"Just as I thought," said Til, blinking her purple
eyes and shaking her puffy head; but just then the Loon
stuck the thorn into the leg of Woot the Wanderer, and
while it had been blunted somewhat, it was still sharp
enough to hurt.
"Ouch!" yelled Woot, and kicked out his leg with so
much energy that the frail bonds that tied him burst
apart. His foot caught the Loon -- who was leaning over
him -- full on his puffy stomach, and sent him shooting
up into the air. When he was high over their heads he
exploded with a loud "pop" and his skin fell to the
ground.
"I really believe," said the King, rolling his
spotlike eyes in a frightened way, "that Panta was
right in claiming these prisoners are dangerous. Is
the pump ready?"
Some of the Loons had wheeled a big machine in front
of the throne and now took Panta's skin and began to
pump air into it. Slowly it swelled out until the King
cried "Stop!"
"No, no!" yelled Panta, "I'm not big enough yet."
"You're as big as you're going to be," declared the
King. "Before you exploded you were bigger than the
rest of us, and that caused you to be proud and
overbearing. Now you're a little smaller than the rest,
and you will last longer and be more humble."
"Pump me up -- pump me up!" wailed Panta "If you
don't you'll break my heart."
"If we do we'll break your skin," replied the King.
So the Loons stopped pumping air into Panta, and
pushed him away from the pump.
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