by Susan Pease
Climbing up the stairs that evening was unnerving as memories flooded Dorothy’s mind of the night the army told her that her husband Daniel had died. The fear of never seeing Jo again was painful and she knew that she had to put it out of her mind to keep sane. Pepper waited until her sister was fast asleep and travelled back to the village to focus on a solution.
The return to the village was as stressful as being at Jo’s house. Pepper had to visit Eiki’s parents and calm them down too. Frederick Slurp-it-Downs was the village baker and all through the day he had kept on baking bread. It was the only thing he could do to calm his nerves. By the end of the day his calm, “no worries” attitude had changed to fearful worry.
Eiki’s mum continued looking everywhere and never stopped for a break all day. In the back of her mind she knew that Eiki wasn’t in the village or in the bush. The naughty Eiki had probably travelled and ended up in Timbuktu. Eiki was predictable when it came to getting herself into heaps of trouble. And she always wanted to travel somewhere when she was told not to. Still, it brought a tear to her eye when she thought about never seeing her little Slurp-it-Downs again.
‘Gosh it’s been a trying day! I just have to find a solution. Where on earth could they be?’ said Pepper to Waldo.
‘You know, I think I can remember this happening a long time ago. Unfortunately they never found the creature again. I’ll have to look at the history books; maybe it’ll give me a clue on what actually happened. It was due to a slip in the time warp and the earth changes I think. You know as well as I do that the earth is in a terrible mess. I feel because the earth is rotating differently now maybe time is starting to change too. You often say how time seems to fly away. Maybe it is and there’s truth in the saying.’
‘You mean the creature was never found again? Oh this is terrible! What if Jo and Eiki never come back? The consequences could be huge for the future. That means everybody’s lives will be changed forever. And Dorothy has already lost Daniel in the war, how will she cope!’
‘I have never in all my years seen you so upset. Pepper, I’m sure we can find a solution and we won’t stop trying until we find them. What do you say; things happen for a reason so that’s why this has happened. There must be a good Slurp-it-Downs reason. We just don’t know it yet. Let me tell you a Gulp-a-Waters joke to bring a smile to your face. Why did the Gulp-a-Waters throw the clock out of the window?’
‘Oh for Gulp-a-Waters sake can’t you find a better joke than that? It’s so old it’s got whiskers on it! Everybody knows it’s to see if time flies,’ said Pepper trying not grin.
‘Well, it’s sort of a stupid joke but it worked; you’re smiling.’
‘Wish I could throw the clock out of the window and change the time. Seems time is flying and we still have no answer to this mystery.’
‘Pepper, remember our Slurp-it-Downs and Gulp-a-Waters motto; it’s never ever give up and we Gulp-a-Waters won’t.’
CHAPTER FIVE
Trouble Under The Earth
Back in Scotland it was almost morning, still dark and icy cold. The two best friends were asleep and the only sound was the wind whipping the branches of the oaks. Or was it, there seemed to be a strange disturbance rattling the window ledge? The windowpanes started to move and a mystical stage had been set for a dramatic entrance. One small Dark Elf crept into the room, giggling at the thought of the mischief he was about to perform. Then he was followed by a second, just as enthusiastic to cause trouble. Eiki moved slightly and the first elf jumped and stood very still, a statue of devilish proportion.
What were they up to and why had they decided to pick the visitors’ room? It was about to be the place of great disruption in the dead of the night. The second elf crawled up onto the bed; something had caught his eye and it was rather appealing.
Jo’s aunt had given her a copper bangle, one that had healing powers. She had collected it on one of her world trips and it was precious to Jo. The elf called to his friend to join him on the bed and help him steal the bangle, he needed help to pull the bangle from the girl’s arm. His eyes were sparkling and his heart was full of joy at the thought of owning such a valuable bangle. Jo moved and the two fell flat to the bed sheets and waited for the right time to pounce. The moon lit the bed up so the elves knew that this was their moment to gain something precious for their collection of stolen goods. Together they started to pull and push the bangle down Jo’s arm, twisting it lower over her wrist. Suddenly, the bangle flew into the air and landed in the fireplace. The elves hurdled off the bed falling over each other to retrieve the bangle from the hot coals. Jo woke up and the elves squealed in fright, still poking into the fire for the bangle. As Jo sat up, the devilish Dark Elves managed to grab the bangle and dashed for the window. Eiki stirred as the elves jumped out of the window and ran into the dark. They were lucky the moon had disappeared behind the night clouds at just the right time.
‘Oh no! They’ve stolen my bangle,’ exclaimed Jo.
With that, Eiki jumped up, squeezed through the window and dashed after them. This worried Jo as she was now concerned about the welfare of her friend. The thought of Eiki chasing after two mischievous Dark Elves sent a shiver down her spine. It could be dangerous for Eiki. She needed to think straight and sort out some kind of plan.
Firstly, Jo got dressed into all of the tartan clothes, the night was cold and wet and she was not used to the freezing conditions. She decided to alert others and get some help. Creeping down the hall she managed to find Semus’s room. Knocking on the wooden door, she wondered what the reaction was going to be when Semus found out Eiki was outside in the foul weather. Earlier in the day they had been warned not to venture out at night, as it was full of danger.
Semus was sleepy when he answered the knock, but there was an injection of energy when he saw the look of fear on Jo’s face.
‘Call the elders o all the clans and get together a search party, it’s about tome the Dark Elves are made accountable fur all the trauchle they cause the toon,’ yelled the angry Mac Slurpa.
With a blood-curdling shrill he screamed and ran into the town. Mary woke and hurried into the village to ring the bell. Soon, every creature of every clan would be awake and alert to answer the call. They had to chase after the blighters and retrieve Eiki and hopefully the stolen bangle.
‘Nuethin wull stop us from getting the bangle back. Trauchle wi the elves ore that they tak too many things that dinna belong to them. We must find them before the morn.’
Jo was surprised at the anger that surrounded the village. Most of the Mac Gulpa and Mac Slurpas were ready for a fight. They were dressed in Scottish battledress, with shields and sticks, and others carried burning torches to light the way into battle. They all looked so fierce and were ready to join the fight.
Meanwhile, Eiki was still chasing the Dark Elves. She was sopping wet and determined to catch them so that she could retrieve the bangle and go home to a warm bed. Nevertheless she was on a mission and nothing was going to stop her. Nobody steals from her best friend and gets away with it. The moon was playing tricks; every now and then it disappeared behind some clouds, turning off the only light to illuminate her path. Eiki would get cranky and start to yell for it to come back to help.
‘Stupid moon! Why can’t it not stay out for me? It would if we were in Australia. Can’t understand the Scottish moon!’
Eiki thought that each country had its own moon and stars and this one was playing up. Giggles could be heard over here, over there, through some bushes and under some rocks. The anticipation brought on horror as every now and then red glowing eyes dashed past and scurried around the foliage teasing and tempting her. They were quick, evil and rodent-like and they darted about, delighted in frightening the little Slurp-it-Downs. Not knowing where she was going didn’t stop Eiki and she refused to stop. She couldn’t imagine what was about to happen, her focus was single-minded and direct. Eiki just had to get her best friend’s bangle and that was that.
With a loud crack
she fell, tumbling fast and terrified down a dark shaft which had slimy edges and tangled, tortured roots. She fell further and faster now rolling and spilling the contents of her stomach. Dizzy, queasy and scared she held her breath and waited for the journey to end. Bang, thud, she hit the bottom of a wet, greasy well. The elves raced to a wooden door, slammed it and then were gone. Eiki’s heart raced, she was in shock and lying at the bottom where it was damp and dark. Bruised and angry she picked herself up, brushed the slime from her fur and attempted to open the large door. It was shut tight, no way to get in and no way to climb up to the earth’s surface. Trapped like a rat, in an unwelcome dark place. Realising she had lost the chance to retrieve the bangle; she sat bewildered. Suddenly she remembered that she could travel, but did she have the nerve? Memories of her last travelling experience came back; she pulled herself together and decided to try. ‘I wonder if I’m strong enough and smart enough to travel up the hole to the surface, I may end up somewhere else in the world.’
Eiki decided that there was nothing to lose; she couldn’t stay where she was and maybe everything would go okay considering there was only herself to travel. Eiki took a deep breath and started to chant her travelling song. Golden rays of light lit up her way and swirled around her body, gently lifting her to the surface. The beautiful lights soothed and healed her as she rose further up the dark passage.
‘Oh gosh, it looks like I can do things after all. Just need to have confidence in myself. Hooroo silly galoos, I’m off!’
Nobody could hear her, they were all back in their underground kingdom overjoyed at collecting another valuable piece of stolen property. In the meantime, the other Mac Gulpas and Mac Slurpas were well on their way. Nothing was going to stop them from attacking the Dark Elves. This night had been the last straw, too much was at stake. They had to stand up to the devilish foes. Their intent was to destroy them and retrieve everything that had been stolen from the village.
Mary took Jo inside and warmed up some milk. She knew how worried she was, and insisted Eiki would be okay. Sitting with a blanket around her shoulders in front of the kitchen fire, Jo wished that Eiki would find her way back soon. She felt bad that her bangle had started a war.
Many hours went by and nobody heard any news. Jo started to shake and cry; this was a nightmare. The first light of day was peaking over the moors and Jo and Mary found themselves exhausted and anxious. The birds across the moors started to chirp their morning calls. Mary put on the kettle; it had been a long, sleepless night. Semus had taken off, determined to help find Eiki and the stolen bangle. Mary was worried about his welfare; she never said anything to Jo.
Under the ground the Dark Elves chuckled heartlessly as they put the bangle on top of their pile of stolen goods. They had managed to get away from Eiki and that was an achievement. Semus and the others were still running along towards the underground home of the elves. They weren’t sure where the entrance was, it didn’t matter, they were going to find them and win the battle. The large Mac Gulpa galloped ahead, and was quite prepared to jump down the hole first if needed. They just had to find the right entrance to the world below. As they strode purposefully, the wind took up and the ground squished under their feet. Semus ran forward to join the leader and unbelievably managed to fall over an exhausted, wet and sorry Eiki.
‘Whit wud ye be doing here all by yersels? Are ye an right, yer covered in slime and look terrible?’
Eiki looked sideways; of course she was in a mess considering she’d been running after two horrid elves, what does he think she was doing? Cranky and angry with everyone Eiki started to cry because she had not caught them. Semus felt terrible because he had asked such a stupid question and Eiki was tired and emotional. The small Slurp-it-Downs was a great help to the townspeople; she knew where the entrance was and had guided them right to the entrance. They threw down a huge thick rope and started to descend into unknown territory.
One by one they descended and soon the hole was filled with angry, fighting creatures. When they came to the door, their plan was to bang it down with everybody’s weight.
‘One, two, three let’s flatten the door!’ cried the leader.
It didn’t budge and that fuelled their intent to achieve their goal. Everybody was about to ram the door again when it opened. The door opened up to a world of Dark Elves, mischief and a town of dark secrets. Giggles once again could be heard and red eyes darted backwards and forward causing quiet panic amongst the creatures. Semus seemed to gain enormous strength and courage and marched ahead intent on finding the bangle, his breath hot and snorting from his nose and his eyes focused in front of him. The elves were alarmed and shouted for help as Semus ran as fast as he could and grabbed one of the terrible two.
‘Let me go you stupid, skinny ugly creature, get out of our land and go back to where you all belong!’ screamed the elf.
Semus didn’t let go and demanded to be shown where all of the town’s stolen goods were.
There was a time to steal and a time to give it all back, thought Semus. Back at the town, Mary and Jo were concerned that hours had passed and still no news. Mary was agitated, it had been such a long time and she turned to Jo and asked.
‘Do ye think ye can travel to Eiki an bring her back?’
This made Jo think it was probably time she sucked it up and started to travel for herself. Aunt Pepper could travel so it must be in the blood.
Mary explained that the Scottish Mac Gulpas and Mac Slurpas don’t travel; they can only walk. Jo was astonished; she thought that it was only natural for all Gulpas and Slurpas to travel. She was learning heaps about her new friends. Jo needed to remember all of this new information for the essay she would write when she got home. Goodness, what will happen to her memory once she travelled home. Things tended to get a little confused and foggy. Mary continued to explain that the creatures walked and sang to pass the time. The only time they didn’t sing was when they were in battle and that called for loud roars.
‘Okay Mary, I think it’s time I tried to travel to Eiki. Surely it can’t be that hard; I just have to believe in myself. That’s what my Aunt Pepper would say to me, believe and manifest a reality. It’s all about the law of attraction.’
Jo sat on the floor, closed her eyes and began the familiar travelling chant. Nothing happened, so she tried again with all her might. All of a sudden the room started to swirl and her head became dizzy.
‘Oh no something is strange; I’ve gone too far, where will I end up?’
She was panic-stricken. Jo feverishly tried to grab Mary’s hand, unfortunately it was too late. She had tried too hard; it was about to go terribly wrong.
‘Where am I going? Looks like I’ve managed to do what Eiki did and it’s not at all comfortable!’
Spinning and rocketing at the speed of light, Jo was thrown violently towards earth. Thankfully enough Jo found herself landing headfirst into a hay wagon. Collecting herself together she looked about and saw that she was now travelling in the wagon on the way to her hometown. Jo had managed to travel directly back to Australia! Her shoulders dropped and she relaxed.
Home! Just where I need to be. Thank goodness for the eucalypts, the brown grass and the kookaburras laughing. Oh no, what about Eiki? I not only travelled myself for the first time, I managed to get myself home, thought Jo with mixed emotions.
Her mind was racing and confusion made her head ache. The wagon stopped; she jumped out making sure nobody saw her. She had to get to the Gulp-a-Waters and Slurp-it-Down’s village as soon as possible. She then noticed that she was dressed in Scottish clothes and didn’t know what day it was. Not to mention what time it was. Maybe it was still the day she left the schoolroom with Eiki and no time had passed at all. Should she be at school, maybe Melissa was still waiting for her at the tuck shop?
I’ve got myself into the poo this time! thought Jo. She snuck out of the town and found herself walking on the road that led to her home. It was stinking hot and perspiration drenched her
Scottish clothes. Jo needed to get home, calm down and change into appropriate clothes. Winter clothes in a hot Australian summer didn’t match. Hopefully her mother was at work and the house was empty so that she could change and disappear into the bush; she needed to see Aunt Pepper. It wasn’t long before she reached the front gate and Bandaid came running up to her, eager to receive some attention.
‘Bandaid calm down and stop jumping on me! It’s as if I’ve been away for years.’
The house looked a little tattered; the garden needed a lot of attention. The grass was tall and all the garden beds were messy, weeds had taken over and most of the plants needed water. Jo was confused; she didn’t recall the house being in such a mess before she left. Opening the front door she noticed that the flowers on the dresser in the hall were dead, and the carpet was dusty and faded.
Something is terribly wrong; everything seems mixed up, thought Jo feeling anxious.
She slowly walked up the stairs, the house felt a little creepy; it was as if it had been vacant for many years. Cobwebs hung from the stairwell light; there was scattered mice poo everywhere. It smelt damp and unwelcoming. Her mother always was very particular about keeping the house spick and span. Jo started to get upset; she was worried that something had happened to her mother. Maybe she was ill in hospital and where was Geoffrey? Eventually she arrived at the entrance to her bedroom. She walked in slowly, frightened at what she might see. Everything had been packed up; there wasn’t anything around that even gave a hint that it had been her room. No toys, no bedclothes, nothing to give her comfort, the room was bare. Shocked and trying not to believe what she was seeing, Jo decided to go downstairs and check out the kitchen. That was the room they had spent many hours chatting over cups of tea. Surely something would be there that could give her a clue as to what has happened. The kitchen was also empty of anything familiar, not a cup or saucer or even the kettle to be found. Looking around, Jo’s fears came alive, what year was this and what was the time? Come to think of it, Bandaid is looking quite old. And where is Tim Tam? He’s usually lying around or whining to be fed! Jo’s heart began to race, she felt quite faint. She had to be in some kind of nightmare. If Eiki had managed to travel them with a mishap to Scotland, what kind of mishap had she just had?
