Anaconda Adventure by Ali Sparkes Page A

seconds?”
    â€œCertain!” Petty said. “Now—check there’s nobody coming and we’ll give it a blast.” While Josh and Danny poked their heads out past the door of the reptile house—a humid hexagonal building filled with large glass-fronted displays containing all kinds of exotic cold-blooded creatures—Petty put her bag down on a table in the center of the room. It was used as an education center too, so there were tables and chairs and benches along one wall.
    â€œNope—nobody around,” Danny said, coming back in. “Good thing we’re off school on a teacher training day. This place would be full of kids on the weekend.”
    â€œYes—but school groups sometimes come in too,” Petty said. “And I saw one back by theentrance gate. Still—if nobody was anywhere near the bottom of the path, we know we have a minute or more. It’s a long walk up here. So—climb on the table please. As soon as you S.W.I.T.C.H., pay attention to the yellow anaconda. Look at it. And let it look at you. I will be filming to see if there are any differences in behavior. And you’ll S.W.I.T.C.H. back in half a minute—so no chance to get chummy with my windpipe!”
    Danny and Josh sat cross-legged on the table, grinning with excitement. They’d been looking forward to this moment for weeks and weeks—ever since they’d found the last REPTOSWITCH cube and Petty had begun working on the new formula. Josh decided to stop worrying and just have fun.

    He fixed his blue eyes on Petty and said, “Ready!” Petty sprayed him in one short burst—then Danny.
    Three seconds later, two yellow anacondas were coiling on the table, black and yellow scales gleaming in the soft light, diamond-shaped heads swaying back and forth and black forked tongues flickering in the air.
    â€œYESSSSSSSSSSSS!” hissed Danny.
    â€œThis is SSSSSSSSSSO cool!” hissed Josh.
    Although it was weird to have no arms or legs, Josh could feel the immense strength and agility of his sleek body. He lifted his head, feeling the muscles contract and relax in waves just under his beautiful gleaming scales, and rose up majestically to stare at Danny.
    â€œLook at my toooongue!” Danny poked out his forked tongue and waved it around. It was like a tiny snake in itself—strong and agile.
    â€œWe’re quite small,” Josh said, eyeing his tail. “About three feet, I think. Not big enough to kill much more than a mouse. Oooh—quick—look at whatsisface! We’ve only got about ten seconds left.”

    Whatsisface, the real anaconda, was now staring at them through the glass with interest. He’d risen up higher, and his tongue was going crazy … but he couldn’t hope to get much information through it, thought Josh. Not with that thick glass between him and them. Petty’s experiment would have worked better if he and Danny had been able to get in with the other snakes, behind the glass. But as anacondas occasionally ate each other, it was probably just as well they hadn’t.
    â€œHow are we talking this time?” asked Danny, writhing around in great excitement, his scalesrubbing together with a soft whispery noise.
    â€œOh, like most reptiles—through scent and body language and a bit of hissing,” explained Josh. “You’re smelling through your tongue!” Josh was mad about wildlife and knew a lot of this stuff. “Ooh—I can’t wait to do this back in Petty’s garden. We can go into the stream at the back. You know anacondas are brilliant swimmers, don’t you? They spend more time in water, in the wild, than on land!”
    â€œHmmm—but will she let us?” asked Danny. “Since she’s moved her secret lab to the attic above Princessland, she’s not doing any experiments in the old lab at home anymore, is she? In case government spies are watching