by Adam Frost
“So you didn’t see anything?” asked the smiley interviewer.
“No, whoever did this clearly has special powers of some kind. I’d advise everyone to stay indoors. Keep your children in their rooms.” He turned to look directly into the camera. “Leave this one to the grown-ups.”
Danny and Mia looked at each other.
“He must mean us,” said Eric and shuddered.
Danny was staring at the Space Twister’s face. It might have been the camera, but he didn’t look like the same man that had taken the remote only a few hours before. He still had the scar, the pale skin, the jewels in his teeth. But his hair had grey streaks in it now, and there were lines around his strangely coloured eyes.
“Thank you for your time, sir,” said the interviewer.
“Oh, I have all the time in the world,” replied the Space Twister, looking straight at the camera again.
“Hang on,” said Danny. “Look, it says it’s live TV.”
“It does as well,” said Mia. “That means he’s actually there.”
“And he’s in front of an antiques shop,” said Danny. “There must be dozens of mirrors in there.”
“He looks different,” said Mrs Bingley, squinting at the TV. “He didn’t have those jewels in his mouth. Or such a smart suit.”
“Come on,” said Danny. “Before he leaves.”
“Hang on a minute, Danny,” said Mia.
But Danny was already running up the stairs.
“Goodbye, Mrs Bingley,” said Mia, and then turned and followed Danny.
“Thanks and all that,” said Eric, before running up the stairs too.
Mrs Bingley was left staring at the TV screen. “Davidson,” she muttered. “Eric Davidson. That was his name. And what a face he had on him.” She whizzed quietly across to the TV and switched it off.
Danny, Mia and Eric were in the grey room. Umberto was staring blankly at them.
“Now, one second, Danny,” said Mia. “Let’s think this through.”
“We haven’t got time!” said Danny. “We’ve got to go NOW.”
“And then what?” said Mia. “We’ve got no swords or spears or pointy sticks. He’s got the remote.”
“She’s usually wrong,” said Eric, “but this time she’s right.”
Danny looked at the floor. “Maybe I should have stayed with Mrs Bingley. And worked out how to twist space first…” he muttered.
Mia said, “I wouldn’t have let you, Danny. Besides, Mrs Bingley said you can’t learn it.”
Danny sighed. Then a smile spread across his face. “So we don’t try to catch the Space Twister,” he said. “We just follow him.”
“Eh?” said Eric. “On what? Our invisible motorbikes?”
“No,” said Danny. “We use mirrors. We hop from one to another. Hopefully he’ll lead us to his hideout. If we know where that is, we can wait till he’s asleep and take the remote back.”
“Hmm, that might work,” said Mia.
“Unless he sees us,” said Eric, “or presses Pause. Or goes somewhere with no mirrors. Then it really won’t work.”
“Please, Mia,” said Danny. “We’ve got to try.”
“Ok,” she said, turning to Umberto. “Take us to London. It was an antiques shop. The sign said MARMADUKE FARQUAR.”
Umberto rolled his single eye. “There are about fifty mirrors in there, including one that takes up half the ceiling.”
“That one will do,” said Mia.
“OK,” said Umberto. “Step right in.”
Mia leapt in first, followed by Danny and Eric. When they jumped in, they were upright; as they passed through the mirror, they felt themselves twisted round until they faced the floor. They flew out of the mirror on the ceiling of the shop, and landed on a soft brown carpet. After they’d stood up and brushed themselves off, they realised that they were being stared at by a short, stocky man with gigantic eyebrows.
“How the blazes did you get in here?” he barked.
“Just on our way out,” said Danny, hastily.
They looked up and down the busy street and spotted the interviewer with the smiley face. Danny ran up to her.
“Er, hello,” he said. “That man you just interviewed. Which way did he go?”
“Why?” she asked.
“Er, he’s my dad,” said Danny. “I’m an orphan.”
“Oh, OK,” said the interviewer. “He went up that street.”
As they walked away, Mia said, “You’re such a numpty. How can you be an orphan and have a dad?”
“It worked, didn’t it?” said Danny.
“That’s him!” said Eric in a loud whisper.
The Space Twister was walking up a side street, followed by the two large men they’d seen in the cave.
“He’s going into that shop full of statues,” said Eric.
“One of his bodyguards is turning round,” said Danny.
“Quick!” said Mia, pointing at a mirror leaning against a delivery van. She unlocked it quickly and the three of them stepped through.
“Did you see the name of the shop?” asked Danny.
“Cunningham and Spong,” said Eric.
“Ok, are there any mirrors in Cunningham and Spong?” Mia asked Umberto.
“Only two,” he replied. “One in the stock room and one behind the till.”
“The till it is,” said Mia, “but, listen Danny, we’re going to be careful. We just peek out.”
“OK, OK,” said Danny.
Mia put the top of her head gently through the mirror. “Curses, he’s already on his way out.”
“Let me see,” said Danny, pushing Mia out of the way and putting his head through.
“He’s crossed the road,” said Danny. “There’s a mirror in the window of the shop opposite. Let’s head for that.”
“OK,” said Mia. Danny gave Umberto the name of the shop and the three of them put their heads slowly through the mirror again.
They watched the Space Twister and his bodyguards walk past two more buildings and then turn right into a large shopping street.
A couple of passersby had stopped to look at the mirror with Danny, Eric and Mia’s heads sticking out of it.
“Very modern,” said one passerby. “I’m quite taken with it.”
“It’s creepy, that’s what it is,” said another. “I wouldn’t want that hanging over the bed.”
Danny, Eric and Mia kept using mirrors in shops, banks and restaurants to follow the Space Twister as he walked through London.
After twenty minutes, Eric put his head out and pulled it sharply back in again. “Lock it, lock it,” he whispered. “I’m sure a bodyguard saw me.”
“Oh no!” exclaimed Danny. “If the Space Twister suspects anything, he’ll go. He’ll press Pause and go.”
“If he finds out we’re using mirrors to get around, that would be bad too,” said Mia.
“We’d better check,” said Danny. “Maybe the bodyguard didn’t see anything, Eric. Maybe he just happened to be looking in this direction.”
“Look, just lock the mirror, OK?” said Eric. “I wouldn’t stick your head out there unless you want it pulled off.”
“All right, all right,” said Danny. He thought for a moment. “Maybe we don’t have to put our heads through it.”
“What do you mean?” asked Eric.
Danny reached into his trouser pocket and fished out a piece of paper. It was the last letter that Uncle Charlie had sent him, a few days before. He rolled it into a tube and held it up to his eye. “Not the greatest periscope in the world, perhaps,” he said.
Mia smiled. “Nice,” she said.
Eric said, “OK, but put it through one of the bottom corners, not the middle. He’ll be looking into the middle.”
Danny crouched down by the edge of the mirror and pushed the paper tube through. He put his eye up against one end of the tube. He squinted. He wiggled it up and down.
“All I can see is black,” said Danny.
&nbs
p; “Black is not a good sign,” said Eric.
“Give it here,” said Mia. She bent down and put her eye up against the tube. She moved the tube around.
“It’s his suit,” said Mia. “He’s got his back to the mirror. He’s standing right up against it.”
“How do we get him out of the way?” said Danny.
“Like this,” said Mia. She held up her index finger and stuck it through the mirror as fast as she could.
“What are you doing!” shouted Eric.
“He’ll just think it’s indigestion or something,” said Mia.
“Indigestion?” replied Eric. “In his back?”
A split second later, the bodyguard’s head reared through the mirror and stared confusedly at the three children.
“OK, lock it, lock it!” yelled Danny.
“How can I lock it if he’s in it?” Mia shouted.
“Try!” roared Danny.
Mia ducked round the bodyguard and put her key in the mirror. The bodyguard glanced down and snarled.
Eric was backing away from the mirror. Without really thinking, he took out his bottle of Truth Spray.
“What are you waiting for?” shouted Danny.
“We don’t know what it does!” Eric cried.
“What else have we got?” yelled Danny. “Hurry up, he’s coming through.”
At that moment, Mia finished turning the key and the mirror clicked shut. The bodyguard had got his head and chest through. He looked down and wriggled. He was locked into place, unable to get free. At the same time, Eric squirted Truth Spray into the bodyguard’s face.
Umberto’s voice could be heard echoing in the room. “Unexpected item in mirror. Please unlock mirror and remove item to proceed.”
“What’s going on here?” bellowed the bodyguard.
“I don’t think your spray did anything, Eric,” said Danny, “but at least he can’t move.”
“I knew I’d got the rubbish gadget,” said Eric, looking at it miserably.
“Now what do we do?” said Mia sharply. “We can’t get out while he’s there.”
“Well, maybe if you hadn’t poked him, he wouldn’t BE there,” said Eric.
“Well, maybe if he hadn’t spotted you, he wouldn’t be there either,” said Mia.
“Let me go!” shouted the bodyguard. “I’m really very frightened. One of my legs has gone to sleep. I need the toilet quite badly. And if I’m not home by six, my mum gets really worried.”
When the bodyguard finished talking, he looked down at his mouth as if it didn’t belong to him.
“What happened there?” asked Danny.
“Why did I say all that?” said the bodyguard, frowning angrily.
“Hang on, Eric,” said Mia. “Give him another squirt.”
Eric held up the spray and aimed it at the bodyguard’s face.
“Tell me your name and address,” said Mia.
“Raymond Jackson,” said the bodyguard. “19b Babylon Drive, Chertsey CE19 2BK.”
The bodyguard looked angrily at his mouth.
“OK,” said Mia. “So that’s why it’s called Truth Spray.”
Eric looked at the bottle and grinned. “Fan-flipping-tastic!” He looked up at the bodyguard. “I’m going to give him another burst!”
This time, Eric was holding the bottle the wrong way round and squirted it at himself. “Oh no!” he croaked. “I’ve given myself a faceful!”
“Well, it looks like one squirt only lasts ten seconds or so,” said Mia.
“Yes, but what do I do in the meantime?” said Eric. “I know. I won’t talk. Just in case I say something embarrassing, like the fact that I fancy Polly McTavish in 5B or that I go to sleep every night cuddling Teddy, Pinky and Woof.” Eric looked down at his mouth. “OH NO!”
“I don’t know what you three have done to me,” shouted the bodyguard, “but when I get out of here, I’m going to tear you limb from limb!”
“Hang on,” said Danny. “This could be a really good thing. The bodyguard can’t move and we can make him tell the truth. We could find out some useful stuff.”
Mia smiled. “You mean, interrogate him?”
“OK, Eric,” said Danny, “try spraying him again. Don’t aim it at yourself this time.”
“Yeah,” said Mia. “Polly McTavish wouldn’t be impressed.”
Eric groaned and then nodded. He squirted the Truth Spray at the bodyguard.
“Where’s the Space Twister’s hideout?” asked Danny.
“He’s got three,” said the bodyguard. “One in Trinidad, one in Cape Town and one in South Wales. He’s probably in South Wales right now and I’m not telling you ANYTHING ELSE!”
“Another squirt, Eric,” said Mia.
Eric released another cloud of spray.
“What do you mean, he’s in South Wales?” asked Danny.
“About a minute ago,” said the bodyguard, “when I said I’d seen something suspicious, he said he was going back to the hideout. He’s got some gadget that lets him go places quickly. I’ve never seen it and I don’t know how he does it. And STOP ASKING ME THESE QUESTIONS!”
“Give him a double dose, Eric,” said Mia, narrowing her eyes.
Eric sprayed the bodyguard twice.
“I need the Space Twister’s name and his address in Wales,” said Danny.
“The hideout’s in the Brecon Beacons,” the bodyguard said. “Not far from Mountain Hare. I don’t know his name. I just call him boss.”
“Drat,” said Danny. “We need his name.”
“You mean to find him in the Time Tablet?” asked Mia.
Danny nodded.
“What about Roxie?” said Mia, looking at the bodyguard. “Will we find her in this hideout?”
“You mean, the girl with blue hair?” said the bodyguard. “She’s in the basement. East Wing. Room Seventeen. Behind a grey iron door.”
“Let’s go,” said Danny.
“You’ll never beat him,” said the bodyguard. “He’s incredible. He can do anything. He tells me and Big Terry to close our eyes and when we open them again, we’re in a different country. Just like that.”
“How do we get him out of the way?” asked Danny.
“I don’t want to be a bodyguard any more,” said the bodyguard. “I’m going to pack it in and become a florist. Flowers have always been my first love, you see. I’d have marigolds and pansies out the front, sunflowers and lilies inside. Compost out the back. Ray’s Bouquets, I’d call it.”
“Let’s just push him out the way,” said Eric. “He’s in his own world.”
“Oh, but I’m a monster,” the bodyguard was whimpering. “Nobody wants to buy gladioli from a monster…”
Mia unlocked the mirror, and Danny and Eric gave the bodyguard a shove. The bodyguard vanished, Mia locked the mirror and Umberto appeared.
“Where to?” he asked.
“There should be a big house just outside Mountain Hare in Wales.”
“There is,” said Umberto. “Grapeshot Hall.”
“We need the mirror nearest the basement.”
“OK,” said Umberto.
“Right, listen,” said Danny, while the mirror was whirring into its new shape. “While you go and get Roxie, I’m going to look for the Space Twister.”
“No way, Danny,” said Mia. “Absolutely no way. We stick together.”
“If we all rescue Roxie,” said Danny, “we might not have time to get the remote. The Space Twister might have left by then.”
Eric gave his Truth Spray another test squirt.
“Did you just aim that at me?” said Mia, turning round sharply.
“No, no,” said Eric. “Just practising.”
“If I ever catch you trying to spray me,” said Mia, “I’ll shove the whole bottle up your nose. And then – Danny? Danny?”
But Danny had already dived through the mirror and was now running as fast as he could along a dark corridor.
Danny twisted round and saw his sister looking
out of the mirror on the long stone wall. But he didn’t turn back. He’d made his decision and he knew she’d never agree with him. He had to get his remote back – fast.
Danny turned a corner and saw a concrete flight of stairs leading up to a green door. He climbed the stairs and edged the door open, peering through the crack. He could see a purple carpet, an ornate side table, a marble staircase. It must be the entrance hall, he thought.
He heard a man shouting. There was a tinkling noise, then a louder crash.
He couldn’t work out what was going on, or whether the man was close by. He didn’t know whether to keep moving or stay hidden.
Then he remembered his Time Tablet. He pulled it out and switched it on. The map of the world appeared. Danny clicked on the UK and then zoomed into Wales. He found Mountain Hare and clicked on it. There was a list of all of the streets in the town, and there, with a folder all to itself, was Grapeshot Hall. Danny grinned and clicked on it.
He would be able to see exactly who was in the house. He could read their file and work out what they were thinking and where they were going. He’d be able to move around unseen till he found his remote.
He looked at the names in the folder. There was Roxie, Mia, Eric and himself.
That was it.
Impossible. He’d heard a man’s voice, definitely a man’s voice. He looked through the crack in the door again and saw the Space Twister. He had a long cane in one hand and a mobile phone in the other.
“You’re sure you weren’t drunk, Raymond?” said the Space Twister. “Or asleep? You didn’t dream the whole thing?”
There was a mirror hanging above the side table. The Space Twister walked across to it and smashed it with the end of his cane.
“Then they must be using mirrors to move around,” said the Space Twister into the phone. “It must be one of their infernal EUREKA! gadgets.”
There was an oval mirror next to the front door. “Regency period, mahogany frame,” said the Space Twister with a sigh. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”
He smashed it to pieces.
“Listen, Raymond,” he said, “you and Terence will have to make your own way here. I need to think.”
There were several mirrors on the far side of the hall. Danny watched as the Space Twister sauntered past them: smash, smash, smash.