“Anthony, you can’t keep it!” Sophie burst out.
Anthony put the imp down on the bed. “Oh, really?”
“No!” Sophie strode grimly towards him.
Anthony stepped in front of Snowy. “Hands off!”
Sophie hesitated, anxious about overpowering Anthony when she was super-strong. She might really hurt him. “I’ll… I’ll tell Mrs B you’ve got a pet!” she threatened.
“Yeah! Then she’ll make you get rid of it, Anthony!” Sam added.
“If you tell Mrs B about Snowy I’ll tell her about all the times you two sneak off into the woods together,” Anthony retorted. “You know we’re not allowed to go in there. She’ll ground you for life if she finds out, Sophie, and she’ll stop Sam coming around!”
Sophie hesitated. It wasn’t just the thought of being grounded; she had suddenly realised she couldn’t risk Mrs B seeing the imp in case the imp showed its fangs or spoke to her. Grandpa had often told her no one must ever find out shadow creatures existed.
While she was hesitating, the Icicle Imp leapt off the bed. “Grab it!” Sophie gasped.
Sam threw himself down, but the imp was faster and it dashed out through the open door!
“Snowy! Come back!” yelled Anthony.
They all scrambled to the doorway just in time to see the imp race down the stairs.
Sophie clapped her hands to her mouth. “What if Mrs B and her friends see it? We’ve got to get it back!”
They all charged after the imp. But by the time they reached the hall, Snowy had vanished.
“Where can it have gone?” Sam hissed.
Sophie ran into the lounge. Everywhere was neat and tidy, the shelves and ornaments dusted, the coffee table set up with plates ready for Mrs B and her friends to have a cup of tea when they finished preparing for the fête. Her skin tingled. The air was very cold and she could see an icicle hanging from the curtain pole.
“I think it’s in here,” she hissed to the boys. “Quick! Get looking!”
Sam lifted the bottom of the curtains up and shook them out. Sophie checked under the table.
“Snowy? Little Snowy!” Anthony cooed, crawling behind the sofa. “Come to Daddy.”
“There!” Sam gasped, as the imp scurried up the curtains. It reached the top of the curtain rail and stared down at them like an evil, furry gargoyle. Sam grabbed the metal poker from beside the fireplace and started jumping up and down, trying to knock the imp off.
“Don’t hurt my Snowy!” Anthony howled, throwing himself over the sofa and landing with a crash on the floor.
Sophie started forwards to help Sam, but paused in horror at the sound of the kitchen door opening. “Come along, ladies!” Mrs B’s cheerful voice rang out. “Our work’s all done. Why don’t you sit down in the lounge and I’ll make us all a cup of tea?”
“Sam, stop!” hissed Sophie.
He didn’t seem to hear. He was still leaping madly, waving the poker. “Come down, you fluffy ice ball!”
Mrs B and her three friends came into the room. They stopped and gaped in astonishment at Anthony on the floor and Sam jumping up and down with a poker. One of Mrs B’s friends gasped and put a hand to her mouth. Another gave a little shriek.
“Whatever is going on?” exclaimed Mrs B, her eyes bulging.
Sam froze.
“Sam’s er… just doing a dance… a poker dance,” Sophie gabbled.
“We’ve been learning it at school!” Anthony put in quickly, scrambling to his feet. “I was trying to do it too, but… I fell.”
“A dance?” echoed Mrs B.
“Um… yes,” said Sam. “It goes like this.” Fixing a smile on his face he jumped to the left and then to the right, waving the poker over his head. “Dum de dum de dum de dum…”
From the corner of her eye, Sophie caught sight of something white dash past the ladies’ feet. Luckily they were all too busy staring incredulously at Sam.
“Dum de… dum…” he finished weakly.
“Right.” Mrs B cleared her throat. “Well, I think that’s probably enough of your poker dance, Sam. It looks rather dangerous to me.” She turned and smiled reassuringly at her friends. “Do sit down. I’m sorry it’s so cold; I must get Bob to have a look at the heating.” She turned to Sophie, Sam and Anthony. “Now, out you go. Go on!” she said, shooing them away.
“But…” Anthony started to protest.
“No, it’s OK,” said Sophie. “Come on! Let’s go!”
She dragged him out of the room. “I saw it leave,” she whispered. “Though goodness knows where it’s gone now.”
There was a crash from the kitchen. They all stared at each other in dismay.
“Oh, no!” Sophie whispered. “Mrs B’s cakes!”
Moving as one, Sophie, Sam and Anthony dashed into the kitchen. The table was piled high with plates of cakes and biscuits all covered with cling film. The Icicle Imp was squatting at the far end. It had knocked a tray of raisin cookies on to the floor. As Sophie and the boys ran in, it picked up a large chocolate fudge cake and looked at them tauntingly.
“No, Snowy!” Anthony cried. “Daddy will be cross!”
With an evil grin, the imp dropped the cake over the edge of the table.
Sophie dived forwards and caught the cake just as it was about to hit the floor. She sat up, the cake safe in her hands.
“Way to go, sis!” Anthony looked impressed.
“Get Snowy!” Sophie exclaimed.
Sam and Anthony leapt at the imp together. Hopping down from the table, he shot across the kitchen with the boys in pursuit. He bounced on to the work surface and then, as Anthony tried to grab him, jumped down through his legs. Anthony fell over, crashing into a stool. Cackling, the imp dived under the kitchen table with Sam following it.
“What in heaven’s name is going on now?” Mrs B said as she came into the kitchen. She stared at Anthony who was tangled up with the stool, and then at Sophie who was holding the chocolate cake in her hands.
Sophie saw the imp scurry past Mrs B into the hall. “Quick!” she shrieked. “Into the hall.”
“Oh, no!” snapped Mrs B, shutting the door behind her. “You two are going nowhere! Sophie, what are you doing with that cake?”
Sophie bit her lip. “It um… it fell off the table.”
Mrs B’s eyebrows rose. “Cakes do not just fall off tables. Neither do biscuits!” she said crossly, as she looked at the raisin cookies on the floor. “What are you thinking of, playing games in the kitchen like this? And where’s Sam?”
“Here, Mrs B.” Sam crawled sheepishly out from under the table.
Sophie thought Mrs B was going to explode like a volcano. “Right. That’s it! Out! All of you! I don’t want to see you in the kitchen again until teatime. OUT!”
They left the kitchen with her cross voice still ringing in their ears. “Wow, is she mad with us!” said Anthony.
“I can’t say I blame her,” muttered Sophie.
“And we still haven’t got Snowy,” groaned Sam.
“We’ll keep looking,” said Sophie determinedly.
But although they hunted high and low there was no sign of the Icicle Imp anywhere. A little while later, Grandpa came back. Leaving Anthony still searching, Sophie and Sam dragged Grandpa up to his bedroom. “You mean to say you let an Icicle Imp loose in the house?”
“We didn’t exactly ‘let it loose’; it escaped!” Sophie said.
Grandpa ran a hand over his hair. “But you know no one must find out about the shadow creatures, Sophie. As Guardian it is your duty to keep the Shadow Realm secret. People cannot know about it – they would be terrified if they knew shadow creatures really did exist in our world. No one would sleep soundly in their beds at night. There would be panic. It must not happen.”
“It’s not my fault the imp’s escaped and is somewhere in the house,” Sophie protested. “Anthony found it. Still, at least it’s only him who’s seen it so far, and he thinks it’s some kind of squirrel
.”
“But has it left the house yet? Can you feel your powers still?”
“Um... yes,” Sophie admitted.
“So, it must be somewhere here still. At any moment Mrs B could meet it!” Grandpa paced up and down. “This is a disaster waiting to happen and it’s all because you rushed in without thinking once again. Instead of threatening to throw the imp out, you should have just left well enough alone until I got back. Then I could have told Anthony he couldn’t keep a pet and confiscated the cage with the imp in it. That would have been what a sensible person would have done.”
He glared.
Sophie went red. Put like that, she had to agree with him. “I’m… I’m sorry, Grandpa.”
“Unfortunately ‘sorry’ won’t solve this mess! When will you learn to be more sensible?” Grandpa groaned. “Get looking for that imp and don’t stop until you find it!”
However, Snowy was not to be found. Sophie went to bed that night feeling very on edge. She knew the imp was still in the house; there were patches of frost everywhere and her Guardian powers were tingling. She lay in bed, tensing up at every tiny sound. What if the Icicle Imp crept into her room during the night? She was wearing the gems around her waist under her pyjamas. She folded her arms over the pouch and hugged it to her.
She didn’t sleep well at all.
The next morning she got up later than usual and went downstairs for breakfast, yawning and bleary-eyed.
Mrs B was in full-on organising mood, overseeing Anthony as he carried the cakes out to the car. Sophie was surprised to see her brother looking happy and helping. She thought he’d still be miserable about losing Snowy, but he looked remarkably cheerful.
“Where’s Grandpa?” Sophie asked, as she helped herself to some cereal.
“He’s gone on ahead to the village green to help get the tents set up and make sure the paths aren’t too slippery with all this ice around,” replied Mrs B. “Chop-chop, Sophie. I need you to get dressed and help me get the spare crockery out of the garage. It’s so chilly today, I’m sure there are going to be lots of people wanting a cup of tea.”
Sophie quickly ate her breakfast. Going upstairs again, she was relieved to find that her Guardian powers had faded. Maybe that meant the Icicle Imp had finally left the house!
She got dressed. She and Sam had agreed to meet at the fête at 10 a.m. I hope we don’t have to stay long, she thought. We’ve got to try and find the diamond gem as soon as possible.
As Sophie went outside, she felt her powers start up again. So the Icicle Imp was still nearby, just not in the house. Keeping a careful eye out, she helped Mrs B and Anthony load the boxes of crockery into the car. She had to remember to act as if they were heavy, when with her superstrength she really could have lifted all of them in one go!
The garage had been converted from an old outbuilding a while ago and it still had old-fashioned beams inside. Sophie looked upwards uneasily. She could just imagine the fluffy Icicle Imp sitting on a beam watching her, but there was no sign of it.
Sophie’s eyes fell on a piece of old wood nailed between two of the walls in one of the far corners. She frowned. What was that? It reminded her of something she’d seen recently…
“Just a few more boxes!” declared Mrs B, patting her shoulder as she passed. “Come on now!”
Sophie pushed away the thought and helped Anthony shift the last couple of boxes, then it was time to go. They got into the car. As Sophie sat down, her powers surged through her so strongly she felt like she was on fire. She squeaked.
“Are you all right, duckie?” Mrs B said, looking around from the driver’s seat.
“Y… yes,” Sophie stammered. She glanced behind her wildly. Even the ends of her hair were tingling. The Icicle Imp had to be really close by. Maybe it was on the car roof or something!
Mrs B started the engine.
Anthony gave Sophie a curious glance. “What’s up?”
“Nothing,” she said in a low voice as Mrs B started to drive. “What about you though? I thought you’d be more upset with Snowy having vanished.”
Anthony grinned. “Ah, but he hasn’t vanished!” He lifted a towel covering a rectangular shape at his feet and Sophie gasped.
Under the towel was the cage with the Icicle Imp inside!
Anthony put his finger to his lips. “Snowy turned up in my room this morning,” he whispered. “I opened the cage and he just hopped in. I think he likes being my pet.”
“What are you two whispering about?” asked Mrs B over her shoulder.
“I was just saying I hope the fête goes well, Mrs B, and you sell lots of cakes,” Anthony said innocently.
Sophie couldn’t take her eyes off the imp. As Anthony chatted to Mrs B, the little white creature pulled an icicle from behind its left ear and flung it viciously at Sophie’s ankle. “Ow!” she yelped.
Anthony looked around in surprise.
“What’s the matter, duckie?” Mrs B asked.
“N… nothing.” Sophie rubbed her ankle and glared at the imp who just grinned at her, showing a flash of its fangs. She yanked the cover back down over it. For a moment she wondered about telling Mrs B and getting her to stop the car. But what could she say? She remembered Grandpa’s warning. No one must ever find out about the shadow creatures.
Be sensible, she told herself, her thoughts racing. She would wait until they got to the fête and then tell Grandpa and let him decide what to do. At least it wasn’t far to the green.
“Brr,” said Mrs B. “The car heater doesn’t seem to be working very well today. I don’t know what’s happening to the weather at the moment! The sun’s shining and feels hot, but everywhere is so icy still. I’ve never known anything like it.” She tutted. “It must be global warming.”
As soon as Mrs B had parked, Anthony jumped out with the hamster cage still covered by the old towel. “I’ll be back in a minute – I’ve just got to do something,” he said, as Mrs B started opening the car boot.
“Anthony, come back!” the housekeeper called, but he was already hurrying towards the main marquee.
Sophie knew exactly what her brother was doing. He was about to enter the Icicle Imp in the pet show! She had to stop him before the show started and people saw Snowy’s fangs! I’ve got to find Grandpa, she thought desperately.
“I’m just going to… have a look around,” she said, taking a step backwards.
“Oh, no you don’t. Your brother’s disappeared, you’re not going to too,” said Mrs B firmly, plonking a box of plates into Sophie’s arms. “You can help me unload the car first.”
Sophie carried the plates to the marquee as fast as she could. Maybe Grandpa would be there? Someone had spread rock salt on the icy ground, and it crunched under her feet.
“Hi!” Sam came jogging over as she reached the tent. He lowered his voice. “Any sign of the Icicle Imp?”
In a whisper, Sophie told him everything. “I have to find Grandpa and see if he can get Snowy away from Anthony before the pet show starts! Do you know where he is?”
Sam shook his head. “No, I haven’t seen him.”
“Hi, you two.”
They looked around. Daisy was riding past on Blue.
“Hi, Daisy!” Sam and Sophie called distractedly.
Daisy waved and rode on. As she did so, a picture flashed into Sophie’s mind – the strange wooden shape in the corner of her garage. Suddenly she made the connection. The last time she had seen something like that had been the manger in the corner of Blue’s stable!
Her eyes widened, thoughts clicking into place in her head. Her garage at home was old. What if it had once been a stable? Mrs B would know.
“Sam! Quick! I’ve got to talk to Mrs B about something!” She dumped the plates in his arms. “I’ll meet you in the tent. Keep an eye on Anthony and try to find Grandpa then tell him about the imp! I’ll be back in a sec!”
Before Sam could answer, Sophie was racing back to the car. Mrs B was still sorting things out.
“Mrs B! Our garage!” The words burst out of Sophie. “Was it once a stable?”
“Yes, duckie.” Mrs B looked surprised. “It was built about the same time as the cottage. Your parents converted it into a garage about fifteen years ago. Why?”
“Oh, no reason.” Sophie’s mind whirled. Of course! The clue talked about where ponies and horses had slept for the night. Not where they slept now. The garage had once been a stable and it had a gable window. Maybe the diamond gem was hidden in there! We’ve got to get back and check, she thought.
“Here are some more plates,” said Mrs B, loading her up again.
Sophie hurried back to the tent. There was one long table full of cut flowers for the best blooms competition. Exhibitors were fussing around, trying to make their displays look the best. Lots of ladies were bustling by the refreshment table, setting out teacups and cakes. They all had smart dresses on and were wearing hats. The Lady Mayoress was there too – her hat was easily the largest, a saucer-like creation trimmed with plastic cherries. There was a cheerful atmosphere as everyone greeted each other and helped out.
“Hello, Sophie!” called Mr Badgett, Grandpa’s friend and Daisy’s grandfather, who owned the local junk shop. He was carrying a beautiful bunch of orange chrysanthemums.
“Hi, Mr Badgett. Have you seen Grandpa?” Sophie asked quickly.
“I just saw him a few moments ago, checking the guy ropes on the tent,” answered Mr Badgett. “Your grandpa’s always so sensible and safety-conscious.”
“Thanks.”
Sophie caught sight of Sam hovering anxiously as Anthony set up Snowy’s cage next to a girl who had brought her hamster along with a pink bow tied around its neck. To Sophie’s relief, the towel was still covering Snowy’s cage. She dumped the plates on the table and ran over to Sam. “Quick! Mr Badgett says Grandpa’s outside, and I think I know where the gem is! It’s—” She broke off as she suddenly realised that the Icicle Imp would no doubt be able to hear every word she was saying from its cage!
The Icicle Imps Page 3
