Into the Woods

by Lyn Gardner

  The final stragglers – a teenage boy, a paunchy man and an elderly woman – scrambled into places high on the steps of the wheel. The old woman was so bent over that Storm could tell straight away that she would have difficulty marching on the steep steps. Then her stomach pitched and tossed like a ship in a wild sea, and a wave of icy cold swept over her. The old lady had looked up just as the wheel had begun to turn. It was Mother Collops!

  Before Storm could move or cry out, the wheel was turning swiftly and her great-grandmother, staring blindly into the distance through milky cataracts, was hopping frantically up the steps in a desperate effort to keep up. The old lady was stronger than she looked, Storm knew, but she could never keep up the pace, especially without her stick. Storm cast about frantically, wondering how she could stop the dreadful machine, but there was no way she could reach her great-grandmother before the wolves spotted her.

  The wheel completed a circuit. And another. Then, as it made a third turn, Mother Collops stumbled. Storm bit her tongue to stop herself crying out as her great-grandmother lurched from side to side. But somehow Mother Collops steadied herself. And the wheel turned again. Storm let out her breath in a whoosh of relief. And the old lady slipped again. She flailed briefly at the workers closest to her, but her fingers clutched nothingness and, with a terrible cry, she tumbled through space, arms and legs flailing.

  Mother Collops hit the ground with a dull thud and then lay still like an ancient, broken doll.

  A scream forced its way through Storm’s lips and her legs took her from her hiding space towards the broken body of her great-grand-mother. She was oblivious to the shouts from all around and to the growl of wolves.

  The old lady was alive – but only just. Her eyes fluttered open and shut as Storm reached her. She took the old lady’s hand and stroked it. Mother Collops looked up at her through filmy eyes. ‘Our little Storm, our wild one,’ she whispered. ‘They took me almost as soon as you left. But I knew you’d come. I never doubted you’d save us.’ She closed her eyes and was still.

  ‘Don’t die!’ screamed Storm. ‘Please, please, don’t die!’ She was suddenly aware that the entire cavern had fallen silent and everyone was watching her. She was surrounded by a circle of wolves, all tensed and waiting for a signal from their chief. Still she did not let go of her great-grandmother’s hand. She felt the pipe around her neck glow so hot that it blistered her skin. She started to rip it off, but as she did so her mother’s dying words floated through her mind: ‘Use it wisely and only if you have desperate need.’

  Things were certainly desperate. Storm lifted the pipe to her lips and blew. Its eerie, shivery sound, the most beautiful and the most terrible song that the world has ever heard, filled the cavern and echoed off the walls, but Storm didn’t hear it. She leaned over her great-grandmother, murmuring a desperate incantation. ‘Please, don’t die. I need you so much. Please be well. I need you to be well.’ With each word the tune from the pipe didn’t fade but grew louder. It grew as deep as the most sonorous bell and as high as the sound of breaking crystal, its tones sweet as honey and as sad as a funeral lament. As soft as a whisper and as loud as a mighty wind, it filled the vast cavern and the minds of everyone present, including the wolves. It made all those who heard it want to laugh and weep, exclaim with delight and shiver with horror. The sound hung like a shimmer in the air until at last the final quivering notes faded away and, at that moment, Mother Collops sat bolt upright and said cheerfully, ‘You know what I could do with, duckie, a nice cup of tea and a sprouted alfalfa sandwich followed by some jelly babies.’

  Storm gasped. The workers looked astonished and took a step backwards, murmuring to each other. The wolves grumbled and growled. Realizing the danger, but feeling a sudden, wondering thrill, Storm put the pipe to her mouth and blew again. Once more the beautiful, terrible sound filled the cavern, and those who heard it wanted to dance and lie down to sleep at the same time.

  ‘Let us pass,’ said Storm, and taking Mother Collops by the arm, she walked through the ring of wolves towards the tapestry at the far end of the cavern. As they passed, the pack leader silently put his head between his front paws and the other wolves did the same. Music continued to echo around the cavern.

  At the tapestry Storm turned. Hundreds of faces were staring back at her. Swallowing hard, she called out, ‘Sit down, everyone, and have a nice rest. There’ll be no more work for today.’

  A ripple of astonishment passed through the cavern and it echoed to the sound of cheers and laughter – something not heard in the heart of the mountain for hundreds of years.

  Storm pushed past the tapestry and found a small door beyond. She leaned against it, trembling uncontrollably. Her legs were quaking so violently she sank to her knees. She had wished for her great-grandmother to be saved and the pipe had cured her! It wasn’t just a silly trinket; the pipe really did have tremendous power. It had made even the wolves tremble! Storm finally understood her mother’s warning, and why she must never let the pipe fall into Dr DeWilde’s hands. She turned to Mother Collops, aghast. ‘Why didn’t you tell me what it could do? Why didn’t you tell me just how powerful it could be?’

  Mother Collops sighed.‘Oh, chick, because you have to work it out for yourself. That’s the way it works.’

  ‘But it is truly terrible,’ whispered Storm, her voice still shaking. ‘If it makes everything your heart desires come true, then you could use it rule the entire world.’

  ‘I know,’ said Mother Collops sadly, but then she brightened.‘But now you know its power, you’ll be able to use it to rescue Any and Aurora quite easily.’

  ‘Aurora? She’s here!’ Storm demanded sharply. ‘Dr DeWilde has her too?’

  She wanted to find out more, but before she could question her great-grandmother they heard running feet and angry shouts. It was time to get going.

  Storm felt in her pocket for the key, slid it into the lock and turned it. The pair opened the door just wide enough to scuttle through, then Storm locked it again from the inside.

  They were in a small library; the walls were lined with leather-bound books. Storm peered at the titles. There were hundreds of different volumes, but apart from a few reference books and a dictionary they only told one story. The entire library was devoted to versions of the tale of the Pied Piper.

  At the opposite end of the room was an oak door, slightly ajar. Tiptoeing across to it, Storm peered through the gap into a simply furnished antechamber. Inside were two human guards, hunched over a table, playing cards. Beyond them was another door, this one magnificently worked with scenes of rats being devoured by wolves and, in its centre, a huge ornate carving of the Pied Piper dancing a merry jig.

  Storm was wondering whether they could creep past the guards unnoticed when she felt Mother Collops’ hand touch her arm. The old lady made a gesture for her to use the pipe. Storm shook her head. The pipe and its power terrified her now. Somehow she knew that it must be used sparingly and only when there was no alternative. She feared not just what the pipe could do to others but also what it could do to her. When she had blown it in the cavern and her heart’s desire had come true, she had experienced a feeling she had never known before: she felt as if she was master of the universe. She had felt huge and completely invincible. It was a feeling to which it would be all too easy to become addicted, and Storm didn’t entirely trust herself to be strong enough not to fall into that trap. Now she knew its power and had experienced its seductive thrill, what was to stop her reaching for it in times of anger and greed as well as times of peril ? Nothing. The thought made her feel panicky. She could use the pipe to get everything she wanted, any time she wanted it! But to do so would make her no better than Dr DeWilde, who wanted to bend the world to his will. The thought made her shiver.

  Mother Collops was staring at her expectantly. Storm felt in her pocket and her fingers touched the potion bottle that Aurora had given her in the Ginger House. She removed her still-damp cardigan and sprink
led it carefully with the remaining drops from the phial, taking great care not to breathe in any of the fumes. Even so she felt deliciously light-headed. Cautiously, Storm pushed the door open a little further and, as quietly as she could, threw her cardigan towards the guards. It landed softly, a few metres from their backs. The two guards were so engrossed in their game that they didn’t even look up.

  Indicating to Mother Collops that she must hold her nose, and pinching her own, Storm peeped through the crack in the door. After a few moments one of the guards lifted his head and sniffed.

  ‘What’s that delightful smell?’

  ‘I can’t smell anything,’ said his companion, yawning loudly. ‘Come on, let’s finish the game. I’m feeling tired.’

  ‘It’s lovely,’ said the first guard sleepily. ‘Sort of tangy vanilla overlaid with the scent of oranges and lemon rind.’ He spied the cardigan lying on the floor and blinked. ‘Here, mate, what’s that?’

  The second guard looked up.‘What’s what?’ he asked.

  ‘Don’t know, mate. Looks like a kid’s cardigan.’

  The second guard glared at the garment.‘What’s it doing there?’ he asked sharply.

  ‘I don’t know, do I? Someone must have dropped it, mustn’t they?’ said the first guard. He stretched languidly.‘Anyway, I don’t care. I feel too sleepy to worry about it.’

  ‘You ought to pick it up, though,’ said his mate, yawning again. He sniffed the air. ‘You know … I can smell something. It’s quite delicious. Sort of tangy vanilla overlaid with the scent of oranges and lemon rind.’

  ‘I told you,’ said the first guard. Then he smiled as a cunning idea occurred to him. ‘You pick the cardigan up,’ he said.

  ‘No, you pick it up. I’m too tired.’

  ‘So am I,’ said the first guard.

  ‘Tell you what, let’s pick it up together.’

  ‘All right,’ said the first guard. He paused.‘Nah, I can’t be bothered.’

  ‘Neither can I. I’m just going to have a little nap.’ The second guard’s eyelids flickered and drooped.

  ‘So am I. Sweet dreams, mate,’ said the first guard, and his chin dropped to his chest. Within moments the room was reverberating to the sound of their snoring.

  Behind the door, Storm was also feeling pleasantly sleepy. She wondered if she could be bothered to walk all the way across the antechamber. Maybe she would just have a little nap herself … She felt her eyelids getting heavy when an image of Any floated into her brain. She shook herself violently and gave Mother Collops a prod. The old lady had fallen fast asleep where she stood.

  Taking deep breaths and holding their noses, the pair tiptoed across the antechamber and past the sleeping guards to the ornate door at the end. Storm slowly opened it and stepped through, the pipe raised towards her mouth. As she passed the great carving it seemed as if the Pied Piper on the door was laughing at her. Then Storm’s eyes fell on the beauty of the room beyond and she gasped in delight. Just before she felt a sharp pain to the back of her head.

  An Impossible Contest, A Trickier Choice

  Storm emerged back into consciousness to find herself with a sore head and her hands tied behind her back. She was in a beautiful room, light and airy with a vaulted ceiling encrusted with precious gems that twinkled and danced in a brilliant rainbow of colour.

  ‘Welcome to my parlour,’ said Dr DeWilde lazily.‘I’ve been expecting you. I’ve been following your progress with intense interest since you left Hell Heights. In fact, I only just missed you there.’ He gave a wolfish grin. ‘I’m sorry to say that your great-grandmother seemed less than delighted to see me, so I decided to bring her here for a grand family reunion. Oh, I have been quite riveted by your adventures, Storm. A truly epic journey. Such courage, such pluck. I must say I’ve been quite impressed, although I did think you were a goner on the ice-field. My heart was in my mouth, I can tell you. As to the mineshaft and the secret tunnel! It is years since I’ve encountered such bravery, and it was so exceptionally helpful of you to survive – it saved me the bother of having to retrieve your body.’ His smile was twisted and deformed.

  Storm struggled to her feet and stared back at him stony faced. She was in shock. To have come all this way, to have survived so much, only to be beaten now – and so easily! She couldn’t believe that all her efforts had been for nothing. All along, when she had thought that she and Aurora were defying the odds, he had been toying with them just as a cat plays with mice. Storm gritted her teeth. Well, she thought, he might have won, but she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of knowing how much she cared.

  ‘Now then, to business,’ Dr DeWilde continued in a cold voice. ‘I think that you have something I want, and I have something you have lost.’ He grinned again. ‘It’s mighty clever of you, my dear, to have mislaid your entire family in such a very short space of time. Many struggle for years with far less impressive results.’ He gave a little whistle. Two wolves appeared, pushing Any, Aurora and Mother Collops forward with their muzzles.

  Inside, Storm felt destroyed, but she was determined not to show it. She ran to Any and covered her chubby face in kisses. She felt as if she could gobble her little sister up, such was the intensity of her feelings.

  Any hugged her back, then looked deep into her eyes. ‘What kept you?’ she asked with her characteristic mixture of cheekiness and solemnity. Mother Collops patted Storm on both cheeks and shook her head sadly.

  ‘He had guards behind the door, ducks. I knew it was a mistake not to use the pipe. But don’t fret, chick, we’re not finished, he hasn’t won yet.’

  Aurora hung back, a little adrift from the rest. She itched to throw her arms around Storm, but there was something about the way Storm ignored her that made her hesitate. Storm caught Aurora’s expectant look and felt a confusing mess of emotion. She wanted to rush to her sister, but the image of the severed rope kept dancing in front of her eyes. Aurora had let her down badly.

  Miserably, Storm turned her back, so she didn’t see the look of hurt and puzzlement on Aurora’s face. Any did, however, and she tugged at Storm’s sleeve. ‘Storm, you haven’t kissed Aurora,’ she said, and with one arm still around Storm she reached out to her other sister. ‘Storm, Aurora has been so brave—’

  The burning coal of resentment flared in the pit of Storm’s stomach. ‘Has she?’ she cut in, in a clenched voice.

  Pain and bewilderment were etched across Aurora’s face as if a most terrible thought had occurred to her. ‘Storm,’ she whispered urgently, ‘surely you don’t think that I—’

  ‘I don’t want to hear your excuses,’ Storm snapped, in a voice that even to her sounded as thin and spiteful as broken glass.

  ‘But Storm …’ protested Any tearfully.

  ‘Just forget it for now,’ said Storm. This much-longed-for meeting was not working out how she had imagined it at all. She saw Dr DeWilde staring at them intently and sensed that he was enjoying a private joke, the punch line of which only he knew.

  ‘Storm, listen to me!’ cried Aurora desperately, but Dr DeWilde cut in.

  ‘I don’t want to spoil this delightful and deeply touching family reunion,’ he said. ‘But I’m afraid I must.’ He turned to Storm.‘I asked you this once before, young lady. Rest assured this will be the final time. Hand over the pipe.’

  Storm looked at him defiantly.‘If I do, will you let us all go?’

  Dr DeWilde hooted with derisive laughter.

  ‘I hardly think that you are in a position to bargain with me.’ He indicated to a wolf to bite through Storm’s bindings and held out his hand for the pipe.

  Storm lifted it carefully from around her neck, the chain looped around her hand. The pipe seemed to dance in midair, catching the light, and Dr DeWilde reached out hungrily for it. He closed his hand around its length, and just as quickly dropped it again, shaking his fingers as if they’d been burned. Swearing angrily, he picked the pipe up and quickly blew into it. The sound that came out was thi
n and reedy and the skin around his mouth began to blister.

  Dr DeWilde dropped the pipe and fell to the ground himself, clearly in tremendous pain. In the centre of his palm was a livid red representation of the pipe. It had branded him.

  The pipe lay on the floor where it had fallen. Puzzled, Storm bent down and gingerly touched it. It felt perfectly cool. But before she could pick it up, a wolf stepped forward, teeth bared. Storm quickly drew back her hand.

  Dr DeWilde was snarling with rage and pain on the floor. Mother Collops tapped her way over to Dr DeWilde and nudged his shoulder with her stick. ‘Now then, duck,’ she said. ‘You know that isn’t the way it works. You know you can’t just take the pipe, Wolfie. It has to be given freely, and given with total and unconditional love. Otherwise it’s quite useless. Just a piece of metal, nothing more. It’s the love that makes it powerful. It’s the love that makes it work.’

  Storm’s heart did a back flip. Given freely and with total love? Zella had given it to her. That meant that her mother must have loved her after all. Totally, with an unconditional love. Storm’s eyes filled with tears, but inside she was smiling.

  Down on the ground, Dr DeWilde gave another howl of rage and pain, then curled up into a ball, whimpering.

  ‘Silly boy,’ said Mother Collops sternly. ‘You always knew that was the way it worked. You knew when you gave the pipe to Zella—’

  ‘To Zella!’ Storm was shocked. ‘He gave the pipe to our mother? That must mean that he … that he …’ Storm’s voice trailed off.

  ‘Yes. He loved her,’ said Mother Collops sadly. ‘Right from when he was a boy and she was just a baby. It’s what turned him so bad – her running off with your father like she did. Mind you, he always was a moody one, right from the time I brought him from the town orphanage to be my kitchen boy. Moody and unhappy. As if he didn’t fit his own skin. I should never have given him the pipe or told him of its power in the first place, but he was such an unhappy little scrap of a thing, he seemed so powerless and frail, that I didn’t see the harm in it and I thought it might help him.’