Previous: Chapter the Second -- Section 7 Up: Table of Contents Next: Chapter the Third -- Section 2
In the next room they could hear Herr Professor Bear and Roberta talking with the alien. They had been at it for over an hour.
“You not know ‘nice’?” queried Roberta. “您不知道什么好的手段?”
“Frau Roberta,” responded Herr Professor, looking up from his apparatus connected by wires to the alien’s cephalum, “unser new friend does not even show any brain activity when you say ‘nice,’ even in Mandarin Chinese. Ich bin surprised that it can even pronounce the word. It only shows marginal activity when you talk about nice dingen… nice things.”
The alien looked quizzically at them through two eyes, while the third looked over something like a shoulder towards the door into the room where the others were.
“It very interested in next room.”
“Ja, der Hummervogel ist der Schlüssel. The hummingbird is the key.”
“Herr Alien,” asked Professor Bear, “Was ist mit der bird? Why do you hunt hummingbirds?”
The alien paused for a long time and then, finally, began his story…”
"Go two Roswell too. Sea aliens mother. Ship brake in Bernalee yo. Woman, man find mother. Ship take too cent. Keep Captain. Make find Unobtainium."
"Das machts kein sense. That doesn't make sense," exclaimed Herr Professor.
"You wrong, Smart Bear," said Roberta. "Go to Roswell to see aliens. Mothership break down in Bernalillo. Woman and man found the mothership. Took them to CENT. Keep captain prisoner. Forced them find Unobtainium."
"Ach, jetzt alles ist klar!" exclaimed the bespectacled bear. "Das Unobtainium ist von Hummervogel gefundet. Unobtainium can be extracted from hummingbirds."
Turning to the alien, he continued, "Wo ist Unobtainium ins Hummervogel? Where is the Unobtainium inside the hummingbirds?"
"Insoles," replied the alien.
"Inside bottom of shoes?" asked Roberta, her raised eyebrows making her ears look even longer.