its head and the man waved them over to join them. Michael and Ben happily ran down the stairs to meet them.
“It’s good that you’ve come,” said the man, "we know that we have to help you carry out a very important task. I have already drawn up a plan of the security system at the Museum House. It shows you everything you need to know down to the last detail. And I am really glad knowing that when I hand all this over to you I will now be able to return home."
“But why were you waiting for us here instead of somewhere in the city. It's obviously been difficult for you surviving out here." Ben exclaimed sympathetically.
“I made a small slip up and lost the robot’s confidence and for that I was banished to live outside the city. As a matter of fact the dog and snake were both forced to live here for much the same reason. It's a shame they can't explain their own stories to you themselves."
“But we can find out from them," Michael exclaimed, “if we transform ourselves into a dog and a snake for a while we’ll be able find out what happened to them.”
And there in front of the former security expert the two cousins turned into a dog and snake respectively. The dogs and snakes soon found a common language. The dogs ran to one side of the canal and barked to each other deeply engrossed in their own doggy conversation. The snakes remained in the canal, one of them lay in the water while the other sat coiled on the lowest step but with his head at the same level as the other serpent.
After a while both snakes slid out of the canal onto the grass in order to remain unseen. After about half an hour Michael and Ben returned and the dog and the snake joined them in the canal. The boffin (as the boys had decided to call him) rushed up to the cousins:
“Well, what did you manage to find out?”
"Your hunch was right. One day the dog didn’t bark in exactly the way she was ordered. Initially she was severely beaten for this, but then they began to beat her for no reason at all, so she decided to escape the city while still in one piece. Ever since then she has been settled here. She told me about the dogs that we need to fear most. These are the specially trained dogs patrolling around outside the Museum House. They have a small camera sewn into them that can fix on to all living things and radiation that differs from those given off by the robots. Therefore, the only way to get into the Museum House is with a tourist group. The dog was very kind and gave me a lot of useful advice and even offered her help if we need it." Michael finished recounting the dog's tale clearly very pleased with the information he had gleaned.
But Ben’s conversation with the snake threw light not only on the security outside the Museum House but on the exhibition hall where the Princess’s ring was being kept. The snake had worked in the hall and knew many of the finer points of its security system. She knew all the entrances and exits of the hall, where the alarm system was turned on and how to turn it off again. The snake had been replaced when she had got old because her reactions had become a bit slower. She had managed to save herself from certain death during her transfer from the museum in a locked cage. She had made a hole in the bottom of the cage and, when the lorry carrying her to her destruction stopped for a few minutes, she was able to crawl out unnoticed and hide in some bushes. Later, she managed to crawl under the city’s perimeter fence unseen at night.
“The snake has promised to help us when we start our mission to retrieve the Princess’s ring. We have even arranged to produce an agreed sound, which she has taught me and I have remembered, to signal the start of the operation. The snake understands and knows many things. It’s not for nothing that people consider them wise.” concluded Ben.
“That’s great, make that sound that is the signal for action and I will record it. And you give me a ring on my mobile Ben to let me know that it’s time to act,” and with that their new ally, the former security systems expert recorded the “snake” signal on his mobile phone.
The boys returned home with the satisfied feeling that they had repaid a debt, albeit only half of it. They were bursting to tell ‘dad’ everything. Happy and excited they opened the door of the flat… when… horror of horrors! They were met by a strange woman who screamed wildly:
“Where have you been skulking about?"
“And who are you? And what are you doing here?” the boys hurled back in the face of the unknown harpy.
“I am your new housekeeper and just you try not listening to what I have to say!”
“Who? What do we need a housekeeper for? Surely we can manage for ourselves?” the brothers asked ‘dad’.
He just helplessly shrugged his shoulders and mumbled: “She’s been sent to us. I’ve been told that this is the way things are done here.”
“’Dad’, tell this… this housekeeper that we don't need her," said Ben in a desperate attempt to keep their accommodation arrangements unchanged and unaffected.
“What? I’ll show you, what is and isn’t allowed! You’ll learn the hard way from me!” yelled the harpy.
At that moment, to the boys’ horror and surprise, ‘dad’ rushed to calm the dreadful harridan down.
“Don’t worry Miss Victoria; the boys are only reacting like this because it’s all a bit of a shock. I’m sure you will become good friends and everything will be fine.” The boys’ faces became longer and longer as they listened to the conciliatory tone in dad’s voice.
“That’s just how things are!” ‘Dad’ continued.
“We've made a lovely lunch for you. You tuck in while I pop out for a minute and buy us something for dessert.”
Michael and Ben hardly had time to blink before ‘dad’ had disappeared like the wind. After the shock had sunk in, the cousins sat down to lunch.
“There's some fried potato and sausage in the frying pan, eat it up and have some salad as well. It’s all delicious, I tried it myself,” said the harpy.
The boys had long finished their lunch but ‘dad’ still hadn’t returned. They were already sitting in their room and had just turned on the computer when Michael got a message on his mobile. It was short but to the point:
“The housekeeper has been sent by the authorities, I couldn’t say no. Don’t say anything to each other out loud in the flat, it might be bugged. If you need to talk use the computer but turn the screen to face the wall. Be strong, dad.”
Michael and Ben's mood took a nosedive. Ben couldn’t control himself and said out loud:
“Does that mean we’re imprisoned?”
Before Michael could even reply the housekeeper had barged her way into the room. Michael switched window and started playing a computer game and Ben tried to give the impression that he was watching.
“Did you want something?" Ben said, unable to hide his irritation.
“You know, I don’t like the way you are looking at me," the harpy whined.
“A look is just a look, what exactly don’t you like about ours?" said Ben continuing to be riled.
"It seems to be me that you’re not happy having me around,” whined the housekeeper.
Ben was about to let her know what he really thought of her when ‘dad’ came bounding into the room. He had a bag full of biscuits and sweets which he immediately handed over to the housekeeper.
“Take them; these are for your children. I'll make a point of improving the boys’ behaviour; lately they really have become very lippy.”
The harpy took the presents, and very pleased with herself, left the room.
“The weather’s really great outside, let’s go for a walk,” and with that 'dad' dragged the boys towards the door.
Once outside and at a decent distance from the house, ‘dad’ pointed to a bench in one of the little squares in their neighbourhood.
“Let’s sit down on that bench over there on its own away from the others. Now press your invisibility buttons.”
The boys obligingly disappeared.
“Yes, yes, I know all abou
t your bracelets. Right, now I will sit here with a book and give the impression that I am reading out loud on my own, when in fact I’ll be talking to you. We will talk in whispers and if anyone comes near or sits down next to us, we will get up and go. I will give the impression that I am strolling along deep in thought and thus lead you somewhere else. But for now, chin up, you have a mission and it needs to be completed."
The boys did exactly as ‘dad’ had told them. And within a few minutes they were able to speak quite freely. Knowing the robots' habits well, ‘dad’ hurried to tell the boys his main piece of advice.
“It’s vital that you give the impression that you are schoolboys on holiday. That means reading books and playing on the computer at home. When you’re on the street and learning the layout of the city you must also go into a shop or a cinema or something of that sort. You mustn’t talk to each other at all, especially outside the house, and when you’re indoors you should only communicate via the computer. When you sit down to lunch you must invite the housekeeper to sit with you. You should make tea and coffee for yourselves.”
Michael and Ben had no idea what advice to ask from ‘dad’, because they had never been in this sort of predicament before. At that moment an old lady began to make her way towards their bench. The boys got up quietly and the restoration expert, pretending to be totally engrossed in his book, sat where he was for a couple