Walter tied the horses to a rail and led me by the rope over to a well. He pulled a bucket of water up and drank from it. He looked at me thoughtfully and then with a gesture offered me the bucket. My throat was dry from all the dust kicked up by the horses so I took it and drank thirstily. The water was gritty and had a slightly unpleasant taste to it. But I was so thirsty I didn’t care.
"Where are we Walter?" I asked. "Outside Jerusalem, the holy land you fool!" he snapped. "My name is Walter, squire to Sir Edward, a knight of St. John and one day I too shall be a knight of St. John. You don't call me Walter, you call me sir, peasant! Now be quiet before I slice off your nose for being insolent!" With that outburst our pleasant conversation ended.
We stood in silence for about another 20 minutes before Sir Edward returned from the palace. "Come boy," he said as he took the rope from Walter. "King Richard wants to see you. Now boy, the Lion Heart is a busy man so stand quietly until he asks you a question and then answer it honestly and he may allow you to keep your head."
Richard the Lion Heart, I've read about him in history lessons. He was the king of England, a fearless warrior with a fearsome temper. Grandma's watch has got me into serious trouble.
We entered a spacious chamber with a marble floor and a large throne like chair. In front of the chair, on their knees were three knights. In front of them was a tall, powerful man with broad shoulders and red gold hair and predatory gray eyes. "You've lost another battle, how are you ever going to capture Jerusalem… Get out, get out before I take your titles, your lands and your heads!" boomed the tall man. He could only be King Richard and then he turned those scary gray eyes on me.
"Who is this foul smelling peasant?" snarled King Richard. "This is the strange boy I told you about," replied Sir Edward. "He doesn't look much like a spy, although he is dressed strangely," pondered King Richard. "Well who are you boy?" continued the King. "Well sir,” I began, “My name is also Richard, Richard Jones. As strange as it may seem I'm from the future and I came here because of this watch," I said, reaching into my pocket. As I held the watch it started beeping. King Richard and Sir Edward quickly jumped back. "Sorcery!" cried King Richard. "What type of evil magic makes this infernal sound?" I pressed the little button that stopped the watches’ alarm. "Guards seize him!" yelled King Richard and two men at arms roughly grabbed me by the arms sending the watch tumbling to the ground. "Take him to the dungeon!" demanded the king.
Frantically, I reached down and grabbed the watch that was lying on the ground beside me, just as the two guards dragged me from the room and down a passageway. They opened the stout wooden door and hauled me down a steep stairway. At the bottom was another passageway that ended with a black metal door. The guards opened the door to reveal a small chamber with burning torches and another guard with a set of keys hanging from his neck. "Here you go, lad. Tuck the jailer will find somewhere nice for you to stay," laughed one of the guards. Tuck opened the door with one of the keys revealing a dark and gloomy room with straw scattered across the floor. The two guards lifted me and threw me into the cell and the door slammed shut.
As I picked myself up from the floor, I sensed movement in the gloomy darkness of the room. I wasn't alone. I heard the clanking of chains as a figure rose from the gloom in front of me. I jerked back in fright and backed up against the wall of the cell. "No need to be afraid," croaked the figure in front of me, "It's only me Mad Malcolm."
Mad Malcolm was huge with a wild tangle of red hair and a matching beard. He had several teeth missing and a nose squashed across his face. His hands were in manacles drawn together by a chain. "What's your name, lad?" He asked this question rather politely which was a bit of a shock for he looked like a terrifying dungeon dweller. So I told him my name and how I was first accused of being a spy and then some kind of evil magician.
Malcolm told me his story of how King Richard had also had him thrown in the dungeon. Mad Malcolm's real name was Sir Malcolm Douglas, a knight from Scotland. The English and the Scots have had many wars against each other and even on a crusade to win back Jerusalem they still didn't get on very well. Malcolm had defeated King Richard in a practice fight and afterwards King Richard had made what Malcolm considered to be a rude remark about his beloved Scotland. He flattened King Richard with his wooden practice sword and as a result he was flung into jail.
How did I get myself into this situation? I should have listened to dad! I sat down and put my head between my hands and thought about my mom and my grandma. Was this the type of adventure that they wanted me to explore?
And then I heard a whimpering, it was soft and barely audible among the noises of the dungeon. "Is that you Mad Malcolm, are you okay," I asked. "No it's Mohammed, he cries day and night, but don't worry about him...he belongs to the other side." I moved towards him and could finally see him. He was only a young boy aged five or six. His eyes were huge and he put his hands out to fend me off. I told him that I was his friend and I would not hurt him. "Friend... won't hurt," he said in broken English. I put out my hand and he took it. Then he wriggled closer and cuddled up to me. "Home please," he begged.
He was asking the wrong person. I didn't even know where I was...let alone how to get out of here. "Where are your parents?" I asked. He told me that he didn't know where they were but that he lived in a small town outside the palace.
I told Mad Malcolm that I needed to escape and take the boy home. He laughed at me and called me a fool. "I've tried to escape from here and if I can't get out, you and your little friend here will never get out." Maybe I was a fool to think I could escape, after all I’m only a kid myself.
Eventually I drifted off to sleep with Mohammed cradled under my arm. Grandma came to me in my dreams. She told me to use the watch to escape and take Mohammed back home. "Think about what you did to get here in the first place," she said softly in my ear.
The next morning I awoke sore and stiff. The smell made me feel like throwing up, it was disgusting in there! The guards walked past and threw some dried up, mouldy hard bread at us. Mad Malcolm pounced upon it and pushed Mohammed away. "Please…" begged Mohammed. Mad Malcolm tore off a small piece of bread and gave it to Mohammed. He greedily shoved it in his mouth and almost swallowed it in one go. He was obviously starving to death, I had to do something.
When things had settled down and Mad Malcolm had gone to sleep again, I took Mohammed into the corner and whispered that it was time to escape. I pulled out the fob watch and put it between both of our hands. I told him to think of home. The watch started to give off heat, Mohammed looked at me with fear. And then the tumbling sensation happened again, but this time Mohammed was with me. We landed with a huge thump in the sand.
Several people were surrounding us and talking in a strange language that I had never heard. Then someone recognized Mohammed. It was his mother, she had tears pouring down her face as she grabbed and tightly held her dear son. She held him in the air and everyone rejoiced with happiness. It was then that the attention turned back to me. People were pointing and looking scared and they slowly started to move away from me. Mohammed looked at me with his big brown eyes and said thanks. His mother’s smile was warm and happy. I had done my job there.
I held onto the watch, closed my eyes and thought of home. Once again the watch became hot and I could feel myself drifting into the tunnel and falling and falling until bang I landed on my bed. I opened my eyes and everything looked normal. But then I looked at my clothes, they were torn and dusty.
Dad had heard the bang when I landed back in my bed and he came in to check on me. He looked me up and down and then put his fingers over his nose. "Richard, you’re filthy and you stink! Go and have a shower and put those disgusting clothes in the washer." He started to walk out and close the door then he stopped and looked back at me. "Your mom would be horrified at how dirty you are." He shook his head and walked out.
My mom would be proud of me. I know she would. But I can't tell dad about my adventure, he wouldn't believe me and
he’d probably take the watch away from me. Mom said this has to be my secret. I bet mom and grandma both know what I did today.
Monday
Back to school today. It was a little boring after yesterday and I found it really difficult to concentrate. I kept thinking about Mohammed and wondering what he was doing today. Was he going to school, looking after goats or just playing with the other kids in his village? I feel really proud of myself, saving him from that dreadful dungeon and almost certain death from starvation or disease.
Then I started thinking about all the different places and times throughout the ages I could visit. The possibilities were endless!
Honestly, I don’t think I heard one word any of my teachers said today.
After lunch we had assembly and something really great happened. We WON the poster competition! I get to go with Maddi and Gretel to the Waterpark on Saturday. I am so excited! I’ve never been to a waterpark and I’ve never been down a waterslide – ever. It is going to be so much fun, especially with Maddi…oh and Gretel too.
Wednesday
At lunchtime today Ted and I went to the sports field and joined in a soccer game. I don’t usually go down there and play, but Ted asked me to go with him. It was just a casual game and I was really enjoying myself, it felt great to run and work-up a sweat. That was until some of the jocks arrived.
They stood on the sideline and started calling us names. I just ignored them and kept playing. But Ted got really angry. You see, they decided to call him Princess. “Get the ball Princess!” they called. “Hey Princess, you missed the goal!” And they kept on picking on him. Of course they could see that they were getting to him. The angrier he got…the more they called out. He managed to control himself, but then they called out to me, “Look, there is the poor little girl who lost her mother.” I stopped and looked at them, my mouth wide open and lost for words.
Then like a bomb about to explode, Ted stopped dead still in the middle of the field. His face turned a crimson shade of purple and he started screaming and running towards them. At first, they just laughed. Then the laughing stopped and they turned and started running away from Ted like a farmer being chased by a bull. “Come back you bunch of cowards!” yelled Ted. But they kept on running.
Ted eventually gave up and came back to me. “You okay?” asked Ted. “Yeah, I’m fine, thanks Ted, you’re a real friend,” and I slapped him on the back. We went back to our soccer game. Everyone laughed at the “tough boys”, the “cool kids”, the “jocks” and how quickly they ran off. We all felt good about ourselves. Ted standing up to the bullies like that really made my day. We all made a pact that we would never let them call us names and bully us ever again.
Today Ted became a hero in our eyes. I’m sure he grew a couple of inches taller in those few minutes. Way to go Ted!
Saturday
Waterpark Day! It was the best day ever! The girls were a little scared to begin with and secretly so was I. The slides are so high! But of course I didn’t show my fear, I wanted to impress them. We went on so many slides, up and down, up and down. Laughing all the way!
Then towards the end we saw one of the teachers. Maddi doesn’t like him and she wanted to get away before he got up the stairs. She thought she would go down faster by using more mats. Good thought, but it didn’t work. Some of the mats came apart and got stuck in the tube. When the teacher came down he got stuck! Maddi’s extra mats had blocked the tube. We laughed so hard, we had tears coming down our faces.
But then all the workers started running towards the slide. They had a panicked look on their faces. We stopped laughing and watched. They unbolted part of the slide and let him out. He didn’t look happy! We quickly ran off and exited the park.
Maddi didn’t mean to block the tunnel, it was an accident and nobody was hurt. Thinking back, it was the perfect end to one of the best days of my life.
Monday
When I saw Maddi and Gretel at school today we all burst into laughter. It was our little secret, we decided to tell nobody about the teacher tunnel incident. A story like that would spread like wildfire across the school. We decided to code name it the TTI (short for teacher tunnel incident).
After lunch we were walking to the library and guess who was walking out. Yep! He stopped and looked at us. I’m sure I could hear my heart thumping. Then he smiled and kept walking. Phew! He didn’t recognize us, or did he?
This afternoon I had to make a speech about how we can stop the oceans from becoming more polluted. I hate talking in front of other people. My hands started shaking as soon as I entered the classroom. I felt hot and my hands started to sweat. Sitting in my seat waiting for my turn, I felt like I was going to faint. I was certain that I couldn’t remember one fact from my prepared talk. And then I heard my name being called. Oh NO!!!
I walked to the front of the class and looked at all those faces. They all had bored looks on their faces. Who can blame them, I was the 21st talk they had heard over the last two days. Nobody wants to listen, they are either freaking out about the fact they have to get up soon or relaxing and thinking about something pleasant because they have already had their turn.
I held up my palm cards, but my hands were shaking so much it was embarrassing. I put them on the table in front of me. My knees felt like they were about to buckle and it suddenly felt very hot in that room. I went to speak and nothing came out. I tried again and a squeak came out. I could hear all the cool girls sniggering. What am I, a mouse! My teacher told me to take a deep breath. I did and then looked up. Maddi was in the middle row, she smiled and held up a note with TTI on it. I smiled, she is so funny. And then my speech just rolled off my tongue. I didn’t even think about it, it all came spilling out.
My teacher was very impressed. My classmates were shocked…normally my talks were painful to watch. And when I finished, everyone gave me a huge clap. I had done it.
Tuesday
After school today, Ted and I went for a ride through the bush on our bikes down to the river. We were skipping stones on the water when Ted told me he didn’t like Maddi. I was shocked, who could possibly not like Maddi. She is so nice and funny and normal. “She thinks she is pretty special, she is totally up herself,” he complained.
I stood up for her, telling Ted that I really liked Maddi. But he just shook his head and told me I was wrong. “She is just like all the cool girls Richard, she is a pain,” he said. I told Ted that if he gave her a chance and got to know her, he would definitely like her.
Maybe Ted is jealous of my friendship with Maddi? Maybe he really likes her, but isn’t game to admit it? Could it be that he also has a secret crush on Maddi? I don’t really care if he doesn’t like her. I think she is amazing.
Friday
I’m really quite glad I didn’t get into a sporting team. Reject sport or history club is really quite interesting. Today we talked about the Ancient Romans and the city of Pompeii. Our history teacher showed us pictures of the city that were almost unbelievable. So many people were caught trying to escape from the lava and ash and you can still see the bodies frozen in time. It would have been so frightening. One day I definitely want to visit Pompeii and just hope that the volcano doesn’t blow up while I’m there.
Saturday
Dad went into the office again this morning. I tried to clean up some of the mess in the house but it just seems like a waste of time. I cleaned up the same things last week and they are dirty again. Maybe I should just ignore the dirt and mess.
I decided to go for a ride on my bike, but couldn’t figure out where to go to. Then I thought about riding past Maddi’s house. Maybe she’ll be home and she’ll see me and decide to come for a ride too. Either that or she’ll think I’m a stalker! She lives about 10 minutes ride from my place, so off I took.
I was casually cruising down her street, pretending I don’t know where she lives, when I see a man walk to the car parked in her front yard. He is followed by the biggest dog or shoul
d I say horse-dog I’ve ever seen. I thought Maddi lives with her Mom. Maybe this is her Dad? And I think the dog is a great dane. I wanted to stay and watch, but it just felt too obvious. So I kept on riding past their house and around the corner. I got off my bike and hid it behind a tree. I had to solve the mystery of who was visiting Maddi and her Mom. I felt like a detective who was about to solve a mystery.
Getting down on all fours, I crawled behind the hedges on the footpath until I was in front of Maddi’s house. Everyone had disappeared back inside. Her house looks different to mine. Lots of flowers in pots, a peace sign and colorful little flags draped across the front deck. The curtains in one of the rooms were tie-dyed. It looks a little like a hippy house.
Then I could hear Maddi’s voice. “Tyson, Dad!” she yelled. So it was her Dad. And that was when the automatic sprinkler system came on. The water was smelly and it landed all over me. Maddi’s Mom came out and turned it off because the car doors were still open. I froze so she wouldn’t see me.
Then I noticed a green ant climbing up my leg and it disappeared as it made its way under my shorts. I told myself not to panic. Then another ant started to make its way up my leg, followed by another and another. I was lying next to a nest. I tried to shuffle away and then I felt the first bite. I gritted my teeth shut. It really hurt! And then another one bit me. The pain was searing through my leg, but I still managed to stay still and not yell. But then the unthinkable happened and they all started biting me at once.
I screamed, jumped up and ran down the street. Looking back I could see Maddi’s Mom staring at me, a look of shock and concern on her face. “Green ant bite!” I called out to her, “it’s okay.” I rounded the corner, raced behind the tree and pulled my pants down. There were about 10 ants all feasting on me. I slapped them off and pulled my pants back on. The pain was excruciating! I couldn’t sit on my bike because most of the bites were near my bottom. I limped home, pushing my bike. It took over an hour!
The bites were red and raised, they looked really angry. I put some stop itch cream on them and lay on my bed on my stomach.
When Dad came home he asked if I was okay. What could I say? No, I was attacked by green ants while I was spying on a girl I like! That’s just way too embarrassing! Boy did I learn a lesson today. When you are spying on a girl, don’t do it next to a green ant nest!
Sunday
Last night I was feeling really bored and lonely so I took the fob watch to bed with me. The history club talk on Pompeii had really interested me, so I decided to see if I could take a closer look.
It was easy, I just thought about Pompeii in AD 79 on the 24 August. I closed my eyes and focused on the location and date. Before long the watch started to heat up and shine. Then I started tumbling through the tunnel and whamo I landed in bale of hay behind a stable full of horses. I had done it again!
I brushed myself off and wandered into the marketplace. There were people selling everything from live ducks to slaves to fine silks. The noises and smells were overwhelming. Imagine horse dung mixed with spices and roasting meat.
Some Roman soldiers were marching through the square. They were carrying a litter with an important looking old man sitting on a chair. Suddenly they came to a halt and lowered the man. He had a heavy gold chain around his neck and was dressed in a perfectly white toga.
As he approached each market stall, the men and women bowed to him and gave him gold coins. He must have been an important government official or maybe even a tax collector.
It was then that the ground shifted. The stalls rattled and pots fell and shattered. But the people just ignored it. They were used to the rumblings, they didn’t know the awful fate that awaited them when the volcano, Mt Vesuvius erupted. The volcano was stirring. This was an earthquake. They needed to escape now before it was too late.
I had to warn them and save as many people as possible. I ran to the official to tell him about the impending doom. The soldiers blocked my way with their spears and told me to go away.
I looked around and found a group of children playing by the well. Grabbing their hands I tried to pull them towards the shoreline where I could see boats that could be used to sail them to safety. One of the boys called out and his father ran at me. He shoved me as hard as he could and I fell backwards hitting a soldier. The soldier also fell backwards and he knocked over the important man in the white toga. It looked like a bad case of dominos! Then the unthinkable happened. The important old man fell into a pile of horse poo. Everyone stopped, there wasn’t a sound to be heard. Then the official climbed to his feet, the horse poo dripping off his formerly white toga. Breaking the silence he yelled, “Seize him!”
The soldiers grabbed me and tied my hands behind my back. Now I really knew I was in trouble. I could not reach my fob watch! I had no way of getting out of here and I knew the volcano was close to erupting.
They threw me in a cell and left me. Not another cell!
The ground shook again and the chains holding the door closed rattled violently. I called out to the guard and he begrudgingly came over. “You have to let me out, the volcano is going to erupt and everyone in Pompeii will die!” I warned.
He looked at me with his mouth hanging wide open. “You speak the same language as me, where do you come from boy?” I wasn’t going to tell him Harper Valley (not after the last time). So I told him I was from Britain. He started to tell me about how he had grown up in Britain and all about his family. He just didn’t get the urgency, but then again, he didn’t know what was about to happen.
“Mt Vesuvius is going to explode!” I yelled at him. He told me not to be silly, it was just the Gods moving their furniture, it happens all the time.
At that very moment…Mt Vesuvius decided to blow her top.
A tremendous boom almost deafened us. We were both thrown off our feet. Villages and soldiers ran past in mass hysteria. Everyone was panicking! The guard stood up and turned to run. “Help me!” I screamed. He turned and quickly unlocked the door. Then he pulled out a long curved knife. He was going to kill me. I lowered my eyes and started to pray, then he spun me around and cut the ropes that had tied my wrists together. He slapped me over the head, smiled at me and ran for his life.
I looked towards the volcano. Smoke was streaming from the top and pieces of pumas were starting to fall on the village. Then the sky started to blacken. Day turned to night as hot burning dust began to cover everything.
In their panic to escape, the adults had left behind the young children who were playing by the well. The ones I had earlier tried to rescue. They huddled together, afraid and crying for someone to help. I ran to them and took their hands telling them to follow me to the seashore. A wooden sailing ship was about to depart. One at a time I threw the children into the arms of a sailor on board the ship, as it started to move away from the shore.
At least they would be safe. Around me there were hundreds of people who would have no boat to escape on. Many of them rushed back under cover. As I wander through the chaos, I see the government official is sitting on his litter chair, demanding that someone take him away. The soldiers and people ignore him.
As the sky grows even darker, I reach for my watch. I have done all I can here. It was time to go home.
Once again I land in my bed with a thump. And once again, Dad comes in. “Richard, you stink! Don’t you ever shower!” yelled Dad.
That was a close call!
Monday
Maddi wasn’t at school today. She has gone to Hawaii for a holiday. Apparently her Dad has moved back in and they have gone for a family get-together. I hope she has an awesome time. I’d love to go to Hawaii. I’ll miss her.
Friday
This has been a very boring week. School’s been boring. Home’s been boring. Sorry diary, I’ve got nothing for you.
Monday
We had a maggot incident at school today. Unfortunately it involved Maddi. Our Deputy Principal (she is really nasty) called Maddi ou
t of class today because she had maggots coming out of her bag. Poor Maddi! She must have left food in her bag before she went to Hawaii. I felt so sorry for her. Imagine being the new girl at school and having that happen to you. To make it even worse, Ted has started calling her maggot. He was so horrible during lunch break. Maddi was just trying to pretend like it didn’t happen, but Ted wouldn’t let it go. She looked at him with absolute loathing. I’m going to talk to Ted tomorrow and tell him to leave her alone.
I tried to talk to her, but she just blushed and kept walking. I wanted to tell her that we had maggots coming out of our rubbish bin in the kitchen last week. At first I thought it was spilled rice, until I saw one move. Yuck! Dad and I have decided to take the rubbish out every day from now on. I just wanted to let her know that these things happen to everyone and she shouldn’t be so embarrassed. I’ll just have a quiet word to Ted and get him to back off.
Today I got my mark for my talk on Ocean Pollution. I got an A! I can’t believe it, I never get an A for a spoken presentation. I always get a C. To be honest, I didn’t think it was possible for me to get higher than a C. Now that I have proved that theory wrong, I plan to get a B or an A next time as well. I just have to be more confident and less nervous.
We also did cooking today and we made muffins. My muffin was delicious. I’m going to make some for Dad on the weekend. I hope Maddi and Gretel had more success this time as well. Miss Moffat must have decided to stick clear of another possible raw meat disaster.
Tuesday
I talked to Ted today. Actually I asked him to lay off Maddi. He told me he just doesn’t like her, but for me he will try to be nicer. However, I did hear him whisper “maggot” as he walked past her on the way to English.
Friday
Something horrible happened to Ted today during class. It was after lunch and he must have had some chocolate cake stashed away somewhere. He was eating it and smiling. Then this terrible look came onto his face. He started spitting and spluttering, the chocolate cake was flying everywhere. And then I saw the problem. There were maggots in the cake.
Twice in one week! What is going on? I felt like throwing up myself. And then I glanced over at Maddi, she had a very smug look on her face. Did she have something to do with the maggots in the chocolate cake? She looked at me and smiled. I mouthed to her, “Did you do this?” Maddi shrugged her shoulders and smiled again.
After school one of the cool girls called Ted – Maggot Mouth. So cruel, but I suppose he kind of asked for it after calling Maddi, Maggot, all week.
I asked Ted where he got the chocolate cake from and he said his Dad made it. But I don’t believe that, he probably stole it from someone and had it stored away for too long. Maybe I’ll make Ted some muffins on the weekend as well.
History club was interesting again today. The teacher showed us a video on World War 1. Some of the boys who went off to war weren’t much older than me. How frightening it must have been for them! I’m definitely not going anywhere near my fob watch this weekend!
Saturday
Maddi’s mom called me this morning and asked if I would like to come and watch Maddi’s first soccer match. I wasn’t sure what to say and then she said that Gretel was coming as well and it was a surprise, so I gladly accepted the invitation.
I met her family for the first time. Her Mom is pretty cool and really easy going. Her Dad is really enthusiastic and outgoing. He shook my hand and said that he had heard great things about me. Me! What had he heard? Mrs. Bull wanted to know all about my family. I told her about Dad. Then she asked about my Mom…so I told her. She gave me a big cuddle. I was a bit embarrassed, I mean…I’d only just met her. I know my Mom would really like Maddi’s Mom. They are kind of similar, both warm and caring.
Maddi’s Dad is a little embarrassing. Okay, he is very embarrassing. He is one of those really loud encouraging dads. I could see that Maddi wanted him to stop calling out advice and cheering her on. I could see her cringing. But at least he cares.
The most amazing thing happened on the field. It had nothing to do with her soccer skills. They were pretty bad. Actually they were really bad. One of the girls on the other team fell over and put her hands to her neck. She was turning purple, then blue. Maddi ran over and grabbed her. Then she put her hand into the girl’s mouth and pulled out her broken mouthguard. The girl was actually choking to death. Maddi saved her! What a hero! She is incredible!
I think I’m falling in love….
Book 2 – True Love
Is Out Now!
Books for Girls - 4 Great Stories for 8 - 12 Year Olds Page 26