Laura Monster Crusher

by Wesley King

  “Riverfield: home of the very first Monster Crusher, Daniel the Dragon Killer, and the home of some of the most famous Monster Crushers in history. Three of the statues in this room hail from your town. And that is where Laura Ledwick has found the elevator and thrust herself into the middle of the longest war in the history of mankind.”

  I just stood there for a moment. I didn’t know whether to laugh at the ridiculousness of the story, cry that I was here, or just run away like I should have done twenty-five times by now. But instead I just looked at the statue, and then back at Eldon.

  “Can’t we just pretend I didn’t find it?”

  For the first time, Eldon laughed. It wasn’t really an amused laugh, but it was something. It echoed around the massive room, and then he shook his head sadly.

  “No, Laura. We can’t pretend. When someone comes through, they must be trained, and then they must be tested by the Brotherhood. It’s the law. The Brotherhood are almost all gone, their magic faded, but the Monster Crushers were built on that law, and I won’t change it now. You will train to fight, and if you pass the tests, you will wield an Iron Hammer, and the identities of your five Swords will be revealed to you. What happens then, I do not know. But I have an educated guess.”

  His smile was gone again.

  “I am sorry, Laura. But you are the newest Monster Crusher, and you must do your job. If you don’t, the monsters will kill you regardless. When you opened that panel, you sealed your fate. And ours.”

  I stared at him. That didn’t seem very fair. I had so many questions I couldn’t even pick one. There was no way I was ever coming back down here. I was going to go home, push everything I had in front of that secret panel, and pretend I had never seen any of this. Which, of course, led me to the one question I really needed to ask.

  “Is my family in danger?”

  “Yes,” he said. “But so is everyone else’s if you don’t protect Riverfield. I have Swords from the Protectorate, as well as your Swords, watching your house already—”

  “Who are they?” I interrupted.

  He frowned. “There are ten Swords here that serve as our Protectorate, which means they patrol the tunnels around Derwin and if necessary can help out on the surface, though I usually only do that in special circumstances, like now. As for your Swords, their identities are protected until you pass your training. Suffice to say you are guarded. But the monsters are coming forth from the darkness in ever greater numbers, and we can’t protect you forever.” He suddenly reached out and took my arm. “I can promise you one thing, Laura Ledwick. If you don’t go to the monsters, they will come to you.”

  He released my arm and abruptly started for the courtyard.

  “It’s time to go home. Return tomorrow night when the panel rattles.”

  “Why does the panel rattle?” I asked. “How do you do that?”

  “I don’t know,” Eldon said. “I’ve always wondered that myself. It’s part of the spell I suppose, but I would be lying if I told you I really understood magic. It rattles at certain times only, and only for certain people—the ones who are supposed to find the door. After that, it rattles for the Monster Crushers when they are called to do their training. It is the same for all fifty houses across the world. It always seems to know when the best time is…which should be around when you go upstairs to bed.”

  “What if someone else hears the rattling? My brother—”

  “Then you will tell him it is just the wind and move on. Understand?”

  I thought about that. Tom had super hearing, but at least he was a heavy sleeper. As long as it only rattled at night, it should be fine. But that didn’t mean I wanted to come back.

  “Get going,” Eldon said impatiently. “Return as soon as the door rattles.”

  “But—”

  “You will be training, so you might as well wear comfortable clothes. You will train for four hours, so take a nap beforehand. You will not be getting a lot of sleep. And tell no one of any of this, or there will be consequences for you and whomever you tell.”

  “I didn’t even agree—”

  He stopped at the doorway. “And before I forget.” He pulled a dusty old book out of his cloak; it was thick and bulky, and the cover was marked with a small rectangle with three diamonds in the middle. “Take this. The Complete Guide to Monster Crushing. It was created by the Monster Crushers of Riverfield that came before you. Read it.”

  I gingerly took the book, staring at the symbol. “Can I just—”

  He led me into the courtyard, and I blinked in the light.

  “See you tomorrow, Laura. I hope you are a lot more capable than you look.”

  I scowled. “Thanks.”

  With that, Eldon swept back inside, his cloak billowing out behind him, and I was left in the courtyard surrounded by those same confused stares. Tucking the book under my arm, I hurried out into the village, my cheeks burning as the whispers finally started.

  “She has a guide!”

  “It can’t be.”

  “You don’t think he’s actually training her, do you?”

  I hurried all the way through the village, ignoring everyone, and started jogging down the dirt pathway, clutching the book to my chest. By the time I reached Porton and the elevator, I was drenched in sweat. He raised his bushy white eyebrows in surprise.

  “Back so soon?”

  “Yeah,” I muttered, walking past him. “Am I going to die on this thing?”

  He shrugged. “I certainly hope not.”

  “That’s reassuring.”

  I walked into the elevator and reluctantly put my hand on the lever.

  Porton smiled. “Have fun.”

  Frowning, I pulled the lever, and the elevator suddenly shot upward. I dropped the book and grabbed the lever with both hands as the elevator flew toward the cavern ceiling, barely slower than it had plummeted down in the first place. I watched as the realm of Derwin started shrinking away below me, the white spot of Arnwell Castle becoming as small as a droplet of rain. I caught a glimpse of some massive mechanical contraption on the cavern ceiling, blazing white, and then the elevator disappeared into the shaft again. The climb was seemingly endless, too dark to see, and my stomach roiled as I flew upward, clutching the lever in terror. Finally the elevator slowed again and settled into place right where I had started, the small panel still open to my closet.

  I immediately crawled through, grabbing the book on the way, and then swung the panel shut behind me. I sat there on the floor for a long time, holding the book and trying to comprehend what I had just seen. None of it made any sense: sorcerers and goblins and Monster Crushers. Realms beneath the earth. And yet here I was, leaning against an elevator shaft in my closet. It was almost too much to deal with.

  I tossed the book in the corner and started out of my closet, shutting the door behind me.

  “Laura?”

  I almost jumped through the ceiling. My mom was poking her head through the door, a pink sleep mask pulled up onto her forehead. I glanced at my alarm clock…it was after eleven.

  “Oh,” I said, trying to recover. “Hey.”

  My mom frowned and walked into the room. “What are you doing?”

  “Just organizing the closet,” I said absently, dusting the door frame with my hand.

  I don’t know why I didn’t tell her about the elevator. But something told me that it would not be a good idea, and I would at least read some of the book before I decided what to do. Eldon had been pretty clear in his instructions.

  “I see,” my mom said, raising a manicured blond eyebrow. She was wearing her striped white-and-pink pyjamas, which matched my socks. “Let’s sit down.”

  I followed her out into the bedroom, taking a last peek at the dusty old book poking out from behind the trophy boxes in the corner. My mom sat on the bed and patted the mattress beside her. I reluctantly sat down, my eyes still on the closet. This was not the best time for a mother–daughter chat.

  “Were you ha
ving nightmares?” my mom asked quietly.

  I used to have nightmares a lot growing up. I think it had something to do with the bullying at school. I’d lie awake for a while thinking about the things they’d said and what I should have done differently and how I wished I looked like Portia Carson, and when I finally slipped off, I would dream of shadowy things attacking me or falling off cliffs or just waking up alone. I also had lots of dreams of losing Tom, which isn’t good for an overprotective sister. Needless to say I’d woken up screaming or crying a whole bunch of times in my life, and my mom or Stache would come in and wait with me until I went back to sleep.

  “I was in the closet,” I pointed out.

  She shrugged. “I thought maybe you went to hide in there.”

  “I stopped doing that when I was ten,” I muttered. “I’m fine.”

  She gently took my hand. “You know, Laura, I’m really proud of you.”

  “What for?” I asked, frowning.

  “You didn’t complain once about this move. And you went to school today and you were brave and you made new friends. You know your father wanted to renovate and I had a little…thing with Brenda, but that’s not the only reason we moved. We also moved because we wanted to give you a fresh start. A chance to make friends and get away from that awful Portia Carson. And here you are doing just what I had hoped for.”

  I glanced at her. “You moved here for me?”

  She nodded. “It was part of the reason, to be sure.”

  “I didn’t know that,” I said quietly.

  She leaned over and hugged me. “Well, now you do. Get some sleep, honey.”

  “Will do.” I thought of something as she started for the door. “Mom?”

  She looked back.

  “Thanks,” I said.

  She smiled and closed the door behind her. I thought about what she said for a moment, and then decided I had better try to get some sleep. I took a quick look out my window, saw nothing, and then plopped onto my bed, staring at the stucco ceiling. Monsters took shape in the pits and I turned on my side, pulling the blanket up to my eyes and huddling there like I used to when I was a kid. I knew one thing for sure.

  Eighth grade was going to be even more interesting than I thought.

  Chapter Eight

  When I woke up the next morning, I rolled out of bed, blinking sleepily. It had been at least 5:30 a.m. when I finally drifted off, which meant I’d only slept for about an hour and a half. I was so tired that for just a second I forgot all about the secret door in my closet.

  But it all came rushing back as soon as I looked over at my window and saw the thick canopy rustling in the wind, just visible through the opening in my new curtains.

  It could have been a dream, I decided. As long as the secret door in my closet was gone, I would never have to think about monster crushing again. So I tiptoed across my room, fairly certain that the door would have vanished with the arrival of morning. I snuck a peek inside the closet and then knelt down beside the panel and felt for the little catch. The catch popped inward and the panel swung right open just like it had last night.

  Once again I was staring into the elevator, the lever beckoning for me to pull it.

  “Okay then,” I said, quickly closing the panel.

  It’s not too late stared back at me as I shut it.

  “Thanks for the heads-up,” I muttered.

  I grabbed a pair of faded old jeans and a blue T-shirt that would have inevitably led to some sort of blue whale reference at my old school and then hurried back out of the closet, shutting the door firmly behind me. After changing, I opened my newly installed brown curtains all the way to let some sunlight in. It was too fast to be sure, but I thought I saw big, yellow eyes instantly vanish in the woods. The same eyes that had emerged from the darkness in the mural in Arnwell Castle. Monster eyes.

  I wanted to tell my parents about the secret door. Or at least Tom. But I remembered Eldon’s ominous warning, and the threat in his cold blue eyes, so I just went downstairs like everything was perfectly normal. I did not want to make enemies of Eldon and his scary hooded warriors. I just wanted them to leave me alone. I did tuck the dusty old book into my backpack on the way—just in case I had some time to read it at school. Something told me that it might be a good idea to read as much of that guide as possible.

  And if the door did rattle, I was going through. I had to tell them they had the wrong girl.

  Tom was already sitting at the kitchen table eating breakfast. He always ate the exact same thing: an English muffin with strawberry jam. Not sure where he got that, but I decided to join him today.

  “Jam’s in the refrigerator door,” Tom said absently.

  He freaked me out when he read my mind like that.

  “Ready for day two?” I asked, grabbing the jam.

  “Yeah,” he said casually. “Day one was pretty good. You?”

  “Same,” I replied, loading an English muffin into the toaster. “I managed to make a couple of friends, so I can’t complain. Where’s Mom?”

  “Getting ready,” Tom said. “She seems nervous.”

  My mom was starting at a new salon today, and she didn’t always get along with other women, so it was sort of a recipe for disaster.

  “I am not nervous,” my mom said, storming into the kitchen.

  Her blond hair was meticulously combed and curled and complemented by two shimmering gold earrings. She tended to fake tan once in awhile, so she didn’t have the same pasty skin as her children. But she must have sat in there too long yesterday, because she looked a little burnt. She stopped and turned to me.

  “How do I look?” she asked, fixing her blouse.

  “Lovely,” Tom said.

  She sighed. “Thank you, Tom. Laura?”

  “Lovely,” I said. “Like you just came from the beach. And forgot sunscreen.”

  She scowled. “I think the beds are stronger here. Are we all ready?”

  The toaster popped. “Not exactly,” I said, glancing at it.

  “Well, eat your breakfast in the car,” she replied hurriedly. “I don’t want to be late.” She opened the door to the basement where the sound of banging could be heard clearly. “We’re going!”

  The hammering stopped. “To bed?” my dad asked.

  My mom rolled her eyes. “It’s morning, dear.”

  “Oh,” he said. “Well, have a good day!” The hammering started again.

  “Your father has officially lost it,” my mom said.

  “Join the club,” I muttered, slathering my muffin with jam.

  —

  Shal and Mia and I met up before the first bell and stuck together for most of the day. I managed to get in a bit of reading between subjects, and I even tucked the bulky guide into my desk so I could read it during math. As Ms. Haddock wrote out some equations on the board, I slouched down a little and opened the guide. Most people around me seemed to be either quietly chatting or dozing off, so no one noticed. Well, Liam was watching Ms. Haddock eagerly and taking notes, but that was no surprise. Making sure Shal or Mia wasn’t looking over, I started reading. The handwritten table of contents was first.

  Contents

  A History of Monster Crushing……………………..1-58

  The Tunnels…………………………………………………59-90

  The Great Monster Crushers……………………….91-115

  Tips on Monster Crushing………………………..116-150

  A Guide to Monsters……………………………….151-200

  Notes………………………………………………………..201-300

  Frowning, I carefully turned the page, which felt almost brittle. Everything was written in flowing black script, but it didn’t look like a normal book. Lines were crossed out, sentences were added in, and notes were scribbled in the margins. It looked like five different people had written the first page with five different pens. I read the title.

  The Complete Guide to M
onster Crushing

  By

  Daniel the Dragon Killer AND Gregory the Giant’s Bane AND Thomas the Goblin Terror AND Ivan the Ogre Crusher

  AND Paul the Imp Chaser

  I flipped through the book. All the sections were the same. Different people had added their own notes and histories throughout the book, creating a confusing mess of scribbles.

  This should be fun, I thought vaguely.

  I flipped back to the first page.

  If you are reading this book, you have been selected as the next Monster Crusher in Riverfield. You may be wondering what that means. The complete history and guide to becoming a successful Monster Crusher are contained within this book. You have three jobs:

  1. Keep the monsters OFF the surface.

  2. Guard the tunnels and keep their existence a SECRET.

  3. PROTECT the people of the Under Earth.

  How do you do all that? By crushing monsters. Before you continue, please flip to the Guide to Monsters section. It’s time you see your enemies.

  This is not cool, I thought, flipping to page 151. A picture of a grotesque-looking creature filled the page, sketched with pencil or charcoal. The creature was hunched and bent, with a bald head, pointed ears, and rows of sharp teeth. It wore a metal cap and was holding a crooked black sword. I read the explanation.

  Goblin

  These fell creatures come in many shapes and sizes. They are the most common monster in Derwin. When attacking, try to keep the hammer from swinging too far from your body, or they will sneak in and stick you with a knife. Short swings are best.

  There were a few scribbled notes in the margins, but one in particular caught my eye:

  I find a strong overhead blow is best. Don’t listen to Daniel—he was killed by a goblin.

  I frowned and turned to the next page. There were more monsters like the ones I had seen in the murals and in the courtyard: trolls, imps, ogres, dragons, giants, sea creatures. I saw more huge spiders that made my stomach turn. I flipped through the monsters, getting more and more concerned as I saw fangs and claws and swords.

  Liam answered a question and someone behind me groaned. Glancing back, I saw Allison leaning on her elbow, looking completely disdainful. Her dark eyes flicked toward me and then fell on the book. I quickly moved it out of her view.