Welcome to ALADDIN QUIX!

  If you are looking for fast, fun-to-read stories with colorful characters, lots of kid-friendly humor, easy-to-follow action, entertaining story lines, and lively illustrations, then ALADDIN QUIX is for you!

  But wait, there’s more!

  If you’re also looking for stories with tables of contents; word lists; about-the-book questions; 64, 80, or 96 pages; short chapters; short paragraphs; and large fonts, then ALADDIN QUIX is definitely for you!

  ALADDIN QUIX: The next step between ready to reads and longer, more challenging chapter books, for readers five to eight years old.

  For the doctors, nurses, staff, and children at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Landstuhl, Germany;

  the boys and girls at DoDDS Kaiserslautern District, Germany;

  and especially for Margie and Piet;

  and now for Emma and Aidan

  Cast of Characters

  Miss Mallard: World-famous ducktective

  Willard Widgeon: Miss Mallard’s nephew

  Frau and Herr Ente: Owners of Hofquacken Hotel

  Colonel Randall Tree Duck: Commander of operations at Landsduck Medical Center for Ducks

  Major Alfonso S. Bay Duck, MD: Orthopedic surgeon at Landsduck Medical Center for Ducks

  Elsa and Tricia Spoonbill: Volunteers from the Landsduck Medical Center for Ducks Visiting Animal Service

  Samantha: A tabby cat with the medical center

  Rolf: A Labrador retriever with the medical center

  Fräulein Ilona Hofquacken: Volunteer at Landsduck Medical Center for Ducks

  What’s in Miss Mallard’s Bag?

  Miss Mallard has many detective tools she brings with her on her adventures around the world.

  In her knitting bag she usually has:

  Newspaper clippings

  Knitting needles and yarn

  A magnifying glass

  A flashlight

  A mirror

  A travel guide

  Chocolates for her nephew

  1 White Asparagus

  Miss Mallard, the world-famous ducktective, was invited by the Army Military Base for Ducks in Kaiserslautern, Germany, to talk about her many cases to the troops during an annual May festival.

  The festival celebrated white asparagus, which was Germany’s “king of vegetables.”

  Willard Widgeon of the Swiss Police, Miss Mallard’s nephew, decided to take a holiday and join his aunt. They made reservations to stay at the Hofquacken Hotel in Landsduck, a tiny village near Kaiserslautern.

  The day they arrived, they unpacked their suitcases and went to the outdoor café next to their hotel to enjoy the festival.

  All around them was merriment. An oompah band played German folk songs. Jolly waitresses wearing Black Forest costumes were carrying steins filled with foaming white asparagus juice. Ducks were laughing, singing, quacking, clinking their steins, and having a wonderful time.

  “Isn’t this exciting?” exclaimed Miss Mallard. “And tonight there will be fireworks from the castles along the Rhine River.”

  “Speaking of castles,” said Willard, “have a look at the ruins of one at the top of Hofquacken Mountain behind the hotel.”

  Miss Mallard looked to where Willard was pointing. She saw a path sparkling in the afternoon sunlight that led to ruins at the top of the barren mountain.

  “The hotel owners, Frau and Herr Ente, told me about the castle,” said Willard. “At night they illuminate it with floodlights because they like theme parks.”

  A waitress came and took their order. Then the tallest duck Miss Mallard and Willard had ever seen came over to their table.

  “I’ve been looking for you, Miss Mallard,” he said, saluting. “I’m Colonel Randall Tree Duck, commander of operations at Landsduck Medical Center for Ducks. We’re located on the other side of Hofquacken Mountain. It’s the largest military hospital for ducks in Europe. May I speak to you for a moment?”

  “Of course,” said Miss Mallard.

  The colonel cleared his throat and began. “At the center, we are being robbed of hospital and kitchen supplies. The robberies must stop or we will be forced to close.”

  “What can I do to help?” asked Miss Mallard.

  The colonel looked from Willard to Miss Mallard.

  “Find the culprits and put an end to the robberies,” he stated. “Please let me put through the necessary papers so you can become a member of my staff. I don’t want anyone to question you. I’ll even have a driver ready to take you anywhere.”

  Miss Mallard nodded. “I never turn down a case,” she answered. “Today is Thursday. My speaking tour doesn’t begin until Monday. I can help you.”

  “Thank you!” said the colonel. “I’ll get the required papers signed and pick you up in my jeep tomorrow morning. You’ll be assigned to active duty for our army. I’ll send you fatigues to wear so you will blend in at the center. Please say nothing to anyone about this.”

  “Not a word,” said Miss Mallard.

  The colonel said goodbye and vanished into the crowd.

  Miss Mallard turned to her nephew. “What will you do while I am working on the case?” she asked.

  Willard thought for a moment. “I’ll go sightseeing,” he replied. “We can meet at night for white-asparagus festivities.”

  “Fine idea,” said Miss Mallard. “Speaking of festivities, here comes our order for white asparagus with cheese sauce.”

  “And Bavarian chocolate cake for dessert,” said Willard with a big smile.

  2 A Low Curb

  The next morning at the hotel dining room, Frau Ente herself brought Miss Mallard and Willard their breakfast.

  Herr Ente sat by the hotel entrance sorting menus as Frau Ente passed by with their food.

  “We’re almost out of butter,” he said to his wife in a raspy voice.

  “I’ll put it on the list,” she replied in an annoyed tone.

  As Frau Ente served Miss Mallard and Willard, she exclaimed, “Why, you’re Margery Mallard! The famous ducktective! I saw you talking yesterday with Colonel Tree Duck from the center. Are you working on a case?”

  Miss Mallard remembered what she was told about keeping mum.

  “Oh, no, no,” she said. “The colonel and I are old friends. He is taking me sightseeing while my nephew goes shopping.”

  Frau Ente left and returned to clear their dishes when Miss Mallard and Willard finished eating.

  Just then Colonel Tree Duck’s jeep arrived at the hotel.

  “I’ll walk with you to the car, Aunty,” said Willard.

  “Happy sightseeing! Happy shopping!” called Frau Ente.

  Colonel Tree Duck helped Miss Mallard into his jeep. Willard stood on a low street curb and waved as they drove away. In his excitement, he suddenly tripped and fell to the ground with a crushing blow!

  “Y-O-W-W-W-W-W!”

  he screamed in pain.

  The Entes saw what happened and ran to Willard. At the same time, the colonel witnessed everything from his rearview mirror. At once he backed up, and he and Miss Mallard got out. They ran to Willard, where they saw the Entes attempting to pull Willard to his feet.

  “Don’t touch him!” yelled the colonel.

  He asked Willard if he was hurt.

  “I can’t move my right leg,” answered Willard weakly.

  “Don’t move. I’ll call for an ambulance,” said the colonel. “Since your aunt is assigned to our active-duty army at the center, I can take you there for treatment as a family member.”

  Moments after Colonel Tree Duck made his call, a military ambulance came racing to the scene and rushed Willard to the hospital. He was admitted, then taken for X-rays, while Miss Mallard and the colonel waited with him.

  About ten minutes later, a doctor came into the room.

  “My name is Major Alfonso S. Bay Duck, MD,” he said. “I am an orthopedic surgeon here.”

  Dr. Bay Duck held up Willard’s X-rays to the light.

  “These show what happened,” he explained. “You broke your upper right leg. That kind of break can be mended with pins. It will take about six weeks to heal. But you will be able to go about your normal activities during that time. I can schedule your surgery for noon tomorrow. Shall I do it?”

  Willard didn’t hesitate one bit. “Yes,” he answered. “I think I can handle it. And I like the part where I can still keep active.”

  “I’ll be available if you need me, Willard,” said the doctor as he left the room.

  “And I will be here too,” said Miss Mallard. “The colonel has made arrangements for me to stay at the family residence at the center, so I can be nearby. I’ve already checked us out of Hofquacken Hotel. I’ll be back to see you as soon as I have unpacked our things and put them away in our new quarters.”

  “Don’t worry,” said Willard. “I’m in good wings here.”

  “Okay, Willard,” Miss Mallard replied. “I’ll see you later.”

  3 At Four Corners

  While Miss Mallard was putting away her things in her new room, she noticed a note being slipped under her door. When she opened the door, the hallway was empty!

  She quickly picked up the note.

  Then she read:

  Your instructions await you at Four Corners.

  Your code name is Helen.

  Respond to the code name Rasputinduck.

  “Hmmm,” Miss Mallard said to herself. “Where is Four Corners?”

  She closed the door, went to her knitting bag, and got a map tha t Colonel Tree Duck had given her. Four Corners was on the map.

  Meanwhile, Willard was in bed, now in a private hospital room, about to eat his first meal at the center. He looked at the tray one of the nurses had placed before him. He saw a plate of cabbage with something shredded in it that he could not identify, and some sliced carrots on the side.

  Then he saw a note on the tray.

  He read it and gasped!

  We are sorry, but due to a shortage of certain ingredients,

  your dinner didn’t turn out as well as we expected.

  Willard poked at the cabbage with a fork. He was not about to eat something he didn’t recognize. He settled on eating the carrots and drinking the hot chocolate he had ordered. When he finished, he pushed the tray aside and gripped the note. He planned to show it to his aunt.

  An hour later Miss Mallard came into his room.

  “Here you are,” she said. “I had a bit of trouble finding your room.”

  “I’m glad you did,” said Willard. “Have a look at this note I found on my dinner tray. I saved it for you.”

  Miss Mallard read it.

  “Interesting,” she replied. “The missing ingredients must be related to the robberies, no doubt. This note shows how you can help me with this puzzling case.”

  “How, Aunty, when I am in bed with a broken leg?” asked Willard.

  “Let me explain,” she said. “The robberies have been happening at night. I am convinced that they are an inside job. Somehow the crooks are able to get in and out of central supply without being seen.”

  She paused and added, “If you can, each time I come to see you, tell me anything unusual that you have discovered, like this note. Just be on the alert at all times, but I know you will be.”

  “For sure,” answered Willard as he lay back in bed for a few moments.

  Then he looked over at a walker that had been left in his room by an aide from the hospital.

  “Aunty,” Willard asked, “would you bring that over to me so I can try to exercise my leg? Doctor’s orders, you know. I’ll take it slow, but I want to try.”

  Miss Mallard helped Willard out of bed, and he was able to take a few steps.

  “That’s wonderful, Willard!” his aunt said.

  Once he was back in bed, Miss Mallard continued. “The note is in line with my orders from Colonel Tree Duck. I picked them up from the reception desk at Four Corners, which is where all the hallways at the medical center connect. My orders are to proceed as I always do with my cases. Do you have anything else to tell me, Willard, before I leave?”

  “Only this,” said Willard. “Most of the staff here have access to every building in the center. It will be hard to find the crooks.”

  “That’s true,” Miss Mallard replied. “However, as usual with all my cases, everyone is a suspect until the case is solved. Your observation is excellent. I’ll check back to see you by noon tomorrow before your surgery. Dream tonight about a successful operation and your speedy recovery. Sometimes my dreams at night help me to find clues in a case.”

  “I’ll try to have one,” Willard told her as she was leaving. “Just for you.”

  4 Willard’s Dream

  As promised, Miss Mallard arrived the next day, just before noontime.

  “We haven’t much time to talk, Willard,” she said. “Soon you will be going for surgery. But I must let you know there was another robbery last night!” Then she asked, “Did you have any dreams?”

  Willard answered, “Yes. I dreamed I was riding my bicycle. I rode past a little gray puppy playing beside a mud puddle. I rode on, and suddenly I was holding a little gray kitten. I decided to go back and get the puppy. When I got to the puddle, he was gone.”

  “Splendid dream!” said Miss Mallard. “I’ll give thought to it. Good luck with your surgery. I’ll see you later.”

  She hugged him and left.

  5 Strange Visitors

  Fortunately, Willard’s operation was a success. He would be discharged from the hospital in two days.

  The next day he had visitors from the Landsduck Medical Center for Ducks Visiting Animal Service, Elsa and Tricia Spoonbill. Elsa was carrying a cat, and Tricia had a dog on a leash.

  “We’re sisters and here with these animals to help your recovery,” said the two ducks together.

  “And this is Samantha,” said Elsa, holding up a tabby cat for Willard to see.

  Samantha let out a loud “M-E-O-O-O-O-W!”

  “I think she likes me,” said Willard. “I like her, too.”

  He turned his attention to a yellow Labrador retriever sniffing at a table next to his bed.

  “What is his name?”

  “Rolf,” answered Tricia.

  Willard turned to Rolf and told him, “Sorry to disappoint you, my friend, but my lunch is gone. Besides, you wouldn’t have liked it, as some food was missing.”

  “I assume you mean because of the robberies at the center,” said Tricia. “What’s happening?”

  Willard was sorry he’d let it leak that something was missing.

  He replied, “Why do you ask?”

  The Spoonbill sisters looked at each other and quickly fled the room with Samantha and Rolf.

  When Miss Mallard returned that afternoon, Willard mentioned the Spoonbill sisters and their pets.

  “One sister—Tricia—had a deep voice,” he said. “And I kept thinking I had seen them both somewhere before. But it was hard to tell because they were wearing dark glasses.”

  Miss Mallard thought about what Willard had told her. “How strange they got into your room without being seen by the guards at the center’s gate,” she replied. “I’m certain the guards would have warned me.”

  “Hold it, Aunty,” said Willard. “This is just a suspicion. It might be filled with hot air. I may have been making a mountain out of a molehill. You can take what I have said with a grain of salt.”

  “Willard, you are a genius!” said Miss Mallard. “You have just given me a solution. I will tell you in the morning why you are so smart, after I have solved the case based on what you said.”

  She left in haste, with Willard shaking his head in puzzlement.

  6 The Solution

  Late afternoon the next day, Colonel Tree Duck assembled all the suspects Miss Mallard had told him about off base at the café next to Hofquacken Hotel. Willard had been discharged from the hospital and was there too.

  Willard looked around and saw everyone from the Entes, who owned the hotel, to his doctors and nurses at the center. He even saw a relative of the Entes, Fräulein Ilona Hofquacken, who worked at the center.

  Miss Mallard stood up to speak, and everyone quieted down.

  “Good afternoon. I have good news!” announced Miss Mallard. “The center will not close! I have solved the mystery after hearing three words said by my nephew, which were ‘air,’ ‘mountain,’ and ‘salt.’ ”

  Everyone looked confused. Miss Mallard continued, “The last word, especially, helped me find a solution to the case, when I remembered seeing a path on Hofquacken Mountain sparkling in the sunlight that first day we came here. I now know that the sparkle was caused by the sun reflecting on salt crystals.”

  “Also,” Miss Mallard said, “once I found out about the salt, I went through old records at Landsduck’s courthouse and found out the truth about Hofquacken Mountain. That is why everyone here is a suspect. The records clearly revealed that the mountain contains a salt mine with tunnels that go under the medical center.”

  “So that’s how the robbers got in!” exclaimed Colonel Tree Duck. “They went in through the center’s air ducts and out with their plunder.”

  “Correct,” said Miss Mallard.

  Then she looked directly at the owners of the hotel and said, “Frau and Herr Ente, you discovered the salt mine and tried to use it to bring down the center so you could build a giant theme park. I know this because I found your disguises in the salt mine and two animals that you used in an attempt to find out from Willard how far I had gotten with the case. Moreover, Willard recognized your voice, Herr Ente. Confess!”

 

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