The device looked heavy - a tube made of glass, with an ornamental brass trigger at the bottom.

"Now, come along and watch this." Mr Pronobo ushered Louie (with Folja peeking out of the front pocket of the boy's overalls) back to the front of his stone house.

Pronobo raised the strange device with both hands above his head and it began to glow. A bright purple light pulsed within the glass tube.

As if entranced, the Hootles circling the skies began entering into a formation of rows, pulsing in and out according to the rhythm of the purple glow.

"Hoot! Hoot! Hoot!" - the Hootles made a melodic chorus as they flapped their wings in formation, pulsing up and down the air. Unnatural, yet oddly satisfying to watch. Louie and Folja were unable to tear their eyes away from this bizarre sight.

Mr Pronobo was pleased. "Ha! It's working. Now, for the next step. Stand back, and..."

He aimed the glass tube at the Hootle flying closest to them, and pressed the trigger.

"FIRE!"

BOOM! A purple beam shot into the air and right at the Hootle, who immediately turned into solid stone, hitting the ground heavily.

The rest of the flock are still in a pulsing trance, as if not privy that their first member has turned into a stone figure and dropped to the ground. - "Hoot! Hoot! Hoot!"

"FIRE!" - Mr Pronobo aimed at the next Hootle. BOOM!

"FIRE!" - BOOM!

"FIRE!" - BOOM!

"FIRE!" - BOOM!

"FIRE!" - BOOM!

Mr Pronobo laughs manically as he repeatedly fires the purple beam into the air shooting at the remaining Hootles. The Hootle-shaped stone statues rained into the ground. And as the last one dropped from the sky, Mr Pronobo lowered his purple tube thing, turned and looked at the duo.

"Heh, that was fun. I haven't done that in a while." He grinned.

"I didn't need to make them do that dance, but then again why not?" He winked as he turned back into his own house.

Louie and Folja (still in his front pocket) surveyed the front yard of Mr Pronobo's stone house. The once beautifully manicured garden was completely decimated with heavy stone Hootle statues littered everywhere.

"So... now what?"