Dralon and The Adventure in the Contrary World (English version)

The Book that Talks

Thanks to their highly efficient magic bicycles and the incredible shortcuts known by Mortimer Grimalion, the professor and the children were quickly surrounded by London's dense fog near Euston Road, not far from the National Library.

They didn't have much time. Big Ben had rung its final strokes. That meant Pandèmiur Gobler could recover his powers at any moment and exit the Mirror of Abedhaar to complete his dreadful plan.

"I swear I've never seen a fog so thick in my life!" said Odilda, walking with her arms stretched in front of her toward something that looked like a front gate.

"It's like walking inside a giant cotton ball," said an amused Kate.

"Zis Krimor fog!" explained Grimalion, placing a cluster of mist inside his top hat. "Bevitcht fog. A vizart past by here."

"So, we are in the right place!" said Michael, walking in small steps to keep close to the postman.

"It reminds me of the fog I found once in Yakutsk, a remote place about 300 miles from the Arctic Circle," said Odilda, feeling the wall to find an entrance. "You know, a few years ago I got an urgent call from the director of a Swedish multinational specializing in large commercial excavations. While mining, his team found a huge black diamond that seemed to bring terrible misfortune and misery to anyone touching it. It was freezing cold. The thermometer marked -3 in broad daylight, and the fog... the fog, you guys, was so thick I could have sliced it and spread it on a bun."

"Please, can we not talk about food?" begged Michael, whose stomach had been demanding nourishment for hours. "I'm so hungry I could eat fried worms."

"This way!" shouted Peter. "The entrance gate is here!"

The professor, Grimalion, Kate and Michael rushed to the boy and began to knock loudly to draw the attention of the night guards.

"Anyone here?" shouted Peter. 

"Yoo-hoo!" called the professor.

"It's an emergency!" shouted Michael, shaking the railings. "Open up!"

Shortly after, they heard the clatter of a large bunch of keys and a muffled sound of footsteps approaching. Soon the door opened, showing the head of a sleepy caretaker with his cap turned sideways. "What's going on?" asked the guard, surprised to see children at this time at night.

"Odilda Costalbine!" the professor introduced herself with her practiced voice, showing her card issued by the Association of Paranormal Investigators. "We received an anonymous phone call," she said. Then she grabbed the guard by the collar and lowered her voice. "It looks like someone is going to steal something from the library... tonight!"

"Stealing? Here? Tonight?" said the guard skeptically.

"Exactly!"

"I'm sorry, but I don't know anything about it. Anyhow..." replied the guard, taking the professor's hand off his collar and staring at the strange group of people in front of him, "who in the world are you?"

"Listen!" intervened Peter, restless. "We don't have time to explain. You must let us in so we can call the police... RIGHT NOW!"

"You listen, little boy! If you don't leave, I'll be the one who calls the police!" replied the man, threateningly, as he pointed his torch to the boy's face. He then closed the door with three turns of his keys, and left mumbling something about scatterbrained parents who go around at night with their children to play stupid tricks on others.

"Mortals haf fery bad temper!" said the postman, still looking nervously behind him.

"Now what?" asked Kate, her hands on her hips.