Hamish X and the Hollow Mountain Read Online Free

him?”
    â€œWait a second.” Parveen waved a hand impatiently, his attention fixed on the little mechanical creature.

    A whirring sound filled the cabin. Before the spectators could move, the antenna suddenly darted up Hamish X’s nose, snaking up his left nostril then farther and farther.
    â€œStop it! Stop it!” Mrs. Francis gasped in horror.
    Mimi reached over to grab the knife but snatched her hand back. “The little critter bit me!” She held up her thumb to show a drop of blood beading on the tip. She stuffed it into her mouth as she looked around for something to smash the knife creature with.
    â€œWait!” Parveen urged. “Watch!”
    The little cross on the knife began to glow with a pale red, softly pulsing luminescence. The antenna was now firmly inserted in Hamish X’s nostril. That was strange enough, but things got even stranger when Hamish X suddenly began to speak, and what he said was very strange indeed.
    â€œNorth fifty-six. East eight. North fifty-six. East eight. North fifty-six. East eight …”
    â€œHe’s talking?” gasped Mrs. Francis.
    â€œYeah, but what’s he sayin’?” Mimi demanded.
    â€œNorth fifty-six. East eight. North fifty-six. East eight. North fifty-six. East eight …”
    Hamish X’s golden eyes opened. He stared at the ceiling and repeated the weird numbers again. “North fifty-six. East eight. North fifty-six. East eight. North fifty-six. East eight …”
    Hamish X’s mouth moved and the words coming out sounded like him, but there was something about the cadence of his speech that was alien and machinelike.
    A beam of blue light shot out of the knife, stabbing directly upwards in an inverted cone shape. Where the light hit the ceiling, a map appeared. The projection showed a map of Europe outlined in blue with a flashing blue speck in the centre of some very steep-looking mountains.

    â€œIt’s showing us where we must go,” Parveen said in awe.
    The antenna withdrew from Hamish X’s nose and back into the device. With a loud click, the knife’s appendages all suddenly popped back into the knife and it fell, inert, on Hamish X’s chest.
    â€œWhat the heck!” Mimi shouted.
    They all stood looking at the knife, waiting for it to do something else, but nothing happened. Hamish X’s eyes were closed. He had returned to his sleeping state, unscathed by and apparently oblivious to the intrusion of the antenna. When Parveen was certain the knife wasn’t going to do anything more, he picked it up and held it in his palm.

    Parveen broke the silence. “At least we have a goal now.”
    Mimi locked eyes with her friend. “Whaddya mean?”
    â€œThose numbers were map coordinates.” He reached into his pocket and withdrew a dog-eared map. He opened it and flipped from section to section until he reached the one he wanted. He stabbed a finger down in the centre of the European continent. “There. We’re going to Switzerland.” He looked up and his usually calm eyes were glowing with excitement. “We’re going to find the King of Switzerland.”
    â€œExcuse me,” Mr. Kipling raised a finger in gentle protest. “I don’t mean to be difficult but, as I said before, I am fairly certain the Swiss have no king. Switzerland is a republic. At least it was the last time I checked.”
    â€œThat’s what I thought, although I ain’t had much opportunity to study gee-o-graphy!” Mimi said.
    Parveen looked at the knife for a long moment. Then he spoke.
    â€œEver since Hamish X told me that the King of Switzerland gave him this knife, I’ve been doing some research. When we came back from Snow Monkey Island, I was able to rig an internet connection through the satellite television dish. This certainly facilitated my inquiries. The internet is quite a marvellous resource. I find it very useful to be