The Amphiblets

by Oghenegweke, Helen

He stood in a spacious hall where there was a huge door opposite him; above him hung a sparkling chandelier. A polished table to his left had an old-fashioned telephone placed on top of it. There was also a door leading off to the right and another to the left.

  ‘Hello! Is anyone there?’

  There was no answer so he called again.

  To his surprise, an enormous beast came bounding into the hallway from the doorway to his left. Having never seen such an animal before, Will yelled and ran in the opposite direction – through the door on his right, which he slammed as soon as he made it to the other side. There was a loud thud against the door as the animal collided with it. An immediate whimper was followed by a loud frustrated bark.

  Will turned the key and breathed a sigh of relief. He was now in a room filled with antique furniture and rugs, and he felt as though he had stepped back in time. A grand oil painting was positioned above the mantelpiece and depicted a man kneeling beside an animal similar to the one he had moments ago encountered. It had a long pink tongue dangling from its mouth. The man wore sunglasses and gloves.

  Will made a face. The animal was on friendly terms with the man, yet the one he had narrowly avoided had wanted to tear him to pieces!

  Resting on the mantelpiece was a black and white drawing of a young lad with a long fringe that covered his eyes. He wore old-fashioned clothes. Next to the boy stood an elderly man, thin and tall. Will took a step closer. His heart missed a beat. He stared at it for a long while.

  There was no mistaking the man – it was his father, Professor Snipes. Then, noticing the date at the bottom of the drawing, Will frowned – it read 1780. His father didn’t appear to be a day older. In fact, he looked the same age now. It couldn’t be his father. That would be impossible!

  Since the animal was still barking and clawing at the door, Will took the opportunity to escape through an open window into the garden. This house was a labyrinth and if there were any other scary beasts inside, he would feel happier outside rather than in. Besides, he couldn’t wait to tell his brothers what he had discovered.

  He grinned as he crept quietly towards the three chairs that were facing away from him. He would give his brothers the fright of their lives. They always played pranks at home. As soon as he was behind the chairs he cried, ‘Boo!’ as loudly as he could.

  ‘What the –?’ came a deep startled voice from one of the chairs in front of him.

  Another deep voice cried in surprise, at the same time as Will screamed.

  He had made a mistake. It wasn’t his brothers sitting in the chairs. It was instead two strangers staring at him in surprise. The one who had been most startled was holding his hand over his heart, his face flustered. It was a while before he stood up, whereas the other man rose to his feet straightaway. He was tall and was wearing black sunglasses and gloves, like the man in the picture.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ said Will quickly. ‘I thought you were my brothers.’

  The face of the taller man softened. ‘Good morning, William. I presume you slept well.’

  Will nodded. ‘Who are you?’

  ‘My name is Peter,’ and, pointing to his smaller companion, ‘and this is Robert – my butler.’

  Robert stood up. ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you, young Sir.’

  Will shyly shook the outstretched hand but was unsure of what to say.

  ‘I was at the convention yesterday,’ Peter continued. ‘You might have seen me there. I certainly couldn’t help but notice you. You are quite the stuntman, aren’t you?’

  Will smiled bashfully and shrugged.

  ‘I told you he was a fine lad, Robert.’

  ‘That you did, Sir. He’s mighty handsome, with good manners too.’

  ‘Yes, manners are something quite rare among children nowadays,’ pondered Peter.

  ‘Are my brothers still asleep?’ asked Will, shyly.

  ‘No. I’m sorry to say you won’t find them here,’ said Peter, solemnly, watching Will’s expression.

  ‘Why? Where are they?’

  ‘Listen William, there are things I need to explain to you – but not now. We will discuss them over breakfast. Let us go back into the house and eat together.’

  ‘I don’t want to go back inside there with that strange creature wanting to eat me for breakfast.’

  Robert laughed. ‘I think young William here must have met Shanks already. I’ll go and tie him up until the lad feels more comfortable. I’ll go and make the breakfasts, while I’m there. See you in a jiffy.’

  ‘Thanks, Robert,’ said Peter, watching his butler leave towards the house.

  ‘Shanks?’ said Will.

  Peter gave a laugh. ‘Yes, my dog.’

  ‘Shanks is a dog?’ questioned Will. ‘I saw a dog once, it was nothing like yours.’

  ‘There are many kinds of dog in the world, William. Shanks is one of them.’

  ‘He’s so scary!’

  ‘He’s actually a big softy when you get to know him,’ smiled Peter and, seeing Will’s doubtful expression, added. ‘Honestly, he won’t bite you.’ Peter smiled as he conjured up an image of Shanks running around the house after William. Shanks could be overly playful at times but would never hurt anyone – unless they happened to be a burglar of course.

  ‘Why am I here?’ asked Will.

  Peter took a firm grip of Will’s shoulders. The boy immediately pulled away.

  ‘You mustn’t touch me or I’ll become ill!’ cried Will.

  ‘No. You are safe here.’

  ‘Dad told me never to touch anyone other than him, Hugo, or my brothers,’ insisted Will.

  Peter gently bit his lip as if thinking of what to say. The child appeared so vulnerable and small. ‘This may come as a surprise to you but your father told you that in order to make sure you didn’t mix with other people.’

  ‘Huh?’ asked Will, confused.

  ‘If you became too familiar with people and started talking to them, you might have discovered the truth of what he’d been hiding from you for the last eight years.’

  ‘I don’t understand.’

  ‘Your father isn’t who you think he is,’ said Peter, carefully watching Will’s expression.

  ‘I still don’t understand.’

  ‘I would rather explain everything to you a little later after a bite to eat,’ said Peter.

  ‘I don’t want anything to eat!’ snapped Will, who hated riddles.

  ‘Okay.’ Peter raised his hands in defence and slowly lowered them. ‘Professor Snipes is a talented scientist and very shrewd.’

  ‘I already know he’s a scientist,’ said Will, relaxing.

  ‘He has used different surnames in the past, such as Brandwell and Heatherton.’

  Will made a face. ‘How come?’

  ‘I have my suspicions. I cannot say any more at present. I need more proof.’

  ‘Has he done something wrong?’ asked Will.

  ‘Yes, he has,’ said Peter, quietly.

  ‘What?’

  ‘I can not say any more at the present time.’

  ‘Where are my brothers?’

  ‘Back home with the Professor.’ Peter took his eyes from Will and stared across the garden.

  ‘Why am I here without them? And how did I get here?’ Will was overwhelmed by a flood of questions. ‘You know my father, don’t you? I saw a picture of you two together on the mantelpiece in the room that Shank chased me into.’

  ‘I know the picture you are referring to. It’s not me but a drawing of my great-great-great grandfather. It was drawn over 200 years ago,’ Peter explained.

  ‘So that man in the picture wasn’t Dad,’ commented Will, wide-eyed. ‘But they’re identical.’

  ‘They are related,’ said Peter gently.

  ‘Why am I here?’ asked Will earnestly.

  ‘What would you say if I told you that your father had sold you to me,’ asked Peter.

  Will narrowed his eyes. ‘I wouldn’t believe you!’

  ‘No,
of course you wouldn’t. The idea is too absurd. And if I told you that your father thought it would be nice if you came to stay with me for a while … would that be more believable?’

  ‘Yeah,’ said Will. ‘But why couldn’t my brothers come with me?’

  ‘Perhaps he thought it would be a pleasant change for you to come here on your own. A chance for you to discover who you are.’ Peter knew he was putting off telling the truth but he hadn’t the heart at this stage to tell Will everything. The child was only eight years old. The idea of being sold was too diabolical for him to understand.

  ‘I think I’ll have some breakfast now,’ said Will, seeing Robert waving to them from the kitchen door. He was wearing a white apron over his dark suit.

  ‘That sounds like a very good idea,’ said Peter.

  Together they walked towards the house.

  When they entered the kitchen, Will saw that Shanks had been tied up in another room out of his way. Robert had prepared a delicious cheese omelette for them both and Will ate everything, leaving his plate almost as clean as when Robert had first taken it from the cupboard.

  After breakfast, Will and Peter spent the rest of the day exploring the eight-bedroom house together and selecting a bedroom for Will to sleep in during his visit. They had a game of hide-and-seek.

  Then, after a sandwich and an apple for lunch, they visited the grounds: strolling through the garden and watering the plants. They had time to play on a gigantic swing suspended over an immense pond, which made Will’s stomach turn upside down. They finished at the stables.

  ‘You didn’t tell me you had horses!’ gasped Will. ‘I’ve only ever seen horses from a distance before. They’re massive when you’re standing next to them.’

  ‘I have three horses here. The black one is mine. I named him Pedlar. I bought the white one for Robert. She’s called Yepsin. And the chestnut brown one only came here a few days ago, especially for you. Meet Hans, your new horse.’

  ‘You bought this horse for me?’ gasped Will, stroking the white spot on the brown horse’s nose. ‘But I won’t be here for long.’

  Peter said nothing apart from promising Will that they would go horse riding first thing tomorrow morning, but only if he wanted to.

  ‘Of course, I do!’ Will exclaimed, delighted. ‘I don’t know what to say, except – thank you! This has been one of the best days I’ve ever had.’

  The child couldn’t wait for tomorrow to come. His first day with Peter had been brilliant. When it was bedtime, Will was exhausted. Peter arrived to say goodnight.

  ‘Peter, why can’t I remember how I got here?’ said Will.

  ‘You must have been tired.’

  ‘No. I usually wake a hundred times at night but last night I didn’t wake once and this morning I had a headache and I never have headaches.’

  Peter shrugged. ‘I had no idea you were such a light sleeper. I’m surprised too that you never woke when I carried you to your room. I’m so pleased that you are here and sharing this lonely old house with me.’

  ‘I had a great day today. I only wish my brothers had been here too. I can’t wait to see them so I can tell them everything we’ve done. How long can I stay here for?’

  ‘For as long as you want,’ said Peter and then repeated quietly, ‘for as long as you like.’

  ‘Can I stay forever?’ whispered Will, smiling mischievously.

  ‘There is nothing that I would like better than for you to stay here with me,’ smiled Peter.

  Will went to sleep excited by the prospect of learning to ride and spending the day with Peter. It had been a brilliant day. If only his brothers were here with him…

  14

  The Outing

  By the time Peter had knocked three times on Will’s bedroom door, the following morning, the boy was already dressed.

  ‘Come in!’ shouted Will, who was perched on the edge of his bed, putting on his socks.

  Peter opened the door and strolled into the room. ‘Good morning, William. Did you sleep well?’

  ‘Yes, thanks. Did you?’

  Peter raised an eyebrow in surprise. ‘As a matter of fact, I did.’ He opened the curtains, allowing light into the room. ‘It’s another nice day.’

  ‘Cool!’ said Will, putting both feet down and glancing curiously at Peter. ‘Do you always wear sunglasses and gloves?’

  ‘No. I don’t wear them in the bath and I won’t when we go swimming later,’ said Peter, waiting for Will’s reaction. He wasn’t disappointed.

  ‘Swimming! I love swimming!’ said Will, excitedly; his entire face lit up.

  ‘I’m sure you do.’ Peter paused, and tapped his fingers, as if he were trying to find the right words. ‘Um… later, we must talk. I need to explain some things to you. I’ve been putting it off but it’s not fair to you. We’ll have a chance when we stop off at the lake.’

  ‘Are we going straightaway?’ asked Will eagerly, his eyes pleading. He was sure that whatever Peter had to say it could wait.

  ‘I need some breakfast, don’t you?’ asked Peter, amused.

  ‘No!’

  ‘You might be able to go without food, but I certainly can’t, and besides, we’ll be gone for ages so I’d like you to eat something too. Robert has kindly packed us a picnic for today so we won’t have to rush back.’

  ‘Cool!’ said Will. ‘I’m going to phone my brothers afterwards and tell them everything that I’ve done today. They’re going to be so jealous!’

  Peter’s expression was unreadable. He nodded slowly. ‘Going riding is a perfect way to get to know each other better. And in this heat it’ll be nice if we stop at Soapwater Lake, so you and I can both have a swim.’

  ‘Bet you can’t swim as fast as me!’ challenged Will, standing from his bed and leaving the room.

  ‘I bet I can,’ whispered Peter to himself.

  Downstairs, they found Robert in the kitchen, on his knees stroking Shanks, who was thoroughly enjoying all the attention. He was lying on his back and having his tummy tickled, grunting and snorting. His tongue flopped like a flat pink slug from the side of his mouth. This was the first time Will had seen Shanks since yesterday’s frightening encounter. Peter and Robert had deliberately kept the dog away, giving the boy a chance to adjust to his new home.

  ‘You thoroughly spoil him,’ remarked Peter, smiling despite the fact he was aiming to sound stern. ‘He used to be a good guard dog until you started mollycoddling him.’

  ‘He’s still a good guard dog,’ insisted Robert, standing and brushing the fur off his trousers.

  Shanks sat, waggled his tail, and stared at Robert with his big brown eyes, as if to say, ‘Stroke me more!’

  ‘Good morning, young William. Your breakfast is ready for you,’ said Robert, pointing to the table where a glass of orange juice and two pieces of toast were waiting.

  ‘Thanks,’ said Will, but made no effort to pass the animal, which he suspected might attack him at any moment. ‘Are you sure Shanks won’t bite me?’

  ‘Perfectly sure.’ Peter reassured the youngster by holding his shoulder gently. ‘Here, let me show you how tame he is.’

  Peter bent over and began to stroke behind the dog’s ears.

  ‘He’s huge.’ Will took a step closer to the hairy beast.

  ‘He’s a St Bernard – one of the largest breeds,’ Peter told him. ‘I have a couple of cats too but I only ever see them in the evenings when they come for their food. They catch an awful lot of mice around here and generally eat them instead – unless they give them to me as presents.’

  ‘Urgh!’ said Will. ‘Cats give you a dead mouse for a present? Yuk! I hope they don’t ever give me one. That’s one present I wouldn’t like.’

  Peter laughed. ‘Come and stroke Shanks – he wants to meet you. His tail is wagging which means he’s happy.’

  Will nervously approached the big hairy dog, which had a wide, gaping mouth and teeth to match. Peter firmly held Will’s hand and guided it along the front of
the dog’s snout, where it was sniffed by a cold, wet nose and licked by a wet, sloppy tongue.

  ‘Urgh!’ said Will, making a face, but secretly enjoying it.

  ‘See. He likes you,’ laughed Peter.

  Will smiled and continued to stroke the dog, who wallowed in all the attention. His ears and belly were his favourite places to be scratched. After a few more minutes, Will was no longer scared. As Peter and Will both stood, they were rather surprised at how swiftly Shanks moved when he wanted to. He flipped from his back on to his feet, leaping at Will and resting his two front paws on the boy’s shoulders before anyone could stop him.

  ‘Oh my God!’ said Will, staggering backwards. ‘He’s bigger when he stands.’

  ‘Get down, Shanks!’ scolded Peter, supporting the boy. ‘You nearly knocked young William over.’

  Will giggled. He liked the dog and he liked this home.

  He couldn’t wait to tell his brothers everything he had been doing and all the things he had seen. There wasn’t another house for miles so Will was able to enjoy the freedom of being unobserved. There was no one to give him quizzical glances or remark on the strangeness of his eyes and webbed fingers.

  Peter and Robert certainly accepted Will’s remarkable appearance, as if they were used to seeing someone like Will every day, which he knew was impossible because his condition was so rare.

  After a quick breakfast, in which Will swallowed his food as fast as he could, they set off to the stables. The two horses, Pedlar and Hans, were already wearing their saddles and bridles by the time the two of them arrived.

  ‘I came here earlier,’ explained Peter, ‘so we didn’t have to waste much time.’

  ‘You must have woken early!’ Will felt sorry for Robert’s horse, as it would be alone.

  ‘Don’t worry about Yepsin,’ said Peter, as if reading his thoughts. ‘Robert will take him for a ride later.’

  Peter helped Will into the saddle. The boy was shaking. ‘Don’t worry. I’ll lead Hans for now. Keep your back straight and hold on gently with your inner thighs.’ Peter made a grab for the reins before mounting his horse. ‘Come on, Shanks!’ he called, followed by a shrill whistle that made Will cover his ears.