The Tunnel of Dreams

by Bernard Beckett

  Harriet flew to the entrance and the others followed. Within the space of a few short seconds the tent was clear of all but the last two guards. In Arlo’s arms, Jackie’s head lolled back. Her eyes were clouded with confusion.

  ‘It’s all right,’ Arlo told her. ‘We just need to put you back into the cage.’ He turned to the remaining guards. ‘You two, get the winch ready and as soon as I have the door locked, lift the cage back up.’

  The guards did as they’d been instructed, bending over the winch, their backs to the rubbish skip.

  Exactly as planned.

  That was the end of the trickery. The rest was combat, pure and simple: two young rescuers against two trained guards. All Arlo had on his side was the element of surprise, and Alice.

  Alice sprang from her hiding place with all the grace and menace of a tiger, felling the first guard with a blow to the back of his head before he could even turn. The second guard, however, had a split-second of warning and rolled beneath the kick intended for his back.

  The Guard took Alice’s foot in his hands and threw her backwards. Alice crashed against the side of the skip and crumpled. Arlo rushed forward, intending to jump on the guard’s back, but the guard spun and caught Arlo with a kick to his chest.

  Arlo felt the air go out of him and he sprawled backwards. His head clattered against the side of the cage and his vision blurred. As he struggled to regain his feet Alice rushed forward, and this time she was ready for the guard’s attack. The guard leapt into the air but Alice ducked beneath the kick, taking hold of her attacker’s foot and swinging him through the air like a hammer thrower. The guard hit the ground and Alice was on top of him in an instant. The final blow was sharp and efficient, rendering him unconscious. It was all over in a matter of seconds.

  Arlo stood up slowly, letting his head clear. He turned to the bewildered Jackie and lifted her to her feet. ‘It’s all right,’ he whispered. ‘We’re taking you home. Me and Alice. We’ve come for you.’

  There was no time to explain any more, but Arlo was sure he saw a flicker of recognition in Jackie’s eyes at the mention of her sister’s name. He put the tiny girl over his shoulder, then hurried to the refuse skip and lifted her over the edge. Alice was beside him, easing her sister into the chute, and they slid down together, like two young children playing in a park, down into the safety of the night.

  Although every fibre of Arlo wanted to run as far from the tent as possible, as quickly as possible, he understood they needed to stay put a little while longer. That would give Harriet enough time to lead the guards far away, and for Malcolm to take the others up into the valleys in a false pursuit. Arlo sat apart from Alice, who held her sister in her arms, cradling her as a mother might hold an infant.

  ‘Look at her,’ Alice whispered. ‘She’s so weak. I don’t think she even knows who I am.’

  Arlo could hear the pain in his friend’s voice, and could imagine it too. What if it was Stefan? The very thought cut at his heart.

  ‘Perhaps you should give her a little of this,’ Arlo said. He produced the flask the pixies had given him and passed it to Alice. She opened it and held the rim to her sister’s lips.

  ‘What is it?’ Jackie mumbled, her voice so small it was hard to believe it was human.

  ‘Gotta syrup,’ Alice explained. ‘It’ll help. Just gently, drink a little.’

  Jackie took a small sip, and then another. The transformation was miraculous. Within moments her eyes shone brighter, and her chin lifted. Jackie held her hand out and raised the flask again, this time gulping greedily, emptying it of its contents. She sat and turned, regarding her sister with new eyes.

  ‘Alice!’ she beamed. ‘I knew it. I always knew it. I always knew you would come for me.’

  The sisters embraced, clinging so tightly that it was possible to believe that neither would ever let go.

  Arlo watched on and, for the first time in weeks, he honestly believed everything was going to be all right.

  He had relaxed too soon.

  IN THE HURRY to pursue Haven, the door of the furnace wasn’t properly closed, which would have been less of a problem had there not been, at that very moment, a small explosion within its fiery belly. A white hot stone, not much larger than a fingernail, shot from the furnace and hit the side of the tent. The canvas caught fire and the flames spread with alarming speed, turning the far side of the structure into a massive lantern, bright enough to rouse the whole town from its slumber.

  ‘What is it?’ Alice demanded. ‘What’s happening?’

  Arlo scrambled back up the chute and the answer was immediate. An inferno.

  ‘Get out! Get out! We have to get out, now!’

  Below them the hill was erupting in another kind of blaze as people came running, their voices bouncing through the valleys like wildfire. Worse, four guards who had remained close to the bush line in case Haven had gone to ground, came rushing out of the trees. Arlo, Alice and Jackie were trapped with a searing wall of heat behind them and nowhere to hide.

  ‘Now what?’ Arlo asked, springing to his feet but unable to move. ‘Should we tell them we’ve just escaped the fire?’ But even as he said it, he knew there was no way of explaining who Alice was. And the moon was already high in the sky. They had to get to the tunnel before it closed back over.

  ‘I’ll lose them in the bush,’ Alice said. ‘You take Jackie.’

  There were a hundred different objections to the plan, but the first of the guards was close enough to make out their faces, and was waving them away from the fire.

  ‘A twin!’ The words came clear and certain on the night air. ‘We’ve been tricked. It was a trick!’

  Suddenly the hill was alive with shouting.

  Alice ran on a diagonal, heading for the trees before they could cut her off. She must have hoped all four guards would follow her, but they were not so foolish. Two gave chase while the others held their ground, watching Jackie and Arlo carefully. Jackie attempted to run after her sister but she staggered like a newborn foal and fell to the ground.

  Arlo had no time to think and that fact, in the end, saved him. Magic works best when the mind doesn’t interfere. Arlo rushed forward, threw Jackie over his shoulder, and leapt into the air. It was not that he flew particularly well, but that hardly mattered. His flight was unexpected and it was this element of surprise that saw the two chasers caught momentarily off guard, stopping still and watching the renegades float overhead.

  But the element of surprise did not last long, and very soon, Arlo knew, they would be flying after him, without the disadvantage of a young girl to carry.

  He headed for the cover of the trees. What else was there for him to do? Of course, flying through trees at night-time is a treacherous business, even for an expert, and Arlo certainly wasn’t that. He saw the first branch just in time and swerved to the left, only to feel the thud of some part of Jackie making contact.

  ‘Sorry!’ he called back to her. ‘Just try to hang on.’

  He felt Jackie rearranging herself, sliding off his shoulder and then wrapping herself around his waist and neck, as if he were piggybacking her. Behind him, Arlo could hear the cracking of twigs and brushing of branches as the guards closed in. The further he moved into the bush, the darker it became and he daren’t push himself any faster. At this speed, though, very soon he would be caught. He felt the dark dread of failure weighing him down.

  ‘Follow me.’ The voice was a familiar one, but at first he did not recognise it. He searched through the gloom but could see nothing.

  Who? Where are you?

  There was a sudden flurry of wind across his face and Seymour flew in front of him. Arlo had never imagined he would be so pleased to see a ruru.

  ‘You can’t see well in the dark, but I can,’ the bird said matter of factly. ‘Stay close and I’ll lead you out of here.’

  Relief washed over Arlo. There was hope.

  Seymour led him expertly through the thickets, finding the gaps in
the jumble of trunks, vines and branches. Arlo concentrated on the beating wings in front of him. He felt like he was in a trance. Behind him the sounds of pursuit faded. He lost track of time.

  Eventually it was the ruru who decided they had flown far enough. Seymour took them clear of the bush into the dazzling light of the moon, and hovered low as they landed. Arlo squinted in the glare, feeling suddenly exposed. Beside him, Jackie collapsed into the long grass.

  ‘Where are we?’ Arlo asked.

  ‘Safe,’ the ruru replied.

  ‘Not yet,’ Arlo argued. ‘Not until we’re in that tunnel.’

  There was silence then. If Arlo didn’t know better, he would have sworn that the bird was hesitating.

  ‘What?’ Arlo asked. ‘What is it?’

  ‘Nothing,’ Seymour answered. ‘I can lead you to the tunnel. If that is what you want.’

  Stefan and Harriet met at the pre-arranged spot behind a boat shed at the edge of the water.

  ‘You sure you haven’t been followed?’ Harriet asked.

  Stefan shook his head. ‘I’ve been here for ten minutes. They would have already attacked if they’d seen me. What about you? How easy was it to get away?’

  ‘Easier than I’d anticipated,’ Harriet replied. ‘The fire saw to that.’

  ‘Yes, the fire.’

  They stood in silence for a moment, both thinking the same thoughts. What about the others? Did they get away in time, or did the fire trap them?

  ‘Do you think we should try to go back and check on them?’ Stefan asked.

  ‘No.’ Harriet’s jaw was firmly set. ‘We just have to trust them to have found a way. Sorry, but it’s our only chance. Come on,’ she said. ‘We have to move. It’s not going to be easy, now everybody’s awake.’

  The town was alive with light and movement. Sirens blared, doors slammed, people shouted. Across the harbour the whole headland glowed a hellish red. The flames from the tent had spread to the dry grass and scrub all around. Stefan and Harriet couldn’t risk passing through such confusion and chaos, so they extended their journey higher up the hills and deeper into the forests. Apart from the noise of the town and the jabber of their thoughts they travelled in silence.

  Harriet led the way, eyes sharp, alert to every danger. But she didn’t see it, the dark figure that was tracking their progress, gliding through the forest, melting in and out of the shadows. Not until it surged ahead and, without warning, stood before them, blocking the way forward.

  Harriet didn’t hesitate, attacking first with her feet, then her hands.

  The figure moved expertly, avoiding, deflecting, the whole time screaming at her assailant: ‘What are you doing? What are you doing?’

  ‘Harriet,’ Stefan called to his friend. ‘Stop. Harriet! It’s Alice!’

  Harriet dropped her arms and stood back.

  Alice stepped forward into a sliver of moonlight.

  ‘Oh, sorry,’ said Harriet.

  ‘You’re lucky I didn’t hit back,’ Alice said. She stayed on the balls of her feet, alert and full of nerves. It wasn’t a good sign.

  ‘Where are the others?’ Stefan asked. ‘What’s happened to Arlo and Jackie?’

  ‘You saw the fire?’ Alice asked.

  ‘Yeah, of course. What happened?’

  ‘Dunno. Bad luck I guess.’ Alice looked around her, checking the shadows. ‘Some guards came running back. We had to split up. I tried to draw them into the forest, but two of them stayed on Arlo and Jackie.’

  ‘Did they—’

  ‘I don’t know.’

  ‘They’ll be all right,’ Stefan said, surprised by the strength of his conviction.

  ‘You can’t know that,’ Harriet warned.

  ‘If something had happened, I’d know,’ Stefan said, and as he spoke the words he knew they were true. ‘Come on. The tunnel is close now. They’ll make it. I know they will.’

  The three walked on together. Alice remained jittery, darting off to investigate the smallest noise, and twice forcing the others to hide in the undergrowth.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ Stefan whispered to her. ‘What are you feeling? Is it Jackie?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ Alice said. ‘Just a feeling, that’s all. That I’m missing something important. I can’t explain.’

  ‘It’s nerves,’ Stefan said. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, the way he would have done if she had been Arlo. She didn’t object.

  Waiting on the bank, at the place where the tunnel had last opened, crouched among the shadows of scrubby trees, were two familiar figures: Madame Latitude and Malcolm. Although they smiled at the arrival of Harriet, Alice and Stefan, their faces were drawn with worry.

  ‘How did the fire happen?’ Madame Latitude demanded. ‘There wasn’t meant to be a fire.’

  ‘We don’t know,’ Alice replied. ‘You must be Madame Latitude.’

  ‘And you must be Alice.’ Madame Latitude smiled. ‘Where are the other two?’

  ‘We don’t know,’ Harriet said.

  ‘But they’re all right,’ Stefan added. ‘I can feel it. I can feel Arlo is close.’

  ‘Very well,’ Madame Latitude said. ‘We have no choice but to hope you are right. Meanwhile, there has been no sign of Haven. But that does not surprise me. Wherever he is, he will be waiting for the very last moment to show himself. If he draws near, Malcolm and I will feel him. If that happens, you must obey my commands exactly, no matter how strange they may seem. And if I tell you to go through the tunnel, go immediately. Say your goodbyes now. There might be no time later.’

  Stefan and Harriet looked awkwardly at one another. Stefan had been so intent on rescuing Jackie and getting back home that he’d barely considered he would be saying goodbye to his new friend forever. Now the thought of it filled him with sadness. He hugged her and felt a tear run down his cheek. He did not try to hide it.

  ‘Thank you,’ he whispered.

  ‘Yes,’ she whispered back. ‘Thank you.’

  Malcolm and Madame Latitude straightened up together, their hands out, eyes wide.

  ‘He’s somewhere,’ Madame Latitude said, her voice a low growl, her head turning first left, then right. ‘Somewhere close. Nobody move a muscle.’

  Stefan felt his throat contract, and Harriet’s hand reached for his. They stood still and waited. Beside them, Alice crouched, like a cat ready to pounce.

  The sound was at first an indistinct beating of wings. Stefan imagined a monster in the sky, circling overhead, taking aim with its fire. But as the sound came closer it shrank down to its true size: not of a monster, but of a ruru.

  ‘Seymour?’ Stefan asked the bird now alighted on a branch directly above the slit in the rock where the tunnel would soon open. ‘What are you doing here? Have you seen the others?’

  ‘Of course,’ the bird replied.

  ‘So where are—?’ Stefan’s answer was cut short by the arrival of Jackie and Arlo. They looked exhausted, but there was no sign of injury. Alice rushed forward, pulling her sister to her and holding her tight. Stefan moved more gently to Arlo, although their hugging was no less heartfelt.

  Stefan felt relief surge through him and his legs grew weak. Arlo was shaking and his teeth began to chatter. ‘You’re all right,’ Stefan murmured. ‘Thank God, you’re all right.’

  A cool breeze swept across the back of Stefan’s neck and he was sure he could detect the faint scent of diesel. He turned to see that a gap in the rockface at head height, just big enough for a child to squeeze through. The tunnel had opened.

  The six stood quietly, all waiting for somebody else to speak.

  It was Alice who broke the silence. ‘All right then.’ She looked Madame Latitude in the eye. ‘This is it. We’re going now. Thank you for your help. I’m sorry we haven’t found Haven. Perhaps the commotion of the fire frightened him back into hiding.’

  Madame Latitude shook her head.

  ‘You can’t leave. Not yet, not before Haven comes. And he will com
e. He has to come.’ Her voice was weighted with hope, not conviction.

  ‘If he was coming he would already be here,’ Alice replied firmly. ‘We got Jackie here, the way you needed us to. And now the deal is finished with.’

  ‘Wait five minutes,’ Madame Latitude said. ‘He is close! I can feel it.’

  Alice looked at Arlo. ‘We have to go. You know I’m right.’

  Arlo nodded. If he reached his hand up now, he would feel the familiar air of his world wafting from the tunnel. They were finished here. This was finished with.

  ‘Thank you for your help,’ he said to Madame Latitude. ‘We have to go now.’

  Madame Latitude looked to Malcolm for support, but he closed his eyes and shook his head.

  ‘This isn’t their battle,’ he said. ‘They risked their lives for us, and this isn’t their battle. We have to let them go, before the tunnel closes over. Haven is growing weaker, and if we are patient our chance will come.’

  Madame Latitude took a slow deep breath. She exhaled and nodded. ‘You’re right. But he’s close. I can feel it.’ Her eyes fell in resignation. ‘All right. Thank you for your efforts, children. Rarely would one encounter such bravery and generosity of spirit. Go quickly now, and take all that you have learned here back into your world with you. Use it to make your own world a kinder place.’

  Alice needed no further prompting. She scaled the bank as a cat might, then lay down on the small ledge and offered her hand to her sister. Jackie reached up, grasped it and took one last look around.

  ‘Thank you,’ she said quietly, to everyone. ‘Thank you for everything.’

  Then she was up, letting Alice help her through the small opening.

  Alice turned back to the boys. ‘Come on, we have to hurry,’ she urged.

  Stefan turned to Harriet, who had not moved from his side. He felt her strong fingers still clutching his. Looking into her eyes he saw that they, like his own, were clouded with tears.

  ‘I’ll see you again,’ he muttered, although they both knew that couldn’t happen.