It was no use; the witch was not for turning.
“Human emotion. How pitiful…” she muttered as she dragged the throne a few paces and climbed up it again. Now the witch was busying herself unfastening the children’s ankles.
“Don’t worry, children. Mummy’s nearly there. It shouldn’t be too long now…” chirped the witch. Alfie’s left leg swung free, and his whole body dropped down further. His hair was now touching the toxic goo below, the acid burning the ends.
Far off, within the depths of mine, there was a definite sound of something rattling. The witch was struggling with the boy’s final manacle. “It’s all very well making everything out of teeth, but it does make things very fiddly…”
Now Fang started to help her mistress, leaping on to her shoulder and nibbling at the binds with her sharp teeth.
Any moment now, Alfie was to meet his end.
But looking out into the tunnel that led to the cave, Alfie could just see something travelling fast towards them on the ceiling. In a flash, he realised it wasn’t on the ceiling. He was of course upside down. It was on the ground. A train. A train was coming right towards them.
Hanging there like sides of meat at the butcher’s, Alfie gave Gabz a look urging her to stay silent. He didn’t want them to give the game away to the Tooth Witch. As the train sped towards them, the boy smiled. At the front of it, driving the engine, was a welcome face.
Dad.
36
Drowning Out Screams
As the clatter of the locomotive became louder, the Tooth Witch turned her head.
“A curse upon you!” she whispered, before hurrying the pace of her wickedness. Her long spindly fingers and Fang’s sharp teeth raced to unfasten the boy’s final shackle, and plunge him headfirst into the cauldron. As Alfie peered down, he realised he only had seconds to go until he became a skeleton.
The train sped through the entrance of the cave, and careered along its tracks heading straight for the witch. Just as the evil duo had managed to release Alfie’s bonds there was a huge…
The locomotive ploughed right into the throne.
The Tooth Witch lost her balance and she and her feline beast plunged into the Mummy’s special toothpaste mix.
Within moments, both had sunk below the surface, the thick yellow goo drowning out their screams.
Much to his surprise, Alfie was still alive. Gabz had managed to grab his ankle just in time. Now rocking her body back and forth, she swung him clear of the cauldron. It was as if they were a trapeze act at the circus.
As Alfie flew through the air, his dad was just able to grab his wrist, and yank him to the safety of the train. Opening his eyes, Alfie was now clinging by his fingertips to the front of it. Then he turned and looked forward. At that moment he realised he wasn’t safe yet.
The train was heading at speed, slap bang into the wall of the cave!
“Dad!” yelled the boy. “The brakes!”
Alfie’s father heaved the brake lever up, and with a huge screech the train came to a sudden stop, with Alfie less than a gnat’s hair from the rocks.
“Thanks,” sighed the boy.
“That’s what dads are for…” sputtered his father breathlessly. All the dust and dirt in the cave was no good for his lungs. The doctors had told him never to go back down a mine; that just one more lungful of coal dust could prove fatal. But right now Dad could only think about one thing. Saving his son.
“Dad, you killed the Tooth Witch! And the cat!” exclaimed Alfie.
“All in a day’s work…” he joked.
“How did you know I was down here?”
“Winnie called me. She guessed I’d be the only one who knew their way around the mine. And now the whole town is on its way…”
“Good old Winnie…” said the boy.
“Ha hum!” Gabz coughed theatrically.
“Oh yes!” said Alfie. “Sorry, Gabz…”
“Now as much as I normally love hanging upside down over a boiling witch’s cauldron, I was wondering whether you could untie me?” she said.
Dad stared at her. “Who’s this, son? Your girlfriend?”
“NO! For the last time! She is not my girlfriend!” exclaimed Alfie.
“All right!” replied Dad, coughing quite badly now. “I only asked.”
With all his might, he pulled a handle on the engine. Slowly and surely, the train reversed along the tracks to stop beside the cauldron. Alfie leaped off the front and on to the top of the engine. From there he stood on his tiptoes and untied the last of Gabz’s manacles. There was a distinctly awkward moment, where Alfie found himself holding the girl who was definitely not his girlfriend upside down by her ankles. However, Dad leaned out and pulled her on to the train. Gabz jumped down, landing on a sack that was sitting in the car behind.
“Careful!” wheezed Dad.
“Why?” asked Gabz.
“That’s dynamite!” he replied.
“Cool!” said the girl.
Alfie knew all about how dynamite was used in coal mines. His father had told him many times about how he often needed to blast away hard rock to get to the coal behind.
Gabz’s face lit up with an idea. “Let’s use the dynamite to seal the cave behind us…”
“The witch is dead!” replied Alfie. “Let’s just get out of here!”
And they were about to do just that when…
“Look!” screamed the girl.
Behind them the Tooth Witch and her cat were rising up out of the cauldron. All their skin and flesh had been burned away. Now they were both just skeletons.
Skeletons standing on their bony feet and coming right after them. Fast.
37
Skeletons on the March
The skeletons were marching right towards them. The witch one in front, the cat one a few paces behind, her long thin tail bone standing on end.
“There’s no stopping her. Quick! Let’s go!” yelled Dad.
Dad yanked the lever, and the train sped backwards out of the cave.
Gabz started rummaging through the sack.
“What are you doing?” said Alfie.
“Grabbing the dynamite so we can seal her in!” replied Gabz. “Now see if you can find a lighter or something…”
Alfie looked under another sack and found a tin housing some ancient matches, then lit the dynamite with shaking hands.
“Be careful, you two!” shouted Dad at the pair.
“Don’t throw it until I tell you…” barked the boy.
They both stared nervously at the stick as the fuse burned down. Just before the train reached the cave entrance, Alfie yelled…
“Now!”
The girl threw the dynamite stick into the air and it exploded…
…bringing huge rocks crashing to the ground behind them. A gigantic cloud of dust and debris filled the tunnel.
“We did it!” cheered Alfie.
Now the train was travelling along the central tunnel at speed. They were heading towards the lift that would take them above ground. And to safety. For a while all that the three could hear was the rattle and hum of the train. Then out of the shadows, Dad spotted something.
“No!” he cried.
The kids turned around and saw the two skeletons, one human and one animal, zooming after them through the tunnel on the gas cylinder.
“Mummy’s going to get you…!” screamed the witch-skeleton.
“Dad, make this thing go faster!” shouted Alfie.
“It won’t go any faster!” spluttered Dad.
With the cylinder catching up with the train, Fang’s skeleton was taking clawed swipes at Dad, who was desperately ducking out of the way.
The witch-skeleton cackled as what was left of her cat scratched the man’s head viciously.
Gabz held the second stick of dynamite, while Alfie lit the fuse.
“Let me throw it this time!” he said.
“Now!” she shouted.
Alfie hurled it at the evil d
uo hovering just behind them.
The explosion threw the pair off balance, but it wasn’t enough to stop them dead.
Their bones rattled as they scrabbled to stay on the cylinder.
“We’ve only got one more stick of dynamite…” warned Gabz.
The cat-skeleton leaped off the cylinder and landed with claws drawn on Dad’s head.
She clawed her way over him, until her bum bone was sticking right in the poor man’s nose.
yelled Dad, as the beast sank her fangs into his arm. In pain, his hand shot up off the train throttle, causing the engine to begin to shudder to a halt. Meanwhile, Alfie had lit the fuse on the last stick of dynamite that Gabz was holding. Just as she was getting ready to throw it…
There was a squeal of brakes as the train stopped dead.
The stick of dynamite slipped out of Gabz’s grasp and dropped into the car. The fuse was burning down fast. Any moment now it was going to explode…
38
Mummy’s Going to Eat You
“Gabz! Jump!” shouted Alfie. The girl leaped out of the train car. Then the boy vaulted over to his father, and pulled him clear of the engine, just as the dynamite exploded…
Rocks fell from the roof of the tunnel, crashing down on top of them. Cat-skeleton retreated to her bony mistress, who had fallen off her laughing gas cylinder some way back down the tunnel. Because of the explosion, the cylinder had sprung a leak. It was hissing on the ground, its sweet-smelling gas filling the mine.
Out of the dust storm behind him, Alfie could see the outline of the witch-skeleton rising to her feet.
The train was now a mangled wreck. And the lift still a long way off. Dad was buried under a mountain of rocks. They had crushed whatever strength he had left in him.
“Run, ha ha, boy!” gasped Dad, as Alfie furiously rolled the rocks off his father’s body. “Ha ha! Save yourself! Why am I, ha ha, laughing? This isn’t funny! Ha ha!”
“It must be the, ha ha ha, laughing, ha ha, gas!” replied the boy. “I am laughing, ha ha, too! Dad, I am not going to leave you, ha ha, down here. Ha ha! Come on, Gabz, help me, ha ha! Grab an arm! Ha ha ha!”
The kids began to heave Alfie’s father down the tunnel.
“I’m, ha ha, too, ha ha, heavy…” wheezed Dad. His breathing was rattling in his chest now. “Leave me, ha ha ha…”
“Never! Ha ha ha!” replied Alfie, and together he and Gabz hauled Dad along the track, closer and closer to the lift.
“Ha ha ha! Mummy’s coming to get you…” laughed the witch-skeleton, her bones rattling as her shoulders shook. Even what was left of Fang couldn’t stop sniggering. With her superhuman strength the witch-skeleton pushed the train and its puny cars aside. Alfie and Gabz started running as fast as they could along the track, dragging Dad behind. Finally, they reached the lift. The man’s wheelchair was lying discarded by the metal door where he must have left it. The three tumbled into the lift, and with all his might Alfie slammed the door shut behind them. The two skeletons had caught up with them now, and soon the bones of their hands and paws were rattling on the door, frantically trying to force it open.
“How did you get the lift working?” pleaded Alfie.
“You just have to connect those two loose wires…” wheezed Dad. “Then pull the top handle…”
Gabz brought the wires together, as Alfie tugged at the lever. The lift shuddered into life. It travelled upwards at speed, leaving the evil twosome below. Alfie sighed with relief.
“Dad, we’re gonna make it!”
But any relief was short-lived because the skeletons were now clinging on to the caged floor of the lift as it made its ascent. Suddenly the witch-skeleton’s long finger bones twisted through the holes in the floor, and grabbed at the children’s feet.
A battered and bruised Dad crawled across the floor of the lift. With all the strength he had left in his body, he tried to beat the witch-skeleton’s hands back with his fists. However, now she was ripping open the metal floor of the cage, tearing through it like paper. Despite Dad’s best efforts, the witch’s skull burst through and her razor-sharp teeth bit hard into Gabz’s ankles.
screamed the girl.
Clinging on to the bottom of the lift with one bony paw and swiping with the other, Fang the cat-skeleton viciously clawed at Dad’s hands. The beast was trying her best to stop him from attacking her mistress. But whatever Dad did, the witch-skeleton would not be deterred anyway. She only tightened her jaws around Gabz’s ankle even further before opening them slightly to snarl, “Mummy’s going to eat you…!”
39
One Final Breath
Finally the lift jolted to a halt at ground level. Blinking into the daylight, Alfie saw the whole town had now crowded around the entrance to the mine. Winnie was at the front, with Raj cowering just behind her. PC Plank was staring at the scene, his mouth open wide in shock. You could have quite comfortably reversed a riot van into it. Dear Mrs Morrissey had hobbled over especially, the old lady still apparently on ‘Special Offer’.
Even all the teachers from Alfie’s school had raced to see what on earth was going on at the deserted mine. Could there really be a real-life witch on the loose?!
Mr Snood observed intently, as if the whole thing was a startlingly dramatic ‘impro’. Miss ‘Knickergate’ Hare held tightly on to the arm of the trembling headmaster, in fear that in all the kerfuffle her bloomers might make another appearance. Behind them were the caretaker, the secretary, and a whole horde of pupils. Right at the back was Texting Boy. Though he wasn’t really taking any notice as he was busy texting.
When they all saw the witch-skeleton gnawing on Gabz’s ankle, everyone gasped in horror. Except Winnie. The fearless social worker bolted forward, and slammed the huge metal lift door open.
“Save the kids…” wheezed Dad. Winnie grabbed Alfie and Gabz, to try and pull them to safety. The boy was dragged clear, but the witch-skeleton had dug her teeth deep into the girl’s leg now. And she wasn’t letting go.
“Aaaaah!” screamed Gabz. The witch-skeleton’s cruel teeth were now gnawing into her bone.
Alfie put his arms round Winnie’s waist, and desperately helped her pull.
“Come on, everyone!” implored Raj, as he flung aside his fear and rushed forward to add his weight to the effort to free Gabz. The newsagent grabbed hold of Alfie, and pulled as hard as he could. Then PC Plank sprang into action, then the normally timid Mr Grey, before all the teachers joined the human chain. Soon everyone was helping in this epic tug of war with the witch-skeleton. Would this demon ever give up…?
Apart from Texting Boy of course. He was still far too busy texting.
Out of the corner of her eye Winnie spotted him. “For goodness’ sake, child, put your blasted phone away for a moment!” she boomed. The gormless boy was so startled he immediately put his mobile into his pocket and finally joined in with the pulling.
Together the entire town pulled and pulled and pulled.
“Heave!” cried Winnie. “HEAVE! HEAVE!”
And with one last collective effort, they just managed to prise Gabz free of the jaws of the witch’s skull.
The whole town landed on the ground in a giant heap. Squished at the bottom of that giant heap was poor Mrs Morrissey.
The witch-skeleton, her bony cat now climbing on to her shoulders, had torn more fully through the caged floor of the lift. In a murderous fury, she faced the whole town – her white skull gleaming more than her teeth ever had; the bones of her ribcage throbbing with rage.
“I am going to eat all of your children… boil them alive and feast on their bones!” she roared. The crowd all took a pace back in terror.
Alfie’s father was lying motionless on the lift floor. His face was pale and drawn. Now he could hardly breathe. He was in so much pain it was a struggle just keeping his eyes open. Dad had known that if he went down the mine again he couldn’t expect to come out alive. He wheezed, and took one final gasp of breath. He stretched up his hand,
even that a tremendous effort for him now, and just managed to reach the lift’s battered old control box.
“Winnie,” he gasped. “Promise you’ll look after my little pup for me…”
“Dad!” cried Alfie.
“I love you, son…”
With the very last of his strength, Dad ripped a wire clean out of the control box. The lift remained still for a moment. As if it were floating. Then abruptly it began to plummet down the shaft taking the witch-skeleton and the cat-skeleton down with it.
“Noooooo!”
screamed the boy, as his dad dropped out of view, but Alfie was helpless to stop it from happening. Winnie grabbed him and held him close. Alfie shut his eyes tightly and buried his head into her chest.
It was the last time he would see his father.
The witch was dead.
But with Dad gone there was to be no celebration.
The man was a hero. He had given his life to save not just his son and Gabz, but all the children of the town. Later that night, when a team of firemen finally made it down to the bottom of the mine shaft to bring back up Dad’s body, they found his sacrifice had not been in vain.
The skeletons of the witch and her cat had been crushed to pieces. They were now little more than dust. The children of the town were safe from the Tooth Witch forever.
But there was a terrible price to pay.
One little boy was left an orphan.
40
A Big Comfy Pillow
The sun shone on the day of Dad’s funeral. It was a cold winter morning, with frost underfoot. Just a few days before Christmas. The church was packed. Standing room only. Outside the church those who couldn’t get in listened to the service via loudspeakers. The whole town had come to pay their respects to this great man.
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