Thanking their lucky stars, and a few of the unlucky ones, they opened the backpack. It probably would have been easier had they not all tried to open it at once, but they eventually disentangled themselves from each other and looked inside.
"Why is it so dark in there?" asked BæÅüMÃ(-)Ñ.
"Because you're blocking the light," replied Haze.
"Oh, come on, how can I be blocking out all the light?" inquired BæÅüMÃ(-)Ñ. The two of them looked up, and saw to their alarm that the giant sponge-like thing was slowly rolling over them.
"Run!" yelled DDay, who had also realised what was causing the eclipse.
"Now, that isn't very democratic," Batty complained. "Hey! Where are you going?"
The rest of the Taverners, who were by this time running like... er... frightened rabbits, didn't notice Batty disappear under a mass of sponge-like stuff. The giant sponge-like thing was also oblivious to the rabbit beneath it. Batty, however, was keenly aware that he was stuck. He noted that he was quite comfortable, and could breathe quite easily, but he could no longer reach his backpack.
After a few minutes of undignified scurrying, the rest of the Taverners settled down and found their bearings.
"Right," said Ducky, "We'd better have a head count."
It was at this point that they realised that Batty was nowhere to be seen. But there was definitely a muffled yelling coming from somewhere.
"You don't suppose..." pondered Haze, "that he's under the sponge?"
His question was answered when the sponge rolled of their comrade. They rushed over to him and picked him up.
"Why... hello auntie caterpillar! How was your sailing lesson?" said a mildly dazed Batty. But there was no time for small talk.
"We must stop the sponge from moving any farther. It could crush a Lori monument at any minute!" declared Unknown Rabbit.
"But how?" asked Ducky, who realised just too late that the question was far too obvious.
The Taverners lapsed into silence as they tried to work out how to stop a giant sponge-like thing from moving. BæÅüMÃ(-)Ñ thought back to his bath tub.
"I've got it!" he yelled, "All we have to do is waterlog it!"
"Well... Okay," said Unknown Rabbit, "but where are we going to find any water around here?"
Again their eyes fell on Batty's backpack. It was a few seconds before Haze coughed and pointed towards a large Lori-patterned water tower looming above them.
"Okay, here's the plan," said Rocky, "Someone climbs up the tower and finds out how to release the water. We lure the giant sponge-like thing underneath and Hey Presto!"
They shuffled uneasily at the sound of the word "lure", but they nevertheless agreed that the plan was a good idea.