What happens to memory
when you can't remember?

A blinding white light filled the cyber rats’ cavern. It was like all the camera flashes you’ve ever seen rolled into one. It was so bright it hurt Dot’s eyes – made them ache, so that she squeezed them tight shut. Wizzie bark-barked and put his paws over his eyes.

Mr Fruity didn’t like it either. He let out a hoarse scream, and fell to the floor. Further back down the cave there was shouting and hissing and banging and clattering, as all the cyber rats ran to and fro trying to find places to hide.

Nasty people hate the light - it shows them for what they are!

But as it died down, it showed something else.

Two children. Both wearing white gowns, tied at the waist with a golden belt. One had fair hair, all sticking up as if he’d put loads of gel on it. (He had actually, it had caused a real row in Phargon… oops, I’m getting ahead of myself!)

The other – a girl – had a warm goldeny-brown face with slanting eyes. Her hair was curly and dark, but cut in a beautiful shape round her head. Her neck was long and slender, and her lips were set tight in anger.

It was the children Dot and her friends had seen when they first arrived in Phargon – the Children of the Casement! The guardians of all that came into the memory world of Phargon! It had to be!

The girl was the first to speak.

“I am Carvelia, Equal Child of the Casement” she said, looking straight at Mr Fruity. “And this is Thoranon, Equal Child of the Casement.” She pointed at Mr Fruity with two arms outstretched. “How dare you - how DARE you take prisoner our Day of 23!”

Mr Fruity looked up from the floor. Then a slow smile spread over his ratty lips.

“Well well WELL!” he said. “Now just look who’s here! Just the folks I wanted to see!” He stood up and brushed himself down (he’d got covered in bits from the knobbly brown stuff that had been on poor Drindel, not to mention old chewing gum, bits of chicken skin and mouldy chocolate, and even… no, you don’t want to know what’s all over the floor of the cyber rats’ cavern. Really you don’t!)

Even Wiz thought it was disgusting – he put a floppy paw over his nose. And he likes smellies!

The girl turned towards Dot. Then she looked at her friend, and together they bowed.

“With our thanks, Miss Dorothy” they said together (it was funny – it was as if they were a singing duo) “With our thanks to you!”

“Thanks for what, exactly?”

SIGH! It’s Mr Pops Up Just When You Don’t Want Him To And Says Something Cheeky AGAIN!!

Mr Mouse, of course…

“For your succour and support, of course!” said the boy. (Succour is an old-fashioned word for help. Wild, eh?) “For coming to the aid of Phargon in our hour of need. For dealing with this… this… ” he looked at Mr Fruity “this PERSON. But you can leave it to us now!”

“Oh yeah?” said Mr Fruity. “Oh YEAH? How you gonna get out of this, window wimps?” (Er… that’s Mr Fruity’s idea of a joke. Casement is an old-fashioned word for window, you see. So… Children of the Casement… Widow Wimps… yeah I know. It’s as bad as one of your dad’s groan jokes, isn’t it? Awful!)

But… joke or not… he had a point.

Because they were now all totally surrounded by cyber rats – hundreds of them, all pressing up in a crowd around them.

Carvelia looked round at the crowd of cyber rats. It wasn’t a pretty sight (didn’t smell very nice, either!)

“Like this!” she said. “And Drindel Zildith will be coming with us!” And with that she folded her arms – Thoranon did the same – and closed her eyes and slowly bent her head downwards.

There was a pause. A long pause.

And nothing happened. Nothing at all!

Drindel stayed stuck, and silent – his eyes still full of pain and fear. And neither Carvelia nor Thoranon moved an inch.

“Nyaaa ha ha ha!” That was Mr Fruity.

“NYAAA HA HA HA!” - that was all the cyber rats.

Dot felt her heart miss a beat. Something was terribly wrong!

Slowly, Carvelia and Thoranon opened their eyes and looked at each other. Without a word, they nodded and tried again.

Still nothing.

“Aw, why don’t you give it up!” sneered Mr Fruity. “You’re going nowhere! None of you! Not until you give us what we want! And here’s why!”

He felt around in one of the pockets in his dirty jeans – and then, slowly, like a magician doing a trick, pulled out a long chain.

Drindel gasped as he saw it, and struggled furiously to get out of the funny “cling film” stiff that was still holding him.

Out and out came the chain – it seemed to go on forever. But then at last, it came to an end. The cyber rat king let it fall to the ground with a dull clink.

Carvelia and Thoranon stared at it. Then, together –

“Arcathon!” they cried. “ARCATHON!”