The Swamp Boggles

by Linda Chapman

  Sam flushed, quickly putting the spray down again.

  “Shut up!” Sophie hissed.

  Anthony grinned. “Why? What will you do? Hit me with your ickle-wickle Fluffy?”

  Sophie saw the glee in his face. She started towards him, but he was too quick for her. Still chuckling, he grabbed a biscuit and darted out of the room.

  “Never mind him,” muttered Sophie to Sam. “Come on, let’s go and check out The Shadow Files.”

  Grabbing their drinks and biscuits, they went up to Sophie’s room and closed the door. Pulling The Shadow Files out from under her bed, Sophie opened the book up and Sam quickly started leafing through.

  “No, not a Marsh Goblin,” he muttered. “Or a Slime Troll, or a Snail Gnome… Yes!” he exclaimed suddenly. “Look, here it is! I thought I’d seen one in here.”

  Sophie stared. The creature on the page Sam was holding out looked exactly like the thing they had seen that morning!

  Sam read out. “‘Beware the vicious, rotten-breathed Swamp Boggles who come from the swamps and marshes. For they are hard to injure and almost impossible to fight. Their skin is filled with water and blows will cause them no harm. They fear not humans, often travelling between houses and buildings using drains and underground waterways.’”

  Sophie listened with mounting dread. “That’s really not good. If they can travel through the town, they’ll be able to find the gems. Because the key glows whenever it’s near one of them, remember?”

  “There’s another note here.” Sam pointed to the bottom of the page. “It looks like your grandpa’s handwriting. ‘Fighting a Swamp Boggle’,” he read out. “‘See Fighting Slime Trolls and Marsh Goblins. Many similarities. Same things may work?’”

  Sam quickly found the Slime Troll page.

  “What does it say?” Sophie looked at him hopefully.

  “‘To fight a Slime Troll, one must first dry out their skin through use of wind or heat for then they will become vulnerable to blows.’” Sam looked at Sophie. “We could try that on the Swamp Boggle!”

  “But how?” said Sophie.

  Sam scratched his head; Sophie could sense his brain whirring. “Let’s see… we could rig up a massive fan. It would need to be on wheels so we could transport it, and battery powered of course, so it wouldn’t need a cable, and then…”

  “Whoa!” Sophie broke in. “Where are we going to get a massive fan from, let alone a battery pack to power it?” She sighed. “I wonder if the page on Marsh Goblins is any more use.”

  Sam flicked the pages. “Here it is! ‘When a Marsh Goblin is terrified it will dissolve into a puddle of water and never recover.’” He looked up at Sophie. “So we have to scare one to death!”

  Sophie raised her eyebrows. “Let me see. Hands the size of bicycle wheels, teeth like a ninja piranha, body that can’t be hurt. Oh, yeah, a Swamp Boggle is going to be so easy to terrify!” With a groan, she got up and went restlessly to the window, looking across the lawn to where the woods pressed up against the fence. The washing was fluttering on the line, but then another movement caught her attention. What was that? She peered more closely at the trees. Surely it wasn’t…

  But it was.

  “Sam!” she hissed. “Look! By the fence!”

  Sam joined her and followed her gaze. “Oh, no – it’s the Swamp Boggle!” he said in dismay.

  They watched as the Swamp Boggle stared over the fence towards the house.

  “Sophie!” said Sam suddenly. “What if Mrs B goes into the garden to get more washing in?”

  They looked at each other in horror and the next minute were both racing down the stairs.

  “We’re just going outside!” Sophie gabbled as she and Sam ran past Mrs B, who was still standing at the ironing board. “Stay here! Don’t go out!”

  “Oke-dokey. But could you bring the rest of the washing in for me, then, please, duckies?” Mrs B didn’t look surprised. She was used to Sophie and Sam’s games.

  Only this time it wasn’t a game! As Sophie got outside and saw the Swamp Boggle, she felt the familiar feeling of power surge through her. She whizzed to the bottom of the garden. “Stop right there!” she commanded as the Swamp Boggle put its hands on the fence.

  The Swamp Boggle gave a burbling hiss. “You again!”

  “Yes, me!” Sophie breathed slowly and deeply, like her tae kwon do teacher had taught her. It kept her calm, which she really needed right then. She had no idea how she was going to fight this thing. “This is my house. Go away!”

  “No,” the creature gurgled.

  “Then take this, you great big slime ball!” Sophie leapt into the air and felt her feet splat against the creature’s shoulders. The Swamp Boggle hissed, showing off his set of spiny, giant teeth.

  “Soph, wait! I’ve got an idea!” Sam burst out.

  Sophie didn’t have time to ask what it was – the thing was lunging at her with its long bony fingers. As she dodged, she saw Sam run off. What was he doing? Suddenly she felt very alone.

  The Swamp Boggle lashed out again. Sophie raced round behind it and jumped into the air, whipping her body sideways and kicking out hard. Left foot… right foot. Splat! Splosh!

  The Swamp Boggle stumbled forward slightly, but then swung round again, unhurt.

  Great – that had really worked. Sophie glanced about. Where was Sam?!

  “We will find the hidden gems, little girl!” hissed the Swamp Boggle.

  We? thought Sophie. At the same moment there was a laughing sound behind her, like swamp mud glooping. Two more Swamp Boggles emerged from the trees!

  Sophie’s heart flipped in her chest. There were three of them now – how was she ever going to fight them all? Straightening her shoulders, she tossed her ponytail back. Never mind how – she had to try!

  She lunged forward, but the first Swamp Boggle – the chief – lifted her into the air as easily as if she was a doll. “Let go of me!” she yelled.

  “With pleasure,” snarled the boggle, throwing her over the fence. She crashed on to the ground, but managed to roll over, breaking her fall. The other two Swamp Boggles charged towards her with a roar. Only slightly winded, Sophie leapt to her feet. She ducked and dodged, avoiding one set of fingers, swerving from another set of teeth, seeing the first Swamp Boggle climbing back over the fence towards her too.

  The Swamp Boggles made a circle round her and began to close in. She looked frantically from side to side.

  “Sophie! Catch!”

  Sam appeared at the fence, holding up a blue and yellow spray can. What was that? Sophie stared in bewilderment as he threw it towards her. It soared into the air. Using all her Guardian agility, Sophie shot upwards, just as the Swamp Boggles pounced on the space where she’d been standing a split second before. They squelched into each other, falling into a slimy heap.

  Sophie landed on the grass behind them, holding the can.

  “Spray them with it, Soph!” Sam called.

  Sophie had no idea why she should spray them, but she trusted Sam absolutely. Pressing down the nozzle hard, she aimed the spray at the boggles. A white cloud hissed out, and Sophie smelled the familiar sweet scent of Mrs B’s starch.

  “Argh! Ow! Ouch! Urgh!” The Swamp Boggles started hopping around as the mist covered them, hardening and stiffening their slimy skin.

  “Yes! Try fighting them now!” shouted Sam.

  Sophie leapt at the first one, kicking out with her right foot. This time as her foot made contact there was a satisfying cracking sound.

  “Yargh!” the chief Swamp Boggle yelped.

  Hope spiralled through Sophie, spurring her on. “Hi-YA!” she shrieked, spinning round again and attacking with kick after kick. Smack! Crash! Thump!

  The Swamp Boggles had had enough. With a howl of dismay they charged back into the woods, their dry skin not leaving even a trace of their usual gooey slime trail.

  Sam punched the air. “Fear the starch!” he yelled at them.

  Sophie grinned at hi
m, her green eyes sparkling. “Now, that was cool!” She shook her head. “Whatever made you think of using the starch spray?”

  “It just came to me!” Sam exclaimed. “I was thinking we need something to make them less squishy so your kicks would hurt them, and then I remembered Mrs B saying how starch used to make her dad’s shirts really stiff. I had to try it!”

  Sophie leapt back over the fence and high-fived him. “Well, it was wicked! I owe you one, Book Boy.”

  Sam raised an eyebrow. “So you’ll do me a favour in exchange?”

  “Anything!” Sophie promised.

  Sam glanced round to where Mrs B had just come out into the garden. “OK then… you can tell Mrs B that we’ve just used up all her starch!”

  Mrs B’s usual cheerful smile faded slightly when she heard that Sophie and Sam had used up all her starch.

  “I’m sorry. I’ll buy you some more,” Sophie promised.

  “But what on earth were you doing with it?” Mrs B looked astonished.

  Sophie could just imagine what Mrs B would say if she told her the truth. Having a fight with three savage Swamp Boggles who seemed to want to rip my head off. “Just messing around,” she said quickly. “I’m really sorry, Mrs B. We’ll go and buy you some more right away.”

  Sophie grabbed her school bag from her room and put The Shadow Files inside it.

  “If you’re going out don’t forget your Fluffy!” Anthony said, waving it as he came over to her.

  “Wanna cuddle!” it announced.

  Sophie forced a smile as Anthony pushed it into her hands. “Thanks,” she said through gritted teeth.

  “Lovely!” beamed Mrs B. “Thank you, Anthony. That was very thoughtful of you.”

  As Mrs B turned away, Sophie pulled a face at her twin. He smirked back. Shoving the Fluffy deep into her bag, Sophie opened the door. “Come on, Sam.”

  “At least we know how to fight Swamp Boggles now,” she said as they walked towards the shops on the High Street. “If we see them looking for gems, then we can just spray them with starch!”

  Sam nodded. “The trouble is what happens when we’re not around,” he pointed out. “If they can travel underground like it says in The Shadow Files, then they’ll be able to get all round town.”

  Sophie bit her lip. It was true. She and Sam couldn’t watch them every second of the day and night. “What are we going to do?”

  Sam frowned. “Plan A: we scare them so much they then dissolve into puddles of water.”

  “No good. They’re not frightened of anything!” said Sophie.

  “Plan B: we find all the gems before they do.”

  “Easier said than done,” Sophie commented. “What’s Plan C?”

  Sam looked worried. “Think of another plan!”

  Reaching the supermarket, they bought three cans of starch spray, using most of Sophie’s pocket money. “I wonder if Grandpa will pay me back,” she said glumly, gazing into her almost-empty purse.

  Sam looked across the High Street. “Should we go and see him? Mrs B said he’s at Mr Badgett’s. We could go and tell him what’s been going on.”

  Sophie winced. She still wasn’t looking forward to telling Grandpa that she had let the boggles get away with the key! “Maybe I’ll talk to him tonight…”

  But it was too late; Sam was already crossing the road.

  Mr Badgett’s shop – Anything Goes – was up a small alley, just off the High Street. It was one of the oldest buildings in the town and had a twisting, winding staircase and lots of little rooms, including a cellar and an attic. Mr Badgett sold all sorts of things, both new and old, and sometimes he paid Sam and Sophie to unpack boxes for him and tidy shelves.

  The bow window at the front of the shop was packed full of things. Sophie grimaced at the sight of three brand-new Fluffies on an old pine rocking chair. “Do we really have to go in?” she said reluctantly.

  Sam didn’t answer; he stood staring up at the sign above the shop door as if he couldn’t believe his eyes. “Look!” he pointed. “I knew I’d seen the word before!”

  Sophie followed his gaze. “Anything Goes, stockists of wares old and new, big and small…” She stopped, realising. “Wares,” she breathed.

  Sam nodded. “And do you remember the rest of the clue?” He recited it:

  “High in an old place

  The yellow gem will be found

  Hidden on a dusty shelf

  Strange wares all around.”

  Hope leapt through Sophie. “Mr Badgett sells strange wares. Do you think, maybe… maybe the yellow gem is hidden in here?”

  “Come on!” Sam pushed open the door and they ran into the shop.

  Mr Badgett and Grandpa were in the front room. Mr Badgett was a tall, skinny man with long grey hair and a grey beard, and he wore a faded checked waistcoat and brown trousers. Grandpa looked very different with his closely-cropped grey hair, tanned arms and black clothes, but the two men had always been good friends.

  “Well, look who it is!” smiled Mr Badgett as Sophie and Sam came in. “My two favourite helpers. Have you come to earn some more pocket money, then?”

  “No, not—” Sophie started to say, but she broke off as Sam elbowed her.

  “Yes, please. Have you got any shelves that need tidying up, Mr Badgett?” He shot a glance at Sophie. “Maybe some high shelves.”

  Sophie realised what he was doing. Tidying up would be a perfect excuse to look around!

  “Yes, of course. Why don’t you start through there?” Mr Badgett pointed to the next-door room, which was full of household things. He fetched a couple of dusters and some polish from under the counter. “And the toy room needs a good tidy too. Those Fluffies are selling like hot cakes! You could bring a few more down from the storeroom for me.”

  Grandpa gave Sophie a sharp look. “Haven’t you got other things you should be doing? More important things?”

  She gave him a meaningful stare. “No, this is very important, Grandpa. I think we really should do these shelves for Mr Badgett. Please could you ring Mrs B and let her know where we are, though, so she doesn’t worry?”

  Grandpa frowned and then understanding seem to dawn in his eyes. He nodded quickly. “Very well, I’ll ring Mrs B. You run along, Sophie.”

  Sophie hurried after Sam. “I’m sure he knows something’s going on. Wouldn’t it be brilliant if we could find the yellow gem and show it to him on the way home?”

  “It would!” Sam looked around at the cupboards and shelves piled high with crockery and glasses, the jumble of brooms and mops, bins and storage boxes. “But finding it isn’t going to be easy.”

  Sophie followed his gaze. How could they possibly find one tiny gem amongst all these things? She took a deep breath. There was only one thing to do. “Time to get tidying!” she said.

  An hour later the two rooms looked much better, but they still hadn’t found the yellow gem. “Let’s get those Fluffies down from the storeroom for Mr Badgett,” said Sam. “And then we can start looking upstairs.”

  The attic storeroom was all the way up the creaking wooden staircase – a low-ceilinged room with things piled everywhere: old shop mannequins without arms, rails of clothes, shelves stacked high, a barrel brimming over with sporting equipment. And, in the corner, a massive mountain of Fluffies in their boxes, covered by an old sheet.

  Sophie grabbed three Fluffies from under the sheet. “Should we take these downstairs?”

  Sam didn’t reply. He was staring around him. “‘High in an old place… Hidden on a dusty shelf.’ Sophie!” he said suddenly. “I bet the gem’s in this room!”

  Sophie’s stomach flipped. Maybe he was right. “Let’s ask Mr Badgett if we can tidy up here!”

  They raced back downstairs. Mr Badgett was just cashing up the till and Grandpa was standing by the front door. “Are you ready to go, you two?” he said. “Jack’s shutting up now.”

  “Shutting up?” Sophie’s heart sank.

  “Yes, thank you for your
help.” Mr Badgett handed Sophie and Sam a two-pound coin each from the till. “You’ve done a wonderful job.”

  Sam shot Sophie a look. “Can we come back tomorrow after school and tidy the attic?” he blurted out.

  “Why – of course you can,” said Mr Badgett, looking surprised. “It could certainly do with a good sort-out up there.”

  Sophie saw Grandpa’s eyes narrow thoughtfully as he gazed at them. “Tell you what, Jack,” he said suddenly. “Why don’t you and I go for a quick drink and leave Sophie and Sam here to do a bit more tidying? I’ve got my mobile so they can ring me if they need us. We can lock the front door, but leave the back door unlocked in case they need to get out in an emergency.”

  “Oh, yes. Please!” Sophie begged Mr Badgett.

  “Well, it does seem a shame to waste such enthusiasm!” laughed Mr Badgett. “If you think it’s all right, then, Bob. Of course they can stay. We’ll just be half an hour or so.”

  He unlocked the back door that led on to a walled courtyard. There were stone statues all round it, and a dry fountain in the middle.

  “No one can get in here, the walls are too high,” he explained. “And we’ll make sure we lock the front door on our way out.”

  “Thanks, Mr Badgett!” Sophie’s, eyes gleamed. “Come on, Sam! Let’s go back upstairs.”

  They shoved the cleaning things in Sophie’s backpack and pounded up the staircase. Back in the attic, they started taking things off the shelves as fast as they could. Clouds of dust flew up and soon they were both sneezing. Sam opened up the stepladder and began to check out the top shelves, handing things down to Sophie.

  “Some of this stuff looks like it’s been here forever. These are ancient!” He handed her down four faded boxes with hairdryers in. “And look at this! Gross!” He handed her a sickly sweet painting of a little girl with a cute kitten in her arms. “Lucky Mrs B hasn’t seen this or she’d probably have bought it for your bedroom wall!”