Ph's Great Puffle Search 7 (9781101610381) Page 2

  PH stands up. “This is some top footage right here! I can’t wait to get back to my igloo and study it.”

  “What about the strange tracks?” Jet asks.

  “Oh, right!” PH says. You all go back to where you spotted the last track, but the warm sun has melted it into a puddle.

  “We’ve lost the trail,” she says. “But I’ve logged the coordinates, so I can come back someday.”

  Then she frowns. “Oh, I forgot! You were supposed to learn about puffles on this trip so you could choose one of your own. Sorry I couldn’t help you, mate.”

  “But you did,” you assure her. “When we get back I’m going to adopt a purple puffle. I feel like dancing!”

  THE END

  CONTINUED

  You hop into the box that looks like a door—and immediately find yourself standing in the middle of town!

  “How did that happen?” you wonder.

  Jet walks up to you.

  “Hey,” you say. “What happened in there? And where’s PH?”

  Jet looks confused. “In where?” he asks. “And how should I know where PH is? Probably studying puffles somewhere.”

  Now you’re confused. “Weren’t we just in the Box Dimension together? So PH could teach us about orange puffles?”

  Jet puts a flipper on your forehead. “Are you feeling okay?”

  “Yes,” you reply with a sigh. But really, you’re not. Something weird must have happened in the Box Dimension. And now your adventure is over!

  THE END

  CONTINUED

  “Let’s try the O’berry paste,” you suggest.

  The thick paste plugs the hole just fine, and the three of you climb into the rowboat. You and Jet row the boat across the bay. When you land, you eagerly enter the cave. You’ve never seen the brown-puffle cave before.

  Inside, the cave is like nothing you’ve ever imagined. It’s filled with dozens of machines with computer screens; wires; strange, twisting tubes; and canisters filled with liquids of all colors. Each machine is being worked on by brown puffles, some of them wearing safety glasses.

  “Hello there!” PH calls out. Some of the brown puffles look up and smile, but one group is so busy working on something that they don’t even notice you. The machine they’re busy with is making a weird whirring sound—just like the sound you heard outside.

  You and Jet follow PH as she approaches the puffles.

  “Excuse me,” she says politely. “Do you mind showing us this machine you’re working on?”

  The three brown puffles stop and smile when they see PH. They hop up and down, trying to explain what they’re doing.

  PH seems to understand them a little. “I think they’re trying to tell us that this machine makes something,” she says. “They want us to help them try it out.”

  One of the puffles hops over to a metal panel on the front of the machine. There are two levers on the panel—a green one and a blue one. The puffle hops back and forth between them.

  “I think it wants us to pull one of the levers,” PH says.

  “But which one?” you ask.

  If you pull the green lever, go here.

  If you pull the blue lever, go here.

  CONTINUED

  “Come on,” you urge. “Let’s give this scrap wood a try.”

  “Well, my O’berry paste has never failed me,” PH says. “But I like your inventive spirit. Let’s do it!”

  Jet helps you find a piece of scrap wood to fit over the hole in the boat, and you even find some stray nails at the base of the dock. You use a rock to hammer the nails and patch up the hole.

  “Looks good,” you say. “Let’s push off!”

  You, Jet, and PH jump into the boat and begin to row across the bay—but you don’t get far before water begins to pour in around the patch you’ve made.

  “Quick! Row back to the dock!” PH urges, but it’s too late. The boat is heavy with the three of you in it and quickly fills with water.

  “We’re sinking!” you cry.

  PH blows the whistle around her neck. Moments later, a motorboat comes roaring into the bay with a Rescue Squad penguin at the helm and a red puffle bouncing by her side.

  “That response time was ace, Blast,” PH tells the puffle as the squad member pulls you safely on board the motorboat.

  “The puffle’s name is Blast?” you ask.

  PH nods. “It works for the EPF as part of the Elite Puffle Squad. We agents would be lost without them. Blast here heard my whistle and got us the help we needed.”

  You gaze at Blast, impressed.

  “Sorry, mates, but it looks like our adventure is over for now,” PH says.

  “That’s all right,” you reply. “At least we got to meet a real EPF puffle!”

  THE END

  CONTINUED

  “The Box Dimension sounds cool,” you say. “I’ve never been there.”

  You go to Jet’s igloo, where he has a box portal. It looks like an ordinary cardboard box on the floor. But when you waddle closer, you see that it’s filled with a weird whirling, swirling purple energy.

  “Jump in!” Jet urges you. “We’ll follow.”

  You take a deep breath and hop in the box. The next thing you know, you’re in a world of cardboard boxes floating in an eerie, purple haze.

  Suddenly, you see an orange puffle stick its head out of a box. You jump after it, but it disappears. Then you see a bigger box beside you—and it kind of looks like a door.

  If you go through the big box that looks like a door, go here.

  If you follow the orange puffle, go here.

  CONTINUED

  “An underground habitat! Cool!” you say. “I’ve got to see this. Let me get down there.”

  “That’s an ace idea, but—” PH begins, but it’s too late. You get on your belly, planning on sliding into the hole the same way you’d slide across the ice. But you’re only halfway through the hole when you get stuck!

  “—you might not fit,” PH finishes.

  “No problem! I can squeeze right out!” you call, but your voice sounds muffled in the hole. You push with all your might, but to your dismay, you don’t budge at all. You’re really stuck.

  “Nothing a little O’berry grease can’t fix,” you hear PH say, and then she begins to slather the orange goo around the opening of the hole. You start to laugh.

  “It tickles!” you say.

  “Give it another try,” PH suggests.

  You squeeze . . . and squeeze . . . and then . . . pop! You slide right back out.

  “Wow, you’re right,” you say. “That O’berry grease works great.”

  “It was a good try,” PH tells you. “But I’m afraid if a puffle did go down that hole it’s probably good and scared right now. I’m going to log the coordinates of the location and come back another time with a special robot camera that I can send down the hole.”

  You’re disappointed. “So does that mean this adventure is over?”

  “Well, for today,” PH says. “But you should keep on learning about puffles on your own. You’re curious, and that’s a good quality to have when you’re studying puffles. I think you and Jet would make ace puffle handlers someday.”

  You and Jet look at each other and smile. You just got a compliment from PH, and she’s an expert!

  THE END

  CONTINUED

  “I used to be a member of the Rescue Squad,” Jet tells you. “Trust me. Moss grows on the north side of a tree, and we need to go right.”

  You’ve never heard of the Rescue Squad before, but you know that it’s pointless to argue with Jet.

  “Fine,” you say. “Let’s go right.” />
  You and Jet make your way through the forest, the snow crunching under your feet as you waddle along. The path goes on and on and on, and after a while you begin to wonder if you’ve made the right decision. Jet is unsure, too.

  “Maybe we should head back,” he says. “I’m pretty sure we’re heading north, but I don’t see any sign of that puffle herd.”

  You nod your head in agreement. “Yeah, there’s no . . . puffles!” You shout the last word.

  “Right. No puffles,” Jet repeats.

  “No, I mean, PUFFLES!” you say loudly. “Look!”

  There’s an intersecting path up ahead and traveling on it are puffles of every color. They’re hopping along, and they just keep coming and coming.

  “There must be dozens—no, hundreds of them,” Jet says.

  “Where are they going?” you wonder.

  “Let’s catch up!” Jet suggests, racing ahead of you.

  You join the puffle throng, marveling at the size of the herd. You’ve never seen so many in one place. The puffles are moving swiftly, and soon you leave the trees behind and come to the edge of the island. The blue ocean stretches out in front of you.

  But even more amazing than the sparkling ocean and the herd of puffles is the light show happening on the horizon. Blue and green lights are swirling and dancing against a dark purple sky. The puffles sway back and forth, enjoying the incredible beauty.

  “Is it fireworks?” Jet asks.

  “No,” you reply. “I’ve heard about this. It’s natural, and it’s called an aurora borealis. It has something to do with charged particles in the atmosphere. Isn’t it amazing?”

  Jet takes out a camera. “We should record this for PH.”

  “Make sure you get footage of the puffles, too.”

  The natural light show goes on for what seems like hours. Then the pulsing lights begin to fade, and the puffle herd slowly begins to meander away.

  “Let’s get back to town,” you suggest. “We’ve got to find PH and tell her what we’ve seen.”

  Luck is with you, because when you return to town you spot PH coming out of the Coffee Shop.

  “Hey, PH!” you yell. “We’ve got something to show you.”

  You race up to PH, and Jet holds up his camera. The puffle handler’s eyes grow wide.

  “How did you get this?” she asks.

  You explain that you and Jet traveled north and found the puffle herd. PH is impressed.

  “This discovery is a real beauty,” she says. “It could mean that puffles can predict when an aurora borealis is about to happen.”

  She tells Aunt Arctic about your discovery, and the next day you and Jet are on the cover of The Club Penguin Times!

  “We can’t stop here,” you tell Jet. “Our days of exploring Club Penguin have just begun!”

  THE END

  CONTINUED

  “I think I’ll try the green lever,” you say.

  You pull the lever. The machine grunts and pulses. You hear a creaking sound above your head and look up to see a giant metal drum opening up.

  Splat! Gallons and gallons of gooey marshmallows cascade out of the drum, completely drenching you!

  “Help!” you cry.

  Jet rushes to help you and pushes up the green lever. The drum closes—but not before he is covered in icky, sticky marshmallows, too.

  The brown puffles hop around, excited. You’re not sure—was that supposed to happen?

  PH shakes her head, and you can tell she’s trying not to laugh—but you wouldn’t blame her if she did. You and Jet look pretty funny!

  “That’s quite the mess you’re in!” she says. “Better head back to your igloos and get cleaned up. Maybe we can try this again some other time.”

  You’re disappointed, but you have no choice. You’re a big marshmallowy mess!

  THE END

  CONTINUED

  “Let’s go to the Iceberg,” you say.

  When you get to the Iceberg, you see some white puffles hopping around. There are also a bunch of penguins on one side of the Iceberg wearing hardhats and drilling.

  “It’s a tipping party!” Jet cries. “I’ve heard that if enough penguins get on the Iceberg and drill, it will tip into the water.”

  “Let’s try it!” you say eagerly.

  You and Jet join the party and start drilling. You quickly get bored and start to watch the white puffles sliding on the ice.

  You leave the party and approach PH, who’s studying the puffles.

  “I think I’d like to adopt a white puffle,” you tell her.

  PH nods. “Good choice. They’re a little bit shy, but they’re real aces when it comes to outdoor sports.”

  “Thanks, PH,” you say. “I never could have made a decision without you!”

  THE END

  CONTINUED

  You’d normally be too shy to ask PH to go on the expedition, but it sounds amazing. And the worst she can say is no, right?

  “Um, excuse me, PH,” you say nervously. “But maybe Jet and I could help you with your expedition? I bet that would be a good way for us to learn about puffles.”

  PH is thoughtful for a moment. Finally, she grins. “I think that’s a beaut of an idea!” she says. She pats her purple backpack. “I’m always busy taking photos and notes when I’m out in the field. But I worry that I’m going to miss something. If you mates come with me I’ll have four extra eyes and four extra flippers to work with.”

  Jet salutes her. “Our eyes and flippers are at your service!”

  PH laughs. “Bonza! Then let’s get started. One of Gary’s weather balloons picked up an image of a large group of puffles traveling north. It’s unusual behavior for puffles, and I want to check it out.”

  She leads you and Jet out of the Pet Shop to the Forest. Snow crunches under your webbed feet as you make your way through the tall evergreen trees.

  “I’ve heard of puffles gathering for parties and celebrations,” PH explains as you go. “But according to Gary, they’re traveling over a long distance. It’s pretty exciting. This could be a new discovery.”

  The path forks, and PH motions for you to go left. “North is this way,” she says, looking at a compass.

  You’re about to turn when something green whizzes by you and shoots down the right-hand path. For a second you’re sure it’s a green puffle flying with a propeller hat, but it vanishes into the trees. Maybe it was just a leaf, caught by the wind.

  You stop, wondering if you should tell PH.

  If you follow PH down the left-hand path, go here.

  If you tell PH that you think you saw a green puffle, go here.

  CONTINUED

  “Interesting,” PH says. “Looks like Chirp was onto something. I wonder what’s behind the door?”

  “I bet this red button opens it,” you say, hitting it with your flipper.

  “No!” PH cries, but she’s too late. Instead of opening the door, the button opens up the floor right underneath PH’s feet.

  Whoosh! PH falls through the trapdoor. Panicked, you and Jet kneel down and peer into the hole. It’s pitch-dark, and you can’t see a thing.

  “PH?” you call down, but she doesn’t answer you.

  Your heart is pounding. “Oh no! What have I done? What if Herbert is down there, waiting to eat her for dinner?”

  “I think he’s a vegetarian,” Jet tells you. “Anyway, we should keep calm. What would PH do?”

  “She’d probably use her whistle to call for help,” you say. “But we don’t have a whistle.”

  Jet waddles a few feet away. “Yes, we do,” he says, holding up a shiny silver whistle. “Look! It must have slipped off the chain when PH fell.”

 
“So do we just blow it?” you ask. “Should we do it once or a bunch of times?”

  If you blow the whistle two times, go here.

  If you blow the whistle one time, go here.

  CONTINUED

  “I’ve heard you can sometimes find green puffles at the Beacon,” Jet says. “Those guys are funny. Let’s go there.”

  A few minutes later you’re climbing up the stairs of the red-and-white-striped Lighthouse that overlooks the island’s coast. When you emerge onto the Beacon, a green puffle wearing a propeller hat is flying around the bright light.

  “Green puffles love to zip around in their propeller hats,” PH tells you. “They’ve got heaps of energy, and they’re funny little rascals, too.”

  The fluffy green puffle flies right up to you, blows a raspberry with his tongue, and then zooms away. You laugh.

  “I guess you’re right,” you say. “Hey, come back here!”

  You and Jet run around the Beacon, chasing the green puffle, but it darts back and forth and you can’t catch it. Jet finally gives up, and he hops up on a wood crate to look through the telescope.

  “Hey, the Migrator’s here!” he calls out.

  “Beauty!” PH exclaims. “Captain Rockhopper’s got an ace red-puffle story for you, mates. Let’s go see him.”

  You climb down the Lighthouse and outside you see that the Migrator is anchored at the dock. On the deck, a red penguin with a black beard and a pirate hat is carrying a heavy crate from belowdecks.

  “No way. It’s really Rockhopper!” Jet cries, excited. “I’ve always wanted to meet him.”

  As you all race up the gangplank, Captain Rockhopper notices PH. “Ahoy there, lass,” he says, putting down the crate. “Ye be PH, right? How be the puffles on Club Penguin?”

  “They’re as fascinating as ever,” PH replies. “I was hoping you could tell my mates here how you brought red puffles to the island.”