I

It's the final game of the Out of This World Series at Yankeedoodle Stadium.  Bottom of the ninth, and the dreaded Smelly Sox have pulled ahead by one run at the top of the inning.  Now with two outs and bases loaded, Peter steps up to the plate wiping pancake syrup from the corner of his mouth.  Anxious, he swings at the first pitch....Strike one.  He looks at the umpire and shakes his head.  He sets up....  Pitcher throws a curve ball....  Peter swings and misses.  Strike two.  Peter steps away from the plate, and knocks the dirt from the bottom of his shoes.  Pitcher throws high....  Ball one....  Pitcher throws low.... Ball two.  Pitcher throws wild....  Ball three.  It's a full count.  The crowd is on its feet or fins or flippers or claws (this is the Yankeedoodle Stadium, after all).

"You can doodle-do it, Peter!" crows Horatio.  And then the pitcher winds up and hurls a fast ball right down  the middle.  Peter hits it and hits it hard.  The ball sails foul and makes a beeline for a host of spectators holding their gloves out hoping for that one perfect catch.  It sails past Professor Electra.  It sails past Egg-Burto the Magnificent.  It sails past Isabella the time traveler and lands smack in the middle of Prince David's glove.  Triumphant, he turns to his friends to share his good fortune, when POOF!  He disappears.

The crowd is stunned into silence then thrown into chaos.  In the midst of it all, Egg-Burto nods at Electra and Isabella, mutters a few magic words into his hat, and three more Morphadoodles vanish in a puff of smoke. 

II

"Where are we?" asked Prince David, dusting off his crown and turning toward his three friends.  "And what happened to my glove?  There was a baseball in it that I wanted Peter to sign."  Professor Electra cleared his throat. 

"The baseball and glove are safe in the twenty-first century, Prince David.  We, on the other hand, are in the twelfth century.  We have been called to King Arthur's Court.  There is a puzzle that needs to be solved."

"A puzzle?  I'm excellent at solving puzzles," said the prince.

"That's precisely why I was told to transport you here," said Isabella.  As the four began their walk/scuttle/float toward Camelot, Egg-Burto bowed to the Prince and said in his most deferential tone, "Consider me your Merlin."

III

The approach to Camelot was lush and green just as the history books described it- roads cut by heavy cart wheels, grass trampled from trotting horses, the hillside dotted with grazing sheep.  Banners waved proudly above the castle walls, knights marched along the parapet, and the drawbridge lay down in welcome.  But something was wrong.  This was a place know for its JOYFULTY, but no sounds of happiness could be heard from within.  "Something is DEFINITELY wrong," Prince David said to his companions.  "The sooner we find the king, the sooner we solve the problem."

IV

Arthur and his knights were sitting in silence at the Round Table and rose to their feet when the four Morphadoodles entered the Grand Hall.  "Thank you for coming, Prince David," said the gracious king.  "I will cut to the chase.  There is a dragon holed up in a cave- our last dragon- the perfect dragon for Camelot.  He has always been friendly and kind.  He has sparked our kindling for bonfires.  Our children have hiked up his spikes and slid down his tail.  But he has changed.  Three time a day he bellows and roars.  His flames scorch the earth around his cave.  My bravest knights cannot penetrate the heat.  You fear NOTHING, Prince David.  I beseech you- use your power to bring JOYFULTY back to my kingdom."

V

Prince David's eyes were wide.  What could one young Morphadoodle do that King Arthur's knights could not?  "Treat the problem like a puzzle," thought David, "like the most complicated lego structure I have ever built." 

He turned to the king, "Did you say he bellows and roars three times a day?"  The king nodded.  "What times of day?" 

The king thought for a moment.  "7:30 am, noon, and around 6:00 in the evening."  The wheels inside David's head were turning. "Why, those are meal times," he said.  "Perhaps the dragon is hungry."

"We bring him crusty bread every day, just as we always have, and leave it at the foot of the mountain," said the king.  "When we return the next morning, it's gone."  David stepped away from the king and huddled together with his friends.  Words flew back and forth among them.  The brave lad finally turned to the king and said, "I will accept this challenge, King Arthur.  I will bring JOYFULTY back to your land."

VI

The next morning at dawn, the Morphadoodles carted the dragon's bread to the foot of the mountain.  But instead of leaving, Egg-Burto cast a spell and made all four invisible.  When the sun rose, a very thin dragon slunk out of his cave and headed toward his food.  When he saw the crusty bread, he bent down, took a bite, and winced in pain.  Tears fell like a waterfall from his eyes.  He roared and tore the bread into little pieces, toasting them with his flames.  Twenty-four blackbirds swooped down to dine while the miserable dragon lurched up the mountain.  Egg-Burto reversed his magic and made them all visible once again.  "I know what the problem is!" Prince David announced triumphantly.  "The dragon has a toothache.  The hard crust hurts his mouth!"

Prince David  sprang into action.  "Isabella, fly back to Chef Poire's Boulangeroodle and have him whip up a batch of his pancakes and a vat of hot chocolate.  Electra, give me one of your spikes to remove the foul tooth.  Egg-Burto, at noon, when the dragon roars again, freeze him while his mouth is wide open so I can perform the extraction.  If I am correct, within the hour, all will be well in Camelot."

"If you are wrong," thought Egg-Burto, "you might be lunch."

VII

But Prince David wasn't wrong.  Once his tooth was pulled and his belly was full of pancakes and hot chocolate, the dragon regained his stature in Camelot.  David and his three companions flew forward through time and found themselves once more in the stadium, David's arm outstretched with a foul ball hit by Peter in his glove.  And, by the way, Peter's next hit was a grand slam.  The Yankeedoodles won the game!