Charlie in the Underworld

by Charlie Small

  ‘Don’t let Craik find you, ma’am,’ I said in a low voice.

  ‘Don’t worry. There’s a secret space below the floor of the throne room. A priest-hole. The Shadow knows nothing about it. He won’t find me in a month of Sundays.’

  ‘And don’t forget to tell the King about the mutiny!’

  I heard a cry of delight as the King and Queen embraced. I don’t know what happened next because Eliza and I were already flying through the secret passages, back to Charlie and his friend Jakeman. As we crossed the great hall, I glanced up the main staircase to check on the guards. Would you believe it – they were fast asleep! So much for keeping quiet!

  Tom Returns!

  This is Charlie Writing again!

  I was so pleased when Tom and Eliza appeared outside the laboratory door, but we didn’t have long to chat. I was expecting Craik to turn up at any minute and take me off to the mines.

  Peering through the bars, they told us how they’d rescued the Queen!

  ‘That’s brilliant!’ I said. ‘Now the King might join in the mutiny!’

  ‘Sure thing,’ said Tom. ‘We told ’em all about it.’

  ‘Then let’s do it today!’ said Jakeman. ‘I finished the mole last night, so everything’s ready.’

  ‘I’d better nip back ’ome and make sure Ma has rallied the townsfolk,’ said Tom. ‘Then I’ll lead ’em to the mine for the battle.’

  ‘What about the Trog slaves?’ said Jakeman.

  ‘I should be able to ’ave a word with ’em when they’re changin’ shifts,’ said Eliza. ‘Then I’ll nip back and join up with Tom and Ma.’

  ‘Brilliant!’ I said. ‘You’d better be off. You don’t want to be here when Craik and Bobo turn up!’ I was beginning to feel really worried. I’d never started a mutiny before and wasn’t sure what to expect. Still, I couldn’t bottle out now, even if my tummy was churning and bubbling with fear.

  ‘See you!’ said Eliza, and they scampered off down the corridor towards the spiral staircase. After they’d gone I realized that Tom still had my explorer’s kit. Darn it! Never mind, I’m sure Craik wouldn’t let me take it down the mines. I just hope I don’t need it!

  My pals must have only just made it back to the secret passages in time, because a minute later we heard Craik and Bobo coming.

  ‘Quick, put this in your pocket, Charlie,’ said Jakeman, handing me a brown envelope. ‘If I can’t get to you, or if we’re separated, open it. Inside you’ll find directions to my factory. I’ll meet you there.’

  Off To The Mines

  The door burst open and the gruesome twosome entered.

  ‘Right, you,’ said Craik, grabbing my shoulder. ‘You’re coming with us.’

  ‘OK. No need to push,’ I said.

  ‘Is that machine ready?’ asked Craik.

  ‘Um! Not till to-tomorrow,’ stammered Jakeman. ‘It will definitely be finished tomorrow.’

  ‘It’d better be,’ growled Craik. Then, putting on his Shadow disguise, he led me out of the laboratory and up the spiral stairs, with Bobo slinking along behind.

  I was on my way to the mines!

  Working In The Light Mines

  We left Craik at the castle, and Bobo drove me before her, over rocks and through passages. After a long and tiring trek, I found myself in a large cavern; just like the one I’d first seen the Troglodyte slaves working in.

  Countless numbers of Trogs were dotted about, hammering away at the cavern walls and dragging rubble off in hand carts. Trog guards kept an eye on the miners and flicked their wicked whips if they showed any signs of slacking.

  I was put to work with a pickaxe, next to a massive Troglodyte. As soon as he saw me he grunted in astonishment. Eliza had told the Trogs to look out for a pink boy, and he knew the revolution was about to happen!

  I looked up at the tunnel entrances. There were about half a dozen – one big one and a few smaller ones – but there was no sign of Tom in any of them yet. I wasn’t even sure which one he would appear in. I would have to keep my eyes peeled.

  All of a sudden there was a loud, piercing scream in my ear. It was Bobo.

  ‘Get to work, slave,’ she yelled in Ape, and nipped at my ankles with her large yellow fangs. ‘Get to work or I’ll set the guards on you with their whips!’

  I lifted the heavy pickaxe over my head and brought it down on one of the rocks.

  ‘Oof!’ I cried as the axe quivered, sending a judder right through me.

  ‘Yark!’ squealed Bobo in delight. I heaved it again … and again … and soon my hands were covered in agonizing blisters.

  ‘Work harder, slave!’ yelled Bobo.

  ‘Go and stick your head in a hole,’ I replied in fluent Gorilla. Bobo screamed with laughter and went racing and hollering around the cavern.

  ‘Man-cha,’ grunted my huge workmate, staring after Bobo and drawing his forefinger across his throat.

  ‘Yes,’ I agreed. ‘Bobo is a bad monkey.’

  ‘Man-cha?’ asked the Trog slave, pointing at me with an enquiring look on his great slab of a face.

  ‘I’m sorry, I don’t understand.’

  ‘Man-cha?’ he asked, pointing again.

  Oh dear, this wasn’t going to be easy. How can you start a revolution if you can’t understand your allies? Then I realized what the huge Trog was asking.

  ‘I’m Charlie,’ I said. ‘I’m Charlie Small.’

  There was a gleam of understanding in his dark eyes. ‘Char-cha,’ he grunted.

  ‘Yes, that’s right. Charlie.’ I grinned.

  ‘Gripmere,’ said the Trog, pointing at himself.

  ‘Pleased to meet you, Gripmere,’ I said, holding out my hand, but just then the thin tongue of a whip thwacked against Gripmere’s back and he spun round in anger. A huge Trog guard was standing there.

  ‘MAN-CHA!’ he bellowed at us, and we quickly got back to work. With a mighty grunt, Gripmere swung his pickaxe over his head and brought it crashing down on a huge boulder, reducing it to powder.

  As soon as the guard had moved on, I took a sneaky look up at the tunnel mouths, but there was still no sign of Tom. Then I noticed that Gripmere was grunting to the Trog on his left.

  ‘Man-cha man-cha, man-cha Char-cha,’ he was saying, nodding his head towards me. Good old Gripmere, he was passing the word along the line, telling his friends that the pink boy was here and to be prepared. At least, that’s what I think he was saying! But where was Tom? Where were Jakeman and Eliza? Hurry up, I thought. I can’t keep this rock-breaking up for ever.

  Things Start To Happen

  I hacked and sweated and carried until my back ached and my arm muscles had turned to jelly, and still there was no sign of my pals.

  Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a movement in one of the small tunnel entrances and my heart leaped. Surely this must be Tom! But no – my heart sank into my boots again as the monstrous masked figure of Craik came striding into the mine.

  He marched up to Bobo and started shouting and gesticulating. He paced up and down as Bobo showed her fangs in a horrible sneer and looked over at me with her penetrating eyes. Quickly, I pretended I hadn’t noticed them and carried on hammering at my little pile of rocks, but the next minute Craik grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me until my teeth rattled.

  ‘Right, you horrible little pest, where is she?’ he snarled.

  ‘Where’s who?’ I asked, genuinely baffled.

  ‘The Queen, you idiot. Where have you taken her? Tell me now, or you’ll find out just how nasty I can be.’

  Oh, so that was it! Craik had just discovered the Queen had escaped. Whoops, this was going to be tricky. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ I said. ‘I didn’t even know there was a Queen. And anyway, I’ve been locked up all the time!’

  ‘Don’t give me that, you worm!’ yelled Craik, lifting me bodily from the floor. As he did so, I heard Gripmere growl.

  ‘Yaaark!’ screamed Bobo, baring her teeth in warning.
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  ‘I know you must have had something to do with it,’ Craik continued, holding my face close to his metal mask and fixing me with his cold eyes. ‘Everything was fine before you turned up. I won’t let you interfere with my plans again, so tell me – where is she?’ He shook me violently again, and threw me to the ground.

  Gripmere took a step towards my tormentor. Immediately, two guards grabbed him by the arms.

  ‘So, you dare to defy me, do you?’ Craik hissed at the uncomprehending Trog slave as he struggled in the guards’ grip. ‘Take him to the pit. Man-cha, man-cha, PIT! Let these fools see I won’t be challenged.’

  The two guards grinned and started to haul Gripmere away.

  ‘Leave him alone, you pig!’ I cried.

  By now, many of the slaves had stopped working and were staring over at us, wondering what to do.

  ‘That’s it!’ screeched Craik. ‘I’ve had enough of your meddling. Bobo – fetch my portable noose. Let’s make an example of this interfering boy.’

  ‘Oh, yippee!’ cried Bobo in delight.

  But just as she rushed off, I heard a sharp whistle. It was Tom!

  ‘SMASH THE SHADOW!’ I yelled … and then it all kicked off!

  ALL OUT WAR!

  As the Trog slaves turned to face their hated guards, a crowd of Subterraneans surged into the mine from the main tunnel. The townsfolk were followed by a band of mudskippers, and leading them all were the King and Queen!

  Tom stood by the tunnel, shouting encouragement. Eliza and Ma and a thousand other Subterraneans followed the King and Queen, and they raced into the big cavern mine.

  ‘Yahoo!’ yelled Tom, and joined the throng.

  ‘What’s going on?’ cried Craik. ‘Guards, stop these pests. Man-cha, man-cha. Stop them, I say.’ But the guards were too busy.

  The Trog slaves were turning on them, marching slowly forward, chanting ‘Man-cha, man-cha, man-cha.’

  The guards tried to push the slaves back with their whips and clubs, and for one moment I thought they were going to give in. But no!

  With a mighty roar, Gripmere shook himself free of his captors. Pummelling his chest, he grabbed a guard in each hand and bashed their thick heads together. The guards dropped to the ground, dazed, and the rest of the slaves charged.

  Soon there was a mighty battle going on. Everywhere you looked there were Trog slaves wrestling with Trog guards. Bop! Bash! Crunch! Crash! The Troglodytes whacked and walloped each other, but their skulls were so thick they hardly felt a thing, and didn’t even flinch!

  ‘Let’s get ’em!’ yelled the King.

  ‘All for one and one for all,’ crowed Ma, and Tom, Eliza and the rest of the townsfolk joined in. It was sheer pandemonium!

  The King drew a little wooden sword. ‘Charge!’ he cried, racing into battle. But he tripped over the feet of his tights, which were a little too long for him, hit his head on a Troglodyte’s kneecap and knocked himself out! Oh well, at least he had a go; even the Queen was getting stuck in.

  ‘Aah-aah-aah-aah-aah!’ I yodelled, and dived for Craik’s legs, bringing him down in a flying rugby tackle. The horrible mask fell from his face.

  ‘Look!’ a Subterranean shouted. ‘The Shadow’s not a robot. He’s nothing special at all!’

  ‘Would you believe it? He’s just an outsider!’ someone else yelled.

  ‘Look, everybody. Look at the scary Shadow now!’

  ‘Curses!’ swore Craik. He fumbled around, putting his mask back on, but he knew the truth was out. The Subterraneans wouldn’t be afraid of him any more.

  Still spread-eagled on the ground, Craik pushed me away with his heavy boots, and I rolled across the cavern floor.

  ‘Come on, Bobo. The game’s up – we’ve got to get out of here!’ he yelled.

  But, with a piercing scream, Bobo dived onto my back. She was in a frenzy of rage.

  Oof! Get off, you flea-bitten doormat!

  Is This The End?

  Bobo was much smaller than a Troglodyte, but just as powerful and twice as vicious. She clung to my back as I whipped from side to side, trying to throw her off.

  I pummelled her with my elbows, but in her frenzy I don’t think she felt my blows. Grabbing my shoulder, she flipped me onto my back and I found her staring into my face, her yellow teeth bared in a terrible grin.

  ‘Get him, Bobo!’ shouted Craik, getting unsteadily to his feet. ‘Finish it now; it’s time to go!’

  ‘Not so big without your cutlass, are you, boy?’ Bobo screamed at me in Ape. ‘Not so high and mighty without Captain Cut-throat to protect you!’

  She lunged at me, ready to inflict a mortal wound. Instinctively, I dodged, feeling her incisors graze my neck. One more attack and it would all be over … But suddenly a mighty rumble filled the air, and the ground started to shake. Everyone froze in mid-wrestle, staring in the direction of the sound. What on earth was going on? Then, with a huge explosion of rock, a section of the cavern wall disintegrated, and the rotating nose-cone of Jakeman’s massive mole, with its diamond-edged spiral blade, rumbled into view.

  Jakeman To The Rescue

  I could see my friend frantically working the controls, pulling levers and turning valve wheels.

  The Trog guards looked petrified, but Eliza had warned the slaves about the big marauding machine, and they cheered at the top of their gravelly voices. All at once, above the noise of the engine, a loudspeaker crackled into life.

  ‘Run!’ boomed Jakeman’s voice as he turned the cumbersome machine directly at the Trog guards. ‘You’ve had your fun, now scarper!’

  With a look of horror on their faces, they grabbed boulders and stones, and hurled them at the oncoming machine. The missiles bounced off uselessly, and still the mole thundered towards them. The terrified guards threw down their weapons and raised their hands in surrender. The miners pounded their chests in celebration.

  ‘Watch out!’ yelled Tom as a band of scruffers came running into the mine to help their leader. ‘They’ve got reinforcements!’

  But the scruffers took one look at the mole, turned on their heel and ran!

  A Close One!!

  By now, the mole had turned round and was heading straight for Bobo and me!

  ‘Come on, Bobo!’ shouted Craik. ‘The game’s up. Bring the boy and let’s get out of here!’

  Bobo hissed in anger and started to drag me after Craik by my hair.

  ‘Yeowch!’ I cried. ‘Careful, that’s only just grown back!’

  Still the mole rumbled towards us, getting closer … and closer. Yikes! It looked like I could choose between being kidnapped by Craik and being flattened by the mole!

  Then, just as the machine was upon us, Gripmere dived and, grabbing Bobo by the scruff of her neck, lifted her over his head and flung her after Craik. I rolled out from under the squealing caterpillar tracks of the oncoming mechanical monster.

  ‘Careful! That was a bit close!’ I yelled at Jakeman as the mole rumbled past, but he couldn’t hear a word. He just raised his thumbs and grinned.

  Bye-Bye, Craik, And Bye-Bye, Jakeman!

  As Craik and Bobo reached the mouth of one of the tunnels, he turned to speak. He shook his fist and screamed, but the mole was so noisy we couldn’t hear a word he said.

  Just then, with an ear-splitting squeal, the machine spun round, sending a spray of stones high into the air. There was a mighty boom, and a large metal dart shot out of a small aperture at the front of the mole and whizzed over our heads.

  We watched, spellbound, as the projectile flew across the mine and embedded itself in the rock just above Craik’s head.

  ‘Missed!’ Craik cried. But he had spoken too soon. A large crack started to snake out from where the dart had landed. It divided and grew, sending out a pattern of smaller cracks across the surface until, with a mighty rumble, the tunnel started to collapse.

  ‘Aargh!’ yelled Craik and Bobo together, and took to their heels down the tunnel. Rocks rained down around them, and within seco
nds the tunnel had disappeared behind a wall of debris.

  ‘Man-cha!’ cheered the Trog miners.

  ‘Hooray!’ cheered the townsfolk, the King and the Queen. ‘Good riddance to bad rubbish!’

  Then, with a metallic squeal, the mole lurched forward again. Jakeman sat staring at the controls, looking confused. His machine was going haywire! In a series of kangaroo hops it headed straight for the wall of the mine. I could see Jakeman pulling levers and turning wheels, but nothing seemed to happen. He looked down from the driver’s window and shrugged.

  ‘Wait for me!’ I yelled, but the machine carried on. Its nose-cone started to cut into the rock. ‘What are you doing?’ I cried. The mole’s speaker crackled into life again.

  ‘Charlie, I can’t stop it. The engine won’t turn off and the brake pedal has jammed. I wired them up when I didn’t have my specs – sorry!’

  ‘I thought you’d fixed it,’ I called to him. ‘So much for your wonderful inventions!’ But of course he couldn’t hear me.

  I leaped onto the mole as it ate into the cavern wall, and grabbed the door handle. Oh no! The door wouldn’t open; the mole had already tunnelled too far into the rock.

  As it continued to dig, I jumped down from my perch to avoid being crushed. Dumbstruck, I watched as the machine burrowed into the cavern wall right up to its tail lights. Jakeman shrugged, then waved, and that was the last I saw of him.

  ‘Open the envelope,’ came his tinny-sounding voice over the loudspeaker. ‘Open the envelope!’

  As the mole squeezed into its burrow, a large metal canister was torn from its side. It fell clanging to the ground and, rolling over and over, stopped at my feet.