Ghost Doll and Jasper: A Graphic Novel

by Fiona McDonald

  Jasper flew across the floor, his feet barely touching the ground, stopping inches from the band of kidnappers.

  “Stop!” he cried. “Let her go!”

  “Too late, sonny boy,” sneered a rat. “We got her now.”

  “It's okay, Jasper,” called Ghost Doll. “I'll be fine, but please help my friends. The rats are going to blow them up.”

  Jasper paused, unsure of whether to follow Ghost Doll or rescue her friends.

  In the middle of the toy department he saw a group of toys were bundled together. Ropes bound them tightly. They had all gone silent as if resigned to their fate. The rat with the fuse flicked his lighter on and off, taunting them.

  The elevator door opened suddenly, and the tall, thin scientist stepped out. In his arms was a strange looking gun. Everyone watched as he and one of the security guards walked towards Ghost Doll.

  “You've done an excellent job,” the doctor said to the rats. “You have earned your strength potion. Now, step aside while I deal with this little problem.”

  The rats moved away, leaving Ghost Doll shimmering faintly beside the fire exit. Dr. Borsch raised his machine to shoulder height, braced it against his chest, and pressed a button on its side. A whooshing sound started and for a minute nothing happened. Then Jasper saw Ghost Doll wavering as if a breeze were blowing her around. Dr. Borsch pressed the button again, and the whooshing noise increased. Ghost Doll bent toward the scientist as if she had no choice. Jasper realized the gadget was a vacuum cleaner and the doctor was going to suck Ghost Doll into it.

  Jasper sprang at the man, claws extended, landing right on his face.

  For a moment the suction left Ghost Doll and pointed up at the ceiling. Jasper sunk his claws on either side of the doctor's face and bared his fangs to deliver a bite to his nose.

  The man screamed and fought, trying to dislodge the angry cat with his suction gun. Then Jasper felt a sharp pain shoot through his back leg. He let go of the man to face his new enemy. It was the dog.

  Then chaos broke out. The suction machine resumed sucking Ghost Doll toward it, the robot dog threatened to bite Jasper's leg in half, and the rat with the fuse held it directly in the flame of his lighter.

  With one last, terrified scream, Ghost Doll disappeared into the barrel of the suction machine. The scientist, with a cry of triumph, ordered his dog to heel and he and the security guard stepped into the elevator and the door closed. Jasper yowled, but it was too late. They were gone.

  Chapter 18

  Jasper would have gone after them, but the frantic cries of the toys made him stop. The fuse was burning steadily, inching closer to the terrified toys. Jasper ran over and pounced on the fuse, trying desperately to stamp out the flame. The rat that had lit it tackled him, biting him on his wounded leg. Jasper, already tired from fighting Murdo, feebly tried to kick the rat off. The rat's fangs sank to the bone, and Jasper howled. In agony he rolled over, leaving the fuse to continue its deadly course. The rat was on top of him now. His claws were aiming for Jasper's eyes. Jasper closed them and lashed out wildly at his foe. He was vaguely aware of the toys screaming in terror, and he could smell the burning rope. Oh, well, they'd all go up together, rat and all.

  “Hold on there, Jasper,” a gravelly cat voice shouted in his ear. “Leave this one to me.”

  The rat was pulled from the cat, and Jasper rolled over to see a big red-and-white cat fighting furiously with the rat. Jasper only had time to register it was his archenemy Murdo Nally before he remembered he had a job to do. The fuse had burned more than halfway towards the toys. Jasper took a flying leap and landed on top of it. The flame burned his chest, but he lay as flat as possible on it until he was sure it had gone out. Jasper took the fuse cord in his mouth and rolled over and away from the toys until he felt the end of it whip him on the nose. By the time he had unraveled himself the toys were cheering. Jasper saw Murdo standing over the now-limp rat.

  “Thanks, Murdo,” Jasper gasped, blood dripping from his face, his back leg dragging behind him. “What did I do to deserve your help?”

  “Queenie told me what you did for Bernard. He's my son, you know. Bit of a runt, but that's not his fault. Let's get these fellas untied and then we have to rescue a friend of yours.”

  It didn't take long to free the toys, who hugged the cats and shook hands with them. Jasper tried to be patient, but all the time he was worrying about Ghost Doll.

  Finally, with a last hurrah from the toys, the two cats fled down the fire stairs.

  Chapter 19

  The sensation of being sucked into the machine had nearly been too much for Ghost Doll. She thought she was going to be ripped to shreds. Not that she cared any more. She was too concerned about the fate of her new friends and hoped Jasper had been able to save them.

  Suddenly, she felt herself being expelled from the machine. The suction reversed, and she shot out of the vacuum into what appeared to be a glass cell. She stretched, looked around, then tried frantically to escape. It was impossible—the case was sealed. She could see out of her jail into a white room full of all sorts of equipment: machines, test tubes, charts, and a large brass telescope.

  The man who had sucked her into his machine must be a scientist; an astronomer, she thought. But what on earth did he want with her? Then it dawned on her. The scientist wanted the stardust. That magical stuff that had brought her to life. Well, he could have it. She didn't want it anymore. Her friends were probably cinders and ashes, and Jasper, if he was alive, should be allowed to go back to being a normal alley cat without worrying about her. She sank to the floor of her prison and simply waited.

  “At last, my beauty,” Dr. Borsch chuckled. “I have you. Let's begin the extraction before you can escape again.” He pulled a lever and a sucking noise started up. It was different from the one she had just experienced.

  This sucking sensation was less forceful. She didn't feel she was going to be pulled apart. At first, she didn't feel anything at all. But then, after a few minutes, she felt herself feeling weaker, sleepy, and she wanted to lie down.

  Another glass jar sat on the table attached to the machine and the glass case by a series of tubes. Gradually, a soft, sparkly glow could be seen in the bottom of the jar: the stardust.

  Ghost Doll felt her frail plastic form returning to its mortal state as the cosmic dust left her. She ached all over. Her vision blurred, and she slipped in and out of dreams. She saw Lucy's face, bright and young, full of life, but then it changed. Lines formed and the child's skin sagged as she grew old in seconds. Then Lucy was gone, withered beyond recognition, and Jasper's furry form grew before her. She felt him nuzzle her with his nose, whispering for her to hang on, that he'd come and rescue her. But then he, too, changed. Ghost Doll remembered the metal dog chomping Jasper's leg. The cry of pain; the blood.

  “Jasper,” she whispered, “Look after yourself.”

  Then everything went dark and cold.

  Just then a furry missile came hurtling through the doorway. It landed on top of the glass case. Looking down, Jasper could see his friend lying motionless on the floor. He launched himself at the doctor, who flung his arms up to protect his face. Jasper's claws struck out, and he fought like a mad thing, tearing and scratching, biting and kicking.

  “Help!” shrieked the doctor. Charlie, the security guard, raced over, hitting Jasper with his flashlight. The blows were powerful, but Jasper was beyond pain now, his fury and despair kept him going. He'd fight to the death if he had to. It was Dog who eventually hauled him away, pulling him by one of his front legs. The other paw, digging into the doctor's neck, left deep furrows as it was dragged away.

  Dog stood over Jasper and brought his metal jaws down around his throat. It would all be over in seconds. Jasper braced himself for the final blow.

  “What the … ?” Charlie cried. Cats were starting to pour into the laboratory. They came through the door, and they came through the window. Suddenly there were hissing, spitting, furry felines ev
erywhere. A sea of cats flooded the room.

  “Call the rats!” ordered the doctor as he disappeared under half a dozen cats. Dog hesitated. Should he finish the cat off or obey his master? He couldn't see the doctor, but he could hear his muffled cries. Dog bounded away from Jasper and leaped for the speaking tube on the wall. He uttered one or two barks into it. Jasper crawled into a corner. His front leg was ripped open. Blood blinded him until he wiped it away with the other paw. He could just make out Ghost Doll lying still in the glass case. He edged toward the control panel. All of a sudden the rats arrived. Masses of them, trampling over everything, fighting and biting anything that moved, friend or foe.

  “Get a move on, Jasper,” growled Murdo, as he was choking a rat. “Hurry up and turn the machine off!”

  Jasper pulled himself onto his hind legs. The pain was terrible, but he gritted his teeth. Reaching as high as he could, his good paw touched the lever. With all the strength he had left, he pushed it upward. The sucking noise ceased.

  “Now, push the button,” said Murdo. “You need to reverse the process. Push the far button, then pull down the second lever.”

  Jasper felt for the button, shoved it hard, and scrabbled around for the lever on the far side of the control panel. He hung onto it and let his weight drag it down. The machine started up again and Jasper could only hope Murdo was right. A rat came out of nowhere and struck him on the temple. Jasper fell to the floor, unconscious.

  “Where did all these cats come from?” Charlie asked. “And these stupid rats. Uncle, what are you up to?” The security guard had had enough and was trying to pull the doctor through the door. The doctor groaned, his face dripping with blood, his glasses smashed and hanging off one ear.

  The rats, seeing the doctor disappear as more cats entered, gave up.

  “This wasn't part of the plan,” said Trattorus. “Even we can't fight all the cats in town at once. Come on, troops, retreat!”

  As the rats scattered whichever way they could, the cats followed, pouncing and biting all the way. Within minutes the room was almost empty. Jasper's eyes opened and went straight to the glass jar. It stood empty of its liquid gold, but Ghost Doll still lay motionless on the floor of the glass case. Jasper's heart filled with dread. He'd been too late. She was gone.

  Chapter 20

  Jasper limped over to the glass prison. He unlocked the door and entered. He lay down next to Ghost Doll and tried to lick her. She felt solid under his tongue, but cold. She had turned back to plastic, and her life spark had left.

  Jasper continued to groom his friend, tears spilling from his eyes. The tears splashed onto her pale face. And as they did, a golden light began to glow through the fragile skin and warmth began to rise from her body. She opened her eyes and Jasper gasped. It was like looking into two tiny suns. He blinked. The next moment, Ghost Doll was up off the floor and had her arms around him.

  "I thought you were dead!” she cried. "I thought you and the toys must have burned together.” Her warmth sank into Jasper's matted fur and gave him strength. He sat up.

  "Come on, you two,” said Murdo, flicking a dead rat from his shoulder. "We aren't out of the woods yet.”

  They followed him out the door and down the stairs. The front door was open where the security guard had led his uncle to safety. An ambulance was waiting in the street, its lights throbbing. The doctor lay on a stretcher. He was still alive.

  Murdo looked around and said, "I think it might be safer for all if you two left the city and laid low for awhile. The other cats and I can deal with this. Go on, before that doctor can issue any more orders.”

  Jasper tried to thank the big tom. “You owe me,” was all Murdo said and waved them away.

  Ghost Doll tried to support Jasper but her ghostly form could do nothing more than warm him. They hobbled down the street, trying to put as much distance between them and the doctor's house as they could.

  As night descended, Ghost Doll anxiously looked for somewhere for Jasper to rest. She could feel his energy waning, and he was shivering. Finally, they found a garden shed in an overgrown garden. There was light coming from the nearby house, but it was obvious the occupants weren't good gardeners. However, inside the shed it was warm and dry. A pile of old sacks lay on the floor.

  Ghost Doll watched Jasper sink down onto the sacks. He had his eyes closed, and his breathing was rapid and shallow. She bent over him to check his wounds. His front leg was gaping open, the bleeding had stopped, but Ghost Doll was sure it was infected. Jasper's face was a mess, and his back leg lay at an odd angle, broken for sure. She'd have to clean him up as best she could and let him rest. Maybe she could find him some food.

  There were rags in a cardboard box in the shed. They seemed clean enough, so Ghost Doll spent a long time bandaging the worst of his wounds. She tried to straighten his back leg. Jasper moaned in pain, but when it clicked into place, Ghost Doll realized it had only been dislocated.

  She left Jasper in a deep sleep and went to explore the garden. She floated up the back path and peered in through a window of the house. She could see a kitchen and spotted the remains of a meal sitting on the counter. With a gentle touch, the back door opened. Ghost Doll slipped through and looked through the scraps to see what might be edible for her friend.

  “Jasper,” she whispered when she returned to the shed. “I've got you dinner. Come on, you'll feel better if you eat.”

  Jasper tried to sit but couldn't, so Ghost Doll placed the bits of chicken onto the sack next to him and he ate what he could. He fell back and settled into a deep sleep.

  The sun woke them both as it streamed through the window of the shed. Ghost Doll was surprised that she, too, had fallen asleep. Having your life force drained from you must make you tired, she thought. Jasper also sat up. He finished off the leftovers from dinner, then gave his face a wash. Ghost Doll thought he looked much better.

  “We'd better get going,” he said at last. “Murdo was right. We should leave the city and go into hiding. We need to lose the doctor or he'll be after you again. And we don't want those rats following us into the countryside. Let's go while they are still busy licking their wounds.”

  He hobbled out into the sun and Ghost Doll put her hand onto his back.

  “I think we should head north,” Jasper said.

  Chapter 21

  It took them two nights to reach the edge of the city. They rested during the day to avoid being seen. Ghost Doll became adept at finding food for Jasper. She slipped into a butcher's shop just before closing time and dragged away a couple of sausages. She waited outside a café until the scraps had been tossed out, then she loaded them into a plastic bag and hauled them over to Jasper, who was hiding in a nearby bush.

  Jasper's cuts had closed up and his back leg, although weak, was able to move normally. It was the front leg that worried Ghost Doll. The gash should probably have had stitches. It was not healing, and the rags had to be changed every day.

  The open fields, with their cows and sheep, fascinated Ghost Doll. She had once been for a vacation in the country, and she enjoyed thinking about it. Jasper, however, became quieter as they went along. He was talking less and his progress was slowing. His appetite seemed to be growing worse too. Ghost Doll was anxious about finding food now that they were away from the stores. There was half a sausage left, wrapped in plastic and pushed into the sling she'd managed to make for Jasper's front leg.

  Another day passed and the weather became colder. Winter had set in with a vengeance. They now slept at night, huddled together for warmth wherever they could find a bit of shelter. The clouds gathered and hung low in the sky. It was going to snow very soon, thought Ghost Doll.

  Jasper finally finished the sausage but with great effort. Ghost Doll had to urge him to eat it all. He didn't talk at all now, and he limped along so slowly they hardly made any progress during the day. When the first snow fell, Ghost Doll had to push Jasper into an old, rundown barn. She piled straw on top of him and snugg
led down beside him. In the morning she could feel heat rising from his fur but his body was shaking.

  By evening, it was obvious Jasper was very ill. His thin body shuddered and his breath rasped in his chest. If they didn't get help soon, he'd surely die.

  As night fell, utterly starless, the two staggered into the garden of a big old house. They decided to find shelter against the stone wall, but Jasper collapsed into the dead grass and fell immediately into a deep sleep. Ghost Doll put her hand over his chest and felt the bird-like flutter of his heart. Tonight was going to be his last. Ghost Doll looked around the garden. A child's toy truck lay on its side and a spade stuck up out of a pile of earth as if someone had just been digging a garden bed. People lived here, she thought, with children and toys. Light and life and love. Then she knew what she had to do.

  "Jasper,” Ghost Doll whispered. “I don't know if you can hear me, but I'm going to say good-bye now. Thank you for being my friend. Get better and live well.”

  With that, she bent over him and placed her delicate fingers over his muzzle. She let her stardust trickle from the ends of her fingers and watched as it fell into his open moth. Jasper stirred slightly. Ghost Doll's tears fell on his face and he murmured something. Ghost Doll bent her ear to his mouth.

  "Don't go,” he said. Ghost Doll let the dust run faster into the cat's mouth and saw a little strength return to him.

  "Hey, Mom!”

  Ghost Doll sat up, lifting her hand from Jasper's lips.

  "There's something in the front yard. I think it's an animal.” Porch lights went on and a door banged open. Two adults dashed into the snow, followed by two children.