Benjamin Forrest and the Bay of Paper Dragons

by Chris Ward

  ‘She can manage,’ Wilhelm said to Edgar, a grin on his face.

  ‘I think he’s up there. That’s about where she said, isn’t it?’

  Benjamin nodded, placing a hand on the rickety wooden ladder. ‘A little to the left, please.’

  With a crackling of twigs, the wooden ladder that was Fallenwood shifted across the front of the building.

  ‘Right, up you go,’ Benjamin said. ‘I’ll hold it.’

  Fallenwood crackled in a way that suggested holding the ladder wasn’t necessary.

  ‘Well, after you ran off and hid,’ Wilhelm said, ‘I wouldn’t put anything past you.’ At the sound of another angry crinkle, he lifted a hand. ‘But I haven’t forgotten my promise. I’ll leave that botanical society building as clean as my own dorm room.’

  ‘Which is spotless,’ Benjamin said with a sarcastic grin.

  Over in the car park, a large, coal barbecue spat sparks up into the air while children danced around it. Edgar moved among them, at times entertaining, at others supervising. Ms. Ito and Professor Eaves were absent, off somewhere, most likely keeping an eye on Godfrey, who, according to Edgar, had so far refused to cooperate.

  Benjamin peered up into the dark. The light from the barbecue flickered off the soles of Wilhelm’s shoes, but otherwise he couldn’t see anything.

  ‘Any luck?’

  The wooden ladder creaked. ‘Got him!’ Wilhelm shouted jubilantly, then he shimmied down the ladder with something shiny in his hands.

  ‘Nice to see you made it, Rick,’ Benjamin said with a smile, patting the little Scatlock on the part he presumed was its head.

  The next morning, they left for the school, with all of the pupils loaded up into Lawrence’s front two carriages, Godfrey and the teachers in the rearmost one. Jim Green and Alan Barnacle came to wave them goodbye, the former with a lot more luster than the latter, who was part embarrassed, part disappointed with what had ensued in his enforced absence.

  Lawrence took an alternate route this time, heading up the hill behind the guesthouse toward the clifftops. As they reached the peak, Benjamin, Wilhelm, and Miranda pressed their faces to the window. Far below, two shapes moved through the water—one black and shiny, the other coloured like a rainbow. While Benjamin couldn’t be sure, if he let his eyes relax enough for the colours to blur, it appeared they were marking out letters which went together into a message:

  THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES. WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AGAIN.

  Wilhelm, who didn’t quite catch it, just shrugged, while Miranda, who did, stared unblinking at the bay until it was out of sight, a misty look in her eyes.

  The journey south to the school took a lot longer than the arrival journey, with Lawrence, upon the teachers’ insistence, taking a more relaxed, scenic route. Most of the pupils fell asleep, and when Benjamin woke, they were already back outside the main entrance.

  Captain Roche and Professor Loane greeted them, as did Gubbledon, looking even more worried than usual. Without much fuss, Godfrey was led away into the school, while the other pupils watched through Lawrence’s windows. Then, in no uncertain terms, Ms. Ito made it quite clear they should immediately return to their dorm rooms and prepare for dinner, over which a list of punishments would be read.

  Benjamin was happy to receive just five hundred cleans—for ‘various misdemeanours unbecoming of a pupil of Endinfinium High’—while Wilhelm received three thousand, payable in installments, for ‘direct disobedience of teachers’ instructions.’ Rather unknown for a punishment of such scale, the cleans were ‘transferable’ to any pupil wishing to lighten the load, so Benjamin and Miranda offered to take five hundred each, and even Snout chipped in with a round one hundred.

  After dinner, Benjamin made his way down into Underfloor and had Moto take him to meet Basil again. When they arrived, the ancient biplane looked asleep, but he perked up when he realised who was paying him a visit.

  ‘He’s still there,’ Benjamin said. ‘He’s trying to stop people like me from making the same mistake.’

  Basil gave a tired snort. ‘He always was a fool. But I hope he’s found some level of peace,’ he said.

  Benjamin nodded. ‘I think he has,’ he replied. ‘He had one request of you, though.’

  ‘Oh? What’s that?’

  ‘He wants you to fly again.’

  Basil snorted again. ‘Impossible. Even if I still could, I’m not sure I’d want to.’

  Benjamin smiled. ‘I think it would make a very, very old man, very, very happy,’ he said.

  Basil gave a grave nod. ‘In that case,’ he said, ‘I’ll try.’ Then, as Benjamin turned to leave, he added, ‘I’ll need a good pilot, though. My wits aren’t what they used to be.’

  Again Benjamin smiled. ‘I think that can be arranged,’ he said.

  49

  Recognition

  It was some weeks, and time for Endinfinium to slip into an autumn of sorts, before Benjamin would scratch the itch that had really been bugging him since the episode at the Bay of Paper Dragons.

  Godfrey was being held in a basement cell room with a view overlooking the ocean, right to the edge of the world. So far, he had refused all attempts to reintegrate him into the school, deciding instead to remain a prisoner.

  ‘Try not to rattle him up,’ Edgar said. ‘He’s safely secured, but I don’t want him making a fuss. And the less you anger him, the less likely he’ll shop you to the other teachers. Are you sure you want to go through with this?’

  Benjamin nodded. ‘There’s something I need to know,’ he said.

  ‘All right, but remember, you stole the key. This comes back on you. I can’t afford another exile.’

  ‘Don’t worry.’

  Benjamin took the key and headed for the cell door at the end of the corridor, leaving Edgar standing back in the shadows. As he reached it, he took a deep breath, then slipped the key into the lock and gave it a single, sharp turn.

  He opened the door and felt a sudden sense of shock. Godfrey stood by the window, his back to Benjamin, with plastic chains that looked no stronger than a piece of string stung around his body. Of course, they had been reanimated and then enchanted with special magic that would prevent Godfrey from escaping or using his powers, but they looked so terribly weak.

  ‘Godfrey.’

  The other boy turned. ‘Oh, well look who it is.’

  ‘Hello, Godfrey.’

  ‘What do you want?’

  ‘Look, I’m not going to pretend this is a social call. You can either be straight with me or not. I just wanted to know what you meant when you said I had no idea about what was coming for me. What does he want from me?’

  Godfrey glared. ‘Why should I tell you?’

  ‘Why shouldn’t you? What difference does it make? It’s not like you need a bargaining tool, is it? You’re free to return to the school, if you’ll only follow a few rules.’

  ‘I don’t care about this school’s rules. I make my own.’

  Benjamin sighed. Apparently, Godfrey wouldn’t play easily. He turned to go.

  ‘Wait.’

  Benjamin turned back.

  ‘What?’

  ‘I saw his face,’ Godfrey said quietly. ‘He lifted his hood and I saw his face.’

  A shiver ran down Benjamin’s spine. ‘And?’

  ‘He was a little older, perhaps, but not so much as you’d think. More aged, but not in the way people age. More like … a vintage.’

  ‘What are you talking about?’

  ‘You ought to know, Forrest. This is all down to you, after all.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘It was you, Forrest. When the Dark Man lifted his hood to show me his face … it was you.’

  END

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