leg from a tiny bird.

But Master never told me what he got in return for the egg.

I am sure something for his great Master plan to become ruler of whole universe some day!  

Some egg-citing adventure! (part 2)

I saw one egg moving, then a crack runs trough it. “Look Master”, I cried. “One had made it.” 

He stepped back. “Get away from it, don’t you know birds are mostly used to follow the first being they see.” “But why?” I could not stop looking at the egg.

The crackle, the little beak coming out, then the head, the huge eyes, a big crack, a little cry and it was free and it looked at me and I looked back. I swore we liked it other instantly. 

“Great Dickens”, the Master yelled angry. “Can’t you never ever hear, what I tell and simply OBEY ME!” “Dickens, that’s it” I smiled. “Hi Dickens!” 

The little feathery thing gave out a thin yelling and walked onto me and tipped his small beak at my shoe. 

I took him up. “You are not wanting to take that with you?!” Masters voice was harsh. 

“Oh, I will, I am his mum now, don’t you see!” He looked up to the sky. “As if I did not see that coming. Tardis turning into the ark. Just absolute great.” “Leave him, leave me”, I can be stubborn if necessary, you must know!

Master sighed. “So it be. But I swear, if he shits only one time on the control desk, I remind myself that I am a very nasty guy!” “Won`t be happen!” 

Dickens father was nowhere to be seen, so I had no trouble. May be it`s not in his interest to look after his children.

Back in the Tardis I introduced little Dickens to the cats. 

I used the old trick, gave the two their favourite feed and the dodo a huge bowl of porridge with raisins. Certainly I made a quick meal for Master too! 

Now things were fine. Master had his precious egg, I had a new pet. 

I heard him grumbling something while eating, Master I mean, neither cats or Dickens. They were all lucky having their dinner. Master too but I think that sort of making friends thing doesn’t work for him. 

Anyway I felt a little sad watching little Dickens eating and looking at me, eating again, looking at me and I gave some cluck, cluck sound that seems to delight him.

Well at least, one dodo was saved from distinction. Maybe some day we could find a nice mate for it, but that thought better would be kept in my mind. 

I was sure Master would not love the idea of having a family of happy birds walking around him.

After Master made the egg ready for the delivery, he set the directions to that planet of collectors. 

A whole planet with beings that collect things. Great Scott. 

I wonder, who will make sure that the collections are always fine and clean, mind you, to clean cabinets is a very difficult thing. They had to be without any nasty stripes, I learned that working in some museum. But I am a quick learner, no one ever made any complaints!

When cats and dodo were filled up, I put them all together in a nest of pillows, under Dickens I put a big towel. After all, he was still a baby and had still to learn to put his, ahem, things at the right place, the cat toilet. 

I was not happy to leave him alone but he seems to see the cats as his siblings, so fur and feather will stuck together! But Master insisted that I came with him. To carry the box. 

He told me, that the people on that planet are used to have servants, who carry their things and one without a servant would be looked at as a kind of dirty peasant. Master always looks after his personal appearance! 

So okay, I obeyed!

We stepped out and what I saw was a little city. 

The sky was yellow and the sun was green but the houses looked like some big English cottages, others like Chinese temples, Greek temples, Sontarian huts, and many others. 

White streets gleaming under the sun run between the houses, in the distance I saw huge mountains with snow. 

“You know what,  it`s like Switzerland, well, it`s so clean and the mountains with that bright snow.” 

Master looked at me. ”Bye the way, why are you carrying your backpack?” 

“I always took it with me, you now that. Might be helpful. You never know, after all!” 

Master rolled his eyes. “Some day you shall get a new one.” 

“No!, I shook my head. “I love my old backpack, I know it looks as it had made its way through a thousand battles but I will not get a new one.” “Sometimes I really don’t understand you, Tardiscleaner. “ He sighted. “Anyway, lets go. The coordinates heshe gave me …” 

“Heshe?” “These people are both genders together.” “That is very practical, no need to have query love affairs with broken hearts and tears and all.” “Indeed. Now let’s go”. 

“Oh, one little thing”, I looked to the ground. “With the feeding and all I had not the time to get something in my tummy. And I forget to put some cookies back in the backpack. All feed to the dodos.” 

Master mumbled something. “Well, I think it can wait until we are back in Tardis.” 

I looked him straight in the eyes. “I am sorry but I really am hungry and that makes me mean.” 

I stood still and crossed my arm. “Are we having a little rebellion here?” the Master gave my his ANGRY glance but I was hungry and ignored it. He leave me behind, who would clean his Tardis anyway?! 

Humph?! He sighted. “Good, let’s found a place to get you something. But don’t expect cookies!” 

My eyes went round. “Why not Cookies? I have found cookies on many planets. Tell you something, I am sometimes thinking about starting a cooking company, well, certainly only when I am too old to be a Tardiscleaner any more.” 

“Heaven help us”, Master raised his hands. I cocked my head. “Hey, you can rule the universe and I gave out the cookies!” He grumbled: “Let’s find something to eat, so your mouth is filled.” 

“If we only could ask someone”, I looked around. “Such nice clean houses and streets but no one around.” “May be that’s the reason, they are clean.” Master grabbed inside the pocket of his tuxedo and looked at a little tablet computer. “Let’s see.” He typed at it and then pointed out. “That way”. 

Okay, that way, hope it would end with something like dinner. And indeed, at the end of a small road we saw a huge house, flat as a pancake, with one big window, on his rove words in rainbow colours running round. Swell, let’s say, there were symbols but I read it, as gift of following a Timelord, one can read and understand every language in the whole universe. Its very practical. 

Anyway its said: “Best meals in town, nice and easy.” Easy? Whatever. 

“Lets get a chair”, I cried and started running. 

As I came nearer I saw through the windows at a giant room, a dozen or more metal balls in the shape of beans where hanging in the air. Coming nearer I saw that they were filled with beings. 

They all were humanoid beings with large faces and huge heads, big eyes, very big eyes and small noses and mouths. They had plates flying in the air before them, filled with very little, funny shaped and funny coloured things, which they grasp with small, very long fingers. But the fingers had big knobs at the end. 

The eating things stuck onto the knobs and were put to the mouth. 

They looked funny, reminded me to fairy dragons, we once meet. Cute things, I thought until they began to get nasty and I reached Tardis only in time before things got ugly. 

But nice or naughty, time to get something to eat. 

I entered the room, at the end of it was a huge desk, and behind the desk stood the ugliest thing I ever saw in my whole life and travelling times with the Master. Even uglier than the thing from the red button adventure and that meant a lot.

It was huge and looked like a mixture between a jellyfish and a octopus and it got so many little green eyes spread over his yellow glowing body, that it made me nervous. 

Like a bus full of tourist staring at you. 

Tentacles were moving around, some arranging food on that plates, others stuck in the hundreds of holes in the wall behind it. 

“Its not gentlemen like to run.“ Masters voice was in my ears “ He stood beside me. 

“Some time I had to teach you some manners.” “I will remind you. But first I am still hungry.” 

“Then let’s get to the head chef over there and order something.” 

"The chef?" He meant that thing. Hoped that the dinner would not be like the cook. 

Bravely I stepped forward, the thing worked along. 

Suddenly I heard a voice in my heads asking me very politely what I like to have? The voice was so nice and  warm that I could not believe it. 

“Well, I like to have”, I looked at the things on the plates and pointed on some. “Nice choice, my friend”, the voice said. “We love to see alien visitors and hope you and your companion will be satisfied. If not don’t hesitate to say so.” 

Tentacles filled two tablets, one for Master, one for me. I put my hand out to take them but the voice told me that they will follow me. “Well”, I pointed at the empty floor. “Seats would be nice!” 

“At your command”, the voice said and two chairs appeared from the floor. They looked cosy. 

I laughed. “Say, that’s great. Thanks!” “You are welcome, relax and enjoy!” “I will!”

We took seat, I put the box on the floor and the tablets followed us and stood still in the air before us. 

“Hem, let’s se, what did we have here”, I looked at the tablet filled with many funny shaped and coloured things. I took one, looked like a blue banana und took a bite. 

I was first struck by a rough sharp taste then a sweet taste followed and mixed up to something, well very good. “Hey, great taste” I looked at Master. “I am so glad you are satisfied.” His voice was cold but with a light undertone. Amusement.

After all, he can be nice, you know. So I started some conservation.

“Master, I really can’t believe that you ruled earth two times and that each time that Doctor Who stopped you.” His eyes became small. “Better you don’t speak about that and him.”

I put my hand out for a round shaped thing in yellow. “Wonder what I would do if earth was mine. Cleaning it, I think. Hem. What would you think if I would exchange Tardises and went with that Doctor?” 

Master took a tiny thing in red. “He is always travelling with companions and surely had no need for a Tardiscleaner, Tardiscleaner!”

My mouth turned round. “Travelling with companions? That sounds nice. Are we companions too?” 

He stroked with his hand trough his hair. “Surely NOT. You got paid.”

“Paid? Hadn’t seen a penny in a while” “And what is about your free shopping tours?!”

I looked down. “Okay, I agree, I forgot about them, just so rarely and not much to shop and anyway…” “STOP COMPLANING or I forget my good manners as a bad Timelord”

Well, you see, conservation with Master is sometimes very difficult, so I went on eating. Yummy! 

And so we had a great dinner and my tummy felt yummy and I told it to the head chef and he/she/it was quite delighted.

See, it`s nice to go to other planets, you meet so many kind creatures and learn so much new things.

Some egg-citing adventure! (part 1)

After opening and cleaning another room, including a huge chandelier, home of a thousands spiders, but not now anymore, I walked thirsty as a lost desert wanderer into the kitchen.

Tea was on my mind and may be some cookies. Glomied filled!

To my astonishment the Master was sitting in the kitchen, studying a map. 

He looked up. “You came just at the right moment. You will glad to hear, that we are going to earth!” “Earth!” I forgot the tea. “That is great, I had some things I can only buy there and…” 

He smiled this Cheshire cat like smiling.

“So….?” “Well, look here”, his finger pointed at a spot on the map. 

I saw a big blue ocean and some island, surrounded bye some others, looked very isolated, if you ask me.

“That is Mauritius, an island group, settled in the Indian Ocean. That is where we are going to.” 

“Mauritius, wait, that is where they printed that famous stamps, didn’t they? Do you want one? Never thought you were a collector of stamps.”

Master rose his eyebrows. “A collector of stamps, me?” Oh, I knew that sound in his voice.

I coughed. “Oh forget it.“

„I hope I can“, Master said in a grim voice. “It’s not about stamps but is indeed about collecting something. We will go there to get an egg of a Raphus cucullatus.”

My mouth dropped. “An egg from what?” Master laughed. “That is Latin and means a hood wearing night bird.”

“Oh, just great” I clapped my hands together. “Now I know what you mean.”

“A dodo for you, Tardiscleaner!” “A dodo? Oh, like that in Alice in Wonderland. But they disappeared, they were all eaten up, as far as I know.”

The Master shook his head. “Aren’t we capable to travel in TIME!”

“Oh yes”, I nodded. “Quite right, we can get there before all are eaten up by those bad mariners!” 

“Quite right, Tardiscleaner, you are following my trail.”

“Good, I think I put the kettle on and make us a nice hot cup of tea. You must be thirsty after all these calculating with time and such things. And I am just dying to get one”

Master put the map together. “I need the egg for an collector. There is a whole planet full of a species, who saw theirs only reason in life to collect things. One of them is collecting eggs from all over the universe and I know, he is longing for a egg, that even of that damned planet earth is as far as I know only is to be found in one exemplar. But I need a fresh one. And it is far easier to grab a egg from a nest than stole it from a museum.”

I filled the teapot with hot water. “Poor dodo, so we are going to steal a mother her child.” 

Master sighted. “Sometimes you are a little bit to sentimental, after all, in the end they ceased to exist anyway.” “Well, that’s true. Poor things. And what did you get in return?”

Master growled. “What do I tell you?” I saluted. “Never ask never tell.” “That’s right, now push the cookies.”

A while later Tardis landed. I had my backpack on and looked at a huge thing in Masters Hand. “What is that?” “Curiosity kills the cat, it`s a box for the egg.”

“Clever as ever”, I nodded. “Otherwise you may stumble and make fried egg, sort of.”

He handed me the box. “Take it, I need to use that.” That was a huge knife, a machete.

Master opened the door. All I could see was green, green, green.

The air was hot and sweet, filled with hundreds of strange smells and sounds.

“Goodness it`s like a sweat bath out there” I murmured. “What you expect from a jungle?”, Master closed the door of Tardis.

“Do you expect anyone going in, when we are out?” He gave me a short look, I closed my mouth. 

“Now let’s go and see.” “Wait, are there are, hem, dangerous beasts awaiting us?”

He shook his head. “Don’t fear, that is why the dodo was so easy to be caught by the mariners, they got no enemies.” “Well, aside from the heat, sounds like some kind of paradise.” “Until humans came but that will be a hundred years from now.”

Master began to cut us a way. I could not resist to mumble: “Tarzan, watch out, here we come.”

There were thick green plants like huge green snakes, giant ferns, and sky-high giant trees.

I followed him, trying not to stumble. I saw little lizards running around and flowers , giant flowers. It took us a good while until we reached the shores of a little lake.

It was like a beautiful blue pearl settled in the green jungle. I saw silver fish jumping to catch insects, a little breeze gave fresh air.

“Over there”, Master pointed at something moving.

I looked and saw a huge big bird, could be a metre high. It had a huge beak, a short naked neck, short yellow feet and a round body. It walked towards the water and drank with happiness. 

The bird had blue-grey feathers. Its wings were little and yellow at the end  and a funny tuft of yellow tail feathers stuck at his end like a dustbin.

“A dodo?” I whispered. Master nodded. “Well, there must be more, lets go and see.”

“But it will be afraid?” “I told you, these birds had no enemies, they are without fear.”

We went on the shore, fine, white sand. The bird stopped drinking and looked at us with his huge eyes. 

It opened its beak and made a sound, like a mixture between a hiccup and a whistling. 

It waddled towards us. Short before us, it stopped, laid his head aside and made another sound. “Gickguck?” Gack!” I responded. The bird looked at me and replayed: “Gick?” 

“Gick!” I answered. “Gick!” It said and came so near that I could reached out my hand and touch his feathered head. It felled soft as satin. 

It was a huge head and the beak looked very impressive, as if it could bite a whole coconut in two halves, not to mention a hand. But I felt it was indeed a friendly bird. 

“Wait”, I grabbed into my backpack and grasped my packed lunch. I took a cookie and gave it to it on my flat hand. It looked at the cookie with curious eyes and picked it very careful. Then it waved back its head and crutched it. It closed its eyes a moment then started to cry. A high cry. 

I stepped back. “Help”, I thought. One moment later I heard other cries answering from behind us. 

And then something came bursting trough the scrub. “Goodness”, I heard Masters voice filled with astonishment. I turned to see a great number of dodos rushing out, coming to us, as quick as they could, waddling, waving there little wings. Twenty of them, I think. 

A moment later we were surrounded by those big birds, all starring at me. The one I gave the cookie picked with his beak at my leg. I laughed. Everything was fine! 

“Oh, I understand, my friend. You have just invited your pals to a dinner pasty! I threw cookies around me. The birds caught them like trained foot ballplayers. Good that I had a huge amount of cookies with me. 

“I think we can make a caucus-race with them, like the one Alice had with the dodo and the other animals.” “And what should be the prize?” Master laughed. 

I scratched my head. “Oh heaven, yes, I remember, all win in that race.” 

The dodos waited. I spread my hands. “Sorry nothing left.” 

The dodo we first met looked at me, than it chuckled. The other dodos looked at it and began to return into the wood. “Let’s follow”, me and the dodo followed the Master, who followed the dodos. 

See, we got a kind of caucus- race after all.

There was a kind of a small path, that let into the jungle. Must have been made by the dodos, Master only had to cut some green. Then we reached a place where the green was tiny and had place for many dodos and dodos nests. They were perfect round, filled with feathers and in each nest one of the dodos took place, settling on huge, yellow eggs. 

The dodo that we first met stepped beside me and said: “Giguckga!” I understood. 

“I think, he is the master and that are his ladies!” I smiled and tipped at his beak. “Proud father you are?!” “Thanks for calling it MASTER”, said Master. “Oh  I would not think of you as Master of many mistress, mind me.” “Thanks a lot to that too. Okay, now let’s get an egg.” I shook my head. 

“But they are his babies!“ "Tardiscleaner”, Masters voice was icy. 

But the dodo began to walk around his ladies, while waving his tail proud. 

“Look , he is showing us his girls, isn’t it cute!” “The egg!” “Yes, yes, I know. I am thinking.” 

Then the dodo came back and tipped at my knee again. “Yes?” 

He made a deep sound and walked aside, I followed him. We reached another nest but that one was without any mother sitting on her eggs. 

There were eggs, big and yellow and beside it lay a dodo. Her eyes were closed and I saw that she was dead. The dodo gave her dead body a tip and made another deep sound. 

“Poor thing, I fear he is thinking I can help her.” The dodo looked at me. I felt tears running down my cheeks. I reached out and touched the dead body. It was cold. I shook my head.

“Gock!” I said with a said voice. The dodo looked at the dead body, then at me. Then he ruffled the feathers on his head and went away. 

“There you got your egg”, I said unhappy. 

“Great”, Master stepped forward and put out his hand as something happened.