13. Ickli Ick

When the umbrella reaches the top of the mountain, the friends can hardly believe their eyes. At the end of the huge pipe is a big tap. Water is pouring out of the tap into a large machine.

"It's making ice cubes," says Boysie.

"And throwing them into the sky," Curly adds.

Two strange people are standing by the machine.
They look like snowmen.

One of them says, "Hello Earth folk. My name is Ickli Ick and I come from the planet Gogofog. Can you help us? Our machine will not stop."

Midge asks, "Why are you turning the water into ice cubes?"

"So that our new spaceship pilots have something to fly around," says Ickli Ick. "But now we have too many ice cubes."

"And we don't have enough sea," says Curly.

"I can stop your machine," says Midge. "I will use some magic."

Midge closes his eyes, waves his arms about and the machine soon stops throwing ice cubes into the sky.

"Hooray!" everyone cries.

"Thank you very much," says Ickli Ick. "Now we can pack away our things and go home."

"Wait a moment," Midge tells Ickli Ick. "What about all the water that you've sent into space? Aren't you going to bring it back?"

Ickli Ick scratches her head. "Of course. Leave it to me."