"RIGHT in the eye! Looking straight at yours truly!"

"What did he look like?" said Wizzy.

Mr Mouse stopped and looked at Wizard. "Look" he said, putting his paws on his hips and his head on one side, his whiskers whiffling away "WHO'S meant ta be telling this story?"

"You are" said Wiz, beating his long tail up and down on the carpet. "But give us a visual! Tell us what he looked like!"

"All RIGHT! He was a coypu!"

"A what?" went Dot and Wiz at the same time.

Mr Mouse let out a big sigh. Then he hopped up on the keys of Dot's laptop and went skip, hop jump and Rtn. (It's amazing how he can do that!)

Up came an Internet web page - it was called http://www.the-piedpiper.co.uk/th1f.htm

On it was a picture of a big furry creature with sticky-out teeth and whiskers. He was sort of like a giant hamster. He - or she - had a sleek grey coat that looked like it was good for going in water and a very big body with little legs and claws. He had black-button eyes and did not look like the sort of animal you'd want to meet on a dark night! (But just copy and paste that link up there into the 'Address' box at the top of your Internet page to have a look.)

You could easily see him in a big cloak, sitting in a sparkly flying saucer, the way Mr Mouse had described Brian Mallow!

"Oops!" said Dot. "He looks kind of scary! And a bit snooty too!"

"He was!" said Mr Mouse. "ANYway, if I can get on... he looks straight at me, so I kinda zipped round behind my friend the gerbil. Don't be first at auditions if you can help it, 's what I say! But then... "

He took a deep breath. "Then a little kinda window opened in the side of the flying saucer and a hummingbird came out. BEFORE you ask... " - hop, skip, jump he went again and up came http://www.hummingbirdsociety.org/photogallery/photogallery.asp
with a picture of a hummingbird. (Try it!)

"It flew so fast, ya couldn't see his wings, just a blur. It zoomed around us all stopping here 'n there, then zippin' off again - like it was looking for something. Everybody froze. Like your Granny says Dot, ya coulda heard a pin drop! He got nearer and nearer to where I was - thought I'd had it - BUT next thing he stops right by Gerald - only this time he doesn't hover. He lands on his head. Made poor old Gerald jump!"

Mr Mouse shook his head again. "Anyways, just as he landed, the lights around Brian Mallow's flying saucer went on-off, on-off, on-off, like that. And the big guy takes this kinda stick thing like one of those Star Wars light sabres out and points it - right at Gerry baby. It's like a big spotlight on him - and everywhere else goes dark. And then Mallow speaks up in his big boomy voice... "

Mr Mouse stood up again and puffed out his chest - and tucked his chin into his chest to make his voice go VERRRY deep. (Well, pretty deep, anyway!)

"GERALD THE GERBIL - IT'S TIME FOR YOUR TALENT!"