shop. As he sped by, an airfoil flashed from out of the shadows, scooping one egg out of the CEO's hand. The airfoil boomeranged back to Kit with the egg riding on top of it.

Boy and egg took off at a run down the alley in the opposite direction. They were joined by Baloo at the end of the block.

"Hey, kid, leggo my eggo!" Mr. Sultan shouted, hurrying after Kit. He was closely followed by his assistant, Trader Moe, the goons, the mob, and, finally, the emus.

The bespectacled pawn shop proprietor, who had wriggled out of his bonds, went to the doorway and watched as Baloo and Kit ran one way down the street, chased by a panting Mr. Sultan, Mr. Sultan's assistant, Trader Moe and his goons, the mob, and the emus.

A few minutes later, the entire parade, with Baloo and Kit at the front, ran the other way down the street.

"What now, Papa Bear?" Kit panted, glancing over his shoulder at the crowd chasing after them.

A gleam came into Baloo's eyes. "We're gonna flush our troubles down the drain."

"Not again!"

Back at Ye Olde Swamp…

Baloo and Kit, plus one Fabriget egg, flew out of the pipe and splashed down for a landing in the swamp.

"We did it, kiddo!" Baloo crowed, holding the gold and silver prize up triumphantly.

"Yeah…" Kit spit a stream of foul-tasting water out of his mouth. "We did it. Now let's get out of this place." He waded to shore, more than ready to leave Cove Fefi.

"I would, but it seems my foot's...ow...caught on somethin'."

The big bear gave one big tug with his foot, releasing it from whatever it was caught on. Immediately, there was a sucking sound as of water going down a drain. "What the…?" Baloo exclaimed as the water receded around him.

Once the water was gone, the crowd that had finally caught up with Baloo and Kit at the swamp gasped. Hundreds of treasure chests were half sunk in the swamp's muddy bottom. There was a mad rush for them.

The old lion busted the rusty lock on one treasure chest and opened it. "Fabriget eggs!"

From another part of the swamp, someone shouted, "Fabriget eggs!"

All over the swamp was the excited chorus of "Fabriget eggs!"

"Looks like everyone has an egg, boss," Rhino Goon said.

"Yeah, not the only ones," added Ape Goon. With one huge hand, he held both the emus by the necks. He was patting the annoyed looking emus on the head.

"What does it mean?" Rhino Goon asked.

"It means I'm taking back my clam washing machine," Mr. Sultan announced, slapping his Fabriget egg into Trader Moe's hands. The panther assistant followed, staggering under the weight of the appliance, as they headed for Mr. Sultan's private plane.

Trader Moe scowled at the egg that he had spent a lot of time and energy procuring. "It also means dis ain't worth two cents, no tanks to dat fat bear." Noticing Baloo and Kit trying to sneak away to the Sea Duck, he shouted, "Get 'em, boys!"

"Will idiots never cease?" Baloo gasped.

Before Rhino Goon and Ape Goon could draw their guns, they were surrounded by ten Jenzeebar cops - elephants with big weapons and little humor. They wrested the emus from Ape Goon's grasp then proceeded to put handcuffs on Trader Moe and the goons. One police officer said, "We're arresting you for stealing royal property, wrecking the royal emu enclosure, and being royal pains."

As he was led away, Trader Moe said tentatively, "Maybe we's can make a deal?"

One officer said to Baloo and Kit: "Thanks for the phone tip. The king and queen really missed Fanny and Lulu."

"Fanny and Lulu?" Kit mouthed silently, sharing an amused look with Baloo.

"Because you helped us recover the royal pets, we're not arresting you. Plus your ban from entering Jenzeebar will be lifted if you'll give me that."

Baloo handed the Fabriget egg over without protest, just glad to not be going to jail. "You know what they say: the truth shall set you free."

Higher for Hire

"...and that's the truth, Becky." Baloo ended his narrative about the day's mishaps by collapsing, exhausted, into his easy chair. Kit, also exhausted, climbed onto the arm of the chair and slumped against Baloo.

An incredulous Rebecca looked at her pilot and navigator for a long moment before saying, "Your story about the emus, cookware salesmen, and hot tubs was better."

The End