The Revenge of Dr Von Burpinburger

If you read
Eric & Einstein
, you will know that John Heffernan has studied mice for many years, even living with a colony of Giant Mexican Jungle Mice. He also helped prepare the first mouse to be sent into outer space, and has trained mice for deep-sea diving.

Recently, in a ground-breaking move, John has been teaching cats to care for mice in a nation-wide programme using his favourite feline friend Smokey, the mouse-loving cat.

This book is dedicated to Smokey.

John worked on the final stages of this book during a May Gibbs Children's Literature Trust Fellowship in Adelaide, March 2008.

First published 2008 in Pan by Pan Macmillan Australia Pty Limited
1 Market Street, Sydney

Text copyright © John Heffernan 2008
Illustrations copyright © Alex Snellgrove 2008

The moral rights of the creators have been asserted.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted by any person or entity (including Google, Amazon or similar organisations), in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, scanning or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

National Library of Australia
Cataloguing-in-Publication data:

Heffernan, John, 1949–

The revenge of Dr von Burpinburger / author, John
Heffernan.

Sydney : Pan Macmillan Australia, 2008.

9780330424110 (pbk.)

For children.

Boys–Juvenile fiction.
Mice–Juvenile fiction

A823.4

Internal text design by i2i design
Typeset in 12/15pt Sabon by i2i design
Printed in Australia by McPherson's Printing Group, Maryborough, Victoria

Papers used by Pan Macmillan Australia Pty Ltd are natural, recyclable products made from wood grown in sustainable forests. The manufacturing processes conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin.

 

These electronic editions published in 2008 by Pan Macmillan Australia Pty Ltd
1 Market Street, Sydney 2000

The moral right of the author has been asserted.

All rights reserved. This publication (or any part of it) may not be reproduced or transmitted, copied, stored, distributed or otherwise made available by any person or entity (including Google, Amazon or similar organisations), in any form (electronic, digital, optical, mechanical) or by any means (photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise) without prior written permission from the publisher.

The Revenge of Dr. Von Burpinburger

John Heffernan

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Leave my head alone!

Cat and mouse

All about flying

Coo-razy! Coo-rackers!

Some parents never listen

Is that C for Cat?

Balloonatics!

Big mistake, Burpee Boy!

What's 40 × 15?

Whiz kid

Geronimo!

Back to school

Of mice and movies

It's a deal

Who wants to be a movie star?

Just a mouse

Into battle

Beware the biting demon

Caught at last

Bird bombs away!

To the moon and back

The two dark figures crept closer. So close he could feel their breathing. He wriggled and squirmed, but he was strapped to an operating table.

He tried to scream, but nothing came out. The air throbbed with the sickly glow of computers as the dark ones drew closer and closer … until they were inside his head! Poking, prying, prodding with their cold, sharp instruments. ‘Leave me alone. Leave my head alone!'

With all his might he at last broke free. Ran. Stumbled. Fell. Picked himself up and ran again, until his legs ached and his heart pounded.

But still they were there. Chasing, hounding, hunting. Closer, always closer. The little man and the big man. ‘Leave me alone!'

And then he was caught. The hand held him tight.

‘GOT YOU!'

Einstein sat bolt upright and screamed, fighting against the fingers folding around him, gasping for air.

‘It's OK.' Eric Wimpleby held his little mate in his hands. ‘I've got you. You're safe now.' He stroked Einstein until the mouse calmed down a little. ‘Same nightmare?' the boy asked.

The mouse nodded, and then shuddered with fear, for it wasn't just a nightmare. This was also
real
. There were two
real
men out there trying to catch him.

‘They're going to get me in the end,' Einstein squeaked. ‘I know it.'

‘But who
are
they?' Eric asked. ‘And why do they want to get you?'

‘I don't know,' Einstein replied. ‘It's such a blur. I don't remember anything much before you rescued me from that pet shop. All I know is that those men are bad. They want to hurt me.' He looked very small and frightened. ‘Don't let them catch me,' he begged. ‘Promise you won't let them catch me.'

Eric held his mate close. ‘Of course, I won't let them catch you.' He patted the mouse gently, then placed him on the pillow where he usually slept and lay down himself. They both rested quietly for a few minutes.

‘Anyway, they might have given up,' Eric said after a while. ‘I didn't see any sign of them yesterday. Maybe they've gone away for good.'

‘I hope so.' Einstein rolled over. ‘I really hope so.'