believe. So, the gnome claimed that water in a kettle becomes hot when the little things – MOLECULES – in it begin to run quickly.
“That can’t be! These molecules would start to run free. What are they, trained?” Pookar argued.
“I myself have seen them under a microscope! The molecules are small and live in the water like fish. While the water is cold, they swim by themselves quietly, as in a pool, but when the water starts to boil, they dart here and there very quickly,” said the gnome.
“For sure. The poor things! You would dart about this way too if they scalded you with boiling water,” Olga shook her head.
“Hiss-hiss! What are they, these molecules? What do they look like?” Flamy was interested.
Scholarchkin thought for a little bit, rubbed his forehead, and said uncertainly, “Molecules, they’re like insects, only very small.”
Pookar looked maliciously at Olga. “Bugs and roaches? Doll, you’ve been fighting with roaches but don’t know that they’re swimming in your tea and washing your feet. Watch you don’t choke on some bugs.”
Pookar’s words worked. Olga’s face became tearful; she waved her hands and ran out of the room. “Got into a bad mood. Now she’ll sulk for an hour! Does she really have to be so stupid?” Pookar shrugged.
After their defeat, Gorilla, General, and Grabber appeared no more, and they were gradually forgotten. It was even believed that the soldiers had moved to another room, but it was not so, and the opportunity to make sure of it soon introduced itself. Unpleasant things began to happen in the room. A piece of twine, on which Pookar usually hung his socks out to dry, disappeared. At first, no one paid the disappearance any attention because Pookar was always a scatterbrain. However, when Olga’s favourite pot with white polka dots vanished, the toys gathered together and started to think.
Pookar assumed a serious look. “Tsk-tsk, the case is clear! We can’t manage without a sleuth here. I’ll be Sherlock Holmes, and you, Sineus, will be Dr. Watson. Do you understand, Sineus?” he said.
“Yes,” the bunny whispered, dropping his eyes and timidly fidgeting with a foot.
“Who’s this Sherlock Holmes?” asked Flamy.
“Sherlock Holmes is a great researcher, and Dr. Watson is his assistant.”
Pookar pulled the deerstalker to his eyes and strolled around the room. “Watson, do you have any ideas?”
“Nada,” the bunny babbled, barely audibly.
“So, it’s clear,” Pookar said meaningfully. “No one has any ideas? Then I’ll start.” The great detective turned around and closed his eyes. “One, two, three, four, five, I’ll go search! Look out, pot thief! The great Holmes goes on the warpath!”
“Better tell me where’s the pot? Is it you who stole it?” Olga hurried him, watching out for Pookar’s tricks without any special acknowledgement.
“First conclusion.” Pookar straightened the deerstalker. “If there’s no pot, then it means someone took it, because pots don’t walk by themselves. Second conclusion: the one who took it was probably very hungry, because only a very hungry creature can eat the sour kasha that Olga cooks.”
“What did you say? My kasha is sour? If it’s sour, who asked you to gobble it up?” Olga was offended.
“I eat the kasha out of sympathy,” said Pookar.
“Here, I’ll show you sympathy! Are you actually going to find the pot or just chitchat?” Olga flew into a rage.
“I’m going to. I’ll find it in no time at all. But first, let’s find out if the pot was lost at all. Perhaps you hid it somewhere so as not to cook dinner? Ah-h, mama!” Fleeing from Olga, Pookar quickly hid behind the cat Muffin and from there bravely stuck his tongue out at Olga.
It was not known how far the fighting would have gone but at that moment Flamy suddenly shouted, “Look! There’s our pot running!” Everyone looked around and saw that the pot was quickly crawling along the floor to the other side of the room. It was crawling by itself, completely inexplicably.
“Quick! We still have time to catch it!” Pookar shouted.
“A scientific sensation! A self-moving pot!” The gnome Scholarchkin was delighted.
Everybody except the frightened bunnies, who remained in the house, rushed after the pot. Flamy flew ahead. Muffin rushed behind him with soft bounds, Scholarchkin clinging to her tail. Pookar barely kept pace behind the cat. Olga, holding her skirt, ran last.
“Of course, milk boiled over at my place. But this, a pot running off, this has never happened to me!” Olga muttered under her breath.
Meanwhile the pot was crawling quietly by itself along the floor, sometimes stopping as if teasing its pursuers. From the outside, one would think that it was just going for a walk. Very soon, the friends overtook it. Flamy grabbed the handle with his teeth and held it until the others arrived. The cat Muffin arched her back and hissed. The pot did not stir anymore and did not try to crawl away.
“It’s not running by itself; someone was dragging it with a rope,” said Scholarchkin, walking around the pot and looking at it through a magnifying glass.
“This is my sock string that disappeared!” Pookar yelled suddenly.
The friends all looked at each other. They understood nothing.
“It’s probably the soldiers. But why did they have to drag the pot by a rope?” said Olga.
“Quite mysterious. A secret, shrouded in mystery… Look, Sineus is running to us!”
Stumbling, Sineus ran up to the toys. He was so agitated that he could not utter a word but only waved his paws. Olga had to take him into her arms and hold him tight.
“He’s shaking like a jackhammer!” Pookar said in amazement.
Only after five minutes did Sineus manage to utter, “Truvor… The soldiers stole Truvor! They also wanted me, but I hid!”
“It can’t be!”
“They waited until you ran after the pot and stole Truvor! They thought up everything on purpose! It’s all that tubby, whose helmet slides down over his eyes!”
Chapter Twelve
Flamy Saves Truvor
General stood beside a map in his headquarters behind the bookcase and thoughtfully traced with a finger on the map, pretending to think. The map was drawn on a scrap of wrapping paper and portrayed the room from above. Gorilla had drawn the map and it turned out to be extremely confusing. It was dusty behind the bookcase. Gorilla was constantly sneezing so loudly that everything around shook.
“Can you sneeze any louder, bird brain?” General shouted at him.
“Yes, I can,” Gorilla growled. “Achoo!” It was such a powerful sneeze that the map was torn off from the wall. The helmet flew off General’s head and smacked against the wall. Bang!
“Klutz! You’ll give us away! Why don’t you put in some work with your head for a change?” General stamped his feet.
“Yes,
