The Land of Roar

by Jenny McLachlan

  ‘I flipped out,’ I say, remembering how I’d screamed in Rose’s face, then charged into her room looking for things of hers that I could give away.

  ‘Me too.’ Rose had run after me, thrown me to the ground and sat on me.

  ‘You said that you were never going to play with me again,’ I say.

  ‘You said you hated me.’

  ‘And Roar nearly split in two.’

  For a moment we stare across Roar. One of the dragons rolls over. The dojo trembles.

  ‘But it didn’t,’ I say, ‘and we’re here right now . . . Doesn’t that make you believe in Roar?’

  ‘I can’t. I want to go home!’ she almost shouts the words. ‘I’ve changed. I’m not like you any more, Arthur. I can’t believe in any of this made-up stuff.’

  This time the ground shakes so hard that rocks crash down into the forest and birds rise up from the trees. The dragons wake up too. They huff and puff and send flames up into the sky to join the flashes of lightning that are exploding across Roar. Rose isn’t saying she doesn’t believe in Roar to be mean. She’s just telling the truth. Rose does everything she can to fit in. Being able to crawl through a camp bed into a magical world isn’t fitting in; it’s the weirdest thing you could possibly do.

  ‘I’m sorry, Arthur.’ I’m not sure if she’s saying sorry for giving away the dragons, or for pulling apart our incredible world.

  ‘It’s OK.’ I curl up in my hammock. ‘We’ll be home soon. I promise.’ Then I pull the blanket over my shoulders.

  Rose doesn’t lie down. She stays where she is, staring across Roar to The End, the light from the stars shining on her face.

  ‘Right,’ says Stella, hands on hips. ‘Show us how it’s done.’

  We’re all gathered on the dojo, minus the dragons who Rose has packed off for a fly over Roar to give us more room. For the past couple of hours we’ve been trying to get the fake Magic Road to resemble the real thing. This is tricky. Beyond the obvious problem of no sea, we only have what’s in the Tangled Forest to help us, plus the map Win and I made, and our memories.

  But as I study the bizarre obstacle course in front of me, I realise we haven’t done a bad job. The most challenging parts of the road are all represented: the giant gaps between rocks, the tunnel, the narrow tightrope rock. We’ve even covered everything in soggy ferns to recreate the seaweed. We haven’t made the last bit of the road, which no one has been along, and we’re just hoping the Lost Girls don’t get any nasty surprises when they reach it tomorrow.

  ‘Ready?’ I ask Win.

  ‘Ready!’ he cries, then he goes charging along the first rock as if it’s a race. ‘Arthur cycled this one,’ he calls over his shoulder. ‘Very cool, but also very foolish.’

  I follow Win, feeling a bit of an idiot as the Lost Girls shuffle along behind us, with Stella taking notes on the ground. ‘We’ll need to be quicker,’ she mutters. ‘Much quicker.’

  Win and I slip and slide on the pretend seaweed which is realistic, but which also makes the Lost Girls crack up each time it happens. Rose drifts along with them, a bit like she’s in a dream. She’s been like this all morning.

  ‘There’s one problem,’ I say, as I inch my way along the tightrope rock. ‘It’s still not wet enough. When Win and I went along the Magic Road we were hit by waves on all sides. They made it hard to see and some of them were so big they nearly knocked us off our feet.’

  ‘They crashed down on our heads like a ton of water!’ cries Win.

  ‘Not a ton,’ I say. ‘More like a big bucketful.’

  After saying this, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised when a bucket of water is thrown in my face, followed by another and another. I drop to my knees on the tightrope rock – actually a plank of wood – and cling on. Hysterical giggles surround me. ‘There was a bit less water than that,’ I say as – smack – another one hits me and I fall to the ground.

  Stella points at me. ‘If this was for real, Arthur Trout would be DEAD right now. His body would be speared on a rock or being eaten by a shark somewhere in the Bottomless Ocean.’ She pauses for dramatic effect, then says, ‘Arthur, stop lounging around; everyone get back to the start. It’s time for us to do this together, as a team . . . Team Roar!’

  This makes Rose flinch with embarrassment, but she doesn’t say anything. She knows Stella well enough not to risk offending her.

  Stella organises us into a line with me and Rose at the front – because we’re the Masters of Roar – and Win in the middle.

  ‘On your marks, get set, GET CROWKY!’ Stella cries, and we’re off.

  It’s a disaster. Three girls fall off the rocks straight away, Win refuses to stay in line, and Rose simply goes through the motions, moving from obstacle to obstacle, but putting no real effort into it. When we reach the end – the big rock where Rose will call the dragons – half the Lost Girls have been left behind.

  But we don’t give up. We try again and again, and it does get better, but honestly I’m not sure if it’s good enough. Tomorrow we’ll need to cross the Magic Road in under an hour, in the dark, otherwise it will be a repeat of last time: Crowky will see us coming and then we’ll be trapped. Or – and this is something I don’t want to think about – we won’t be quick enough and the tide will turn when we are only halfway across . . .

  ‘We need to rest now,’ says Stella, surveying Team Roar, who are flopped all over the dojo, battered and bruised. ‘Try to get some sleep. We set off at dusk.’

  We stumble to our hammocks. The sun is bright, but it’s shady under the trees and Win instantly falls asleep. I lie on my back and stare up at the leaves. I try to rest, but it’s hard. My whole body is fizzing with hopes and worries, but more than anything I’m desperate to get going.

  Not long now, Grandad, I think.  We’re coming. I promise, we’re coming.

  It’s Rose who shakes me awake. ‘Time to go,’ she says, her voice urgent.

  I open my eyes and see a deep turquoise sky scattered with the first stars. I have this what’s-going-on moment where I can’t quite remember what’s about to happen; I just know it’s something out of the ordinary . . . Christmas Day? No. Going on holiday? No. Crossing a treacherous chain of rocks, flying a dragon through a small hole and fighting my scarecrow nemesis? Yes, I think, as I untangle myself from the hammock and stagger to my feet, that’s it.

  Rose thrusts a jam sandwich into my hands, saying, ‘Eat this, then we’re off.’ She moves on to Win and drops his sandwich on his stomach. ‘Wake up. We’re going.’

  Win’s eyes ping open. Instantly he rolls out of his hammock and into a leaping tiger kick. ‘BRING IT ON!’ he cries, then he discovers his sandwich on the ground, dusts it off and starts taking hungry bites.

  We haven’t all got Win’s energy and it’s a sleepy Team Roar who begin the long walk through the Tangled Forest. We break off the glowing buds to use as candles, and soon the twinkling line of lights, combined with worrying snuffles of strange creatures, wake me up.

  The Lost Girls know every inch of the forest, and they lead us on a secret route that’s far quicker than the one we took to find them. Stella also reassures us that the scarecrow army know nothing about it. When we get to the top of the ravine we scramble down a zigzag path until we reach the river. There are no rapids here, and the girls pull canoes out from the branches of overhanging trees and we pile into them and paddle downstream.

  It’s totally dark now, but the crystals in the river still shine bright green. There are also fireflies darting around, attracted to the light from the buds. We move quickly down the river, our oars dipping in and out of the star-spangled water. It’s magical, and I have to glance back at Rose to see what she thinks. But her face is a mask. She forces her oars through the water with grim determination and refuses to meet my eye.

  We know when we reach the Bad Side.

  First the fireflies go, then the buds on the trees, then our oars hit dead leaves. Soon the trees are bare skeletons stretching up in
to the cloudy night sky. There are no stars here.

  Up ahead Stella steers the lead canoe towards the bank. We clamber out and Stella lets us have a short break. Just as some of the smallest Lost Girls are nodding off, she holds one of the glowing buds close to her face and whispers, ‘Now we walk. But remember, this is Crowky territory so total silence.’

  In single file we follow the path that takes us up into the mountains towards the Crow’s Nest. Higher and higher we go. It’s been two days since I did this journey with Win, and right now I can’t quite believe we were brave enough, or stupid enough, to try to get there on our own.

  Win’s at the front of the line now because he knows how to find the Magic Tunnel. This means we take a couple of wrong turns and have to double back on ourselves, but soon I taste salt on the air and hear the crash of waves. We’re getting close. I look up at the sky. I haven’t got a clue what time it is. We’ve been travelling all night, but I’m sure the sky is a touch lighter now. We need to hurry up.

  ‘We’re here!’ Win cries, earning him a chorus of shushes and a poke from Stella.

  ‘Get rid of the buds,’ says Stella. ‘We can’t let Crowky see us coming.’

  We throw the buds into a pile, then lift aside the curtain of ivy and scramble down the crack in the rock. We stumble over roots in our rush to get to the bottom and burst out on the ledge in the middle of the cliff. Win’s bike has gone, presumably washed away by the tide, and ahead of us the Magic Road rises out of the Bottomless Ocean like a black snake. Far in the distance sits the towering hulk of the Crow’s Nest.

  We huddle together as a wave smashes against the base of the cliff. The first rock on the Magic Road – the long thin one I cycled along – stretches in front of us. Only it looks even longer now. Every few seconds, water washes over it, hiding it from view.

  ‘Look.’ I point at the sky where a streak of grey is creeping into the blackness. ‘It’s starting to get light. We can’t wait for the water to go down any further. We have to leave now.’ I turn to Rose. ‘Ready?’ She nods. ‘Then let’s go.’

  I walk forward and start to step along the rock. I try to go quickly, confidently, but it’s so dark I’m not sure if my feet are going to land on solid rock or slip into the sea. ‘It’s not so bad,’ I call over my shoulder. A wave washes over my toes and I freeze. ‘The next bit’s easier.’

  Win comes behind me, although it’s supposed to be Rose, then the Lost Girls follow. Rose and Stella are at the end. When Win and I reach the safety of the flat rock we don’t stop to help the others across. We can’t. We haven’t got time.

  ‘Now we jump!’ Win calls. It’s safe to shout here. No one could possibly hear us over the howling wind and growling sea. Either my eyes are adjusting, or it’s getting lighter because I find it easy to judge the distance between each rock and I get into a rhythm, running then jumping, scrambling to my feet and doing it again. Every now and then I pause to catch my breath and I watch the Lost Girls. They seem used to moving at night and looking out for each other. They jump between the rocks like cats, landing lightly, then springing up again. If someone slips, a hand grabs them. If someone falls back, a voice hisses, ‘Hurry up!’

  We move closer to the Crow’s Nest. I try not to look at it too often. Its round windows glow and flicker, and it’s so big that down on the Magic Road I feel very small. Perhaps it’s the Crow’s Nest that makes us fall quiet, but by the time we reach the tunnel, no one is talking.

  Win runs in first and we follow. The tunnel is dark and narrow, but I relax a bit. No one can fall in the sea here and it feels safe to be hidden from the Crow’s Nest. But it is dark. When Win and I were here before, light came pouring in from each end of the tunnel, but now I have to feel my way after Win. Suddenly I bump into his back.

  ‘Arthur, we’ve got a problem.’

  ‘What is it?’

  ‘I’m standing in water.’

  I reach down and feel with my hands. He’s right. His feet are surrounded by icy water.

  ‘It’s because we were quicker,’ I say. ‘The sea level hasn’t dropped enough to empty the tunnel.’

  ‘What’s going on?’ Stella comes pushing past the girls who have bunched up behind me.

  I explain what’s happened, then for a moment we just stand there in the darkness listening to our breathing and the breaking waves. ‘We can’t wait,’ I say. ‘You saw the sky. It’s nearly dawn.’ Even now I can see grey light creeping into the mouth of the tunnel behind us. ‘If we stay here much longer, then we might come out in daylight. And what if the tide starts to turn before you get to the Crow’s Nest?’

  ‘And we can’t go over this rock,’ Stella says. ‘It’s too steep.’

  ‘So what do we do?’ Rose’s voice comes from the very end of the tunnel.

  ‘We swim,’ says Stella, and before I can say anything she’s slipped past me and plunged into the water.

  One, two, three seconds pass. Drips fall from the roof of the tunnel.

  ‘I don’t like it in here,’ says a small voice near my elbow.

  Suddenly there’s an explosion of water and a black shape appears. ‘It’s fine,’ says Stella. ‘You’re only under the water for a moment, then you come out the other side. It’s cold though. Get ready for that. Follow me, girls.’

  And with a splash she’s gone.

  For a second there’s silence, then the Lost Girls scurry to follow their chief. One by one they push past me, throw themselves into the water and disappear. I’m not sure if it’s Stella’s words or the fear of being left behind that makes them move so fast. Or maybe they’re even tougher than I thought they were. One of them, Clara, I think, even shouts ‘HEAR ME ROAR!’ before plunging in.

  None of them hesitate. None of them come back, and soon it’s just me, Win and Rose left in the tunnel. ‘OK,’ says Win. ‘So . . . you reckon I just stick my head under and . . . swim?’

  ‘I think so.’

  ‘See you on the other side,’ he says, then he ducks down and the inky water swallows him up. With one kick of his trainers he’s gone.

  ‘Do you want to go next?’ I ask Rose. I see her shake her head. ‘What? So . . . you’ll follow me?’

  ‘No.’ Her voice is quiet. ‘I can’t do it.’

  I hadn’t expected this, but then I realise just how dark the tunnel is. Rose hates the dark. Swimming through a pitch-black tunnel is hard for me, but it must be terrifying for her. I decide to try the technique Win used on me.

  ‘Of course you can do it, Rose. You’re a Master of Roar. Plus, you’re not scared of anything!’

  She laughs bitterly. ‘I’m scared of loads of things.’

  ‘Like what?’

  ‘Well, the dark for starters,’ she says, ‘my friends laughing at me because I’ve still got a massive collection of dragons – actually, being laughed at full stop – my friends not wanting to hang out with me any more. That’s four things off the top of my head, Arthur.’

  I think back to the names Rose wrote down when our classes were mixed up. Maybe she didn’t put me down because she was scared about what would happen if she wasn’t with her friends.

  ‘I’m no hero and I’m no Master of Roar,’ Rose says, sinking to the floor of the tunnel. Now she’s just a ball in the darkness. ‘In fact, I’m no better than Crowky because I’ve been pulling this place apart.’

  I sit next to her. Hard rock presses into my back and Rose’s shoulder trembles next to mine. ‘Listen, Rose, I don’t care that you gave away our dragons – even though they were very cool – or the fact that I embarrass you all the time, and you frequently call me a loser –’

  ‘I call you a doofus too.’

  ‘And sometimes a dorkasaurus – my point is, I get why you do those things because I’m scared of loads of stuff too. What I care about is that you’re my twin – my only twin – and not only can you speak three made-up languages – Mermish, Moonlight Stallion and Dragon – you made this world with me. You are my sister, and you are a Master
of Roar, and nothing can ever, ever change that.’ And then I do something incredibly brave. In fact, it’s possibly the bravest thing I’ve done in my life. I put my arm round Rose’s shoulder and I give it a squeeze.

  For a few seconds we just sit like that, squashed in the cold, dark tunnel.

  ‘Hey,’ I say, breaking the silence, ‘aren’t you going to call me a loser because that was probably the most loserish thing I’ve ever done in my life.’

  ‘You weren’t being a loser,’ Rose says, resting her head on my shoulder. ‘You were being kind.’

  Rose and I sit like this for about two minutes. I don’t think either of us enjoy it exactly, but it feels grown-up, and grown-up is what we need to feel right now.

  Then I pull Rose to her feet. ‘Now swim through that tunnel, Rose Trout, Master of Roar.’

  And she does. She takes a deep breath, and she’s gone with barely a splash. I take one last glance behind me, then follow her into the icy water.

  Two hands grab hold of me and pull me out of the water. It’s Win. ‘What took you so long? You’ve been ages!’

  I don’t answer, I just start running. We burst out of the tunnel and immediately I notice how light it’s got. It’s still gloomy, but now I can clearly see the crooked towers of the Crow’s Nest and its tall wooden doors. We can’t waste a second. Up ahead the Lost Girls have carried on jumping along the rocks with Stella at the lead. Rose is catching up with them. She clears the Big Leap with ease. She’s not drifting now. She’s on fire.

  Win and I follow, and we run flat out along the Magic Road. We pass the rock where the scarecrows attacked us and keep going. We’re going faster than in any of our training sessions. We’re going faster than I thought possible.

  The Lost Girls reach the large rock where we’re going to summon the dragons and Rose leaps on after them.