Hugo and the Bird

by Jeff Mills

  Both fell silent, lost in thought. A sudden wind and the screech of a seagull flying overhead brought them to their senses and Hugo realised how late it had become. He told Bird that he must return home. Bird looked up at the sky, which was becoming stormy, and agreed to meet Hugo again at the cave entrance the next day at ten o’clock. With a wave of his wing, he disappeared.

  As Hugo opened the door to his house, his parents rushed up to him to see if he had any news of Jake. Even Stephanie came down from her usual high-horse attitude and quite sympathetically asked for news, but Hugo could do no more than shrug in disappointment.

  “It’s too late now to go looking for him tonight,” said his father, “and you never know that he might come back by himself, so we’ll leave the back door open tonight just in case. If he is not back by tomorrow, we’ll phone around the vets and ask if he has been handed in, but don’t worry too much for now. He may seem stupid, but most dogs have a very good sense of direction, especially when they get hungry.”

  Hugo grimaced and sat down on a kitchen chair, feeling very dejected, not only for his concern for the well-being of his pet but also for the safety of Bird and Emma, and not forgetting Puchy and Barguff.

  Dinner at the Bennetts, that evening was a very sullen affair with hardly anyone speaking. Throughout the meal, Hugo had been wondering if he should tell Emma of the possible danger that she might be in and so, just before the end of the meal, he asked his mother if she would invite Mrs Jones and Emma around the next day, so that if Jake did not turn up then Emma could help Hugo look for him.

  Emma Jones was a classmate of Hugo’s and had previously stayed for a few days at the Bennetts’ house while her mother visited her husband in hospital. Emma’s father had been taken ill and had been referred to a hospital in Bristol, about one hundred miles away. Although Hugo had only known Emma for a few days, he was already missing her company, though, if asked, he would categorically deny it; after all she was only a girl.

  With a final slurp from his tea cup, Hugo asked to be excused from the table and turned to leave the room. Stephanie was about to taunt Hugo about his ‘girlfriend’ when a look from her father made her stop mid-sentence. As Hugo was ascending the stairs to his room he heard his mother on the phone to Mrs Jones suggesting she come over with Emma and spend the day with her.

  The loss of Jake had made everyone a little depressed that evening and it was not long after Hugo climbed into bed that he heard the rest of the family go to bed as well

  He slept very erratically that night, constantly listening for a sound that might indicate that his pet had returned. It was about 6.30am when he heard a bang from the back door as it slammed shut.

  Hugo jumped out of bed and rushed downstairs, at the same time almost bumping into his mother on the landing. She also had obviously heard the noise and had the same idea. They both reached the kitchen at the same time and there, stretched out in his basket, was Jake. He looked totally exhausted, giving only a slight wag of his tail as they entered. He was an absolute mess. His coat was matted with mud and grass, and there appeared to be a large red stain around his mouth.

  “Looks like he caught that rabbit!” exclaimed Mrs Bennett, breathing an audible sigh of relief. “You’re going to need a good bath my friend,” she said disapprovingly. Whereupon the dog whimpered. The commotion had roused Mr Bennett and Stephanie who came into the kitchen. They gave Jake a big pat on his head before realising how muddy he was and returned to the bathroom to wash their hands.

  “Since we’re up, I might as well get breakfast going,” said Mrs Bennett, and sighing with relief, she opened the fridge, took out some bacon eggs and butter and started to cook an early meal.

  They were just finishing their breakfast when there was a knock at the door and Mrs Jones popped her head around.

  “Oh come on in, Miriam,” Mrs Bennett said. “I’m sorry you missed breakfast, we had it early today but I can offer you some tea and toast.”

  “That would be very nice,” replied Mrs Jones, coming into the kitchen, with Emma following at her heels. Hugo gave a polite nod to them both but kept watching Stephanie out of the corner of his eye in case she made some sly remark, but she never looked up from the magazine she was reading.

  Mr Bennett, realising that he was outnumbered by women and surplus to requirements, as far as conversation was concerned, gave a polite,

  “Excuse me.” and left to get ready to go to his dental surgery.

  Emma came over to where Hugo was sitting and pulled up a chair. In quiet whispers and between mouthfuls of toast, he told Emma of what had happened the day before, and the warnings that Bird had given about them being in great danger. Hugo had just finished relating the details when his father came back through the kitchen, on his way out to his car to go to work. He kissed his wife on the cheek, said ‘goodbye’ to Mrs Jones and Stephanie, who just grunted, and then to Hugo and Emma.

  As Mr Bennett was about to leave through the door, he said in jest to Hugo and Emma,

  “It said on the news this morning that the beast of Exmoor was seen prowling around this vicinity last night, so watch out for monsters!”

  He laughed and left. Emma and Hugo looked at each other with stony faces and then at Jake, who was lying asleep in his basket, still caked in mud and with what looked like blood around his mouth.

  Chapter 4

  Morgana

  The witch’s cave was filled with the cries and shouts of small voices, as one by one the witch forced the gnomes into the wooden cases scattered around. Snatch guarded the few remaining ones that had yet to be “invited into their new homes”, as the witch had called them, with a triumphant cackle.

  * * *

  At just before ten o’clock, Hugo and Emma rushed out of the house and down to the entrance of the new tunnel. Just inside they found Bird, who was deep in conversation with Barguff, the gnome who had help rescue them from Kadavera. He was looking very agitated and a little dishevelled. His blue coat was covered in mud as were his yellow trousers. His red hat was missing, revealing a shiny bald head. Had he not looked so upset, then Hugo would have laughed; but it was obvious that there was a major problem and so both children held back until there was a natural pause.

  “What’s up?” Emma said at last and Bird and Barguff looked around to face them.

  They both started to talk at the same time but Bird motioned with his wing and Barguff fell silent. Bird explained that, the previous evening, since it was so stormy, most of the gnomes at the Gnome Reserve had stayed in their own small houses dotted around the site. Just after midnight there was a terrible howling and everyone made their way to go outside to see what was causing it. When they tried to leave their houses, they found that each house had been covered by a net and they were trapped. A tall figure in a black cloak, accompanied by a hideous-looking large black cat and a yellow-brown dog, both with long yellowing fangs, came round the houses and caught the gnomes, forcing them into massive, foul-smelling sacks.

  Barguff had been determined to catch the fish that he had been after for months and was down by the stream, fishing, when he heard the commotion and went to investigate. When he saw what was happening, he tried to cut through some of the sacks but was unable to save his friends. He was chased by the dog, but managed to escape by the skin of his teeth, by diving down an old rabbit hole. He said that the figure controlling the beasts was very much like the old witch Kadavera but he knew that she had died as he had seen it for himself.

  Just as the figure was leaving, he heard her call to the dog,

  “Come to Morgana, my friend. You’ve excelled yourself tonight.”

  Hugo suddenly had a very bad feeling that the dog in question was Jake and the look in Emma’s eyes told him that he was not the only one who thought it.

  “Talking of dogs, has yours turned up, Hugo?” Bird enquired.

  Hugo looked at Emma very sheepi
shly and turning away from Bird replied, unconvincingly,

  “Oh, yes. He turned up this morning. I think he’d been chasing rabbits.” Hugo was pleased that Bird changed the subject as he went on.

  “At least that’s one problem we don’t have to deal with today. Now let’s see what we can do to free your friends, Barguff. I had a funny feeling yesterday when we found those boxes that something like this might happen but now I am sure that this ‘Morgana’ may be the re-embodiment of Anne Trembles, the girl who was hanged in 1697. It also means that, since we caused the death of what might have been her best friend, we four are likely to be on her most hated list, so we must be very careful.” All four looked at each other then turned.

  Hugo switched on his torch, Bird lit a small red lamp that he had found and brought with him, and cautiously they started down the tunnel. Old rags, broken bottles and various pieces of flotsam and jetsam littered the floor, a fact that Hugo had not noticed before. Barguff picked up a piece of old log and waved it around. He grimaced at Bird, who just nodded. The air became still and smelt musty as they worked their way further into the tunnel until it suddenly widened out into the cave. Hugo flashed his torch around, picking out the various features on the walls and floor until the beam came to rest on just two empty boxes.

  “It’s gone!” shouted Hugo. “The third box has gone!”

  “Shhhh!” Bird whispered.

  Hugo blushed for being so stupid at shouting. It was good that it was dark and no one could see him.

  “Sorry,” Hugo said as quietly as he could, “but there were definitely three boxes here last time. Look, you can see the marks in the dust where the other one has been dragged along the floor.”

  The three others inched over to where Hugo was shining his torch and followed its beam as it traced the tracks in the dust heading across the cave and into the opposite tunnel. Bird and Barguff closely examined the two empty boxes and the inscriptions on their lids, then tiptoed, or tip clawed in Bird’s case, around the cave, checking every nook and cranny. Emma moved closer to Hugo which made him feel a little embarrassed but he did his best not to show it. Something glinted in the torchlight and he bent down to investigate. It was a small roundish object. It seemed very old as it had an irregular edge and was encrusted with dirt and sand from where it had lain. He was about to examine it more closely, when Bird beckoned to him and the others to follow him down the tunnel which led to the cave where Kadavera had lived. Hugo tucked his find into his trouser pocket and brought up the rear of the group but shining his torch as far forward as he could.

  They had only travelled a hundred yards when Bird motioned for them to stop and listen. In the distance and echoing through the foul-smelling air, they could hear faint cries and screams from something or someone. As they moved further down the tunnel the cries grew louder. Barguff suddenly stopped and said,

  “That’s Binko and Garbull, I’m sure of it. They live in the houses next to mine.” He started to move off quickly, but Bird stretched out his wing and held him back. Bird motioned to Hugo to turn off his torch and Barguff to shrink the wick of his lamp so that hardly any light was emitted. Slowly, with Bird in the lead, they slid along the walls of the tunnel towards the entrance to the cave, when suddenly, there was a loud hiss and screech, and the silhouette of Snatch the cat filled the opening to the cave. It snarled and bared its yellow pointed fangs as it inched itself through the entrance and towards the group. They turned rapidly, with Emma giving a little scream, and started to run back down the tunnel but they hadn’t gone more than a few paces when there was another howl and hiss in front of them. This time Emma really screamed and didn’t stop until Hugo flicked on his torch and shone it ahead. Two bright orange eyes flashed out of the darkness, and then the long teeth of a yellow dog. Hugo was almost paralysed with fear and it took him several moments to realise that this was no ordinary dog; it was Jake.

  He suddenly relaxed, thinking that his pet was here to rescue them but as they moved closer to it they realised that the animal was not here to rescue them, but quite the opposite. The cat and the dog closed on the group, hissing and snarling, baring their teeth until all four were bunched in a tight ball against the wall of the tunnel. Emma started to cry hysterically and without thinking, Hugo put his arm around her and held her tight. The two animals suddenly fell silent and the only noise, other than Emma’s sobs, was that of their rapid breathing.

  Standing before them, her size magnified by her shadow on the wall behind, stood Morgana.

  “Well! Well! Well! I do believe we have guests. So nice of you to drop in. I was just about to have some tea and now look, we have ‘afters’.”

  Emma screamed again. Jake and Snatch started barking and hissing.

  “Silence brat!” the witch shouted, so loudly that there was an echo up and down the tunnel. Immediately, Emma went silent except for a whimpering snuffle. The animals also were quiet but continued to bare their teeth at these, uninvited guests. “Follow me!” the witch cackled with a hint of laughter in her tone. “It’s a very long time since I have had guests for tea, especially human ones.”

  Half turning, she stretched out her bony hand and beckoned them to follow her, with the animals bringing up the rear, still with fangs showing.

  As soon as they started to move, Hugo pushed to the front and screamed.

  “What have you done to Jake?”

  “Who?” retorted the witch and she turned and followed Hugo’s gaze to the yellow dog. “Oh, that’s who he is, is he? But I’ve done nothing to ‘Jake’. He did that to himself by sticking his nose in other people’s business, or should I say, potions.” The last few words she really spat out, which immediately made Hugo go silent.

  The group slowly and reluctantly made its way through the tunnel and into the cave, with which they were now becoming very familiar.

  “Move over to the wall,” the witch commanded. “All of you. Now!” With that, she stuck her arm out straight and pointed to the wall onto which were fastened some very old tar-encrusted ropes. As she did this, Hugo saw a flash of light reflect from her hand and he suddenly made out the shape of a ring on her finger exactly the same as that worn by Kadavera, except that this had a brilliant blue stone at its centre.

  One by one, she wrapped and tied the ropes around the captured group. Barguff tried to resist but the witch shouted,

  “Snatch!” and the cat-like animal turned to face him and loudly snarled, baring its fangs menacingly. Barguff immediately fell into line and allowed himself to be bound to the wall. “That’s better,” she cackled. “Now who are you?”

  Hugo was the first to answer and with a very unsteady voice that was close to tears, said,

  “My name is Hugo Bennett and we came here to find my dog, Jake. He went missing a few days ago and we were very worried about him.”

  “Well, you’ve found him now,” laughed the witch and then turned to Emma. “And who are you my pretty young thing. You look a lot like my sister, or did.” She said this with an unusual note of sadness in her voice.

  “Mmmy nnname is Emma,” she responded, her voice still very shaky and snuffly. “We didn’t mean to intrude on you, miss. We were just trying to find out what had happened to our dog. Honest.” Turning to Bird, the witch eyed him up and down several times.

  “My, my, you are a handsome fellow. Pray tell me some more lies.”

  “My name is Ostricoelephantidae Philatitrocusfumaritor,” said Bird very haughtily and fluffed up his feathers while stretching to his full height as he said it. “Minor,” he added as an afterthought.

  “Minor, eh! My, my, that is a mouthful and I am sure that you will make me quite a mouthful when the time comes.”

  Finally, she looked down onto Barguff who was still hatless, as it had been knocked off his head as he escaped from the Gnome Reserve. “Oh, I’m so glad to see you, Mr Gnome. I was sorry to have missed you earlier when
I ‘invited’ your friends to join me, but since you’re here, I feel that now I have got the complete set.” Thus saying, she gave a loud laugh which went on for some time. “Now, my bald-headed friend, who are you?”

  Up to this point Barguff had forgotten that his hat was missing but on the mention of ‘bald-headed’ by the witch, he tried to put his hand to his head. When he found that he could not, since his arms were tied, he simply blushed, partly with embarrassment, but mostly with anger.

  “I am Barguff. Head fisherman of the gnomes from the Gnome Reserve, and I demand to know why and what you have done with my friends and fellow gnomes.”

  “Demand, do you, my little red-nosed friend? Well, they’re quite safe, for the moment. Don’t worry, you’ll be seeing them all soon.”

  “Who are you?” Hugo suddenly shouted, and why have you got us tied up? We only came to rescue my dog and what have you done to him?”

  “You are a bold little one, aren’t you,” sneered the witch. Putting her face close to Hugo’s, she hissed, “My name is Morgana and I know that you weren’t here just looking for your silly dog. You’ve been here before and it was you who caused my friend Kadavera to die. Now it’s going to be your turn.” With a swish of her cloak, she turned, laughing, and went over and stoked the fire till the flames sprouted out of the hearth and sparks turned the chimney into a small firework display. She took a tube of steaming liquid from out of a bottle on her bench and brought it over to where the party was tied.

  One by one, she forced the foul-tasting liquid into the mouths of the friends and slowly they relaxed and slid down the wall until they were unconscious.