Read Emily Eyefinger and the Secret from the Sea for Free Online Page B

beelectrocuted if you touched anything. I thought you would have a way of getting the mice out. Okay, guys, get the poison gas. Everybody out!’
    â€˜Poison gas?! What are you thinking?! That would kill them all! That’s murder! That’s mousicide!’
    â€˜Excuse me,’ Emily interrupted, ‘maybe I could go into the computer and have a look.’
    The professor, the general, Malcolm and all the soldiers stared at Emily.
    â€˜I can’t let you do that,’ the general said. ‘You would be killed and then I’d have to write a report and send it to your parents. And I hate writing reports.’
    â€˜You said that it is very important.’
    â€˜Yes, more important than you can ever know. If we don’t kill – I mean, get rid of – those mice then lots and lots of people might d – ooops, there I go again.’
    â€˜I’m quite small,’ Emily explained, ‘and I’ll be very careful. I’ll use my eyefinger to see places that I can’t get my head into. I won’t touch anything.’
    â€˜Oh, very well then,’ the general said. ‘In you go.’
    Emily stepped into the computer, moving as slowly as a cold snail. Everywhere around her she could hear the hum of electricity and she could feel her hair stand up straight. She crept forward, squeezing between wires and panels without touching them. One minute she was stepping over clusters of cables and the next she was flat against the floor, wriggling along like a snake. It was like climbing through bushes without touching a single leaf. She poked her finger here and there to see where no other person could. And everywhere there was the snap ! and a zap ! that could mean sudden death.
    â€˜Can you see the mouse damage, Emily?’ the general called out.
    â€˜Not yet,’ Emily said.
    â€˜Can you see any mice?’ the professor asked.
    Emily bent her finger around a corner. There in the distance she caught a glimpse of a tiny nose. In a flash it was gone.
    â€˜I think I just saw one,’ she said.

    â€˜Did it have long whiskers or short ones?’
    â€˜Sort of medium. And there was a bit of white on the tip of its nose.’
    Slowly Emily made her way through every part of the huge computer. Finally she was out again.
    â€˜I didn’t see any damage to wires or anything,’ she said.
    â€˜But there must be,’ said the general.
    Professor Mousefinder picked a tiny mouse dropping off Emily’s shirt. He looked at it with a magnifying glass and then sniffed it.
    â€˜Ah-hah!’ he cried. ‘Medium whiskers. White on its nose. And this dropping proves that we have our culprit. Mus smartipensis! That’s the mouseology name for what are commonly known as Smart Mice. That’s why you can’t catch them, these are the smartest mice in the world. They’re too smart to eat poison or get caught in mousetraps and they’re too smart to chew on wires.’
    â€˜Then what are they doing to the computer?’ the general asked.
    â€˜They’re using it.’
    â€˜They’re what? Are you saying that they know how to use a computer?’
    â€˜Not exactly. I think you’ll find they come out at night and push the keys on the keyboards.’
    â€˜Why would they do that?’
    â€˜To see lights flash and things change on the screen. They’re only playing but they’re learning too. They’re very smart but they don’t know how to use computers yet. When they do you could have real problems.’
    â€˜What?!’ screamed the general. ‘Poison gas! Now!’
    â€˜No!’ cried Professor Mousefinder.
    â€˜Yes!’ cried General Slimantrim.
    â€˜Wait!’ cried Emily. ‘I have an idea. Malcolm, did you bring your laptop?’
    â€˜Yes.’
    â€˜We don’t have time to waste, Emily,’ the general said.
    â€˜Give us an hour,’ Emily said. ‘I think we can solve