I sneaked into the house, ducking like a limbo dancer under Katy's cage to avoid detection. Although my wounds had almost completely healed, I didn't want Mum or Aunt Bea to see the blood on my clothes.
As I crawled down the hall, I heard Aunt Bea on the phone in the reading room: "An infestation, James", she said. The only James we knew in Quakehaven was Mr Barker.
"Balder's been down there all morning - Jokkum told him to bring everything," said Aunt Bea. "Said they used fewer chemical weapons in Vietnam. But the plants just keep growing. The place is swarming with bugs, and the birds - just like Hitchcock!"
Aunt Bea paused, listening to Mr Barker. "I don't know," she responded. "Maybe the school used too much fertiliser when they replanted last year. Whatever it is, it's like a magnet for pestilence." She fell silent again, then continued. "I agree completely. The last thing Quakehaven needs is tourists thinking that we're plagued!"
I crept down the hall, then up the stairs. Mum and Aunt Bea would no doubt cross-examine me later. Before then, I needed time to sort out my thoughts. What would I tell them? Maybe it was time for the truth, however bizarre.
Platykuk sat innocuously on my pillow, like an oversized after-dinner mint at a fancy hotel. I picked it - him - up, and rotated the case carefully, holding my breath. He looked just like an old calculator again.
I placed the calculator gently onto the bronze coin safe, within reach from my bed. Then I lay down and closed my eyes. I didn't trust the thing - platykuk - fully. But Mr Seth's command to keep it close by was clear. I hadn't had the courage to admit to Mr Seth that Mum had confiscated it, and I'd thank Mum later for returning it. Without further thought, I fell into a deep sleep. Unusually, it was dreamless.