21
‘We don’t have any money to buy Shock-Sticks,’ said Nicola.
‘But the Shobblings don’t get paid for anything,’ Shimlara reminded her. They had left their ShobGobbles snacking on more indigo berries and were heading back to the bearded, toothless man who now had his head buried in a newspaper.
‘Excuse me,’ said Nicola.
The man looked up and his eyes flew from Nicola to the newspaper and back again.
‘I knew I recognised you!’ he said triumphantly. He turned the newspaper around. On the front page was a large photo of Nicola sitting astride Quicksilver. The headline read:
EARTHLING SAYS ‘ENRICO TOOK KATIE HOBBS
HOSTAGE’
Comment from the Commander’s Press Office: ABSOLUTE GARBAGE
Story by: Jenny Jenkins
Nicola read the first paragraph of the article.
A spokesperson for Enrico strenuously denied the Earthling’s allegation that the visiting hairity, Katie Hobbs, had been taken hostage. ‘Why would we take Katie hostage?’ he said. ‘She is Enrico’s special guest. The Earthling must have rocks in her head.’ This reporter is interested to note, however, that Katie herself was not available for comment. Could our much-loved Commander be bending the truth?
Oh dear, thought Nicola. Enrico wasn’t going to be happy about this bad publicity. What had she been thinking? She should have kept her mouth shut.
‘You really should have kept your mouth shut, Nicola,’ said Greta, leaning over Nicola’s shoulder to read the story.
‘So is it true?’ asked the man. As he leaned forward to hear Nicola’s answer, he tipped back his straw hat, revealing his forehead and a tiny tattoo of the letter ‘t’. Nicola relaxed – he was a Topaz supporter.
‘Yes,’ answered Nicola.
‘But why would the Commander do that?’
‘He’s trying to force us to kill Topaz Silverbell,’ said Nicola. ‘But don’t worry, we would never hurt Topaz!’
‘Well, that’s a relief!’ said the man. He put the newspaper to one side. ‘I’m assuming you’d all like to arm yourselves with Shock-Sticks before you cross the river?’
‘Yes,’ said Nicola. ‘But we’re not sure how we pay you.’
‘No need for money!’ said the man cheerily. ‘Haven’t you heard? The Shobblings are the nicest people in the galaxy.’
He handed each of them a long thin stick made out of a hard gold material. It was about the length of a baseball bat. There were two buttons at one end of the stick labelled SHOCK and RETREAT.
‘Let me show you how it works,’ said the man.
He held out the Shock-Stick in front of him like a sword and pressed the SHOCK button. The stick sprang out to at least triple its length. There was a bright white light at the end.
‘I recommend yelling “GOTCHA!” at the same time,’ said the man. ‘Just my little tip. I think it adds to the shock value. Make sure the light shines directly into the Biter’s eyes. Then just press the RETREAT button.’ The stick sprang back to its previous size. ‘Easy, eh?’
‘What if a Biter comes at you from behind?’ asked Shimlara.
‘It’s advisable to watch each other’s backs when you’re crossing the bridge.’
‘What if you’re the last one in the line?’
‘Try not to be!’ chortled the man. ‘Or put your least favourite person last!’ He handed each of them a Shock-Stick. ‘Good luck! I’m sure you’ll all make it across the bridge. Or most of you, anyway. Ha ha!’
The Space Brigade gave him sickly smiles.
Holding to their Shock-Sticks, they walked back to the ShobGobbles.
‘I’ll go last,’ said Nicola bravely.
‘I should go last because I’m the tallest,’ said Shimlara.
‘That’s exactly why you shouldn’t go last!’ said Nicola. ‘You’ll be a target for the Biters.’
‘I should go last because I’m the oldest,’ said Sean.
‘Well, I should go last, because, um, I wear glasses,’ said Tyler.
‘What’s that got to do with anything?’ said Greta. ‘I should go last because I’m the least favourite person.’
There was a stunned silence. Everybody turned to look at Greta in shock and embarrassment. It was actually true – but it wasn’t the sort of thing you were meant to say out loud. Nicola felt terrible. Imagine being in a group where you knew you were the least popular person.
Greta shrugged. ‘It’s fine. I’m really popular in other groups, like my maths club. It’s just that you people don’t really get me.’
Nicola said sternly, ‘You are not the least favourite person. I’m going last because I’m the leader and that’s all there is to it. Shimlara, you go first.’
Silently, they all climbed back on to their ShobGobbles, their feather-whips and Shock-Sticks held nervously aloft. With Shimlara leading the way, they clip-clopped towards the Safe Hands Bridge.
‘Just remember, we’re doing this for Katie!’ called out Nicola as their ShobGobbles began to cross the bridge in single file.
She tried not to look at the water below. The bridge swayed back and forth as if they were on a ship.
Then Shimlara screamed.
The first Biter had shot straight up into the air from the river below.
Nicola caught a glimpse of a sleek wet body, an unspeakably evil mouth and tiny cruel eyes.
‘GOTCHA!’ cried Shimlara and pressed the button on her Shock-Stick. At the sight of the bright white light, the Biter recoiled and dropped straight back into the river like a falling stone.
‘Easy-peasy!’ cried Shimlara, although her voice sounded a bit strained.
They continued on for several minutes without anything happening. Nicola felt her shoulders relax. Shimlara must have frightened off the Biters. They were now about halfway across.
Sean turned around in his saddle to grin back at Nicola. ‘Looks like Shimlara will be the only one who gets to use her Shock-Stick.’
‘No need to be disappointed,’ said Nicola.
‘I’m not,’ said Sean unconvincingly. ‘I’m just saying –’ His eyes widened and suddenly he released his Shock-Stick at a point just above Nicola’s head and yelled, ‘GOTCHA!’
‘No need to thank –’ began Sean.
‘GOTCHA!’ screamed Nicola. She pressed the SHOCK button on her Shock-Stick just in time to stun the Biter that had been about to sink its teeth into Sean’s leg.
Suddenly the air around them was filled with dark flying shapes. Nicola didn’t even have time to feel frightened. She was ducking, weaving, twisting to the left then the right as she thrust her Shock-Stick this way and that like a sword fighter. As fast as one Biter fell back into the river, another one leapt into the air to take its place. Some of them got so close Nicola felt their clammy, fishy flesh brush against hers. She didn’t need to look at her Shock-Stick to find the buttons. Her thumb automatically zipped back and forth between the two buttons. Shock. Retreat. Shock. Retreat.
‘YES!’
It was a relieved shout from Shimlara. Nicola looked up and saw that she’d reached the other shore. Next was Greta, followed by Tyler and Sean.
Quicksilver surged forward impatiently.
‘Nicola!’ shouted someone.
Nicola had lost concentration. She swung her head and glimpsed the deadly shape of a determined Biter. It was too late for her Shock-Stick. Cruel teeth sank into the flesh of her arm. Nicola yelled out in pain and fear and tried to jerk her arm away, losing her balance.
She gripped desperately with her knees, trying to right herself, but it was too late. At that moment, the bridge swerved violently and she was flung straight off Quicksilver’s back.
Arms and legs flailing, she fell straight into the icy waters below.
22
The river was so cold it was like being punched in the stomach. Nicola gasped for air and swallowed water instead.
Choking and spluttering, she tried to swim, but the pull of the wate
r was too strong. She was being carried away like a helpless twig. She looked up and saw the shore in front of her rapidly disappearing.
Suddenly there was a frantic chirping sound.
Quicksilver!
He was flying down as low as he could alongside her, his wings splashing the water, his three eyes bright with concern. Nicola reached out and grabbed his feathery side.
With a grunt of pain, she somehow managed to haul herself out of the water and back into the saddle. She fell forward against his neck, exhausted by the effort, her arm aching, as Quicksilver flew back into the air.
There were shouts of encouragement from the Space Brigade standing on the shore near the bridge. Nicola lifted her chin wearily and saw that Quicksilver had rescued her from the very middle of the river.
‘Can you fly this far?’ she wondered aloud.
She saw that Quicksilver’s wings were already flapping slowly.
‘No, no, don’t fall asleep!’ she said.
Quicksilver’s eyelids drooped.
Nicola looked down and saw they were losing height. What could she do? She did not want to end up in that river again.
She put her mouth close to Quicksilver’s ear and made a sound like an alarm clock. ‘Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr!’
Quicksilver’s head jerked and they rose back up into the air.
Desperate to keep him awake, Nicola began to sing the words to an annoying cat food commercial. (She was not a great singer.) Quicksilver’s ears twitched irritably. He gave her a rather reproachful look, took a deep breath and flew her straight to the shore, landing clumsily with a flurry of snow. His legs folded beneath him, his head fell to one side and seconds later he was snoring: a loud, rumbling, very human sort of snore.
Weak with relief, Nicola slid off Quicksilver’s saddle on to the snow and leaned back against his warm, feathery flank. She looked down at her arm and saw blood seeping through a tear in her jacket and jumper.
Sean got to Nicola first.
‘That’s a massive bite,’ he said admiringly.
‘Press this against it.’ Greta pulled a crisp white hanky from her pocket. ‘Just make sure you wash it before I get it back. Actually you might have to buy me a new one.’
‘Is that an ambulance I hear?’ asked Shimlara. ‘That’s good luck!’
‘It’s not an ambulance,’ said Tyler. ‘It’s a person!’ He pointed towards a figure jogging purposefully out of the woods. She was wearing a pair of blue overalls with the words BITER WOUND BRIGADE embroidered on the front and a large satchel slung over her shoulder. A flashing blue light was attached to her forehead by a headband. As she got closer, everyone clapped their hands over their ears. The woman switched the siren off.
‘Hello there. Sorry about the noise. I’m so used to it I forget it’s rather loud. I’m Barbie. What have we got here?’
Barbie knelt down beside Nicola and lifted her arm. ‘You poor thing.’
Nicola stared up at her. There was something about Barbie. It had to do with the little ‘v’ shape between her eyes when she frowned.
Something important.
The pain from her arm whirled around her head.
‘Horseradish,’ said Nicola.
No, that wasn’t the word she’d meant to say.
‘I beg your pardon?’ said Barbie.
Nicola felt as though someone was rolling her up in a big blanket of nothingness.
Everything went black.
23
Nicola was deliciously warm. She was lying somewhere soft and comfortable. There was something toasty hot near her feet. A hot-water bottle? Was she back home in her own bed on Earth?
Nicola’s eyes fluttered open and the first thing she saw was an open window revealing a bright splash of overlapping rainbows. She was still on Shobble.
She was wearing her pyjamas and lying in bed in a small room with wooden floorboards. The walls were blank except for one picture of an imposing mountain. Underneath the picture was the caption: Summer’s morning, the Cloud-Capped Mountain, Shobble.
That’s where Topaz was. Would they ever reach her? It already felt like weeks since they’d left Enrico’s mansion, when in fact it was only . . . this morning? Nicola looked out the window confusedly. Or was it a new day?
The door to her room burst open and in came Shimlara carrying a tray laden with food.
As Nicola pushed herself up to a sitting position Shimlara placed the tray on the bed in front of her and said, ‘How are you feeling?’
Nicola pushed back her pyjama sleeve and saw that there was a white gauze bandage wrapped neatly around her upper arm. Apart from a dull ache, it didn’t hurt much at all.
‘Barbie had to give you ten stitches,’ said Shimlara. ‘Luckily you were already unconscious.’
‘Where are we?’ Nicola picked up the spoon and began to eat something that looked like porridge and tasted of cinnamon and apple.
‘We’re at the Why Not Drop Inn,’ said Shimlara.
‘And we got here last night?’ asked Nicola. It was such a strange feeling knowing that all these things had happened around her. It was like falling asleep halfway through a movie.
There was a knock on the door.
‘Come in,’ said Nicola.
It was Barbie, in a freshly ironed pair of blue overalls with her siren strapped around her head. ‘I thought I’d check in on my patient.’
‘I’m feeling good,’ said Nicola. ‘Thank you very much for everything that you did.’
‘Let’s take a quick look at that bite.’ Barbie sat down on the bed. As she unwound the bandage from Nicola’s arm, she frowned.
‘Horatio!’ cried Nicola excitedly. ‘That’s what I was trying to say on the river bank!’
‘Pardon?’ said Barbie.
‘You just frowned exactly like a man we met in the Valley of High Hopes,’ explained Nicola. ‘His name was Horatio Banks. Could you be related to him?’
‘My surname is Banks,’ said Barbie slowly. ‘And my grandpa’s name was Horatio. He’s been missing for years.’
‘There was a fight,’ said Nicola. ‘About chocolate.’
‘That’s right,’ said Barbie. ‘My mother says it was so stupid. My grandpa slammed the front door and never came back. They looked for him for years.’
‘He thinks nobody has forgiven him yet,’ said Shimlara. ‘He’s just waiting in the valley for someone to go and find him.’
‘Oh! This is incredible. My grandmother will be so excited! I’ll have to go right now and tell her,’ said Barbie. She refastened Nicola’s bandage and stood up. ‘Thank you! The Banks family is greatly in your debt!’
She ran from the room, almost colliding with Sean, Tyler and Greta who had been waiting outside the door.
‘You all right, Nic?’ asked Sean. ‘Your arm didn’t drop off in the night?’
That was probably about the most brotherly, affectionate thing Sean had ever said to her. It almost brought tears to Nicola’s eyes.
‘I’m fine,’ said Nicola. ‘What’s that you’ve got there?’
Sean was holding a long rectangular parcel under his arm. ‘We saw the parcel waiting at reception for you downstairs,’ said Tyler.
‘It’s from Enrico,’ said Greta, pointing at the back of the parcel, where Nicola could see a big red wax crest and Enrico’s name.
Nicola felt her heart begin to thump.
Sean laid the parcel on the bed and they all looked at it with foreboding.
‘I don’t think it’s going to be anything nice,’ said Shimlara.
‘But I guess I’d better open it anyway,’ said Nicola, and she began to tear at the paper.
24
Nicola didn’t mean to scream when she recognised what was in the box. It was just that it gave her such a horrible feeling.
At first she had thought it was an animal. An animal with soft, shiny brown hair. Maybe a dead animal.
‘What is it?’ asked Sean confusedly.
And then Nicola had recognised the di
stinctive golden brown colour. It was the colour of Katie’s hair.
Enrico had cut off Katie’s beautiful long brown hair and sent it to Nicola!
That’s when she screamed.
‘But what is it?’ cried Shimlara. ‘I don’t know what it is!’
‘It’s Katie’s hair,’ said Greta quietly. She reached into the box and pulled out the long strands of hair. ‘He cut off her hair so she’s not a hairity any longer. He’s made her ordinary.’
‘But he hasn’t hurt her, right?’ said Tyler. Panic made his voice skid in all directions. ‘It’s just her hair. That doesn’t matter, does it?’
‘Didn’t she say she was going to cut off her hair when she got back to Earth?’ said Shimlara.
‘Yes,’ said Nicola, trying to calm herself down. ‘She did say that. So hopefully she won’t be too upset.’
‘There’s a letter for you,’ said Sean, reaching into the box and pulling out a silver envelope.
Breathing quickly, Nicola took the letter and opened it. She read out loud:
Dear Nicola,
It gives me great pleasure to enclose your friend’s hair as a little something to remind you of your stupidity and selfishness. She has paid the ultimate sacrifice for your mistakes. I am sure that even temporarily giving up her revered hairity status will be the tragedy of her life – it will take her ages to grow it back! She has indicated to me that she will never, ever forgive you for it. I do not blame her.
‘Yeah right,’ interrupted Sean sarcastically. ‘Because Katie is such an unforgiving person.’
Nicola continued reading:
In case you are even more stupid than I have realised, let me be quite clear on the nature of your mistakes.
Your first was to spread scandalous lies about me in the newspaper. I will not tolerate any form of bad publicity. The people of Shobble love their Commander-in-Chief. They are simple, not especially bright people and they do not need to read this sort of drivel about their great leader. It only confuses and upsets them.
The Shocking Trouble on the Planet of Shobble Page 10