Free Ant Attack by Ali Sparkes Page B

everyone
will
know about my work!” said Petty. She puffed her chest out and patted her wavy gray hair. “I will have a grand exhibition as soon as it’s perfected. After we’ve found the last three REPTOSWITCH cubes to add to the BUGSWITCH cubes, of course. It’ll be much more impressive than you two morphing into grasshoppers. Don’t forget, you’ll be able to try out being an alligator or an anaconda!” She wiggled her eyebrows for effect, like a rather creepy children’s entertainer. “But for now, it has to stay our secret.”
    â€œJoshua! Daniel! Where are you?” came a shrill voice. Uh-oh. Tarquin was in the front yard, looking for them. “Come
out
, you oafs! If I
have
to join in your stupid game, I want a water pistol too! Get
me
one, or I’ll tell your mother you’re being mean to me!”
    Josh and Danny ran down the side passage and into the backyard, giggling.
    Petty Potts stared after them for a moment. Then she noticed a large pigeon on her driveway. “Hmmm … you might do,” she murmured. She edged toward it with her net. Needing both hands free, she left the spray bottle on the wall.

    Josh and Danny were ready with the water pistols as Tarquin came trotting around the side of the house into the backyard. As soon as he came into view, they let him have both barrels.
    â€œOoooh! Ooooh! That’s not fair!” he whined. Then he ran toward them and squirted them both back.
    â€œWhere did you get the water pistol?” spluttered Josh. He wiped away drips from his face, grinning. He was glad that Tarquin was at least joining in.
    â€œIt’s not a pistol,” sniffed Tarquin. “You didn’t give me one, did you? But I got you both back anyway! I just used this spray bottle I found on the wall.”
    Josh and Danny stared, aghast, at the bottle in Tarquin’s hand. Then at each other.
    Tarquin, rubbing water out of his eyes, heard Josh wail, “Oh
no
—not
again
!” But when he opened his eyes, both twins had vanished.

“Oh great. Just great,” said Josh. He lay on his back at the bottom of a deep, dark chasm. He did a quick leg count.
    â€œHow many legs this time?” wailed a fearful voice behind him. “Please don’t say it’s eight. Please don’t say it’s eight. Please d—”
    â€œSix! It’s six!” called back Josh. “Relax.”
    Danny scrambled to his six feet. He looked around the shadowy gorge they had fallen into when they shrank to creepy-crawly size. Again. “Where are we?” he whispered. His voice echoed back quickly off the rocky walls on either side of him.
    â€œAnd what are we?”
    â€œI reckon we’re down in a crack in the sidewalk,” said Josh. “So we must be pretty small.” He turned around to peer at his brother. They both gave a little shout of shock.
    â€œEeeww!”

    Each brother was staring at a glossy dark-brown head with small round black eyes and long twitching feelers. Their almost-black bodies were sleek and shiny. They were made up of three parts: a big oval head with small pincerlike jaws; a little bottle-shaped bit in the middle, from which their six muscular but elegant legs sprouted; and the biggest bit at the back, which tapered off into what looked like a stinger.
    â€œWow! We’re ants!” breathed Josh. A rich scent wafted around him.
    â€œCould be worse,” gulped Danny. He didn’t much like any creepy-crawlies but definitely coped better with the little six-legged ones.
    â€œThis is amazing,” marveled Josh. “I mean … we’re talking—right?”
    â€œWell, obviously,” said Danny. He shrugged and turned his feelers up like the palms of his hands.
    â€œBut we’re not making any noise!”
    â€œDon’t be stupid! I can hear you,” said Danny.
    â€œNo! You only think you can hear me. But I’m actually not