CHAPTER 22
The four run as fast as they can along the tunnel. ‘What did you do that for?’ asks Lucy in shock as they run. Edward does not reply. Lucy glances sideways at him and sees a strange look upon his face. ‘Quickly,’ says Sam, leading the way. ‘Down here.’ They swing off the main tunnel into a small dark opening that he has run down. ‘What ever is wrong?’ Lucy asks Edward as they run. She raises her voice, ‘Edward! What is wrong?’ Edward turns his head slowly in her direction as if coming out of a trance and looks at Lucy. He comes to a stop and Lucy stops next to him. Bruce, who is bringing up the rear and looking back in the direction they have just come from, runs into Edward’s legs and bounces back with a thud. ‘What have you stopped for?’ he asks urgently. Edward and Lucy ignore him. Lucy, concerned by the strange look on Edward’s face, asks him again what is wrong. His lips move but she hears only a whisper. ‘What did you say?’ Lucy asks. Louder this time, Edward says, ‘The Island Queen.’ ‘Yes, I heard him – that must be the name of the ship they were talking about, the one they are going to wreck.’ Edward, more animated this time says, ‘We must stop them.’ ‘That may be easier said than done,’ says Lucy. ‘We have to,’ says Edward desperately. ‘I know it’s horrible,’ says Lucy, ‘but they are Wreckers, they wreck ships – that’s what they do.’ ‘No, you don’t understand,’ Edward says with fear and shock in his eyes, ‘we have to save the Island Queen; we have to stop them. My parents are on that ship.’ ‘What!’ exclaims Lucy, in shock. ‘The Island Queen is the ship my parents are sailing home on,’ repeats Edward gravely.
Just then they hear the angry voices of their pursuers getting closer. ‘Quickly,’ shouts Sam. ‘We do not have time for this cosy chat.’ He sprints away along the tunnel. Edward and Lucy, realising the danger, chase after the cat. ‘Wait for me,’ shouts Bruce, running after them. They run for their lives along the tunnels, turning sometimes left and sometimes right with the sound of the pursuing gang getting louder. Suddenly Edward catches his foot on the uneven floor and goes sprawling down. Lucy and Sam, unaware that Edward has taken a tumble, carry on running and are soon out of sight. Bruce reaches him and asks with concern, ‘Are you alright laddie?’ Edward gets shakily to his feet. ‘Yes I think so.’ ‘Quick they are gaining on us,’ says Bruce. The pair start to run again. Around the next bend in the tunnel, they come to a sudden stop again. In front of them the passage splits into two. ‘Which way did Lucy and Sam go?’ Edward asks with alarm. He takes the torch from his pocket and shines it down one and then the other tunnel. Bruce, hearing the approaching voices behind them, says ‘I don’t know, but we don’t have time to stand here and discuss it.’ They decide on the left of the two passages in front of them and just then they hear one of the gang shout triumphantly. ‘There they are!’ ‘Quick,’ says Bruce ‘They are nearly on us, run.’ Edward and Bruce run as fast as they can go, the torch beam illuminating their way. They go down this tunnel and that passageway, hastily choosing tunnel entrances as they come to them. But they soon realise that they have no idea which direction Lucy and Sam have gone and are totally lost.
CHAPTER 23
As they are running past a passage to their right, Edward sees a dull grey light at the end of it and screeches to a halt, shouting at Bruce to stop. ‘Quickly, this way – there is some light down there I think it may lead to the outside.’ They quickly run into the opening. The grey light ahead gets brighter and suddenly they both tumble out of the tunnel. They roll down an embankment and plunge into ice cold water, Edward only just managing to land on his feet. Bruce plunges into the water, disappearing under the surface. Seconds later his head suddenly pops up out of the dark water, spluttering and choking. Looking about him, Edward sees that they are in a flooded lane. The embankment with the tunnel entrance is above them on one side and a hedgerow on the other. The water is up to Edward’s knees. He hears shouts from the tunnel entrance above; the gang are not far behind them. Edward urgently looks about him for somewhere they can hide. He spots an old barn just a few yards away. ‘Look,’ he shouts, pointing at the building, ‘let’s head for that barn, we can hide in there.’ Not giving Bruce any chance to reply, he grabs the still choking dog and runs towards the barn.
As he nears the building, Edward recognises it as the barn he and Harry stopped at a few days earlier, the one the boat had been kept in. That now seemed like a long time ago to Edward.
They reach the door and Edward quickly jerks it open. He and Bruce rush in, pulling the door closed behind them. It is very gloomy inside – the only light comes through the cracks in the walls. He puts his eye to one of these small openings just in time to see the gang emerge from out of the tunnel opposite. ‘There they are,’ he whispers to Bruce, ‘if we are quiet they may go away.’ Just then a shrill ringing shatters the silence in the barn. ‘What’s that noise?’ shouts Bruce in shock. ‘It’s my mobile phone,’ says Edward, desperately trying to retrieve the phone from his pocket so that he can turn off the ringing.
As the gang emerge from the tunnel, they look all around for Edward and Bruce. ‘Quickly, find them,’ Seamus shouts. They start to spread out, looking in all directions. Suddenly the gang hear a strange ringing noise. ‘What is that?’ demands Seamus. ‘It’s coming from that barn,’ shouts one of the gang, ‘they must be hiding in there,’ he says, pointing towards the wooden building. Seamus and the others creep down the slopes and into the water. The strange ringing sound coming from the barn suddenly stops. They wade towards the barn; Seamus puts his finger to his lips, signalling for his men to be quiet. He reaches the two large doors at the front of the barn, places his ear to one of the doors and listens. At first he does not hear anything, then he hears a strange sound coming from within. It sounds like a short roar that stops very quickly. He hears it again and again.
He tells two of his men to grab the door handles. ‘Right, on the count of three, you two yank these doors open and we will rush in and grab them. One… two…’ but before he can say three there is a loud roar from inside and before the men can move out of the way one of the doors crashes outwards, knocking Seamus and two other men flying into the dark murky water. A jet ski driven by Edward and with a terrified Bruce sitting behind him and clinging to the boy’s back as though his life depends on it, which it probably does, comes out of the barn at a tremendous speed. Seamus’ head suddenly pops up out of the water and he spits out a stream of the foul water. The jet ski, with what seemed to have a will of its own, goes round and round in wild, crazy circles, making the other men dive for their lives out of its path. Then, with Edward finally managing to get the machine under some control, it zig-zags away along the lane, narrowly missing the embankment and a gorse bush and disappears around the first bend, leaving behind a scene of confusion.
‘What in Blackbeard’s name is that?’ shouts one of the gang, pointing at the departing jet ski. Seamus quickly recovers his wits and points into the barn at the other jet ski. ‘Well whatever it is, there’s another one.’ ‘Quick you fools, after them,’ Scarface Sid is the first to react and rushes into the barn. He jumps onto the jet ski. ‘How does it work?’ he shouts. The gang crowd around, pushing and pulling at the unusual machine, then luckily someone turns the key and the engine bursts into life with a loud roar. ‘Get on the back,’ Seamus screams at Horace, who is standing next to him. ‘I’d rather not if you don’t mind,’ Horace replies. ‘You know I’m not very fond of boats and things.’ Seamus manages to get Horace onto the jet ski with the help of his boot and Su Lu, forever the loyal pet, jumps on the jet ski just as Sid twists the grip and without realising quite how it happens the jet ski lurches forward and out of the barn. Horace grabs Sid around the neck in panic; Su Lu does the same to Horace. Soon the trio are flying along the lane in a crazy ziz-zag pursuit of Edward and Bruce.
Edward, not totally familiar with the machine, steers erratically, bouncing the jet ski off the hedges that line both sides of the flooded lane. Bruce’s screams add to the chaos as they pass several cows that h
ave poked their heads over the hedge to see what all the noise is about. The cows reel away in fear as the noisy machine and its passengers roar past them. ‘Sorry,’ shouts Edward over his shoulder at the startled animals.
Scarface Sid, who seems to have mastered the steering of his machine through the flooded lane faster than Edward, is rapidly closing the gap between them. Edward and Bruce hurtle along at breakneck speed round one bend and then another with Sid’s jet ski hot on their tail, both engines now at full throttle.
As they recklessly speed around another bend, they are confronted with a huge tractor directly in their path. Edward, with more luck than judgement, just squeezes his machine past the tractor. To avoid a collision, Sid is forced to steer his jet ski through a gate on his left. They hurtle past a cottage and just as Sid thinks he has managed to avoid a catastrophe, he hits a large piece of driftwood floating in front of him. The machine bucks violently over this obstacle which bumps Horace upwards so that he is now standing on the back seat with Su Lu clinging around his neck. Horace’s hands have moved up over Sid’s eyes so that Sid does not see the washing line in front of him which they are speeding towards.
The line hits Sid across the chest, sweeping him violently back into Horace’s legs. This impact sends Horace with Su Lu, still clinging to his neck, spinning off the jet ski. They hit the water with some force, sending a large splash into the air. Horace finds himself floating in the water with Su Lu clinging to his chest. The jet ski, with Sid struggling to regain control, has now turned and is heading straight towards them. It just misses them and as it passes by, the clothes line that is being dragged behind the jet ski hooks onto Horace’s foot and violently jerks him up out of the water and tows him along so that he is now water skiing on one leg behind the speeding jet ski.
Su Lu is holding tightly to Horace’s head and totally covering his face. Horace is screaming, ‘What’s happening, I can’t see anything!’ with one leg up in the air and the clothes line hooked around his foot they are being dragged at a ferocious speed around the flooded garden. Sid looks back to see what Horace is shouting about, just then Horace manages to move Su Lu to one side in time to see that to his horror they are heading straight for a fence. He puts fresh energy into his screaming and frantically waves his arms, trying to alert Sid about the fast approaching fence. Sid mistakes Horace’s frantic gesturing and assumes it is Horace’s way of letting him know what fun he is having and waves warmly back. With a loud crash, the machine smashes through the fence. Horace closes his eyes and with a scream he and Su Lu hit the wreckage of the shattered fence.
Sid’s jet ski is now back in the flooded lane and travelling at full throttle. Sid looks back to see if Horace is still with him and is impressed to see his crew mate is now being dragged along with the washing line wrapped around his waist and Su Lu sitting on his head and with two pieces of the broken fence attached to his feet like real water skis.
CHAPTER 24
Edward glances back just in time to see Sid’s machine smash through the fence and resume the chase. ‘Blast, I thought we’d lost them,’ he says to the now whimpering dog behind him. As they round another bend, Edward sees someone in the lane in front of them. It is a policeman pushing his bicycle through the water. As Edward’s jet ski suddenly appears around the bend, the policeman holds up his hand in a gesture for them to halt. Unfortunately Edward has not even considered how to stop the jet ski as it rapidly bears down on the policeman, erratically going from one side of the lane to the other. ‘Get out of the way!’ he screams, ‘I don’t know where the brake is.’ The policeman moves one way and then the other, trying to avoid being mown down by the fast approaching vehicle. Edward continues to shout and gestures to him to get out of their path. Just in time, the policeman pushes his bike one way while throwing himself the other way into the flood water. The jet ski zooms past him and he sits up in the flood water, staring with disbelief at the fast disappearing machine. Suddenly the passenger of the jet ski, a small white dog, looks back at him and shouts, ‘Sorry Jimmy,’ just as the machine zooms out of sight around a bend. The policeman picks himself up out of the water but then stiffens as he hears the screaming engine of a second jet ski behind him. He spins around to face this new menace and again realises that it is not going to stop. Once again he does not know which way to go to save himself from the collision and once again, at the last moment, he throws himself into the water. He sits up, spitting out water, just in time to see what looks like a pirate driving the jet ski that is moving rapidly away from him. Just then, a fat man who is water skiing behind the jet ski, with a pig hanging around his neck zooms past him. The pig shouts an apology to him and then they are gone around the bend.
Stiffly the policeman gets to his feet and fumbles for his radio. He presses the transmit button. ‘Hello mayday mayday, are you receiving?’ The radio crackles back a reply in the stern voice of Sergeant Clutterbuck. ‘What is it Higgins? You know you only use the mayday call in an emergency.’ ‘It is an emergency, Sarge,’ replies PC Higgins in a shaken voice. ‘Why, what’s happened?’ the grumpy voice replies. ‘Well I was proceeding along Mill Lane, minding me own business if you know what I mean, when a blue and white jet ski being driven very fast by a boy of approximately10 years of age and accompanied by a small terrier-like dog with a Scottish accent has just sped past me, forcing me to take evasive action to avoid a nasty collision and resulting in me diving into the dirty flood water. I had just managed to get to my feet when another jet ski, presumably chasing the first vehicle, suddenly appeared. This second vehicle, a red and white one was being driven by a one-eyed man who was dressed as a pirate. Water skiing behind this vehicle was a fat man also wearing pirate’s attire and with a Vietnamese pot bellied pig sitting on his head. The pig apologised to me as they went past. This second altercation also resulted in me taking evasive action and ending up in the dirty flood water.’ There is a prolonged silence, then Sgt Clutterbuck’s disembodied voice asks, ‘Have you been drinking, Higgins?’
CHAPTER 25
Horace is not enjoying the chase at all, hanging on to the clothes line and being dragged along at speed behind the jet ski. ‘I don’t like this one little bit,’ he tells Su Lu over his shoulder. ‘I told Seamus I did not want to get on this nasty machine.’
Sid takes the next bend a bit too fast and loses control. He hits a half submerged fallen tree which acts as a ramp and launches the jet ski into the air, dragging a screaming Horace and Su Lu behind it. Edward and Bruce, hearing the screams behind them, both turn their heads just in time to see the jet ski behind flying through the air, towing Horace and Su Lu – also airborne. It disappears over a hedge; there are a few seconds of silence then a loud splash and a large amount of water rises above the hedge.
Edward and Bruce both laugh at the sight but their mirth is soon silenced and looks of horror appear on their faces when they look at the road ahead of them. Directly in front of them is a farmyard gate. Their horror turns to screams as they smash through it, wood shattering everywhere. Their jet ski now hopelessly out of control hurtles into the hen house, emerging out the other end in an explosion of hens, feathers and straw. Edward has a chicken on his face, totally blocking his view, while Bruce is choking and spitting out feathers.
They are now speeding on a crazy course back towards where Seamus and the rest of his gang are standing. They bounce off a variety of farmyard buildings and machinery and are hopelessly out of control. Seamus, seeing his opportunity, pushes a large barrel into the path of the approaching jet ski. The jet ski hits the barrel full on, catapulting Edward and Bruce off. They hurtle through the air with their arms, legs and paws waving manically, fly past Seamus and his lads, and end up head first in a large pile of manure. They poke their heads out of the muck to discover that they are surrounded by Seamus and the rest of the gang.
Meanwhile, Sid is sitting in a duck pond with water up to his neck and looking very glum. Horace suddenly pops up next to him, then Su Lu pops up out of t
he water next to Horace with a duck on her head. She spits out water. Horace suddenly brightens and points towards the flooded lane down the slope. ‘It was lucky we didn’t land in that,’ he says. ‘What is lucky about it?’ asks Sid. ‘Well if we had landed in the flood water we would have got wet.’ ‘We are wet,’ says Sid grumpily. Horace, suddenly looks down and realising that he is up to his neck in water, starts thrashing about and screaming in panic, ‘Help I’m drowning!’ Sid stands up next to him and Horace quietens down and gives an embarrassed chuckle when he realises that he is only in two feet of water and in no danger of drowning.
CHAPTER 26
Edward and Bruce are taken back to the caves and thrown into a dungeon. A little while later, Seamus materialises in front of them, followed a few moments later by Horace and Scarface Sid. ‘It is good manners to knock before entering, even for ghosts,’ says Bruce, sounding braver than he felt. ‘Quiet!’ screams Seamus angrily and takes his sword out of the scabbard. Edward and Bruce fall back, cowering against the cell wall. ‘Why were you eavesdropping on our meeting and what did you hear?’ Seamus demands. ‘And what were you doing in our caves?’ The mention of the meeting reminds Edward about what he overheard and the plan to wreck the ship his parents are travelling on. He jumps to his feet and moves forward, stopping when he feels the point of Seamus’ sword touching his throat. ‘You can’t wreck the Island Queen!’ he shouts at Seamus. ‘Ah, so you did overhear my little, er, team talk did you?’ An evil grin spreads across his face. ‘Now why, I wonder, are you so concerned about the fate of the Island Queen?’ ‘Because my parents are sailing on it,’ Edward answers quietly. ‘They are on their way here to see me. Please, you must leave it alone.’ Seamus laughs. ‘How touching, but I am afraid that will not be possible. You see, she is carrying a rather precious cargo which me and the lads feel obliged to help ourselves to.’ ‘You won’t get away with it, my father will give you a thrashing when he gets here.’ says Edward. ‘Ooh I am scared,’ Seamus puts on a fake show of fear. ‘But fortunately for me,’ Seamus says sarcastically, ‘I will not be meeting “pops” face to face as he will be languishing in the hold with everybody else on the ship. But don’t be too downhearted; once we have helped ourselves to the cargo, I will personally make the arrangements for you to be reunited with your parents on board in time for her final voyage.’ Here Seamus pauses, then continues menacingly, ‘to the bottom of the sea.’ Seamus roars with laughter at this. His two gang members quickly join in when he stares at them. Edward starts forward again but is held back by Bruce. ‘Leave it laddie.’ ‘You devil!’ Edward shouts at Seamus and the grin returns to the gang leader’s face. ‘Yes I am, aren’t I?’ Seamus suddenly laughs loudly, and the other two quickly follow suit. ‘Yes, devil, I quite like that, it suits me.’ His smile is replaced by a cruel scowl. ‘Now you have wasted enough of my time and caused me more than enough trouble for one day and for that you shall pay the price.’ He stares at them menacingly. ‘But that little pleasure must wait for another time.’ With that, he replaces his sword into its scabbard. Edward breathes a sigh of relief. ‘As much as I have enjoyed our little chat,’ says Seamus, ‘unfortunately I must leave you now. I have plans to draw up regarding a certain little welcoming surprise for the Island Queen.’ With that, he turns and stomps away, disappearing through the closed cell door followed by his two men. Edward rushes to the door and examines where they went through it. The door is quite solid and still locked.
The Wreckers Page 8