Ark Of Hope: Beyond The Dark Horizon

by Roger David Francis

  “It will be all right.” A cool little hand touched her arm and Hope smiled at her. “It won’t be long now. The Island is getting ready to change. It is waiting for the question.” Her smile widened, “They left the door open.” She pointed and when Jade looked she could see it was ajar. She turned to thank the little girl but Hope had disappeared.

  Stumbling and shuffling over the floor to avoid the dead animals Jade reached the door and pulled it open. The narrow passageway looked dark and menacing but at least there was no one there. She knew the large cave was just ahead and as she crept along she thought she could hear people talking. She was going to have to face Queen Bebo again but even that seemed preferable to the alternative of remaining in the abattoir waiting to be slaughtered. Very slowly she began edging her way towards the door at the end.

  Chapter 21

  Queen Bebo’s cheeks were reddened by stretch marks as she worked her way through the endless supply of cucumber sandwiches supplied by Toffin and Dink who ran back and forth with platefuls every few minutes. Her eyes gleamed with greed, her fat hand shooting out every few seconds to secure another handful of food.

  She stopped chewing when Cassie, Robbie and Brett, with Binkle perched on his shoulder, walked in. Cassie held the Challis out. Her hands felt sweaty and she prayed she wouldn’t drop it. The stench around her was stale, a foul mixture of sweat and faeces and Cassie pressed her lips together rather than suck in a mouthful of the stinking air.

  They stood in front of the Queen.

  “You found it,” Queen Bebo said, her head bobbing up and down, “Did the Choolies follow you?”

  “No.”

  “So you say. You’re not the first to bring the Challis of Truth to me. It requires three questions.” For the first time she looked uncertain, “There is only one right one.” She waved a fistful of sandwich in the air in front of her mouth. “I’m going to tell you what happened to the others who bought me the Challis of Truth.”

  Robbie thought he’d probably rather not know but Queen Bebo swilled down a long glass of lemonade and panting slightly, said, “When I didn’t get the answer, I fed them to the Choolies.”

  “Charmed, Madam,” Robbie murmured.

  “That’s why they let you steal it, you’re tomorrow’s dinner.” She gave a loud cackle of laughter and shoved a whole sandwich into her open mouth.

  “So what happens when you get the answer?” Brett asked.

  Queen Bebo’s bushy eyebrows rose, “I don’t know, do I? I’m imagining great riches, power, everything I desire.” She bit down and crunched the end of a cucumber sticking out of a piece of bread. “Well, don’t just stand there, hand it over to me.”

  “Why should we suffer because you get the questions wrong?” Robbie asked.

  “Because nothing is my fault, haven’t you worked that out yet? I am above reproach.”

  “No you’re not, you’re just up yourself,” Robbie said and Cassie nudge him.

  “Give me the Challis of Truth,” Queen Bebo demanded.

  “There are conditions.” Brett said firmly.

  Queen Bebo stared at him in amazement. “You’re in a position to make conditions?” She asked. For once her bulging cheeks were motionless as she contemplated him, surprise making her flesh wobble.

  She looks like a giant jelly bean; Cassie thought and had an almost hysterical urge to laugh. She bit it back wondering what Brett was playing at.

  “Yes, because we are the ones with the power, it is in our hands, we are the ones holding the Challis of Truth.” Brett suddenly smiled. “What would happen if we dropped it?”

  The Queen’ enormous arm quivered and the half eaten sandwich fell from her fingers.

  “No,” she whispered. “You can’t.”

  “So, like I say, we have conditions.”

  “Anything you say.”

  “Release our friend, Jade, immediately, and safe passage back home.” Binkle kicked him in his chest. “Oh, and a pardon for this little chap, he helped us find the Challis of Truth.”

  “Yes, yes, yes,” Binkle gabbled.

  “Very well. Two of those things are easy but how am I expected to get you back home? Where is home anyway? The Princess May? Too late, she’s already sunk for the second time.” She frowned, “That wretched little waiter got his own way in the end. Still, no matter, as long as my Island is safe.”

  Brett was surprised how knowledgeable the Queen was; seemed like she didn’t miss much.

  Toffin, standing at the Queen’s side, coughed. “Majesty, I know a way.”

  “You do?”

  He nodded.

  “There,” Queen Bebo snorted a piece of cucumber down her nose. “It’s sorted. Now, give me the Challis.”

  “Not until we have our friend back.”

  “I’m here.” Jade walked through the door and ran to Robbie.

  “Thank God you’re all right,” he said hugging her.

  “My pardon, my pardon, my pardon!” Binkle leaned forward.

  “Oh, very well. You’re pardoned, now the Challis?”

  Cassie stepped forward. Very carefully she placed the Challis of Truth on the floor. The vase had remained a simple vase since being taken out of the underground cave now it began to make colourful shapes that leapt out of the top and swirled around the room. Queen Bebo clapped her hands in delight.

  The room suddenly began filling up with strange little people who looked identical to Toffin and Dink. They crawled out from behind stones and slipped out of small openings until the room seemed full up with them. They all began clapping. The Queen raised her hand for silence.

  “And now we ask the question,” She said solemnly. She stood up and for a moment Cassie thought there was a minor earthquake as Queen Bebo stomped across the floor and stood next to the Challis, towering above it.

  The room hushed as the Queen swayed, planting her huge thighs wide apart. She wobbled for a moment and then stood quivering. Slowly she lifted up her massive arms.

  “Challis of Truth,” she bellowed. “Is Sandy Island to be my home forever?”

  The silence was complete, every face was expectant but nothing happened.

  “It’s the wrong question, your majesty,” Toffin volunteered.

  Queen Bebo turned on him. “You think I don’t know that?” she snarled, “How dare you interrupt me, get out of my sight.”

  Toffin scurried to the far end of the cave.

  The Queen frowned. “Now we try again.” She took a deep breath that seemed to suck all the air out of the cave. Once again her voice roared, “Challis of Truth, What will happen to me if my Island disappears?”

  Still nothing happened.

  Queen Bebo looked like she was going to cry. “I have only one more question, it is about growing bigger cucumbers. Please be very quiet, it is important.”

  Brett saw Hope standing behind the Queen and she was nodding to him.

  He smiled and before the Queen could speak, he said, “Challis of Truth, Is the earth flat?”

  All Hell broke loose.

  The cave lit up with a million coloured lights as it began to crumble, the noise was deafening as if a bomb had gone off. Boulders rolled across the floor and the bubbling fabric covering the walls was ripped away leaving exposed bricks. The strange group of green haired children huddled in the corner began wailing and running around mindlessly. Toffin’s friends disappeared back under the stones and through the jagged openings in the wall, seeming to alter their shape, becoming wafer thin as they slipped through the cracks.

  Brett grabbed Cassie’s hand.

  The entrance to the cave was filling up with falling rocks and Toffin was scrambling over them, his mouth open in a silent scream.

  “Out, out, out!” Binkle was yelling, tugging at Brett’s hair.

  Brett pulled Cassie forward towards the entrance and followed closely by Robbie and Jade they scrambled over the fallen rocks and ran out of the cave. Glancing back, Jade could see Queen Bebo standing in the middle of
the cave holding the Challis of Truth in her huge trembling hands, staring at the shooting stars that were firing like missiles from it in disbelief.

  She opened her mouth and millions of tiny red insects poured from it. She stood convulsing, covered in the teeming mass until her whole body was pulsing with them.

  The Challis dropped from her hands and smashed onto the ground, breaking into a several pieces. As if drawn by a magnet the broken chunks of glass came together and fitted back like a jigsaw puzzle. It stood in the middle of the cave, undamaged, the rainbow colours pouring from it changing the dust in the cave to a sparkling myriad of fireworks.

  Queen Bebo began screaming, a deep terrible sound as she flailed her huge arms. Thousands of the wriggling masses dropped off onto the floor and headed to the entrance of the cave but before they could reach it a loud explosion broke the rock face into huge boulders that covered it up. The sound of Queen Bebo’s screaming was cut off abruptly.

  Just up ahead Jade could see Toffin and Dink running hand in hand into the woods.

  “Put me down.” Binkle instructed. “I’m off to tell Pilly the good news. You’re my hero,” he told Brett, “You asked the question and got the answer. What will happen to us, I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know, but what goes around comes around as they say. I’ll be back.”

  Brett placed the goblin on the ground. “Where do we go now?” He asked.

  Binkle shook his head. “Home, if you’re lucky before the Island disappears. All this,” He waved his little arms around at the dust filled Island, “It’s what was meant to happen. Not your fault,” He turned and pointed to the cave, “The fat stupid Queen, it’s hers, hers, hers.”

  Hope stood a little way behind them. “Go back to the beach,” she called and disappeared.

  Behind them they could hear the cave collapsing in on itself but it was done now, no one would escape from inside it. Brett didn’t want to think about what the Queen had been fattened up for, he thought he knew and the sight of her covered in the pouring mass of red insects, the next generation of Islanders, made him feel sick.

  With a wave, Binkle scurried off and vanished behind the trees.

  Robbie pulled Jade along behind Brett and Cassie. He didn’t want to go back to the beach; there was nothing waiting for them there except the giant Spickler. He stumbled and fell onto one knee. Jade hauled him up, as Brett and Cassie waited.

  “I can’t,” Robbie moaned. “I feel bad.” He looked up at Brett. “Why did you have to ask if the world was flat?”

  “Hope told me to.”

  “She’s not real!” Robbie yelled. “None of this is, can’t you see? It’s a delusion, mass hysteria.” He half stood up and then fell back. “I can’t go on; you’ll have to go without me.”

  “Not happening, pal,” Brett bent down and grabbed his arm pulling him up. “We’re in this together. Get a grip. You heard what the goblin said. If we don’t get off this Island soon it’s going to disappear and take us with it.”

  “It’s bullshit.” Robbie muttered but began following the other three along the path.

  Jade glanced behind, flames were rising into the sky, swirling around like a rainbow coloured tornado and something strange was happening to the trees, they were shrinking down into charred tangled branches, intertwining with each other forming a spiky barrier all along the path on both sides. They were closing in on them, Jade realised, a few more minutes and they wouldn’t be able to move forward. She tugged Brett’s arm.

  “We have to hurry,” she gasped as a long thin gnarled branch dug into her ankle. “The trees, they’re....”

  “I know, I can see them.” H switched on his torch, the battery was almost dead and the light from it was a sickly yellow. “We’re almost there,” he told her, “but we have to try and stay quiet, I don’t want that sand monster thing rearing up and coming for us.”

  Hanging onto Brett’s arm Jade stumbled along beside him. Robbie and Cassie were in front and Jade saw her friend trip and grab onto Robbie. We’re not going to make it, Jade thought with a sudden rush of panic and then her feet were off the path and on the sand. They’d reached the edge of the woods where the beach began and Jade cried out. She pointed.

  Bright lights were shining and flashing on and off from the edge of the seashore. “Is it the Princess May?” Cassie asked, amazed.

  “No, it’s too small. Come on.”

  They were halfway across the beach when Jade felt her foot slip sideways. “Oh, God, the sand’s tilting,” she cried.

  “What?” Brett shone his torch down and saw that Jade was right; the sand seemed to be shifting to one side. “Christ, it’s the Island, it’s beginning to fade!”

  Vibrations crawled under their feet and Cassie screamed. “It’s the sand monster, it’s behind us!” she gasped.

  The giant Spickler’s heavy tread was close by and Jade risked a glance behind her. It was closing in on them and they still had a long way to go before they reached the lights still flashing on the sea shore.

  “I knew this would happen,” Robbie panted. “We’ve had it now.”

  “Shut up, Robbie,” Brett hissed.

  Jade risked a glance behind her. “Oh my God,” she whispered, “Look”.

  They turned and saw the two ginger cats from the Princess May, their mouths open in a snarl, standing in front of the giant Spickler, their hackles raised. The sand monster had stopped as if it couldn’t comprehend the creatures. Their long tails were swishing across the sand and Jade gave a weak laugh, “It’s starting to disappear,” she said in awe. “It’s frightened of the cats!”

  Brett stared in disbelief as the giant Spickler began to disintegrate, raging like a sandstorm, its massive arms flapping mindlessly. When its huge feet vanished into two heaps, it slowly crumbled down turning into a massive hill of pulsing sand. The two cats turned their heads in unison and stared at the group. Cassie waved her hand limply and they turned and ran off, two streaks of ginger lightning, into the woods.

  “They saved our lives,” Jade said in amazement.

  Robbie shook his head. “They’ll be the Oogaloo’s next meal, and if we don’t hurry, we’ll be next.” He growled as he slid sideways.

  Cassie had collapsed on the sand. She sat cross legged running her hands through her hair. “I can’t go any further,” she said calmly, her eyes empty, “I’m done.” Her body tilted to one side but her expression remained blank.

  “Like hell you are,” Brett roared and scooped her up in his arms. “You’re not giving up now,” he told her.

  She put her arms around his neck and hung onto him like a lifeless doll.

  “Listen!” Jade cried out suddenly.

  The eerie sound of a bell being rung filled the air around them. It was familiar but Jade could barely believe it.

  The lights were becoming brighter as they neared the shore and Brett could make out someone waving to them. “It had better not be that mad bastard waiter,” He gasped.

  “It isn’t,” Jade replied with sudden confidence and then looked down. “Oh, God, my foot’s disappearing,” She yelped.

  And then Robbie roared. “My leg’s gone!”

  “No,” Brett panted, “It’s still there you just can’t see it, keep moving, we’re almost there. Whatever it is out there, it’s our only hope.”

  The lights were almost blinding them as they drew nearer and Jade felt like screaming with relief when she saw that she was right. There it was; the Ark of Hope, undamaged, waiting for them.

  “Better get a move on,” Professor Bunting advised them as they scrambled on board, “Sandy Island’s about to disappear again. Sit down and get your breath back.” He chuckled as he helped Brett lower Cassie onto the boat.

  “Are we safe?” Cassie asked in a small voice as if she couldn’t believe it.

  Brett put his arm around her. “Yes,” he whispered, “I think we are.” It was happening so fast he could barely believe it, how could the Professor be here rescuing them? Wasn�
�t he dead? It felt too good to be true, but it was happening and he felt as if a great burden had been lifted off his shoulders. They’d made it off the Island alive, that was all that mattered.

  They huddled together on the padded seats as the boat took off. None of them said a word, it was too surreal. They sat in silence for a few minutes as the Ark of Hope sped across the dark waves. Jade turned her head.

  “It’s gone,” she said flatly.

  Brett looked back, the vast ocean stretched all around them and there was no sign of Sandy Island, it had completely disappeared as if it had never been.

  Professor Bunting came and sat beside them. He held out a plate of sandwiches.

  “They’re not cucumber, are they?” Cassie asked suspiciously.

  “Cheese and ham,” Henry smiled as Robbie grabbed three of them and began munching.

  “I don’t understand,” said Brett. “How did you survive the storm? Robbie saw your boat disappear, what happened?”

  “Big wave, nearly took me out, by the time I got my breath back the Princess May had gone. I managed to get the engine going and headed back to the bay, had to wait the storm out. I didn’t like leaving you but I had no choice. Three days,” he said thoughtfully.

  “What do you mean three days?” Jade asked.

  Professor Bunting wedged his pipe between his teeth. “That’s how long the storm lasted, before I could take the boat out again. Luckily I found the Island.” He nodded at Robbie, “I thought you might be hungry.”

  “But that’s not right,” Cassie told him as she took a bite of a cheese sandwich. “We were only on the Island for hours, not days.”

  “The Princess May, you may have been on her longer than you thought. You’ve probably worked out she was a ghost ship.”

  Jade thought of Gary Wurner and shivered.

  Professor Bunting’s eyes twinkled. “You know, I’d almost given up on you, thought maybe you were beyond help.” His eyes took on a faraway gleam, “then a young lass told me where to go. Got me out of bed this morning, she did, tugging my bedclothes, said you were waiting for me on Sandy Island.”