The Team and the Cavern

by S G Read

  ‘The white leprechaun got us.’ JC answered. ‘I woke up and there he was, I shouted look out and that was it, we were all stone.’

  ‘I did hear someone cry out,’ Molly added, ‘then I thought I went back to sleep.’

  ‘Permanent sleep,’ Stuart retorted, ‘still at least we know that this is Toby’s quid pro quo world as we aren’t dead.’

  ‘That means we will find copies of us in that cave.’ Celia exclaimed.

  ‘Yes and we can find out if we can turn us back into us, while we are still us as well!’ Stuart declared.

  ‘This is one sick world.’ Simon moaned. ‘Do you think we will be one who is the good us and the other one is the bad us?’

  ‘We won’t be able to turn Ben back then.’ Sherman declared. ‘He got rid of his bad side, he left it in the Jungle.’

  ‘No it’s still in here somewhere, I just have better control of it.’ Ben replied.

  ‘You lot watch too much television.’ Toby complained.

  ‘So what do we do now?’ Jenny asked.

  ‘Now we get back to the cave and rescue the book. It’s a good job you hid it Si,’ Stuart answered, ‘but we want to make sure we don’t get zapped again, or we could be doing this walk for ever!’

  They started walking, this time giving the little boy eating tree a wide berth. They were also watching for any hungry creatures, which were willing to fly down and pluck them from the ground to take them back for their breakfast, not a good way to restart the journey. They had a drink in the cave before they started out but they had to find some food soon.

  ‘What if someone does get killed?’ Denis asked.

  ‘Then we have to go back and wait for them to come out of that doorway again!’ Stuart answered. ‘Just keep your eyes open and don’t go out into the open, once we find shelter.’

  They knew the way now and passed the Grimalkin again.

  ‘Had a bit of trouble, did we?’ The Grimalkin asked.

  ‘Just a bit but nothing we can’t handle.’ Ben answered. ‘I wonder how the leprechaun knew where we went.’ He added accusingly as he thought about it.

  ‘He’s very clever really, it is just that he has been fighting the apprentice so long, he can’t tell the good from the bad. He even zapped his own brother by mistake.’ The Grimalkin answered. ‘I am the one person who was not been zapped by him. But there is always a first time.’

  No one believed that the white shoed leprechaun had found them by luck and walked on, knowing that the white shoed leprechaun would be following, if it saw the Grimalkin again.

  ‘A bit like a game this,’ CJ commented, ‘when you get killed you try to do it some other way.’

  ‘I just don’t fancy being eaten by the gryphon.’ Jenny declared. ‘Being turned to stone, was okay, especially as I was asleep at the time but being eaten, no thanks, that's got to hurt.’

  They walked on, making sure they did not walk into the white shoed leprechaun. Stuart ordered two people to watch the sky above, if it was sky. They passed the two houses they had seen the first time but had to hide when the gryphon flew overhead. They found a hole in the rocks big enough for them all to squeeze into and then watched the gryphon from safety. The three bears chose to emerge from their house at that moment and they had no thoughts about a gryphon, until it swooped down and carried off baby bear. They looked up and seemed to be at a loss as to what to do. They went back into their house in time to meet Goldilocks coming in the other door.

  ‘I’m sure that wasn’t in the fairy tale.’ Celia declared. ‘Still at least it is safe to go on now, and I don’t want to know what they do to Goldilocks!’

  As they walked on Goldilocks fled back out the door she had just walked in, with the two bears in pursuit. The team watched, to see where she ran but she ran into the forest, followed by the bears and they were soon out of sight.

  ‘I have an idea.’ Simon exclaimed. ‘We are all hungry and there is porridge in there waiting to be eaten, so why don’t we go and get it.’

  Stuart did not call for a vote. ‘Simon and Ben go and get the porridge, while we wait here. Bring it over here and we will eat it in a cave. Bring anything else we can eat.’

  Simon smiled, another idea accepted. The two boys hurried away, they wanted to get in and out before the bears returned. The others moved to a convenient cave.

  ‘It’s amazing that we can find a cave to hide in, just when we want to.’ Sherman exclaimed before he went in to check that it was safe.

  ‘As long as there is nothing in there to harm us I am not worried.’ Jenny replied.

  Sherman walked in and after a few seconds motioned them inside. Two boys watched the house near the forest to see when the bears returned. They saw Ben and Simon come out with a heavy cooking pot. The two boys struggled across the land between them and the rocks and CJ and Denis hurried over to help them. All four carried it into the cave and they were soon eating porridge. Ben and Simon had brought all the bowls and spoons they could find. The porridge was soon history. They all felt better for some food and the dirty bowls and spoons were stored in the cooking pot for the return journey. The lookouts saw the bears return and all thoughts of returning the things they had borrowed were forgotten for now. Now it was time to move on.

  They hurried on now, keeping a close watch for the opinicus but wanting to reach the cave their statues were in before dark this time. They passed the cave they thought the trolls were in very quietly but still moved fast. They turned the corner where the rocks finished, after carefully looking round it, to make sure the trail was all clear and hurried to the cave. It was getting late again and they were tired but they had no ideas of stopping, not this time. They followed the same route as last time and saw the cave ahead. Sherman peered inside to make sure it was safe and they all walked into the cave they had rested in. The others were all there. The majority of them looked to be asleep but with three looking up and JC pointing forward with his mouth open.

  ‘See I said I tried to warn you.’ JC declared.

  ‘What do we do now?’ Toby asked. ‘I am tired but if we sleep here again and the grimalkin splits on us again we could be starting the walk again in the morning.’

  ‘I have an idea.’ Stuart announced. ‘You know I said about finding out if you could turn someone back when there should only be one, well what is safer than turning ourselves back?’

  ‘What and have two Bens?’ Simon exclaimed. ‘One is bad enough.’

  ‘What it will do, is cause a problem for the grimalkin. If one lot goes back round the other way and walk past her going the other way, she won’t know where we are. That way one lot of us should be able to find the house where this apprentice lives and get inside to steal the other book.’ Stuart explained. ‘With the white leprechaun chasing our other selves.

  ‘Will there be enough food for all of us if there are two Simons?’ Ben asked.

  ‘It seems to be a self sustaining world, so I would guess at yes.’ Toby answered.

  ‘Only a guess though.’ Simon retorted. ‘Maybe we should just turn you lot back and leave me.’

  The others laughed.

  ‘Do we need a meeting about this, as it is getting late and we don’t want to get caught in here by the white leprechaun again?’ Stuart asked. ‘It is a long walk to do every day.’

  ‘No, do it.’ Sherman answered and no one argued.

  ‘Okay SI, do your stuff, but all of them, including you!’ Stuart ordered.

  ‘I’ll get the book, although I don’t need it for turning people back, I have done it so many times I can remember it!’ Simon answered and searched the hidey-hole where he hid the book. ‘It’s not here!’ He exclaimed.

  ‘So someone has taken it.’ Toby declared. ‘I hope it isn’t that apprentice or he will get out and take over the world.’

  ‘Can you remember how to turn things to stone as well, Si.’ Stuart asked.

  ‘Yes.’ Si answered. ‘I’m sorry I lost the book.’

  ‘It’s not
your fault, Si, we were all turned to stone, remember.’ Stevey replied. ‘If you hadn’t hid it, anyone could have found it.’

  ‘But I thought I hid it too well for anyone to find it!’ Simon complained.

  ‘I imagine the grimalkin told the white leprechaun we had it and he made sure he found it, before he went on.’ CJ surmised.

  ‘But he is going to try to turn the apprentice to stone, if he fails the apprentice will have the book.’ Jenny exclaimed.

  ‘Then we need to go find him and get the book back but do it without having to start at square one again.’ Stuart urged.

  ‘You all make it sound like a game,’ Molly declared, ‘but I haven’t played any games where you can get eaten by a gryphon before.’

  'Or an opinicus.' Toby added.

  ‘Turn us back and let us get out of here.’ Sherman urged.

  Simon canted the spell to turn the statues back to flesh and blood. He did it one at a time and they started to change while the others watched. Finally, the two teams stood face to face with each other, each looking at his or her own twin and wondering what to do next. Some walked round the other to see what they looked like from the back, that was mainly the girls.

  ‘Thank you.’ The recently transformed JC said to his alter ego. ‘I knew we were going to be turned to stone and tried to warn everybody, that was a horrible moment. I thought it was going to hurt but it was just like going back to sleep.’

  ‘I didn’t change you back it was Si.’ JC two answered.

  ‘Of course it was, thanks Si.’ JC one replied.

  ‘Just doing what I am told as usual JC.’ Simon two answered. ‘So what happens now that there are two sets of us?

  ‘Can we touch each other, I mean the other us?’ Molly one asked, looking at Molly two.

  ‘I suppose so.’ Toby one answered, unsure of the answer for once.

  Both Bens looked at the others, shrugged their shoulders, then both walked forwards and shook hands. When that was no problem they embraced.

  ‘Looks like it.’ Ben one declared.

  ‘Right you lot.’ Stuart two started and everyone listened intently. ‘We think the grimalkin dobbed us in to the white leprechaun and that is why he looked in here. He also took the book so we have to get it back! What I plan is for you lot to walk back the other way in the morning, right past the grimalkin and go round the other way. We will go on this way and with all of us trying to get the book back we brought in and the book that was already in her, we stand a chance of succeeding.’

  ‘What happens when we’ve won?’ Jenny two asked. ‘What do we do about them?’

  She pointed to the first group.

  ‘It is us who are the extra ones and we have to stay in here.’ Stuart two explained. ‘They are the originals and they are the ones that go out, unless they get eaten, we can’t do anything about resurrecting a pile of pooh.’

  ‘Does that mean we have to stay here for ever?’ CJ two asked. 'I don't fancy that idea.'

  ‘No, I thought about that,' Stuart two answered, 'just before the originals leave, they will turn us to stone and our statues will be here for ever. I for one don’t want to stay in this world but we can’t all go back to Apsford house, Mrs. Brown will freak!’

  ‘And our parents.’ Ben added. ‘Can you imagine what they will say if two of us turn up.’

  ‘My parents probably wouldn’t notice.’ Molly complained.

  ‘That actually makes sense.’ Toby two declared. 'If any of us doubles are still alive, we get turned to stone and we know we can’t get killed for good, we tried that and here we are. You lot shouldn't rest in here, just in case the white leprechaun comes back!’

  ‘No we won’t.’ Toby one assured him. ‘Being turned to stone once is enough, shall we go Stu one?’

  'That's clever, he's Stu one and I'm Stu two, you will all be either ones or twos as well, then we will know who is who.'

  'That's whom is whom.' Toby one corrected just before Toby two could.

  'We’ll sleep somewhere else tonight, in hopes of waking up in the morning.’ Stu one answered and he led his group out of the cave.

  Chapter 4

  The group of ones saw the three bear’s house and headed for it, they decided to spend the night behind it in the forest, to be away from prying eyes and not so easily found. They found a statue and looked closely at it in the gloom.

  ‘Is that Goldilocks?’ Celia asked.

  ‘It looks like it,’ Jenny answered, ‘how could anyone, apart from another girl, see her as a threat?’

  ‘I think the white leprechaun is round the bend,’ Stuart answered, ‘he must spend all his time appearing from that rock face, creeping up on the apprentice and getting turned to stone trying to do it, only to reappear from the rock face again a little while later.’

  'If the bad guy is the apprentice, who is he apprenticed to?' Toby asked.

  'That's a good question,' Celia answered, 'we should be helping him, whoever he is.'

  'We could ask the Grimalkin, if she talks to us this time, when we get there.' Simon suggested.

  ‘Yes and we could send a message through her to the white shoed leprechaun, to tell him we are trying to steal the other book from the apprentice and take both books out of the, whatever place this is. If he knew that, he might help us! At least it would get us out of his hair.’ JC declared.

  ‘I think it is called a wizardom.’ Toby explained.

  ‘Well next time you see the white shoed leprechaun JC, step out and say ‘I say, we want to be your friend,’ Ben retorted, ‘and see how far you get!’

  ‘I’ve been turned to stone twice now and the second time I knew it was coming, so I don’t think I will be doing that Ben but you feel free to try it.’ JC replied.

  ‘No, it’s hard to scratch your nose when you are made of stone,’ Ben exclaimed, ‘but it is better than being ripped to pieces while you are still alive!’

  This led to a general discussion on what everyone felt when they were stone, a discussion which crept up in volume, until the door to the house open and daddy bear came out roaring for quiet as his baby was asleep. The team fled into the forest and settled down to sleep in a group of bushes.

  ‘We need a sentry.’ Stevey warned.

  ‘It has to be me as I am the only one who can remember the spells.’ Simon replied unhappily.

  ‘Not if you teach us all the turn to stone spell, the other spell can wait but if we all know that spell, we can take proper turns.’ Stevey answered.

  ‘If you think about it I should teach at least one of you how to turn someone back from stone, just in case I get turned to stone again.’ Simon argued.

  Simon spent the next half an hour teaching a lesson in spell casting but this time Jenny made sure no one raised their voice. When everyone knew what to do in an emergency, the rest of the group, those not on sentry duty settled down to sleep. There were two of the team on guard, to make sure at least one of them stayed awake.

  The group of twos continued their journey until it grew too dark and they had to shelter. They chose a dark hollow in the rock, Simon walked in bravely, his finger pointing forward, ready to turn anything in there to stone. He walked in slowly and carefully. The rest of the group stood outside the cave while Simon went in. He heard a noise inside and prepared to utter the words he now knew by heart. It was darker inside the cave but in the gloom inside the cave, he thought he could see red shoes and hesitated. He strained his eyes to try to see and decided to speak.

  ‘IS that you Seamus?’ He asked.

  'It is. Who is it here who knows my name except my brother?’ Seamus replied.

  ‘I am Simon, you saw us earlier, we were all in the opening by the water and you walked in. You told us your name then.’ Simon answered.

  ‘Oh, you are with the boys. I thought Fergus got you lot in that cave, I saw you in there. I was going to sleep in there but there was no room with you lot in there.’

  ‘This is a quid pro quo world, so we just cam
e back to life, eventually.’ Simon answered carefully.

  He was making sure he did not ruin it for the others by letting something slip about the other group as he usually would.

  ‘Well I don’t know what that means but you are welcome to share this cave with me, but I warn you I snore!’ The leprechaun replied.

  Simon walked back to the entrance.

  ‘It’s safe to come in.’ He called.

  ‘Who were you talking to?’ Sherman asked.

  ‘Seamus, the safe leprechaun.’ Simon answered and walked back into the cave.

  ‘I didn’t think it was all of you.’ The leprechaun complained but by now, it was too dark for him to change the place he had decided to sleep in to another of his resting places. For him it was a good day, he had not been eaten.

  They all settled down to sleep, trying to find a soft place to lie, which in a cave was not easy.

  ‘So tell me Mr. Leprechaun, why does you brother hate us?’ Ben asked in the darkness.

  ‘He thinks you are in on the apprentice’s side and anyone on the apprentice’s side is the enemy.’ The leprechaun answered.

  ‘But we aren’t actually on anyone’s side.’ Molly complained. ‘We just want to get out of here and the sooner the better..’

  ‘But you bought the other book in, didn’t you?’ The leprechaun accused.

  ‘Yes, but we had no idea what it meant. Besides we need to get the other book from the apprentice, to be able to close the doorway we opened.’ Molly answered.

  ‘Well, if I see my brother to speak to, I will tell him you aren’t the enemy but he has turned me to stone a few times when he sees me coming. It turns out the apprentice has taken to disguising himself as me, just to fool Fergus, so it puts a crimp on our meetings.’

  ‘So we are thinking that if there is an apprentice then there must be a wizard?’ Ben asked.

  ‘Yes.’ The leprechaun answered and then started snoring, loudly.

  ‘I guess that means no more questions tonight.’ Stevey said in dismay.

  ‘He did warn me that he snored.’ Simon replied.

  ‘So now we have two to beat, the wizard and his apprentice,’ Stuart complained, ‘and we have to watch out for a loony, white shoed leprechaun!’