by John Mallon
Chapter 13
“Grenta! Here quick!” shouted Braddle.
Braddle ran towards a fold in the mountainous black bag squashed on to the bottom shelf not far from where he had previously stored the black box. He reached it first but when he turned round Grenta was not behind him. She stood, unmoving, in the middle of the shelf staring at the far end of it at the monstrous creature coming towards her. He ran back to her fast.
“Grenta! Come on!”
He grabbed her hand and dragged her away with him. She got in to her stride and pulled her hand out of his. She was a fast runner and reached the fold before he did.
“What were you doing?” he asked her.
“I don’t know. My legs wouldn’t move” she gasped.
Braddle peered round the edge of the fold back down the shelf. The creature was still coming. If it found them then it would surely kill them. They couldn’t out run it and make it back to Carporoo. It was too fast. If they kept quiet it may go past or off in another direction. It may not though. It may simply come up to where they were hiding and, without showing any appreciation for them having waited, devour them one by one. They needed Alfie’s help.
“Wait here” said Braddle.
“Why? Where are you going?” asked Grenta, panic-stricken.
“Just under this fold. The black box is there. I need to switch it on. Only Alfie can help us.”
Braddle dropped to his knees and lifted the edge of the plastic mountain up. He crawled in to the gap head first and moved forward. He guessed that the box should only be about three or four metres away.
It was like crawling through a cloud with a tough skin. The cloud pressed down on him from every direction. After every couple of knee-steps he would stretch his hand out in an attempt to locate the box but all he could feel was more of the cloud. Where is it? Where is it? It has got to be here, he thought. Unless…Unless I’ve made a mistake or someone has taken it. Got to find it. Got to find it, he repeated to himself. He heard Grenta scream. He froze. He had to go back. No choice. He turned quickly and his head hit something hard. The black box! He reached out and hit the button on top of it and a soft whirring sound started up within. He then turned back the way he had come and shoved the plastic, black cloud out of his way with his arms and face. He quickly found the edge of the fold and jumped out.
Grenta was cowering on the floor. The creature was standing close by looking at her with two large pincers on its head snapping together rapidly. Braddle snatched the dagger from his belt and shouted at the creature. He waved the dagger in the air.
“Alfie! Alfie!” he called “Come quick. Alfie! Alfie!”
The creature came forward and Braddle hit one of its pincers with his dagger and it retreated back a little.
“Alfie! Alfie!”
A figure appeared in the garage. Braddle saw it standing there. It looked like a girl, a young girl. It had to be Alfie’s sister, Lou.
“Lou! Lou!” he shouted. “Down here. Help us!”
“Who said that?” Lou replied.
“It’s me, Braddle. I need your help. Quickly!”
Lou did not help. Instead, her figure faded and disappeared from view.
The creature came forward again. Braddle hit the other pincer. It retreated but not as far as last time.
“Alfie! Alfie!”
We’ll have to go under the fold thought Braddle. There’s no other way.
“Grenta, crawl under. We’ve got no choice.”
Grenta did not move. Braddle could hear her crying.
“Grenta!” he shouted.
The creature moved forward again. Braddle positioned himself in front of her. This is it, he thought.
“Braddle! Braddle! Where are you?”
It was Alfie.
“Alfie! Down here. You’ve got to get this Boster. It’s going to eat us.”
Alfie dropped to his knees and quickly raised his magnifying glass.
“You mean this ant” he said.
“Whatever. Just get it!”
Alfie could see Braddle stabbing with his dagger and the ant closing in on him. He had to act now before it was too late. There was only one thing that he could do. One thing only. He placed his thumb over the ant and… squashed it. Without looking at his thumb and the ant-stain smeared on it, he quickly wiped it on the top of the plastic bag a couple of times and then a couple of times more on the rough garage floor, just to be certain. He then examined the thumb up close and shuddered.
Braddle crouched down by Grenta. She had her head buried in her arms.
“It’s over. The boster has gone. Come and meet Alfie” he said.
Grenta raised her head and looked around. In the place where the boster had been there was nothing left except a smudge on the ground.
“Look, it’s really gone” Braddle told her and laughed.
Grenta stood up and wiped her eyes on her sleeve.
“Where is this giant then?” she asked.
“There.”
Braddle pointed towards him. It took a few seconds for her to make sense of what she was seeing. When she did so her eyebrows tried to seek refuge in her hairline and her mouth dropped open.
“Come and say hello” said Braddle.
“I don’t know” she said “is it safe?”
“Yes, of course it is. Alfie has just saved your life. He’s not going to hurt you now.”
Braddle took Grenta by the hand and led her out on to the middle of the shelf.
“Alfie this is Grenta a friend of mine.” He then looked at Grenta. “Grenta this is Alfie who is also a friend of mine.”
“Hello Grenta nice to meet you” said Alfie. “It is a good job that I came when I did otherwise that ant would be having breakfast now.”
“Hello…Hello Alfie. Nice to meet you too. Thanks for getting rid of the boster though I’m sure Braddle would have defeated it eventually.” She laughed. “What happened to it anyway” she asked, looking back to where it had stood.
“You don’t want to know” laughed Alfie. “I don’t think I do either” he added, wiping his thumb again on his jeans.
“Lou was here” said Braddle. “I asked her to help but she vanished.”
“I know” replied Alfie. “I saw her run out of the garage. She said that the lawnmower was asking for help. I don’t think she will be coming back in here for a while.”
“What's a lawnmower?” whispered Grenta to Braddle.
Braddle shrugged his shoulders.
“Maybe it's a horrible creature like the Fanged Spronger” he whispered back.
They fell silent. After a couple of moments, Grenta gave Braddle a nudge. She nodded in Alfie’s direction. Braddle, though, was reluctant to speak. Grenta decided to do it for him.
“Alfie, Braddle has something to tell you. He needs your help.”
“Oh yes. What is it Braddle?”
Braddle looked at Grenta. She urged him to speak.
“Well” said Braddle. “Yesterday my mother disappeared. She was taken by someone and I have vowed to find her.”
“That’s terrible” said Alfie. “Do you know who has done it?”
“No we don’t” jumped in Grenta. “We think it has something to do with the missing counsellors but we don’t know what.”
“Important people have disappeared without a trace since we came here” said Braddle. “We don’t know why it is happening but my mother seems to have been caught up in it.”
“Right. How can I help you though?” Alfie asked.
“I don’t know yet” said Braddle “but I want to be sure that you would if I asked you. I might want you to tear every building in Carporoo apart if that was the only way I could find her. If I can count on your help I am certain that I will get her back.”
Alfie was silent for a moment. It was difficult to see how he could help. It was hard enough finding a tiny person who wanted to be found never mind one who was hidden.
“Of course I’ll help you” said Alfie. �
�All you have to do is ask.”
“This way mum. In here.”
It was Lou and she was not alone.
“Mum’s coming” whispered Alfie. “Have to go. Meet me here the same time tomorrow.”
Braddle and Grenta waved then ran towards the end of the shelf and the path that led back to Carporoo. As they reached the corner they could still hear Alfie’s voice.
“Just checking out the garage mum. Lou said that the lawnmower was talking to her. It’s not talking now. Are you sure it wasn’t the hedge trimmers instead Lou?”
“Alright. I haven’t got time for this” mum replied.
“I did hear a voice” insisted Lou. “I did. I did. It was shouting. It wanted help.”
Alfie looked down at the empty shelf. Don’t worry Braddle. I will help you find your mother. Promise.
