by Jen Storer
This time the Singing Stones rose of their own accord, spinning and flashing, humming their mysterious melody. A web of soft green light, like a woven force field, arced in a dome over the four of them.
Angus looked about in awe. For a moment he forgot to be afraid.
Martha’s eyelids fluttered.
‘She’s waking up,’ he said, reaching out.
‘No,’ said Ava. ‘Do not touch her, Angus Jack. Not yet.’
‘Is she going to be all right?’ said Angus. ‘Please. I can’t stand seeing her like this ...’
Martha drew a long, slow breath and Ava smiled.
‘Graini’s bracelet is powerful,’ said Ava as the green light faded and the Singing Stones pattered to the floor. ‘Your sister-sibling is now responding.’
Martha opened her eyes. She stared at Angus, his face strained and pinched with dread. ‘Man, you look cruddy,’ she said.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
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One green curl
Angus was speechless as Martha raised herself up onto her elbows.
‘Don’t look so worried,’ she said, nudging him. ‘I’m all right, you know. You can even give me a hug if you want.’
Angus curled his arms around his sister in a clunky embrace.
Martha looked across his shoulder and spotted the goblin girls. ‘Hey,’ she said, wriggling free. ‘What are they doing here? What’s going on, Angus?’
Graini was lying still and silent as Ava stroked her knotty hair.
‘Graini,’ Ava said, ‘it is time you woke up. It is time you were with us again.’
‘I don’t really know what’s going on,’ said Angus. ‘Graini’s been acting weird ever since you got knocked out.’
‘I got knocked out?’ gasped Martha. ‘Cool.’
‘It wasn’t cool!’ said Angus. ‘I was freaked out. You looked like you were ... Well, trust me, it didn’t look good.’
Martha scrambled up onto her haunches.
‘Are you sure you’re okay?’ said Angus. ‘No headache? Bruises?’
‘I’m fine,’ said Martha with a loose shrug. ‘Truly. But what’s wrong with Miss Snitchy Pants?’ Martha jerked her head at Graini.
‘Graini has shared with you the power of her Water Stones,’ said Ava. ‘Do you see the bracelet, Martha Jack?’
Martha looked down at her wrist. ‘Wow.’ She ran her fingers over the bracelet. ‘It’s beautiful.’
‘The bracelet was a Birth Gift to Graini,’ said Ava. ‘There are none like it in this realm. The silver is the rarest, the purest, from our realm. This bracelet’s power has restored you, Martha Jack, but as for Graini ...’ She turned back sadly to her companion.
‘Here,’ said Martha, tugging at the bracelet. ‘She can have it back. I feel fine, honestly. And I don’t want her to be sick ...’
Martha kept tugging at the bracelet but it would not come off. It refused to slide over her hand.
‘It is only for Graini to remove the Water Stone bracelet,’ said Ava. ‘If she recovers,’ she added quietly. ‘And if you consent to its removal.’
‘Of course I consent,’ cried Martha, still tugging at the bracelet. ‘Angus. Can’t you do something?’
‘Maybe we could saw it off,’ he suggested.
‘It is silver from the Old Realm,’ said Ava. ‘Nothing in this world can saw through it.’
‘What about hot soapy water?’ said Angus. ‘You know, to make it slip off.’
Ava sighed. ‘It was not known to either of us how this would affect Graini. She has never parted with it before. The bracelet has grown with Graini. It is a part of her, almost like her heart or ... her soul.’
Martha ran her fingers through her hair.
‘Hey,’ said Angus, and he touched a curl of Martha’s hair. ‘What’s this?’
‘What?’ asked Martha with a frown.
‘It’s green!’ said Angus.
Martha grabbed the strand of hair and tried to stretch it out so she could see it. She looked down her nose. She could just see the tip of a forest-green curl.
Ava smiled sadly. ‘Martha and Graini now have mingled energies.’
Martha felt the rest of her hair. ‘It’s not all turning green, is it?’ she said tensely. ‘I mean, Graini’s hair is nice and everything but, well, I wouldn’t want it on my head.’
‘It is just a symbol, Martha Jack,’ said Ava. ‘A gesture to your bond. You are not turning into Graini.’
‘That’s a relief,’ muttered Angus, and he gave his sister a wink.
‘Goblins are very sensitive to the possessions of others,’ Ava went on. ‘You have seen Reafen. You have seen how she is ... not well in her mind. She has lost all balance. She is weighed down and garbled by the possessions of others — the energy patterns, the memories from the chattels and knick-knacks she hoards. Everything holds energy, do you see? It is all vibrating. Attracting and repelling. Particles and waves always dancing and complementing and interacting.’
Angus considered this for a moment. It sounded like some kind of offbeat physics lesson. And yet Ava was right. Reafen was garbled and mired in the cast-offs of others. Maybe other people’s stuff really did have an effect on you.
‘I’ve got an idea,’ he said. ‘Give me your surf watch, Martha.’
Martha was about to argue when her face softened. ‘Oh yeah,’ she exclaimed, and quickly unbuckled her watch. ‘But I’ll do it.’
Martha gently lifted Graini’s arm. It was limp and cool to the touch. She looped the watch around Graini’s wrist and carefully did up the buckle. Then she laid the goblin girl’s arm back across her chest and the trio waited.
‘I hope it helps,’ said Martha as they sat watching Graini. ‘I’m sorry I was so mean about her. She’s snitchy and bossy but then again ... so am I.’
Ava looked frightened and lost, and her eyes glistened with tears.
She’s got pretty eyes, thought Angus. Kind of ... blue. Sort of ... nice.
He wondered if he should try to console her. But when he imagined touching her or holding her hand, he felt awkward and stupid.
Graini’s eyes sprang open and she looked around.
‘Graini!’ cried Ava.
‘Oh, crud,’ said Graini, lifting her wrist and scowling at the watch. ‘What’s this cruddy old thing?’
The others frowned — then exploded with laughter.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
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Heading out
They sat on the floor, a ragged little circle of four.
They were silent as Ava gathered up the Singing Stones and dropped them one by one into the leather pouch. Graini examined the purple surf watch.
‘Do you want to swap?’ Martha held out her arm. She had been tugging at the silver bracelet but it still would not come off.
‘Do you mind?’ said Graini.
‘No way,’ said Martha. ‘Of course, your bangle’s beautiful and special but, well, it doesn’t really go with my outfit, does it?’
Graini looked vaguely perplexed.
‘Whereas the surf watch,’ Martha prattled on, ‘is brilliant. It’s waterproof, you know, and it’s a very good brand. Trendy. Expensive. I was positive you’d want to keep it.’
‘I don’t surf,’ said Graini simply, and she took off the watch and handed it back.
‘Thanks,’ said Martha, stroking it gratefully. Then she held out her arm. ‘You’ll have to get it off.’ She jiggled the bracelet. ‘It won’t budge for me.’
‘Of course it won’t,’ said Graini. ‘It’s not yours.’
Graini placed her hands around the bracelet and Martha felt it warm up. A few seconds later her arm became weak and floppy as if she had been laughing. The bracelet slid off and Graini grinned, cheeky and buck-toothed. Ava beamed as Graini pushed the bracelet up her arm and out of sight under her sleeve.
‘So what now?’ Angus was getting up. ‘Are you going to let us
go quietly, or are we going to have to fight you?’
‘Angus Jack,’ sighed Ava, ‘we think that you should explain to us why you have gone to such grave lengths. Why you have stolen our narrare.’
Graini stood up too. ‘No, Ava,’ she said. ‘We don’t need explanations. Just give us what is ours and we’ll be gone,’ she said to the kids. ‘Nothing more needs to be said.’
‘But we can’t give it back,’ said Martha. ‘We didn’t take it for ourselves. It’s for somebody else. Somebody stupid but ... important.’
Graini shook her head. ‘What did I tell you, Ava? These children are someone else’s pickpockets. Someone else’s sneakthieves. They are in the employ of a greater mind. Stupid, gullible human children.’
‘That’s so mean,’ cried Martha, springing to her feet. ‘You take that back, right now. You don’t know anything about Angus and me. And when I get home, I’m going to cut this green curl right off!’
Martha tugged at her hair and Graini gave a haughty sniff.
‘All right, all right,’ said Angus. ‘Calm down.’
‘Yes,’ said Ava. ‘This is what has caused all our problems. All this yelling and accusing and casting of blame.’
‘Obviously we need to talk,’ said Angus. ‘But not here. The Donut Lady will be back any minute and Martha and I can’t afford any more delays. All I can say is that we’re in serious trouble ...’ Angus lowered his voice. ‘We would never have touched your clunky old narrare if it wasn’t for our father.’
The goblin girls balked.
‘Your father-relative?’ Ava frowned.
The kids nodded.
‘He is in danger?’ said Ava.
The kids nodded again.
‘There is a cave,’ said Graini briskly. ‘It is the perfect place for serious discussions.’
‘Yes,’ said Ava, ‘we could take you there now. We would not be disturbed there.’
‘And you’re sure this isn’t a trick?’ Angus was thinking of the birdcage lift and the gloomy factory and Lynch.
‘You know you can trust us, Angus Jack,’ said Ava, resting her hand on his arm. ‘For we understand you now. We understand that you and your sister are in dire straits. We have shared much. We respect each other. Don’t we, Angus? Martha? Graini?’
Graini muttered something under her breath but by now it was clear to all four that they were going to have to find a way to work together.
As they prepared to leave, the goblin girls put on their sunhats and draped their lairy beach towels around their shoulders.
Angus regarded them critically. ‘You realise you look ridiculous? Especially now the weather’s turned. You look like a pair of stranded pensioners.’
‘Yeah.’ Martha giggled. ‘Did the day bus leave you behind?’
‘Better we look like this than ourselves,’ said Ava, tucking her dreadlocks up under her hat and donning a pair of sunglasses.
‘But that’s my point,’ said Angus casually. ‘You two actually look ... cool. You don’t need disguises. Whoever told you that was a fool. You’re no different from the rest of us. You just need to be yourselves.’
Ava glowed with happiness and Angus realised what he’d just said. It was kind of ... flattering. Well, he had meant it. Even Graini was funky.
Ava smiled at him shyly and his heart raced. He turned away hastily and took a large woollen cardigan from the back of an armchair.
‘Wear this, Martha,’ he said. ‘It’s cold out there.’
‘But —’ began Martha.
‘The Donut Lady won’t mind,’ said Angus. ‘It’s just a loan.’
Martha took the cardigan. It drooped below her knees and could easily wrap around her body twice. But she was grateful for the warmth.
‘What about you, Angus?’ she asked as she bundled the cardigan around herself. ‘You’ll freeze in that T-shirt. Especially once it gets dark.’
‘Humans,’ scoffed Graini. ‘Always hot or cold or sick or grizzling. Here,’ she said, and she flicked a hoodie from a hook behind the door and tossed it to Angus. It was purple with floral appliqué down the front.
‘I can’t wear that,’ said Angus. ‘I’d look like an idiot.’
‘For goodness sake,’ said Martha, and she snatched the hoodie and turned it inside out. ‘There,’ she said. ‘Now it’s just a plain old ... nothing.’
‘It’s still purple,’ grumbled Angus but he tied it around his waist anyway.
Graini smirked.
Angus loaded the pockets of the hoodie with leftover donuts. There was a slab of hazelnut chocolate wrapped in foil and a bunch of sultana grapes on the sideboard. He took those too, and made a mental note: IOU Donut Lady.
Graini opened the door and all four peeped outside.
It was grey and windy and the beach was deserted. The tide was going out: murky grey water slipping over glassy sand. They could hear the sounds of the carnival and the night market.
‘The cave is that way.’ Graini pointed along the beach toward Breakwater Point. ‘Follow me ... And don’t stop for anyone.’
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
____________________________________________
Smugglers’ Hearth
They hurried along the beach, keeping close to the base of the retaining wall and out of view of the boardwalk. They passed the swimming area and the safety flags, then followed the shoreline right along to the surf beach where Breakwater Point jutted out into the ocean. There was no surf, just a choppy mishmash of ragged white caps. The sky hung heavy. The wind was coming from the south now and the temperature was plummeting.
Angus put on the Donut Lady’s jumper and pulled up the hood — so what if it was purple?
‘We need to climb over those rocks,’ said Graini, gripping her hat as the wind whipped around them.
Angus and Martha nodded. They were familiar with this trail, even though they had only taken it once or twice — and never in weather like this.
Angus looked at the sky. ‘I’m not sure if this is the best idea. Martha and I have to be back at the carnival by midnight. Maybe we could hide out somewhere else. Somewhere closer by.’
‘Where?’ said Graini.
‘Yeah,’ said Martha. ‘Where?’
‘There are others looking for us even as we speak,’ added Ava.
‘All right, all right,’ said Angus, ‘but it’s not going to be easy to get back. Not once night falls. And we have to be back by midnight. We absolutely have to, okay?’
Graini pushed on ahead.
‘The moon is full tonight,’ said Ava helpfully.
‘Fat lot of good that will do,’ said Angus. ‘Look at those clouds.’
‘We forget you can’t see in the dark,’ said Ava. ‘Our apologies, Angus Jack.’
‘Look,’ said Graini, shouting over the wind, ‘we’re entirely skilled. If you really do have to be back by midnight, we’ll guide you.’
‘You better,’ grumbled Angus. ‘What time is it, Martha?’
Martha flashed her watch at him: 7.30 pm.
They scrambled over damp, porous boulders encrusted with seaweed, and sloshed through rock pools that soaked their runners, leaving their feet cold and squelchy. Before long, the main beach was well behind them. Overhead the sound of the traffic was a detached, hollow drone. It was hard to believe that just above the cliffs an entire city was still going about its business. Here on the rocks it was just them and the wind and the churning sea.
Finally they reached the other side of Breakwater Point and one by one jumped down onto the sand. The cove was small, secluded and well sheltered.
‘It’s so lovely here,’ sighed Martha, looking around. ‘It feels hidden and sneaky. Like a real-life secret hideaway. And look — you can almost see the shack.’
Angus sheltered his eyes. Further out to sea, about a kilometre or so from shore, he could just make out Berkeley’s Shanty. The tumbledown fishing shack sat, or rather hunched, on a tiny forgotten tidal island, condemned to a miserable life of win
d, water and slow decay.
‘I’m going there one day,’ said Martha wistfully. ‘You never know what you might find in a place like that. Old diaries, pirate loot, treasure chests ...’
‘Pigeon poo and starving rats,’ said Angus. ‘A fun day out, Martha.’
Graini set off up the cliff face. ‘Come on,’ she snapped. ‘No dillydallying. And no more talk of rodents. I despise them. In all my travels I have discovered that nowhere on earth is free of them. Nowhere. It astounds me enormously.’
Martha giggled. Despite everything, she did love these girls. They were clever and witty and cool, just like the kind of friends she had been wishing for.
It was a steep climb but reasonably easy. There was the hint of a goat track and it wasn’t long before they reached the cave.
‘Smugglers’ Hearth,’ said Angus as they stood at the entrance.
‘The Prof banned us from ever coming here,’ said Martha, and Angus shrugged. Rules like that might have made sense before, when they were ordinary kids, but now ...
‘In we go,’ said Ava chirpily, and, stooping their heads, Angus and Martha followed the goblin girls into the cave and out of sight.
The wind blustered over the rocks, whistled in crevices and flattened the sea grass. But inside, the cave had a stillness that was almost weighty. It smelt welcoming too, a mixture of kelp, camp-fire smoke and damp sand. Empty wine bottles, discarded tobacco pouches and cigarette butts littered the floor. A spray painting of a skeleton in a Hawaiian shirt riding a skateboard ran the full length of one wall, like a scene from a comic strip. A faded poster advertising surfboards was taped to another wall. There was even an old car seat. Obviously there were others who liked to escape to this place. Hopefully they would not be visiting tonight.
There was the remains of a fire. It was charred but still well stacked. The cave had a natural chimney, a large fissure directly above.
Ava and Graini threw off their sunhats and scratched at their heads.
