Capt. Peters Cookie went back to the airship with his coffee, followed by the crew and the passengers. Ron and Fred and the spiders said goodbye to Benny at the door of the Soup Shack.
“Goodbye, Ron!” said Benny.
“See you!” said Ron.
Fred and the other spiders ran up and down Ron’s arms and legs excitedly.
Ron took his seat on the airship and looked out of the window. He waved to Benny, who continued waving as the airship rose into the air.
And then they were on their way. Ron gazed at the amazing view of the Chilly Peaks. Beams of light danced around the icy mountains.
Then Ron flicked through the in-flight magazine and started reading an article about Sir Country Cellars, the half-civilised crab-man, but fell asleep. When he woke up, a magic-lantern show had started. It was about the Hanover Furry Slipper Regiment fighting off an invasion by flying ants.
Fred and his friends made a web in one of the portholes and started a game of spider-crackit.
Then some food was served: pickled mushrooms skewered on long fish bones, baby bamboo bullets, oysters (Ron saw all the other passengers gulping them down and going Mmmmmmmmm! but his tasted like spoons), cheese-on-toast, crazy pie with sensible sauce and some other tasty things which were indescribable.
The magic-lantern show finished (the flying ants were defeated) and Ron looked out of the window again and saw the landscape had changed. Now he could see volcanoes. Some were erupting, shooting lava up into the air and down the sides. Some creatures - possibly baboons or dogs - were having fun standing still and running away at the last minute like birdkids playing in the surf on the beach.
It became very hot in the airship’s cabin and the steward and stewardess brought some ice cream - either grandelicious-candy-sensation or vanilla.
A few minutes later the airship was flying over a rainforest, which was unbelievably green and the sun stuck out it’s long orange tongue and licked it. Colourful parrots came and flew around the airship. It was like sticking one’s head underwater near a coral reef, except with parrots instead of fish. The parrots flew right past the airship’s portholes, insulting the passengers with some very fruity language which they had learnt somehow, possibly from Sir Malcolms Ha’penny Yoozer-Lotovinc, who had disappeared in the jungle.
The passengers, those who had not flown this route before, were rather taken aback by the colourful insults, but soon they were joining in with the frequent-flyers, who were shouting obscenities back at the parrots. And in this way the parrots learn some new phrases for the next time. Ron did his best, shouting some of the things he’d heard Benny say.
“Flying fishguts!” he shouted. “Cut up a cuttlefish!”
He even came up with some of his own, such as “Dripping drainpipes!” and “Heaving herons!”
The parrots eventually flew back to their perches as the airship reached the end of the rainforest and flew over a large lake. It wasn’t Watercolour Lake. This lake was much bigger. Some alligators who had been snoozing on the mud at the edge, stumbled into the water, disturbed by the sound of the airship’s engine, which although quite modest, broke the silence surrounding the lake (Shaftsbury Calypso: 5 brakehorsepower, cruising speed 20 knots. Thanks, Pie!).
The water was very clear and it was possible to see a variety of lakelife, including some miniature aquatic ponies, and some pigmen snorkelling.
Also visible were the ruins of an ancient city which had been built at the bottom of the lake for some unknown reason.
All-in-all it was a thoroughly enjoyable fli...
“Please return to your seat and fasten your seatbelts!” came the captain’s voice. “No need to panic!”
Oh, no! Now what?! thought Ron.
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