The True Colours of Coral Glen

by Juliette Forrest

  I sucked my breath in. If Skaw gave away Moonzy’s hiding place, Muckle Red would be able to leave Halloway.

  “What about the cannibal bones?” growled Muckle Red.

  Skaw avoided my gaze. “You’ll find one of Sully Tarn’s victim’s skulls behind that picture, over there. Watch out, it’s inhabited by an evil poltergeist.”

  My heart sank all the way down into the soles of my high-tops. Moonzy had been right not to trust Skaw. The worm had said from the very start he’d not betray Muckle Red; I’d been foolish enough to think otherwise.

  Muckle Red swooped on the rucksack. As he lifted up the picture, Moonzy shot forward as fast as bullets to bite his hand. Muckle Red whacked the skull with so much force her jaw fell off. Before she could move, he gathered her up and stuffed her inside the rucksack. The Heart Collector snatched Skaw from the alcove. “The north star can’t dazzle as you do, worm.” His words fell as icicles to the ground.

  Anger coursed through my veins, thawing the chill on my skin. I pounced forward on to Muckle Red’s back, striking him with my fists.

  The Heart Collector vanished into thin air beneath me; his bones and I tumbled to the ground. I landed awkwardly on jagged ribs and groaned.

  Muckle Red had gone without telling me where Lyart was.

  Why had I not hidden the rucksack and Moonzy somewhere in the tunnels? Then I could have haggled for Lyart’s safe release.

  I was alone, with no idea where Lyart was. I’d not only lost Skaw and Moonzy, but I’d thrown away my chance to tell Gran I loved her: the one thing that had been keeping me going. And even worse, Muckle Red had everything he needed to escape and steal children’s hearts.

  I stumbled into the corridor, the walls closing in on me. I fell to my knees, coughing, willing myself to take a gulp of air. Straight above, the glow from a Breath of Spring–coloured glamp was so luminous, it hurt my eyes.

  I took some slow and steady breaths.

  Moonzy’s life might be in grave danger now that Muckle Red had her.

  Frustrated, I yanked at some tree roots poking out from the wall and noticed my hand was bathed in the Breath of Spring glow. It came back to me how Moonzy had described Lyart’s aura as the purest green imaginable.

  I crawled over to the glamp. Skaw had said he’d spotted a green-and-yellow flash when Lyart had vanished. I thought about the paint charts on my walls – the small rectangle of Breath of Spring was green, except there was a hint of yellow in it too.

  I leapt to my feet and looked along the row of glamps. There wasn’t another the same colour as this one. I tapped the side of it to see if a face would appear, but nothing happened.

  What if I broke it and it was full of negative energy?

  It was a risk I was going to have to take. I pulled my scarf over my nose, picked up the glamp and threw it against the wall. The glass exploded and the light whizzed out, denting the walls and making earth rain down from the ceiling.

  As it zoomed towards me, I ducked, covering my head with my arms.

  I heard the sound of something heavy landing next to me and opened one eye.

  “Thanks for getting me out of there.” Lyart stood, shaking out his arms and legs.

  “Lyart!” I gave him a hug. “I’ve made a mess of everything; Muckle Red has the witch’s tears, cannibal bones and the wrecker bird.” I paused. “He took Moonzy too; she’s in the skull we stole from the cannibal. I’m so sorry.”

  Lyart touched the side of my arm. “She’s more than capable of holding her own, but I think it’s high time we put a stop to Muckle Red. Ready?”

  I sniffed and nodded.

  The glamps flickered as we dashed along the passageway, hurdling over mossy stones and bursting through dust-clad curtains of tree roots.

  “Where are we going?” I panted.

  “Muckle Red needs the Hallow moon to break the spell. There’s only one place where its light can appear underground.” After what seemed like ages, Lyart slowed and halted by an archway. Chiselled into the stone above was: The Passage of Lost Souls.

  “Coral, the quickest way for us to reach Muckle Red is through here.”

  I gazed into the tunnel. Goosebumps crept over my flesh.

  “The souls thrive off negative energy, so keep your thoughts clear of anything upsetting and whatever you do, don’t stop for anyone – just remember nothing is real. Can you do that?”

  I thought about Moonzy being at the mercy of Muckle Red. “Yes.”

  “You go first. Hurry!”

  Stepping inside the tunnel, I noticed the air was damp.

  I glanced back at Lyart, who gave me a reassuring smile.

  There were no glamps or glow-worms to light the way. I strode forward, ignoring the fear sitting barrel-heavy in the pit of my stomach.

  If I had ever been scared of the dark, Gran would tell me the night-time was nothing to be afraid of, because the world needed its rest as well.

  A figure appeared further ahead, glowing softly like a night light. I pretended it wasn’t there, concentrating hard on putting one foot in front of the other.

  As I passed it, the figure followed me, its stride matching mine. I quickened the pace and it sped up too.

  “You’re walking as fast as God does when he knows there’s turkey in his bowl.”

  I stifled a sob, hearing her voice again.

  It took every bit of strength I had not to look at her.

  She wasn’t real. This was a trick.

  “How has your day been, Coral?” she asked.

  Those were the words I missed the most. The same words she’d never say to me again.

  I couldn’t help myself.

  Gran rewarded me with her smile – the one she always gave me when I came home from school. I must have imagined this moment a million times or more since she’d left us.

  I cleared my throat. “Sunshiny Days, Gran.”

  “That’s a cheery colour?” Gran fiddled with her earring.

  I hated myself for already forgetting she did that. “It’s how I feel because you’re here… I’ve missed you terribly.” My voice was barely a whisper.

  “Are you sure, Coral? It’s your fault I’m dead.”

  I pressed the back of my hand over my mouth. The weight inside me grew heavier than mountains. Putting my head down, I walked on.

  “Thought Killer Khaki or Murdering Mauve might be more appropriate, considering,” she hissed, her words dancing around me in echoes.

  “You left me!” she shrieked.

  I clapped my hands over my ears and sprinted forward.

  I couldn’t breathe.

  I had to get out of here.

  Spying a glimmer of light up ahead, I tore towards it, throwing myself out the other side, like an athlete over the finishing line.

  All you do is cause death and misery.

  I wanted to see the stars again – to take the night air into my lungs.

  Lyart shot out of the tunnel moments later, his breaths fast and shallow. “The place never gets any easier.”

  I walked away from him.

  “Coral?” He caught up with me. “What happened in there came from your own thoughts. None of it was real.”

  “Even so, everything I do goes wrong and now Moonzy could be in danger because of me.”

  Lyart frowned, his freckles bunching together. “All I see is a brave girl who has put her life on the line for the opportunity be with her gran again. If we can destroy Muckle Red, I will honour my word and take you to her, but we don’t have much time left.”

  I tilted my head back, taking in our surroundings. “Where is this?”

  “An abandoned copper mine.”

  The moonlight stretched down through holes in the roof to shimmer on the Phoenix Tears lake. Wavy-lined reflections rose and fell, like monitored heartbeats, on the Lost Ark Gold–coloured walls. Thousands of moths gathered over the lake’s surface, moving together in a vast cloud, their Moon Mist wings whispering as they beat.

  Flakes o
f snow gently drifted past us; I buttoned my coat up. Strewn all over the place were discarded pieces of rusted machinery and wires.

  Lyart pointed towards the water. “There’s something on the shore.”

  We picked our way over the stones to find an ancient coffin. The lid was askew and it was empty inside.

  “Who do you think this belonged to?” I asked, noticing all the deep scratches in the wood.

  “It’s mine,” said a voice behind me.

  Lyart and I nearly jumped out of our skins.

  “I’ve forever waited to be rid of it.” Muckle Red smirked.

  Lyart hastened towards him, clenching his fists. “What have you done with Moonzy?”

  Skaw wiggled on to Muckle Red’s shoulder. “She did her usual and vanished when the going got tough. She’ll probably be a slug or a bit of grit by now.”

  Relief washed through me that Moonzy had escaped.

  The Heart Collector reached into the stolen rucksack for the witch’s tears and placed the pot into the coffin. Next, he dropped in the skull, which clattered as it rolled along the base of it.

  He was reversing the spell that had kept him trapped in the graveyard!

  Lastly, he produced the wrecker bird, which had been bound with rope. Its crown of feathers drooped and its eyes had dulled. Muckle Red flung it inside the coffin, pounding the lid shut with his fist, so everything was sealed in.

  The moonlight glazed the surface of the wood. My throat ached as the bird thumped against the sides of it, trying to get out.

  The ground shuddered and giant Night Swim waves reared up. The lake whirled and gurgled as it drained away, revealing a Cloak of Mystery–coloured doorway. Floundering fish flashed Polished Pebble, as they sought out the last remaining puddles of water.

  Muckle Red’s body creaked and popped one last time as he became solid flesh and bone in front of our eyes. When he stretched, his muscles filled out and his dusty heart darkened to once again beat in his chest.

  The spell was finally broken; the Heart Collector was ready to leave the graveyard.

  I flicked my eyes at my watch; only minutes to go before the Hallow moon vanished for good.

  Muckle Red strode towards the doorway, Skaw proudly perched on his shoulder.

  “There’s something I need to know!” I shouted after them, praying Muckle Red would stop.

  The Heart Collector checked the moonlight was still piercing through the holes in the ceiling. “Make it electricity-quick; I have children to hunt.” He adjusted the chain of dripping hearts around his neck.

  “Aye, very funny. You nearly had me going there,” hooted Skaw, nudging Muckle Red with his head.

  I approached warily, cricking my neck up at him. “Why did you want the witches to take the blame for what you did?”

  Lyart joined me, standing by my side.

  Muckle Red’s arctic-cold breath whistled through his teeth. “Seeing as how I’m on the cusp of wildness and freedom, I’ll indulge you. Black Belly Fever swept through Saltbay; my father coughed blood and a cross was slapped on our door. The doctor refused to take any notice because we were penniless and all my begging and pleas in the town for help went ignored. I’d heard whispers of a witch and her potent potions, so I searched high and low for her.” Muckle Red’s eye flickered and his nostrils narrowed. “Septic brains, gangrenous boils, death by scratching; Carline Deedclathes didn’t cure, she killed. Disease is nature’s way of getting rid of vermin, she said. I was sent packing with empty hands and scorn-filled ears. After my father’s last rattling breath, I plotted and planned the downfall of her and all those others responsible for his death. Black magic was a far greater fear than Black Belly Fever. All it took was the stealing of children’s hearts for everyone to blame, hunt and torch the hags into ash piles.” Muckle Red shrugged. “Revenge was sweetness.”

  “Hang on!” interrupted Skaw. “Let’s just rewind here a second. You’re no’ being serious, are you?” The worm gawped at Muckle Red.

  “You don’t half pick moments of the worst possible, Skaw. Get lost.”

  The worm peered closely into Muckle Red’s eye. “But you’ve worked so hard to put the past behind you – don’t ruin it all now.”

  “Skaw!” Muckle Red said it in a way that indicated the worm should know better. “The spell has denied me the chance to add hearts to my collection for two hundred years. I’m not waiting any longer.”

  Skaw nodded his head as if he’d made his mind up about something. “If you really want a new heart – take one of mine. I’d do anything for my best mate, especially if it halts your desire to kill until we can get you the help you need to cure you of this terrible affliction for once and for all.”

  The Heart Collector wheezed with laughter, a Salty Peat drip leaking from his eye. “A gritty little worm ticker next to these magnificent specimens? Your heart will be so puny, it wouldn’t be worth the bother.”

  It took Skaw a second or two for Muckle Red’s words to sink in. “I told everyone you’d changed!” The worm glared at him. “Except you’ve no’, have you? I cannae believe I fell for that rot you spouted about being sorry for what you’d done in the past. Moonzy had you sussed the whole time, and the worst thing is, I refused to listen to her – no wonder she hates my guts.”

  Muckle Red gritted his teeth. “You are a fool much gullible. You forever bored me rigid and would never have been my companion on the world adventures.”

  “You used me!” Skaw’s eyes filled up and his cheeks flushed Cabernet Cork. The worm puffed his chest out. “I’ve got five hearts and that’s way more bravery, kindness and love than you’ll ever know, Muckle Red.”

  The Heart Collector’s face stretched into a smile. “Enjoy your trip, worm.” He plucked Skaw off his shoulder and hurled him away with force. Skaw zipped through the air, thwacked into the side of the coffin and dropped from view.

  My heartbeat tripled and anger turned every cell in my body White Hot. “How Skaw never saw through you is a complete mystery! If you’ve hurt him in any way I’m going to …”

  Muckle Red towered over me. “The worm’s heart is useless – but yours is twinned in feistiness with my own, Coral Glen, and I must have it,” he said, patting his chain. “Think of it as a farewell gift from you to me.”

  A fear as cold as the depths of winter stole through my veins.

  “You’re not laying a finger on her.” Lyart squared up to Muckle Red, his eyes blazing.

  Muckle Red opened his mouth, blasting Lyart with his subzero breath. Lyart raised his arms to shield himself, but it was too late; his entire body became encased in Wind Chill Blue ice.

  The Heart Collector gave him a shove.

  If Lyart fell on the stones, he’d shatter into a million pieces!

  I scrambled forward, catching Lyart in the nick of time, and gently lowered him to the ground.

  Something whistled overhead and Muckle Red teetered back, the full force of the rock hitting him like a cannonball.

  A girl with Copper Still ringlets skidded to a halt, her Mythical Nights dress swishing around her. Clutched in her hand was another stone at the ready. “You don’t have a heart, Muckle Red, that’s why you steal other people’s,” she shouted.

  Muckle Red snorted. “Hearts are made to be broken.”

  “Coral’s is one you’ll never own.” Her Pomegranate Seed lips were thin lines across her Seagull Belly skin.

  There was only one girl I knew as courageous as this.

  The Heart Collector slammed into Moonzy, sending her flying. In one swift move, he pinned her to the ground.

  I saw the look in his eye. If I didn’t do something fast, he would finish her off.

  Just past Moonzy was Muckle Red’s coffin. He was supposed to perish on the night of the Hallow moon, not us. That’s when it struck me – if I could release the wrecker bird from its wooden prison, the spell would be broken.

  “Coral!” Moonzy squealed. “I can’t change into anything else – I’ve chosen to
be me from now on; the timing … couldn’t … have … been worse.”

  As Muckle Red tightened his grip on her, the hearts he wore around his neck trembled. Moonzy’s Celestial Spark glow began to flicker and fade.

  If I didn’t do something, Muckle Red would destroy her for good.

  Pelting towards the coffin, my fingers scrabbled around the edge of the lid to lift it, but it was wedged shut. Picking up a rock, I smashed it down on the wood, praying it would crack.

  Hearing a gasp from Moonzy, I spun around.

  Her eyes widened and her whole body shuddered before she went limp. The Heart Collector finally let go of her and advanced towards me.

  “No!” I yelled at the top of my voice.

  “It’s over, Coral Glen.” Muckle Red grabbed me and held the palm of his hand over my heart. My spine curved as I felt it being pulled, as though Muckle Red was somehow coaxing it out of my body.

  I twisted from side to side, trying to fight him off, until I caught sight of Moonzy lying still and lifeless. It wouldn’t have been possible to collect all the objects without her help. And the thought of never being able to talk to my friend again hurt so badly, it was as though my insides were filled with cut glass.

  A crushing sadness tore through me; tears streamed down my cheeks.

  Lyart would be devastated that Moonzy had been taken from us.

  My heart broke all over again.

  Muckle Red sensed me weakening and licked his lips.

  The wrecker bird started thumping hard against the coffin until it splintered. A hole appeared and the bird poked its head out. Before Muckle Red could slam his hand down over it, the bird burst through the lid and corkscrewed into the darkness above. The song that filled the copper mine was so exquisite, Muckle Red let go of me to cover his ears, as if in pain. Falling to the ground, I shuffled away from him.

  The wrecker bird returned to sweep low over the lakebed, changing the puddles into liquid rainbows. It sang and the moths parted to gather around every hole in the roof, blocking out the moonlight.

  With the bird free from the coffin and the moonlight gone, the spell had been reversed. Realizing he could never leave the graveyard now, Muckle Red sprang towards me, his teeth bared. The second before he reached me, he exploded into a million sparks of Planet Fever, with the ferocity of a firework. The last of his curses bounced off the rocks and faded into nothingness.