Sherlock Sam and the Vanished Robot in Penang Read online

  ALSO IN THE SERIES

  Sherlock Sam and the Missing Heirloom in Katong

  Sherlock Sam and the Ghostly Moans in Fort Canning

  Sherlock Sam and the Sinister Letters in Bras Basah

  Sherlock Sam and the Alien Encounter on Pulau Ubin

  Copyright © 2014 by Adan Jimenez and Felicia Low-Jimenez

  Illustrations copyright © 2014 by Epigram Books

  All rights reserved.

  Published in Singapore by Epigram Books.

  www.epigrambooks.sg

  Illustrations by drewscape

  Edited by Sheri Tan

  National Library Board, Singapore

  Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

  Low, A. J.

  Sherlock Sam and the vanished robot in Penang /

  by A.J. Low.; illustrations by drewscape;

  –First Edition – Singapore : Epigram Books, [2014]

  pages cm

  ISBN : 978-981-07-6917-8 (paperback)

  ISBN : 978-981-07-7864-4 (ebook)

  1. Child detectives – Singapore – Juvenile fiction.

  2. Pinang Island (Pinang) –Juvenile fiction. I. Drewscape. II. Title.

  PZ7

  S823 -- dc23 OCN866576536

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  First Edition

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  For the artists of Penang, especially

  Julian “Lefty” Kam for feeding us

  and bringing us around!

  “I-do-not-appreciate-having-my-parts-exposed-in-public,” Watson said.

  It was 8am on Saturday morning and we were at Changi Airport, Terminal One. The week-long March school holidays had just started and our parents were taking us to Penang, Malaysia, for the weekend! Dad had checked us in online, so we didn’t have to check in our bags for another hour. I suggested that we have breakfast as it was the most important meal of the day. Fortunately, McDonald’s served breakfast until 11am.

  “I would be a lot faster if you’d stop complaining about it,” I told Watson. I was holding a screwdriver in both hands, trying to turn a particularly stubborn bolt. Trust Watson to have stubborn bolts.

  “The-temperature-has-decreased-by-0.05%-since-you-started-working-on-me-in-public,” Watson added.

  The air conditioning at Changi Airport was very cold, but I didn’t have a choice. Mom made us rush out of the house and I could not finish my upgrade on Watson in time. And I wasn’t one to leave my work unfinished.

  “Wow! I didn’t know Watson was a thermometer as well, Sherlock!” Jimmy exclaimed. He had on a green baseball cap and a milk moustache.

  Jimmy was my classmate in Primary Five. When Jimmy’s grandma heard that we were going to Penang, she asked if it would be okay for Jimmy to go with us on our trip. Jimmy’s mom travelled a lot for work and was currently in Penang. Jimmy was super excited to see his mom!

  “I’m pretty sure you’re going to damage your robot,” a snooty voice said from behind us.

  I turned my head and looked at Eliza. Wendy, my big sister who was a year older than me, was standing right next to her. Both girls were holding trays filled with food. Wendy did not look particularly happy. She and Eliza were in the same level in school, but they weren’t the best of friends (and that’s putting it lightly).

  “Are those my pancakes, Wendy?” I asked, focused on the most important thing. “You took the maple syrup packets right? And butter?”

  “Please-finish-my-upgrades-before-you-start-eating,” Watson said. “I-do-not-want-ants-in-my-circuits-again.”

  The two girls took a seat at our table. My parents and Nazhar were still waiting for their food. Once it was decided that Jimmy was coming with us, my dad invited the rest of the Supper Club as well! Unfortunately for Wendy, he once again forgot that Eliza wasn’t officially part of the Supper Club and invited her along too. My dad is a genius engineer, but he is a forgetful genius engineer.

  “I think I’m done!” I said, giving the problematic bolt one final twist. I quickly shut the open hatch on Watson’s body and sat back to admire my work.

  “Why-are-you-staring-at-me-strangely?” Watson asked. “Did-you-leave-grease-on-my-face?”

  “Try out your new power now!” I said. I really wanted to eat my pancakes while they were still warm. “Everyone! Look!”

  Wendy and Eliza ignored me and continued eating their breakfast in silence, but Jimmy was so excited he was practically vibrating in his seat.

  A loud popping sound burst out from Watson, startling some of the people around us. I was worried for a second. Had I turned that dastardly bolt too tightly? Just as I was reaching for my robot to make sure all was in order, Watson popped once again and flew! Okay, not so much flew as hovered about fifteen inches off the ground, but still! He was defying gravity!

  “Watson can fly!” Dad exclaimed. He, Mom and Nazhar had walked up to our table with their trays.

  “Oh wow, Sherlock!” Nazhar said, his dark brown eyes wide behind his glasses. Nazhar was Wendy’s classmate and had become a good friend. I often relied on his knowledge of history to help solve my cases.

  “Watson is Superman!” Jimmy shouted, doing his favourite Superman pose.

  “You guys need to be quiet,” Wendy said grumpily. “Everyone is turning to look at us.”

  Mom, who knew the real reason for Wendy’s grumpiness patted her shoulder before sitting down next to her. Wendy gave a small smile.

  “Watson, come sit down and eat your batteries,” Mom said. Mom was a fantastic cook. She didn’t like us (especially me) eating at fast food places too often, but we managed to convince her that it was okay this time around because it was a holiday treat.

  Watson gently plonked himself back onto the seat and started to consume the recycled batteries that were his power source.

  “Are you guys excited about going to Penang?” Dad asked. He was gleefully biting into his McMuffin. He didn’t get to eat fast food very often either.

  Everyone nodded, even Wendy, who seemed to become less grumpy the more she ate. See, breakfast was truly the most important meal of the day. I was already looking forward to a second breakfast on the plane!

  “Have any of you been to Penang before?” Mom asked us.

  “I’ve been to Kuala Lumpur before,” Eliza said, elegantly taking a bite out of her Egg McMuffin. “But this will be my first time in Penang. My dad’s company has an office there, though.” Eliza’s dad ran an outdoor adventure company.

  “I’ve been to Kuala Lumpur and Malacca,” Nazhar added, “but not to Penang. My dad told me a lot about Penang’s history and I’m really excited to see the Khoo Kongsi.”

  “Gong xi?” Jimmy asked. “Like Happy New Year, Gong Xi Fa Cai?” His milk moustache had grown into a milk goatee.

  “A kongsi is a clan house, Jimmy,” Nazhar said in his big brotherly way. “Maybe we can go see it, Uncle?”

  “Definitely!” Dad said. “We want this trip to be fun for everyone!”

  “And we need to try all the local food,” I added. I had done my research this time around. I knew exactly what I had to eat during this trip. I was particularly intrigued by something they called a pasembur.

  “I want to see the artwork in George Town,” Wendy said. “They have street art and wire art. Did you know that the street artist is from Lithuania? He paints on the sides of buildings, like graffiti. I’ve seen pictures in my books.” My sister was an aspiring artist.

  “Do-we-need-to-ch
eck-in-soon?” Watson asked.

  “About that, Watson,” Dad said. He looked a bit nervous. “I’m afraid airline regulation requires that you travel as, erm, well...” Dad stumbled over his words. “You need to, erm...”

  “You’ll need to travel as carry-on luggage, Watson,” Mom said. “But don’t worry. It’ll only be for an hour-and-a-half, and you’ll be in the luggage compartment right above our seats.”

  “I-am-not-luggage,” Watson said. “Even-though-I-have-ten-packets-of-chocolate-Khong-Guan-biscuits-in-my-secret-compartment.”

  “Dad! Mom! Watson isn’t luggage! He’s my robot! He’s family!” I exclaimed. The ten packets of Khong Guan biscuits were emergency rations. You can never be too prepared. Who knows when a snack attack might occur?

  “I know, son,” Dad said sadly, “but as you know, our rules and regulations haven’t quite caught up to our technological advances yet.” He patted Watson on his metal head.

  “But—” I said. It really wasn’t fair!

  “It-is-okay,” Watson said. “I-am-excellent-at-keeping-myself-entertained. I-have-a-Dungeons-and-Dragons-game-in-my-memory-banks.”

  “I’m afraid you won’t be able to do that, Watson,” Mom said. Now she was starting to look a little nervous too.

  “Why-is-that?” Watson asked.

  “The airline is worried that your electromagnetic waves will interfere with their electronic and navigation systems,” Mom said. “You’re going to have to turn yourself off.”

  “It-is-the-curse-of-having-a-magnetic-personality,” Watson said. “Next-time-I-will-be-travelling-First-Class.”

  I grumbled a bit more, but when Mom pointed out that the choices were between turning Watson off or leaving him at home, I had to accept my fate. Well, accept Watson’s fate. On his behalf. Watson, stoic as ever, appeared to be okay with the unexpected turn of events but I was still feeling quite miffed.

  “Erm, Sam,” Dad said, clearing his throat. “There’s something else.” He looked even more nervous.

  “Well...you see. We’re not travelling on a regular airline this time. So...” Dad said, before turning to Mom. “Erm, well...you tell him!”

  Mom sighed deeply and rolled her eyes. She looked at me and said, “It’s not the end of the world, Sam. They just don’t serve food on our flight as they are a budget airline.”

  That was the last straw! Who do I send my feedback letter to?

  “I still can’t believe they made us pay for our snacks on the plane!” I said, huffing indignantly.

  “Yes-you-were-clearly-the-most-inconvenienced-party-on-that-flight,” Watson said. Mom had turned him on as soon it was safe to do so, and he had not stopped grumbling since.

  “Also, I don’t recall you paying for anything, Sam,” Wendy added.

  We had arrived at Penang International Airport and were waiting for the van Dad had rented for the weekend to take us to our hotel. The airport was at the southern end of the island, and our hotel was all the way at the north end on Tanjung Tokong Beach, between Gurney Drive and the Penang Toy Museum, where Jimmy’s mom was working. George Town was nearby as well, as Wendy would not stop telling us.

  While waiting for the van, we overheard two middle-aged ladies talking about how some street art in Penang had gone missing and how they suspected it was stolen. Wendy was immediately intrigued, mainly because it was about art, and inched closer to eavesdrop. I knew better than to listen to idle gossip, of course. But I made a note to read the local papers, just in case it turned out to be true.

  Nearby, Watson practiced his flying. He was now able to fly higher than before; a good three feet off the ground. He could manoeuvre a little too, though he was no fighter pilot yet.

  “I wanna fly too!” Jimmy said. Watson extended his arms and lifted Jimmy onto his head. While still holding him so he couldn’t fall off, Watson levitated and zoomed about the waiting area, to the delight of all the waiting people. I must admit it had not occurred to me that I could ride Watson like my own personal airplane.

  The van finally arrived and we all got in. The trip to our hotel took slightly less than a half hour, but Wendy and Eliza managed to fall asleep anyway. Wendy’s hair looked like a bird’s nest when she woke up but Eliza’s remained in perfect braids. When we reached the hotel, Dad checked us into our two adjoining rooms: one for Dad, me, Jimmy, Nazhar, and Watson, and the other for Mom, Wendy, and Eliza. There were no extra charges for having Watson in the boy’s room as Dad claimed that he was luggage, which earned him a one-eyed glare from my robot.

  I looked out our window and saw a beautiful beach with lovely blue waters. Then my tummy grumbled.

  “Lunch time!” I announced.

  “Not yet, Sam,” Dad said, trying to figure out how Jimmy had gotten under the bed when there was almost no space between it and the floor. “We have to meet up with Auntie Vivian first.”

  “That’s my mom!” Jimmy shouted, wriggling out the other side.

  “Is she at the Toy Museum now?” Nazhar asked, setting his backpack down.

  “That’s where she told us to meet her,” Dad said. “Everybody put your stuff away and wash your faces so we can get going. And Jimmy, stop crawling under things.”

  “Okay!” Jimmy said, as he climbed out from under the desk and then climbed over a chair.

  We all washed up and waited for the girls in the hall. My tummy grumbled again.

  “Dad, make them hurry up! I’m hungry!”

  Just then, the door of their room opened and Eliza said, “Sam, you do not hurry people when they’re getting ready to go out. It’s rude.” Mom smiled and Wendy scowled, pulling uncomfortably at her now neatly tied ponytail.

  We got back into the van, and Dad drove a short distance from Jalan Tanjong Bungah to the Penang Toy Museum. He parked next to what looked like a moving truck, and we all got out. The entrance was made of dark wood, and had two large red signs: the first, right above the door, said WELCOME TO THE WORLD’S LARGEST TOY MUSEUM! in English and Malay, and the other was a billboard above the building itself that simply said TOY MUSEUM in much bigger letters.

  “Mr Loh, the man who owns the museum and all the toys inside, started the collection with a Popeye doll in 1973,” Nazhar said. “He now has so many toys, he cannot display them all in the museum.”

  “Wow, that’s a lot of toys,” I said. “How did you know all that stuff, Nazhar? Have you memorised the history of everything?”

  “No, I just read this pamphlet,” Nazhar said, holding up a Toy Museum pamphlet.

  “They-are-freely-available-before-you-enter,” Watson said.

  Before I could formulate a proper retort, a short, pretty lady in a light blue dress and black cardigan walked out of the front door, asking two men to go to the truck that was parked next to us. Jimmy immediately ran towards her.

  “Mom!” he shouted, jumping into her arms.

  “Jimmy! My sweet boy!”

  They hugged for a bit, then Jimmy shouted, “Meet my friends! That’s Sherlock, he’s a defective! Nazhar is really good with old stuff! Wendy has lots of crayons and markers and stuff! Eliza knows all the aminals! And Watson can fly!”

  Smiling at all of us, she replied, “You mean he’s a detective, and Eliza knows animals, don’t you?”

  “Yeah! Detective animals!” Jimmy said.

  After Mom and Dad introduced themselves, Jimmy’s mom—Auntie Vivian—said we could get lunch as soon as she made sure the object the men carried from the truck was safely inside.

  “You can all get a sneak peek before it’s officially unveiled, if you’d like,” Auntie Vivian said.

  We followed her into the museum, which had an Egyptian theme behind the almost innumerable display cases housing more toys than I had ever seen before. We passed a few themed areas, including the Chamber of Comic Book Heroes, the Cave of Dinosaurs and the Star Wars Collection. There were toys as small as coins, to toys bigger than my parents!

  We finally ended up in the Robo Room with more vintage tin
robots than I had ever seen in my life! They came in all shapes and sizes, some with rectangular heads, some with triangular heads, some with round heads, and some with no heads at all! Watson flew around the room doing little loop-de-loops.

  “This-is-my-new-favourite-place,” he said.

  The two men set the box down on a pedestal in the centre of the room and opened it. Inside was an amazing tin robot, all shiny chrome with electric blue highlights. It had a pyramidal head and deep blue eyes. Its arms ended in small fists that held ray guns. Its feet looked like tank treads, and there were little wheels underneath that let it roll across a surface.

  “You kids like it?” Auntie Vivian asked. “It took me a while to find this guy.”

  “What do you mean ‘find’?” I asked.

  “I’m an importer/exporter, which means I go around the world looking for interesting things to buy and sell,” she said. “Sometimes, people ask me to find specific things for them, and this robot was one of those things. When Mr Loh, whom I’ve worked with before, heard I had found it for another client, he asked if he could feature it in his museum for a little while. My buyer gave his permission, and here we are.”

  “It sounds like a really great job, Auntie,” Eliza said. “I would like to jet-set all over the world one day.”

  “Yes, it can be fun, but it means I spend a lot of time away from this little guy and his four sisters,” Auntie Vivian said, ruffling Jimmy’s hair. “I know Mama Kim Lian takes very good care of them, and I’m very grateful she stayed to help me after her son left, but I miss them terribly.”

  “Your husband left?” Wendy asked. “Why?”

  “Sometimes things don’t work out like you thought they would,” Auntie Vivian said. “And I have to work very hard to make sure Jimmy and the girls have everything they need.”

  She looked down at Jimmy and smiled. “But enough about me. Who’s hungry?”

  I immediately raised my hand. The rest of the Supper Club raised their hands as well.

  “I know a fantastic place in George Town where we can get some delicious food, including pasembur. Do you guys know what that is?”