Milton the Megastar

by Emma Read

She opened the box.

  ‘You can come out now,’ she said in a small voice.

  Slowly, Milton, Audrey and Ralph emerged and gave half-hearted waves to the humans. Milton was glad Mini had gone to the gym – explaining another undeclared guest in the hotel might’ve been awkward.

  ‘Don’t blame them,’ Zoe said quickly. ‘It was all my idea. And I stand by it.’ Her look changed to defiance. ‘This is Milton’s dad we’re talking about. Milton’s got a right to come and find him . . . we are going to find him, aren’t we?’

  Dad and Greta looked at each other, almost bumping noses on the cosy couch.

  ‘I think it’s time to come clean, Owen,’ said Greta.

  ‘I knew something was going on.’ Zoe almost leapt to her feet, and Milton, Audrey and Ralph grabbed the box sides, and each other.

  ‘There’s a bit more to our friendship with Mako than I let on,’ said Dad.

  Greta stuffed a large piece of chocolate cake into her mouth and nodded at Owen to continue.

  ‘Thanks,’ he said sarcastically. ‘Greta and I have been discussing joining #NotScaredOfSpiders with Mako’s campaign to protect the Hawaiian happy-face spiders, and we really wanted to see the work in person. For all of us. We’ve been planning it for a while but we didn’t want to tell you until we were sure it would work. Also, Mako and Jenna have had their eye on Bradley O’Hair for a while now. He’s made quite a mess of the island, so Mako suggested we stay in his hotel to see what we could find out.’

  Milton groaned. Not the campaign again. I came here to get away from all that.

  Zoe put her head in her hands. ‘So much for this being a holiday. It’s not even a rescue mission, it’s a work trip. You two are spies but you still told me off for snooping! And –’ she raised her voice – ‘it’s MY campaign.’

  Milton, Audrey and Ralph gasped. They’d never seen Zoe like this before. Whatever was wrong with her? I hope she’s not going to web herself into a dark corner and refuse to come out.

  The spiders retreated into the box and Zoe hugged them close. ‘Don’t worry, Milton. I still care about your dad.’

  Tremors

  Dad got up from the couch and sat next to Zoe. He side-eyed the spiders in the box, still not one hundred per cent over his arachnophobia. ‘I’m sorry we didn’t tell you about our plans. That was a mistake. With hindsight.’ He gave Greta a sheepish look and Zoe got the impression that Greta had voted for honesty from the start. ‘I wanted to keep this as a holiday, especially for you. You’ve had a lot going on and I didn’t want to worry you. I should’ve trusted you more.’

  ‘We truly are sorry, Zoe,’ said Greta. ‘And we are going to find Milton’s dad.’

  Zoe had a sudden pang of guilt. She’d known ages ago that there might be a problem on the mountain and that Milton’s dad might be involved, but she hadn’t told Milton so as not to worry him. She’d done exactly what her dad and Greta had done to her.

  She chewed her thumbnail. ‘Let’s have a look at this happy-face campaign then,’ she said, eager to move on.

  Dad googled it as Milton spelt out:

  MY COUSINS WITH DAD

  ‘Yes,’ said Greta, handing Zoe a piece of cake to make peace. ‘We are planning a rescue, believe me. And we know that Bradley is trying to lure us away – he’s offered us a trip around the island on the O’Hair helicopter next.’

  ‘Ooh, I do fancy that,’ said Dad, and Zoe scowled at him. ‘Sorry. We’ve had to play along with the gifts and freebies so he didn’t get suspicious. But now, with the earthquakes potentially signalling trouble, we need to move quickly – we’re going up the volcano first thing tomorrow morning.’

  ‘Thank you.’ Zoe threw her arms around her dad and buried her head into his chest. ‘I’m sorry I was angry.’

  ‘I’m sorry too. Neither of us have been honest and it’s not worked out so well. I’m still angry about the spiders being here, but it’s done now. It’s up to you to look after them and make sure they’re not discovered.’

  Zoe nodded. She remembered Greta saying something about fines and serious trouble if you took non-native species abroad. She was also sure she’d used the word ‘illegal’, but Zoe didn’t want to think about that. ‘I will, Dad.’

  She turned to the laptop. ‘Look at these cuties, guys. If I didn’t have you –’ she tickled Milton’s abdomen – ‘they would definitely be my favourite spiders.’

  Audrey and Ralph gathered round Milton as he pointed animatedly at the picture. It was a lovely photo – clearly showing the markings on the yellow abdomen, which looked exactly like a happy face, with little black eyes and a red, grinning mouth. Who would want to hurt these creatures? It was unimaginable.

  But the next day things didn’t quite go to plan.

  ‘Apparently, due to the earthquakes, the two approach roads to the mountain are closed and the visitor centre is shut until further notice,’ Mr M said, and without concentrating, bit into Greta’s purple taro root bagel. He grimaced, but the spiders weren’t sure if it was because of the news or the breakfast.

  ‘If the roads are closed, how will we get to Dad?’ Milton tapped his claws nervously and began pacing the arm of the chair.

  ‘Have a fly, Milton, and try to calm down. They’ll sort it.’ Ralph handed him a snack.

  Audrey abseiled from the library bookshelf and swung on to Greta’s lap. She looked up at the professor and cocked her head.

  ‘It’ll be fine, Audrey. We’re looking at alternative routes. There are walking trails and we’ve got maps and satellite views. We’ll just have to go cross-country to get the footage we need to prove what a certain person is doing. I am worried, though. These road closures feel like Bradley’s doing. I’m anxious about what we are getting ourselves into.’

  Milton was anxious too and closed all his eyes. He pictured his dad in the video he’d sent after the #NotScaredOfSpiders campaign kicked off last year. He looked so happy, so well – every bit the daring adventurer, hanging out with famous photographers in exotic locations. Now he wondered if he’d ever see his dad again. He’d spent so long without his only true family member that he’d got used to it, but here, on the island, he was so close he desperately wanted to feel his dad’s eight legs around him. How could he be so near but so far away?

  Milton crawled off the chair towards the dark space behind a bookshelf.

  Back to those dark corners, Milton.

  The thing was, of course he wanted to see his dad again, but something kept nibbling away at him.

  What if Dad is disappointed in me?

  Milton squeezed into the dusty gap and shuddered as a vision of a supermarket crate crept into his mind.

  Most spiders ballooned off in the wind after they emerged from their egg sac, to make a life of their own. Milton was different. He’d lived with his dad. And it had been a great life. Full of outdoor pursuits like web-rope knots and whittling splinters. They’d made dens in the garden, ignoring the garden spiders’ taunts. Dad had taught him human language from the back of cereal boxes, and inspired him to always be brave and try new things.

  Milton gave a half-hearted smile – like talking to humans.

  But then his world had shed its skin. After a mishap with a supermarket delivery, Milton’s dad had been whisked out into the big wide world and he’d never seen him again.

  And the thing that ate Milton up from the inside was that he could’ve saved him.

  Could I have saved him?

  ‘So we can walk up the mountain, then?’ said Zoe. Mako had joined them and Greta was showing him on the map the trail they were going to follow. ‘I’m up for that.’

  The adults did that annoying thing of all looking at each other, when they all had the same thing to say, but were waiting for someone else to say it first. Whatever the ‘thing’ was, Zoe imagined it ping-ponging around between them like a cross between a pinball and a hand grenade.

  ‘Oh, someone say it,’ she said, feeling like the only grown-up in the room.
>
  Greta and Mako both looked at her dad and he shrunk in his chair, seeming to realize that it had to be him. ‘It’s just that you said “we”. “We can walk up the mountain”. . .’

  ‘Yes . . .’

  ‘You can’t go, sweetheart.’

  ‘WHAT?’

  ‘Greta and Mako are going. They’re the experts. You’re too young. It wouldn’t be safe and I’d never forgive myself if anything happened to you. We’ll stay here and eat ice cream . . .’ He trailed off as he saw Zoe’s expression. ‘Also Bradley O’Hair has offered us that free trip in that helicopter.’

  And with that, Zoe’s fury exploded.

  Things That Can’t Be Unsaid

  Milton’s stomach churned.

  He hadn’t been able to face breakfast with so much on his mind. He felt dizzy again, like he had in the attic.

  Find Dad, don’t get squashed, climb a grumpy volcano, with Zoe probably mad at me for going without her. Some friend I am.

  ‘Shut up!’ he said aloud to the voice in his head. He was with Greta as they packed – Audrey and Ralph had stayed in Zoe’s room to keep her company.

  They are Zoe’s real friends. They haven’t aband—

  ‘Seriously. Shut up!’ Milton banged his cephalothorax with his front claws.

  ‘Now, now, Milton. You’re being too hard on yourself again.’ Milton nearly jumped out of his exoskeleton. Would he ever get used to Mini’s sudden appearances? ‘Are you worried about Zoe being angry? She understands. It’s your dad. It’s why she brought you.’

  ‘Thanks, Mini. I don’t know where you’ve been all this time, but I’m glad you’re here.’

  ‘You ready, Milton?’ called Greta, walking towards him. She held open the little wooden box and he crawled in, looking glum.

  Mini crawled in after him, unseen by the relatively giant human. ‘Don’t worry, she’ll come around. She’s just upset right now.’

  ‘I wish she were coming. She settles my nerves so much, even though she is a human. What a silly spider I am!’ He smiled. ‘You should swing out, Mini, you wouldn’t want to get lost.’

  He hugged Mini goodbye, curled up in the corner and tried to ignore the yelling coming from the neighbouring room. Mr M and Zoe were arguing, and he could guess what about. Mini popped her head back in through the holes. ‘You’ll be fine.’

  Zoe and her dad were, indeed, arguing in Zoe’s bedroom.

  ‘It’s not fair. This is my thing, the spiders are my friends, not yours or Greta’s. She’s got her own spiders at the zoo.’ She crossed her arms again. ‘She’s taking over everything. First #NotScaredOfSpiders and now this. She didn’t even want to be part of the campaign and now she’s taking the credit for it – and she’s got you wrapped around her little finger.’

  ‘Now hang on, Zoe.’ Her dad raised his voice, not for the first time since the others had started getting ready for the trip. ‘Greta is going to be my wife, and I want you to be respectful.’

  ‘Well, I wish she wasn’t.’

  It was said.

  Aloud.

  And despite both Zoe and her dad taking huge intakes of breath, it wouldn’t go back in. Time seemed to split apart like a chasm in the Earth’s crust, and all Zoe could do was watch her dad turn around and leave her room. She didn’t follow, trapped by the awful thing she’d just said. She waited for the door to close behind him, then burst into tears.

  Three hours later, Zoe and Dillon sat under the coconut palms on Punalu’u Beach, eating crisps. Zoe ran the black sand through her fingers. ‘This is the coolest thing ever. I’ve never seen a completely black beach before. It’s weird.’

  ‘And hot,’ said Dillon. ‘It gets super hot in the sun, which is why I said to bring your sneakers. It’s why the turtles like it, because it’s lovely and warm.’

  It was hard to be upset, watching sea turtles hauling themselves about on the beach, marvelling at handfuls of volcanic lava, cooled and fractured by the bluest of seas. But Zoe was managing it – her face was as sullen as a rainy day in the west of England.

  ‘What’s up, Zee? Why so stressed?’

  Zoe studied him – this laid-back, annoying boy, without a care in the world, or a care for the world. Was he still the enemy? Was she silly for thinking she could change him, trust him? She wasn’t sure. She quite liked that he had a cute little name for her, though.

  ‘Parental stuff. It’s nothing.’ She felt a stab of envy as she imagined Greta and Mako heading up the volcano. She pushed her palm on to the sand, letting the heat sting her skin.

  ‘What you need is to relax, feel the sun on your face, take each day as it comes, get with the spirit of Hawaii.’

  As far as Zoe was concerned there was nothing less relaxing than being told to relax.

  ‘That’s the problem. We were supposed to be relaxing. This was supposed to be a holiday.’ Zoe had a sudden urge to tell someone, anyone, the whole story. ‘Then I find out that Dad and Greta have been scheming behind my back about the #NotScaredOfSpiders campaign – MY campaign. And that’s really why we’re here, and then I do all the legwork working out what your dad is up to, with MY spiders sticking their cephalothoraxes on the line, and then they go swanning off into the sunset on a great big adventure up a volcano and leave me here with Dad, who just wants to bang on about going in a helicopter and feeding me ice cream. I’m not ten!’ She beat her fists into the sand. ‘And then I went and said what I said about Greta and I wish I could take it back but I . . . what?’

  Dillon was frowning. ‘They’ve gone to the volcano?’

  Suddenly Zoe realized what she’d done. Cute name or not, he was still Bradley O’Hair’s son, and she’d ruined everything.

  Peace Talks

  In a panic, Zoe started backtracking, trying desperately to come up with a good story to cover her mistake, but for some reason Dillon was smirking. ‘You should try scuba diving.’

  ‘What? Why can’t you talk sense, Dillon O’Hair?’

  ‘You talk so much you clearly don’t need to breathe.’ He lay back on his beach towel. ‘Don’t worry, I won’t say anything to Dad. In the meantime, chill out, feel the breeze, listen to the birds.’

  Zoe folded her arms. ‘If we don’t fight for the natural world, there won’t be any birds. It’s your future I care about too. What your dad’s doing is terrible, that’s why Greta and Mako are trying to stop him. Please, will you help me?’

  Dillon looked to be considering this for a moment then he said, ‘It’s hard for them too, you know.’

  Zoe squinted at him. This habit of changing the subject was very annoying. ‘What are you talking about?’

  ‘Greta and your dad – figuring out how your family will work – it’s complicated. Greta hasn’t had kids before, right? She’s new to it and you need to give her time. And your dad – he’s trying to work out how to keep you happy and let himself be happy. He’s allowed to be happy, right?’

  Zoe sighed and turned her attention to two turtles playing the slowest game of tag ever. The big one in front flicked sand at the lumbering giant behind and Zoe cracked a smile. Why did Dillon have to be so frustrating? And worse still, he was right. She had been pretty awful to Greta. Of course Dad had a right to be happy. And so did she. This family thing was complicated, Dillon was right about that too – how irritating could one boy be?

  Zoe turned to face him and gave a reluctant nod. ‘Of course. But did you hear anything I said about the environment? About stopping your dad?’

  ‘They shouldn’t be going up the mountain today. Dad said it could erupt.’ Dillon tilted his head and studied her thoughtfully. ‘Why should I help you?’

  Zoe decided to take a leap of faith. What did it matter now if he thought she was crazy? ‘My spider campaign started because my best friend, Milton, was in danger. His species was under threat. And yes, he’s a spider. You can laugh all you want but it’s happening again, only this time it’s the Hawaiian happy-face spiders and it’s your dad who’s going to wipe them out
. We have to save them.’

  Remarkably, Dillon wasn’t laughing. ‘I didn’t realize it was such a big deal. Dad hates bugs, so I guess he wouldn’t care.’ He paused. ‘You really believe in your cause, don’t you?’

  Zoe suddenly realized how selfish she’d been. She’d made it all about her and forgotten the real goal. ‘I do. Those spiders up there, and all spiders, are vitally important to the planet. But even more than that, Milton’s dad is with them. Please help me save them.’

  Zoe found her dad by the pool, reading a paper and drinking coffee. He didn’t look cross, but Zoe’s heart was hammering as she sat down on the very edge of the sun lounger beside him. Dad put down the paper and Zoe looked at him, and also the floor at the same time. She closed her eyes, expecting disappointment, feeling the heat of Dad’s anger already, waiting for it to bubble up.

  ‘Oh, Zoe. I’m so sorry,’ he said.

  Huh?

  ‘I didn’t realize. I mean, I didn’t think. You must be incredibly angry to say something like that.’

  ‘I didn’t mean to say it. What I mean is, I don’t mean it.’

  Ugh, why didn’t anything come out right?

  ‘I know, sweetheart. But you’re upset and you’ve every right to be.’

  Again, huh?

  ‘Things have been hard recently, and when I met Greta, they got easier. So much easier.’

  His face glowed as he spoke about her. ‘But I’ve not paid you enough attention, or considered how you’re feeling as much as I should’ve. Things have happened so quickly. I’ve been selfish.’

  ‘It’s been a bit . . . weird.’

  ‘Yeah, I bet. I haven’t tried to see things from your point of view and that’s going to change. Starting now. I know how badly you want to go and rescue Milton’s dad, but it’s dangerous.’

  Zoe looked up and raised an eyebrow.

  ‘I know you’re not scared, Oh Fearless One, but I am.’ They laughed. ‘I don’t know what’s going on up there. But obviously you want to do something, so . . .’