by John Wallis
The Choice Not To Run
Splat!
Another one dead under my shoe. It was like a never-ending game of Whack-a-Mole.
There was only so much squishing we could do. The bus was overcrowding with the bodies of the menacing worms we had squashed and the live wriggling ones. None of us could break away even to run to the doors. There were just too many of them and they were too quick.
Rob had lost all the bravery he had wanted us to believe he had and was now openly crying and calling for his mother. Simon kept talking about how he didn't believe the worms would really get under his skin. But that didn't stop him from stomping on them every chance he had.
It was getting to the point where I had accepted that we would be overran by the worms. Raheam was stomping away keeping the driver's area as clear as he could. I met his eyes and he shrugged his shoulders as though he too was out of ideas.
“We could link up hands and keep treading on them. Maybe we could push our way to the door,” I suggested.
“Great idea Tommy but then what?” Simon questioned.
“They've got Rob's scent now,” Raheam told them. “They will just keep following you.”
“I can't deal with them! I hate worms,” Rob shouted. His face was now a bright shade of red and tears were rolling freely down his cheeks.
Although Rob's mouthy usual self often annoyed everyone none of us acknowledged that he was crying. I think we didn't mention it for two reasons. The first was pride. We all knew that Rob was exposed, to have mentioned that he was crying would have embarrassed him. The second reason was that it's difficult to talk about anything whilst you're trying to kill thousands of wriggling hungry worms that had us on the menu and also just happened to multiply no matter what you do.
Suddenly the bus doors flung open. I was shocked to see a familiar figure watching us from the doorway.
Ted the man-bear dived onto the bus quickly opening all the sliding bus windows. First he scooped a paw full of the dirty worms, chucking them out of the window as he went, then he flipped his walking stick round to expose a mirror on its end. The light reflected from his stick making a perfect line through the middle of the bus between us and the blood thirsty worms. They slithered in retreat away from the line. They seemed afraid of the line.
We all moved quickly to the same side of the line as the man-teddy. Once we were all on the right side of the line Ted moved the line further and further back. A few worms turned to dust as the reflected light passed over them. The majority slithered under the back seat of the bus.
Rob quickly put the seat back in place trapping the worms.
We all thanked the man-teddy, Madeline hugged him.
“I'll have to go back to the depot now and get that worm nest sorted out,” Raheam said sounding a little angry. I looked at him and saw a small smile emerge on his face.
“Sure showed that Duchess though. I can't see her sending any more of those after you now.”
“Are you okay Rob,” Madeline asked.
Rob nodded and despite the dry tears on his cheek replied.
“Of course I am. Those suckers didn't scare me that much.”
I could see Simon about to tell Rob exactly how scared he had looked but I shot him down with a glance that told him not to bother. Rob knew we had all seen. For me though that was the subject closed.
“Where do you want dropping off? I can't take you back to the depot,” Raheam asked.
“Drop us off back at the hotel. The Owl's Place,” Simon requested.
Raheam nodded.
“What stop are you Ted?” he asked.
“I think I will stay at the Owl's Place tonight as well.”
Then Ted took his seat and steadily leant on his stick for support as he did. I was once again struck by what an odd site he was. The same size as a man but inside that full bear suit. The odd top hat and the walking stick. If you took away the bear suit he had the personality of the worlds most eccentric pensioner. Yet we knew that he lived in a mansion, that he swims in a pool of money, and that he was an outsider here like us.
The mood on the bus had changed. Before the suckers had attacked everyone had been sleepy. At best the group had looked tired, worn and pretty much defeated. Now we were all sat closer together and excited chatter passed between our lips.
“We saw off that old battle axe there,” Simon said rubbing his hands together.
“I wonder what she's going to try next,” Rob replied sounding excited and more than a little nervous. “I think we have hidden away from her enough,” he added.
Simon nodded and without realising it I was nodding too.
“We want to get home. I say we stay at the hotel tonight and we ask to see the Duchess tomorrow.”
“I think it's time. I'm not afraid of her now,” I said and I meant it.
“We need to tell her the way it is. You can't go around classifying people. Telling them you approve or disapprove. Nobody has that right,” Madeline added.
We all nodded.
“This place has it all wrong,” I said. “I can't understand why everyone here has just sat back and let the Duchess have her own way for so long.”
“Because nobody has taken it too her yet I would bet,” Rob responded.
“So that's the deal,” I said looking at each of them in turn.
“Tomorrow we go and find this Duchess together. We tell her that we are not here for classification and demand that she tell us the way home.”
“If she can't classify us she won't want us here,” Madeline said bleakly.
“So she should be more than happy to tell us how to get away,” Simon answered sounding pleased.
“I miss normality. No suckers, no owl ran hotels or Seagull Armies, and no man teddy,” he looked around quickly finding Ted. “No offence there.”
“None taken,” Ted responded.
“So it's decided,” I said.
“It's decided,” Simon responded.
“Decided. That battle axe is going down,” Rob added.
“Count me in too,” Madeline confirmed
“Raheam,” I called, “Will you take us to the Duchess tomorrow.”
Raheam shrugged his shoulders.
“If that's where you want to go. You will need to find a bus stop and”
“Yes, yes we know,” Simon said interrupting Raheam.
“We find a bus stop and wait for you,” Ted said if we were still in any doubt.
“You took my money,” Rob said to Ted sounding like he had only just remembered.
Ted winked one of his big bear eyes.
“It never comes back.”
“Well it should. That was my money.”
“Rob will you stop arguing with him. He did save your life,” Simon said stopping the argument for now.
We came close to the field near the hotel bus stop. This time I remembered clearly where the hotel was. I knew there was only three bus stops to go.
“You're sticking with these guys now Ted?” Raheam asked.
“Oh yes going to help them out against that Duchess,”
“Of course you are.”
I was almost sure I saw Raheam smile and nod. The nod was slight but knowing.
I say almost sure as it had been a very long day.
The Duchess was trying to classify the unclassifiable. For the first time since the beginning of our journey we had made the choice to not run. We had all chosen to put an end to this even though we knew that could mean putting an end to the Duchesses reign and putting ourselves in more danger as part of the process.
As the bus rolled to the last bus stop I noticed that the radio was playing Christmas music.
I remembered now that it had been the middle of June. June 16th to be exact and yet the weather outside was more like a day in mid December.