by Suzie Taylor
• I acknowledge that Ben Prinsloo and Alfred Cunningham are the leaders of this mission.
• I hereby promise never to disclose any information about Bug Dragons to any other human being apart from the above mentioned leaders.
• I promise that I will not compromise the mission in any way by arguing or disputing decisions made by the leaders.
• I promise to do my share of any work that is involved.
• I promise not to speak in an unnecessarily high pitched voice or to be deliberately annoying.
• I will do as I am told.
“Sign here,” said Ben jabbing his finger at the spot.
“Get serious, I’m not signing that,” she retorted. “I demand equality…”
Ben knew he’d pushed the boundary with the final clause and wondered how he could reword it to say the same thing in a less obvious way.
“… Besides I’ve already told Nadia Rumble.”
“WHAT??!!” exclaimed Alf and Ben at the same time.
“Told her yesterday. Invited her round this afternoon.”
“How dare you even THINK to do that without asking us first,” Ben spluttered. “Don’t you appreciate the importance of what we’re doing here??”
“Nadia’s ok…” Emily said, shrinking a little. “She won’t tell anyone, promise!”
“She’d better bloody not,” said Ben.
“Don’t swear…”
Ben glowered at her. “Well she’s gonna have to sign this too.”
“Sign something maybe. Not that though.”
Alf sat on the end of the bed with his head in his hands. Two female agitators!
“You have to acknowledge that we are the leaders of this project,” Ben said firmly. “That’s not changing.”
“You don’t own the Bug Dragons. Not anymore,” Emily argued. “I could just as easily go off with Nadia and we could do our own thing without you!”
Alf began rocking.
Ben pressed his lips together and looked at her evenly. “We’ll do this together but we need to know that we can trust you.”
“You be nice to me then.” Her voice took on a more plaintive tone. “You’re never nice to me.”
Ben was struggling. What she said was true. But she was small, irritating, high pitched and always got more attention than she was worth.
“Well you need to stop winding me up,” he said at last. There was no denying that she liked to annoy him but if it came down to ‘who started it’ he was not so sure that he could always point the finger in her direction.
“Show me what you have on the Bug Dragon project so far,” she suggested simply.
Ben grunted and got out the thumb-drive and project book and proceeded to scroll through their notes and pictures. Emily expressed her enthusiasm more quietly than usual.
The door opened suddenly and Mrs Prinsloo popped her head in. Ben jumped up from the computer and stood squarely in front of the screen
“Cookies anyone?” she asked.
“Oh wow Mum, yes!” gushed Emily stepping forward to distract her. “Choc chip! Alf try these… they are the BEST. And they’re STILL WARM!
Mrs Prinsloo smiled. “By the way, Nadia rang. She said she couldn’t come until the morning.”
“Oh, ok,” said Emily, disappointed.
Mrs Prinsloo left and smiled to herself. It was nice to see them doing something together for once. Usually they were barred from each other’s bedrooms but this time they didn’t even appear to be arguing!
It was a brief respite however; once Emily had been educated on the appearances and habits of Bug Dragons, the task of drafting a new contract needed to be tackled. They did a fair job of keeping their voices down but the mood was anything but harmonious. Alf did his best to stay out of it. He shrank into the corner with his headphones on for a bit, then began pacing up and down, looking at his phone and muttering a bit too loudly. When Ben finally indicated that they were finished, he read through the new contract, altered the wording here and there, then ran back home mentally exhausted.
THE BUG-DRAGON UNDERCOVER RESEARCH PROJECT
Members: Alfred Ernest Cunningham
Benjamin Mark Prinsloo
Emily Jane Prinsloo
Nadia Rumble
This contract stipulates the rules and regulations for those involved in B.U.R.P. It will be signed and witnessed by all members.
• I acknowledge that B.U.R.P is a secret mission and must not under any circumstances be shared with any other human being other than the members.
• I will not compromise the mission in any way by doing any research on my own without prior consultation with the other members.
• I will do my share of any work involved.
• I acknowledge that we are a team and we will make major decisions as a team. I will listen to what other members suggest, but when agreement cannot be reached Ben Prinsloo, as the founder of the organisation has the final say.
Signature: Witness:
Ben had to fight for the final clause but was adamant that he deserved it. After all, none of them would have been involved at all if it wasn’t for him, and in the end they all agreed and signed.
Of all Emily’s friends, Ben had to admit that Nadia Rumble was probably the best she could have chosen. For one thing, she wasn’t a dancer, and for another her voice was low, measured and quiet. She stood before them, dressed in a pair of colourful patchwork overalls and a stripy cardigan, her long mane of curly black hair falling almost to her hips. Her glasses were two toned in lime green and purple, but the steely expression in her eyes behind them betrayed the fact that she actually took herself very seriously.
Upon viewing the pictures of Bug Dragons for the first time, she stated the obvious.
“These are paintings. You told me they were real.”
“They are real,” said Ben. ‘Problem is they stole Alf’s phone and did something to it so that every time we photograph them it comes out as a painting or drawing.”
Nadia’s expression was one of disbelief.
“Honestly!”
“It’s true Nadia,” said Emily. “I saw it happen. We’re not tricking you.”
“Ah huh.”
“I promise! You’ll see for yourself and then you can photograph them!”
“Hey, that’s a point,” said Ben brightening considerably. “You have a phone and they haven’t got to it! You can still take real photos!”
Nadia regarded the paintings on the computer screen without emotion and pronounced the images as ‘very sweet’.
Ben was quick to point out that their invasion of his house was anything but sweet and described the damage in detail. Nadia failed to react, instead leaning forward once more to scroll through the images. Having reached a ridiculous one of Scamp pulling a face, she paused.
“The background,” she mused thoughtfully. “It’s like… rocks. Not the rainforest.”
She was right. Not that much of it was visible.
Further scrutiny of the pictures the Bug Dragons had taken, confirmed this, and the fact that the background was quite well lit.
Alf was slightly miffed that he had failed to make that observation for himself. He was nervous of Nadia. Most new people noticed him and reacted to the things he said, but no matter what he did, the most he could extract from her was a dismissive shake of the head.
They organised a hike and picnic for the following day – and fortunately (Ben checked) the weather outlook was good. Much of the planning discussion revolved around the contents of the picnic and who would bring what. Ben would supply ham and salad rolls, Emily headed straight for the kitchen to make fairy cakes and cookies, Nadia was bringing fruit and chocolate and Alf was to bring carrots. They would all carry their own water and have their own day packs. Ben also organised insect repellent and a basic first aid kit.
Early the next morning, Ben, Emily and Nadia were ready and waiting at the car park but Alf, true to form was half an hour late.
�
��Next time we’ll tell him to be here half an hour earlier than we want,” grumbled Ben. He had hoped that Alf would at least make the effort for something that wasn’t school.
Once he did finally arrive, they started off briskly, in eager anticipation of an exciting day. It was partly just the fun of doing something without the adults that was so good. Nadia’s mother had been reluctant to let her go, but they had supplied a detailed description of the public trails they intended to take and after all both Alf and Nadia had phones and the reception in that part of the mountains was good.
To begin with they all ran; not because they had to or because they were late, but because they could. As a group they charged along the winding path, jumped over obstacles and nearly ploughed into a group of Asian tourists who were busy photographing each other in front of the overgrown remains of an old sawmill. As Alf began to fall further behind, Ben hung back to keep him company while Emily scampered and skipped up ahead, chatting non-stop to Nadia who was trotting next to her. They all met at the first junction then continued their hike at a more regular pace.
Alf had a compass on his phone as well as GPS.
“This is the spot,” he said at length. “Here’s where we need to head in a north easterly direction off the path. Make sure nobody is coming.”
Emily ran up the slope down which they had just come, looked back along the path and gave the all clear.
Trekking cross country in the daytime is a lot easier than in the dark. The tangled roots of giant trees were an entertainment rather than a hindrance and they could avoid the areas of more dense vegetation. They took the first section at a fast pace but once they were over the first rise they no longer had to worry about being seen. Ben had assigned Alf to the lead on the basis of his claim to have once trekked across the centre of Australia with a compass that he had made with an iron nail and a piece of string. Alf muttered to himself as he went, and changed direction several times, but eventually they reached the stream and the challenge was no more complex than trying to follow it without slipping in. The banks to either side were wet and slippery and rock hopping was slow and difficult so in the end they gave up and just waded in their sneakers. The stream was quite wide but not particularly deep.
“It’s not really looking right,” said Ben. “The banks aren’t steep enough and the forest is much more open along here. Not much other than palm trees. What do you reckon?”
“Nothing like,” said Emily decisively.
“Bit further,” said Alf. “Then we’ll try heading cross country towards the last recorded position.”
They continued on their way and for a while there was little change in the overall look of the scenery but then a fine mist began to form; a peculiar streaky layer of vapour that hung like a smooth motionless cloud over the surface of the water.
“Well this is weird,” said Nadia.
“No kidding.” Ben tried waving his hand through the vapour and found that it behaved similarly to water in the way that if moved through his fingers. Emily waded towards a huge fig tree on the bank, the roots of which had spread and curled like tendrils over the large mossy stones at the bank. She climbed out of the water and clambered over the tall narrow roots until she could see around the other side.
“Where you going Em?” asked Ben.
“She’s looking for a lady-tree,” said Nadia.
“No I’m not!” Emily leaned back around the tree to face them, her voice shrill and excited. “There’s another stream! Look, over here!”
The others exchanged glances and followed. Sure enough, behind the tree, a narrow gully could be seen, cutting its way into the hill by means of a fast flowing stream that seemed to shrink and disappear into the very roots at their feet.
“Well that doesn’t make sense,” Ben frowned. “And it’s not on the map! Look!”
But nobody looked. There was something distinctly unnatural about the whole thing. Ben turned and went back around the tree.
“You can’t see it from here” he called. “Not a bit of it. Not from anywhere. Em, how did you know to look behind this tree?”
She didn’t reply and he clambered back to where they were waiting.
“Em?” he said.
“What?”
“I asked how you knew to look around here, ‘cos you can’t see anything...”
“I don’t know,” she shrugged. “I think the mist told me.”
“What do you mean the mist told you?”
“No GPS,” said Alf interrupting them in a matter of fact tone. “Looks like we’re off world again.”
“Can’t be,” said Nadia. “I can still see back to where we came from. It’s just that when you’re back there, you can’t see into here. It’s an illusion.”
“Pretty solid illusion.” Ben stepped forward into the gully. “So are we going to explore it or what?” He wasn’t really expecting an answer. They all followed him without a word.
It was steeper and harder going than the previous route. They had to climb a few small waterfalls and occasionally clamber up and along the banks. Eventually they arrived at a small greenish coloured plunge-pool fed by a narrow cascade that flowed through a steep rocky crevice.
“We’re going to have to back track and climb up around the banks,” Ben sighed.
“No we don’t,” said Emily. She skirted the plunge-pool, raised her leg to a ridiculous angle and began climbing up the rocks.
“All very well for you,” snorted Ben.
“Hang on a bit and I’ll tell you what’s up there,” Emily called back. Having climbed nimbly to the top of the rocks she stood and viewed the scene ahead. “There,” she said pointing. “I think that’s where we came down the other night.”
The others took the long way around and eventually joined her.
“Those funny rocks again,” she said, indicating a spot on the opposite bank “All in a row see?”
Four mossy shapes, like twisted pillars stood near the bank; different heights but the same in diameter.
“On this side too,” said Nadia, “but more hidden under the plants.”
The pillars were indeed odd. They were a different colour to the greenish grey hue of the other rocks around them, being rather more brown like the stumps of trees and yet definitely of stone. Alf took some pictures.
“They’re a strange shape alright,” he said. “And quite uniform. Must be man-made. Nadia - try taking a photo.”
Nadia did so and the result was a genuine photograph.
Ben put down his pack and waded a little further upstream before clambering up a large rock where he stood motionless for a moment before calling out in breathless excitement.
“Come up here! Check this out!”
The others quickly joined him and for the second time that morning stood in awed silence at the view before them.
The late morning sunshine had broken through the forest canopy in narrow shafts, illuminating sections of the stream up ahead and finishing with sparkling brilliance on a wide waterfall. A light spray drifted up, creating the faintest hint of a rainbow and leaving droplets that hung on the surrounding ferns like jewels. But it was the bizarre shapes in the foreground that caused them to stare. Extraordinary moss covered towers like the ruins of an ancient cathedral, rose from the glassy stream. Some of these were topped with rainforest plants and others supported masses of vines making them look like living swamp creatures wading through the water. There were crumbling archways, walls and pillars with tiers or levels, some with curious holes going right through them. In the centre of the plunge-pool lay a small green island upon which stood a narrow spire entwined with a purplish coloured vine and red flowers.
“Stupendous!” murmured Alf.
Before anyone else could comment, there was a loud “YARK!” from the trees above them and they were swooped upon by a large black bird. They all ducked for cover with their hands over their heads and clambered down as fast as they could to the safety of the trees.
The bird sat sm
ugly on a branch and sharpened its beak.
“What sort of bird is that?” asked Ben.
“Magpie,” said Alf.
“But it’s black!”
“Yeah but look at its beak. And remember the noise it made. It’s probably just a mutant; that would explain why it’s swooping in autumn.”
“So now what are we going to do?” grumbled Ben.
“Scare it off,” said Nadia. “Like this.”
She walked out boldly, her eyes fixed on the beady eyes of the magpie. Then without diverting her gaze for a second, she stooped to pick up a rock. The magpie assessed her silently then crouched in preparation for a second attack. As it did so, she steadied herself and raised her arm threateningly, ready to throw. The magpie considered this new turn of events, changed its mind and with another loud cry flew off into the forest.
“Are you crazy?” Emily demanded when she joined them once again. “They can peck your eyes out you know.”
“I know,” She shrugged. “But if they know you’re ready for them they don’t attack – and they always prefer to attack from behind.”
“It must have a nest somewhere,” said Emily, “but if it does why did it leave?”
“Well so long as it did leave,” said Ben getting back to his feet.
They followed him back up to the top of the rock and considered the view once again.
“So what do we make of this? It looks like… like well these are certainly not natural formations…”
“It’s quite scattered,” observed Nadia, “as if something fell here a long time ago. Something man-made - but the shapes are strange.”
“It certainly looks old,” agreed Ben, “like a ruin, and yet nothing is terribly big. What do you reckon Alf? And don’t start on Aliens again.”
Alf hedged a little. He felt comfortable speaking his mind when it was only Ben there, but the girls had complicated his life.
“It’s probably the remains of 22nd century civilisation. We’ve travelled through space and time and this is all that is left after the apocalypse. Better keep your eyes open for wandering Morlocks.”
“You’re funny,” said Emily.
