‘How far is it?’ asked Scruggs, who was facing in the opposite direction and couldn’t look back.
‘Another ten minutes at least,’ said Juniper.
‘I’ve got an idea,’ said Kip.
‘What is it?’ Ameel asked.
‘I need to let go of your hand,’ said Kip, ‘so I can reach into my pocket. I’ve got a penknife.’
‘No!’ cried Meghna. ‘You can’t do that! If you burst the balloon, we’ll crash.’
‘Wait a minute, it might work,’ said Scruggs, ‘if you make a small hole.’
For almost a minute, everyone was silent, considering their options.
‘Okay. Go ahead, Kip,’ said Juniper with an encouraging nod. ‘It’s worth a try. But you’ll have to move slowly, otherwise, we’ll all slide off.’
‘Here goes,’ said Kip.
Very slowly, he let go of Ameel’s hand and gingerly began to stretch out his arm until his fingers reached his pocket. Everybody was watching him anxiously. But as soon as he put his hand in his pocket, he felt himself begin to slide.
Kip tried to dig his feet into the balloon, but that didn’t do any good. Frantically, he pulled the penknife from his pocket, then realized he still had to get the blade open. Now, he had no choice. Letting go of Scruggs’ hand and digging his elbows into the taut fabric, he quickly snapped open the blade and stabbed the balloon with all his strength.
A rush of hot air from the puncture blasted Kip’s face. Though he lost his grip on the penknife, he was able to grab hold of the torn edge of fabric and pull himself up as the balloon began to deflate. At the same time, Scruggs and Ameel grabbed his wrists and hauled him back up. The top of the balloon began to flatten, as air whooshed out and they started to descend.
Kip could hear angry shouts of warning from the gondola below.
‘Fools! You’ll kill us all!’ Lovelock cried.
The warden began blowing his whistle as they sank lower and lower.
‘You’ll pay for this!’ Lovelock’s voice now carried a note of fear. ‘No mercy! You’ll spend the rest of your lives in the Crypt!’
But there was nothing he could do.
‘Get ready,’ said Scruggs. ‘When I give the signal, everyone let go of each other’s hands and roll off, just as we reach the clouds.’
Kip took a deep breath and glanced over at Juniper, who winked at him, though she had a nervous look on her face.
‘Okay, let go!’
Kip rolled awkwardly to his right, then threw himself backward, not knowing where he was going to land, but trusting Scruggs’ judgement. After the warmth of the balloon, the clouds felt cool and moist. For several seconds, Kip went completely under, and there was nothing but damp white mist all around. Instinctively, he kicked his feet and swept both arms in front, as if he were swimming, until he bobbed to the surface. The balloon had already disappeared, and Kip could see the others scattered around him, as each of them scrambled to safety.
‘Thanks, Kip,’ said Scruggs. ‘They almost caught us. That was quick thinking. I’m glad you had your knife.’
‘I just wish I hadn’t lost it,’ said Kip with regret.
‘What happened to Lovelock? Do you think they’ve crashed?’ asked Meghna, trying to look down through the clouds at her feet, though there was nothing to see.
‘They’ll be fine, maybe a few scrapes and bruises,’ said Juniper. ‘The balloon was going down pretty slowly, so they’ll probably land in the trees.’
‘At least they won’t be chasing us again for a while,’ said Scruggs.
Kip looked around.
‘Do you know where we are?’ he asked.
‘The snow peaks are over there,’ Juniper said, pointing. ‘We lost a lot of ground, but if we keep going, by this evening we should be there.’
Kip was relieved to start walking again, tramping along behind the others. His heart was still racing after all the excitement, and it took another hour before his pulse stopped pounding in his ears.
Nineteen
By the middle of the day, Kip noticed that more clouds were drifting in and covering the snow peaks from view. At first, these were pale, wispy streaks, like cobwebs, but soon, thicker layers and dense formations appeared.
‘Looks like there’s going to be another storm,’ said Ameel.
‘Don’t you think we should wait before trying to cross the mountains?’ Kip suggested, eyeing the looming white shapes of snow and ice, as well as the rocky crags draped in mist. By now, they were almost at the foot of the mountains, and Scruggs pointed out a high pass between two sharp ridges.
‘That looks like a route we could take,’ he said.
Kip didn’t think anyone could climb that high. The steep pass was covered with snow. Meanwhile, clouds had curtained off the sun and it had grown colder as a sharp wind blew down from the frozen heights.
‘We’ll have to find a cave or some place to camp,’ said Juniper. ‘Then we can get up early and cross over.’
Looking back, Kip could see the plateau of clouds stretching towards the horizon from where they’d come. It felt as if they’d arrived at the edge of the world. Once again, he wondered if he was doing the right thing by following his friends. They seemed to know where they were going, but he wasn’t sure if he really wanted to escape across the mountains. More than anything, all he wanted was to go back home and be with his parents again, the way it used to be before they went to jail. While his friends stopped to rest, Kip wandered off by himself, trying to make up his mind. If he turned back, there wasn’t much he could do, except maybe return to the hermit’s garden and stay with him, then try to find his way to the city. But all of that seemed hopeless, and Kip wasn’t sure he had the courage to head back on his own. At the same time, he didn’t want to let down his companions or spoil their chances of escape.
As all of these thoughts went through his mind, Kip kicked up the clouds at his feet, as if they were sand on a beach. Then, something caught his eye. It looked like a dotted line of shadows about 10 feet away. At first, he thought it might be a flock of birds flying under the surface of the clouds, but the shapes weren’t moving and they were too regular, as if someone had marked out a boundary in even strides.
By now, Scruggs and the others were ready to get started again and waved for him to join them.
‘Come on, Kip. Time to go,’ Juniper shouted.
‘Wait!’ He pointed. ‘There’s something here you’ve got to see.’
Reluctantly, the four friends headed in his direction.
‘What is it?’ Ameel asked as they drew closer.
‘Footprints,’ said Kip.
There was no mistaking what he’d found. A distinct line of footprints came from the east, heading towards the mountains. Each print was about twelve inches long, a little larger than a man’s shoe but with the clear impressions of bare toes. Unlike the bear’s print that they’d seen in the forest, these had no claws and looked more human. The shapes were firmly pressed into the clouds, though in some places, they were blurred, where a breeze had blown across the surface. For several minutes, nobody said anything, as they studied the shadowy line of prints stretching in both directions. Then Kip noticed that the expressions on his friends’ faces had suddenly changed. They were actually smiling.
‘What do you think it is?’ Kip asked.
‘It’s a sign,’ said Juniper under her breath.
‘Now all we need to do is follow these tracks,’ Scruggs added.
‘What are we waiting for?’ cried Meghna.
‘Onwards!’ Ameel shouted.
Before he knew it, Kip was running behind the others. Within half a kilometre, they came to a wall of clouds that reared up in front of them. The footprints seemed to disappear, but then Scruggs shouted, ‘This way!’
Immediately, he started climbing a steep ledge in the clouds, where the footprints made their way up a vertical slope. At the top, where it levelled out, Scruggs waited until all of them had made it.
�
�Do you know who made these footprints?’ asked Kip, out of breath.
‘Cloudfarers, of course,’ said Scruggs. ‘They’ll guide us to the hidden valley.’
‘Are you sure it’s not something else?’ said Kip.
‘Like what?’ asked Juniper.
‘A yeti?’ Kip replied, his voice sounding timid and small.
Scruggs laughed out loud and shook his head.
‘You sound just like a human,’ he said.
‘Well, I am,’ said Kip.
‘For centuries, your people have been mistaking our tracks for those of yetis,’ said Juniper with a sympathetic smile. ‘They imagine that some sort of ferocious creature must have left these footprints, though nobody’s ever seen an Abominable Snowman. It’s a myth, made up by people who don’t understand.’
Kip didn’t say anything more, even if he wasn’t completely convinced.
The breeze had grown stronger, and it had erased some of the prints, though enough remained for them to follow. Stacked layers of clouds, like an uneven staircase, took them up and up, where the footprints ascended. Kip was soon out of breath, though he didn’t want to be left behind. The higher they went, the colder it got, but Scruggs refused to stop.
‘It’s the only way,’ he shouted.
After more than an hour, Kip hoisted himself over the lip of a cloud and found himself on solid ground. They were now standing on the mountain itself, though the fog swirled around them. He couldn’t see any footprints, but Juniper, who had taken over the lead, waved them on.
‘Over here,’ she yelled. After walking for several minutes on solid ground, they found the prints again, heading up a ramp of clouds. At several points, Kip could see sections of the snow peaks ahead, like spires and turrets on a castle, surrounded by fog. At other places, deep valleys fell away beneath them, hundreds of feet on to bare, broken rocks. The clouds were like bridges that they crossed, as the line of footprints led them higher and higher. In one place, they came to the edge of a precipice that descended into darkness, an abyss out of which dense plumes of mist rose like smoke. The only way across was a narrow ribbon of clouds, no more than 2 feet wide, that swayed back and forth in the breeze. The footprints crossed over, and Juniper followed, holding out both hands to keep her balance. Kip watched the others cross over, one by one. When it was his turn, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes, though he had to open them again to make sure he didn’t step off the edge. Placing his feet inside the footprints, he made his way over to the other side.
As he stepped on to a broad shelf of clouds, Kip heard a shout and a whistle. His heart was beating like a rattle, and his ears kept popping from the altitude. The others had gathered on a snowfield. Kip felt a sense of relief as his shoes sank into the frozen surface. Unlike the bridge of clouds he’d just crossed, the snowfield wasn’t going to blow away from under his feet.
Again, he was surprised to see the smiles on his companions’ faces as they pointed at the snow. For a moment, Kip stared at the white expanse without seeing anything. Then he noticed a second line of footprints coming up from below and joining the first. The first set of tracks, which they’d been following, stepped off the clouds and into the snow, while the other seemed to come from inside the abyss. Together, the two sets of footprints headed up the snowfield, walking side by side.
Though the others didn’t seem to be afraid, Kip wondered whether the creatures that made these prints would be friendly or not.
‘How can you be so sure there’s no such thing as a yeti?’ Kip asked.
‘Because it’s an imaginary beast,’ said Ameel. ‘They’re made up! Human beings always create monsters when they’re afraid of something or someone they don’t understand.’
‘But there’s nothing wrong with being afraid, is there?’ Kip replied. ‘I mean, it’s an instinct that helps protect us.’
‘As long as it doesn’t distort the truth,’ said Juniper. ‘Honestly, Kip, what do these footprints look like to you?’
‘They’re almost human, though a little too large,’ said Kip. ‘But what would somebody be doing up here in the clouds and snow?’
‘The same thing as us,’ said Scruggs, ‘Trying to get across the mountains. Don’t worry, Kip, there’s nothing to be afraid of.’
Where the snowfield ended, the clouds took over again. By now, it was growing dark, and they had trouble following the prints. Finally, after another ten minutes of walking, Scruggs came to a halt.
‘We can’t go on, it’s getting too cold,’ he said in frustration. ‘We need to find some place to spend the night.’
‘Let’s go a little farther,’ said Juniper, pointing to a gap overhead where Kip could see a patch of sky. The clouds formed a chimney, barely wide enough for them to scramble through. When they reached the top, they could just make out the two sets of footprints entering the mouth of a cave. It didn’t look like much of a shelter, but at least they were out of the wind. Finding a hollow between the rocks, they sat down and huddled together for warmth.
Twenty
This was the most uncomfortable night of Kip’s life. Though each of them nodded off between fits of shivering and chattering teeth, none of them laughed in their sleep. Hours later, when it began to grow brighter outside the mouth of the cave, they could see it was snowing. Heavy white flakes were streaming down, and neither the mountains nor the clouds were visible.
By this time, all of their apples were finished, except for one that Juniper had saved. Each of them took a couple of bites, which only made them feel more hungry and marooned. There was no way they could cross the mountains with the blizzard outside. Whatever tracks they had followed so far would now be buried.
Remembering the Abominable Snowman in the Menagerium, Kip felt a shudder go through his body. He didn’t care what the others said and was convinced that the footprints had been made by a yeti. He could even picture it lurking somewhere in the dark, at the back of the cave.
As they were sitting together in a miserable huddle, Kip realized that he still had the box of matches Brother Lazarus had given him. When he took it out and told the others, they didn’t seem encouraged.
‘It won’t do any good,’ said Scruggs. ‘There’s no wood up here to burn for a fire.’
In the dark, Kip opened the box carefully and counted. There were only five matches left.
‘If I light one, at least for a few seconds, we can see where we are,’ he said.
‘Go ahead,’ said Ameel. ‘I’m so cold, I can’t feel a thing. At least I’ll be able to see if my fingers are still here.’
Taking out a match and closing the box with trembling hands, Kip stood up and struck a light. The flare was so bright, they all squinted, and as he held it up, the match illuminated the inside of the cave. They could see that it was much bigger than they had imagined, extending deep into the mountain. The match burnt for only ten seconds but that was enough time for them to take in their surroundings. As the flame flickered out, Meghna cried, ‘I think I saw some sticks over there.’
‘Where?’ asked Juniper, not convinced.
‘Behind you, next to those rocks.’
It was so dark, all they could do was feel about on the ground, but after a few minutes, Meghna gave a triumphant shout.
‘Here we are,’ she said. ‘There’s a whole pile of sticks. I’m sure we can light a fire with these.’
‘I wonder who put them here,’ said Scruggs. ‘We’re far above the tree line.’
‘Come on, Kip. Light another match,’ Meghna insisted. ‘I’ve got some paper in my pocket that we can use to get the fire started.’
After they’d fumbled around in the dark, doing their best to gather the sticks together, Kip struck another match. Almost as soon as the flash of light filled the cave, Meghna and Ameel let out a groan of disappointment and fear. Those weren’t sticks.
‘They’re bones!’ cried Juniper.
In the last few seconds before the match went out, they could see the skeleton of an anima
l, about the size of a goat. Its ribs looked like a bundle of sticks, but there was no chance of getting them to burn.
For a while, nobody spoke, all of them feeling miserable and discouraged. Then, Ameel whispered, ‘Why do you think those bones are here?’
‘Maybe an animal took shelter in this cave and then died,’ said Juniper.
‘Or this might be a snow leopard’s lair where it brings its prey to eat,’ Scruggs added.
Neither of those thoughts made anyone feel any better. Kip wondered what yetis ate. Once again, he saw the huge hairy creature in his mind, its arms reaching out to grab him.
‘Kip,’ said Meghna, ‘do you think you could light another match?’
‘I’ve only got three left.’
‘Yes, but I think I saw something else. I’ve still got this piece of paper, and if we can light it, we’ll be able to see for a few seconds longer,’ Meghna insisted.
‘What did you see?’ Scruggs asked.
‘I’m not sure. But it could be important.’
Kip felt around in the box again and took out the third match. When he struck it, Meghna pointed to their right and held up the scrap of paper, which she lit as soon as the match began to burn down. This time, they had about twenty seconds to look around. Almost immediately, they realized that Meghna was right.
There in the dust on the floor of the cave were the same footprints they’d been following. Both pairs of feet headed into the shadows at the back of the cave, which looked like a corridor going into the mountain. As the twisted piece of paper burnt down to the tips of Meghna’s fingers, they realized what they needed to do.
Outside the cave, the snow was falling even harder than before, and it didn’t look as if the storm was going to end any time soon.
‘We need to keep following the footprints,’ said Scruggs. ‘It’s our only chance to get out of here.’
‘But if they’re heading straight into the mountain, that isn’t going to help us,’ said Kip, remembering the bones with a shudder.
‘We don’t have a choice,’ said Juniper. ‘I’ll lead the way. Everyone hold on to each other, so we don’t get separated. And, Kip, don’t waste any more matches. We’ll have to find our way in the dark.’
The Cloudfarers Page 9