The Key to Rondo

by Emily Rodda

The creatures dodged his foot and ran away, tittering in high-pitched voices.

  Leo gaped at them as they dived head first into a crack between two paving stones. They looked – it was crazy, but they looked exactly – like the gingerbread men that were always served at Aunt Bethany’s afternoon teas – right down to the two currant eyes, and the three currant buttons.

  ‘Pesky dots!’ muttered Posy the flower-seller. She raised her voice again and shouted at the pie-man. ‘You’d better get that mess cleaned up, Crumble. Those dots’ll be back, and with all their friends, too. The street’ll be teeming with them, next. Love a nice bit of flaky pastry, dots do.’

  ‘You tend to your own affairs, you sticky old jam bun,’ the pie-man said rudely. But he got up from his stool and slowly reached for a broom.

  ‘Dots,’ Leo murmured stupidly.

  Posy shook her head. ‘Get into everything, don’t they?’ she said, pulling a couple of buckets upright with a clatter and peering into them suspiciously. ‘They should keep away from me for a while, anyway, with all this water about. If their feet get soggy, they just keel over, you know. Are they bad out where you live?’

  ‘Um – not really,’ said Leo.

  ‘That’s a bit of luck for you, then,’ said Posy comfortably, picking up a huge jug and pouring water into the buckets. ‘I’ve heard that in some parts they’re so thick on the ground you can hardly walk without one running up your trouser leg.’ She grimaced in distaste.

  Leo searched around for something sensible to say. He couldn’t think of anything.

  To cover his awkwardness, he put his hands behind his back and looked casually up at the sky. A glittering green shape was sailing through the blue.

  His skin prickled. ‘Dragon!’ he gulped, before he could stop himself.

  ‘Oh yes?’ Posy said absent-mindedly. ‘Quake must have disturbed it. Never mind. It’ll soon settle.’ She put a few sad bunches of daisies, the remains of the pink lilies and some tattered roses into the newly filled buckets, put a sign reading ‘Half Price!’ in front of them and straightened up with a groan.

  ‘I should be grateful,’ she said. ‘I didn’t have much stock left to lose, really. Not like some.’

  Leo felt another sharp pang of guilt. Posy looked at him and her forehead wrinkled in concern. ‘No sign of your cousin yet?’ she asked.

  Leo shook his head wordlessly.

  Posy peered up and down the street and suddenly her face brightened. She pointed to a tall blue figure striding towards them from the right, towering head and shoulders above the rest of the crowd.

  Leo’s heart jumped into his mouth. A policeman!

  ‘There you go, blossom,’ Posy said, beaming. ‘Officer Begood. Just the man you want.’

  Oh no he’s not, Leo thought in panic. He knew that the first thing the police officer would ask him was where he lived. If he told the truth… if anyone found out he was the one who had caused the earthquake…

  I’ll end up in gaol, if the shopkeepers don’t lynch me first, he thought. In horror he saw Posy begin to wave vigorously at the approaching blue figure.

  ‘Oh!’ he exclaimed, in an excited voice that sounded very fake even to him. ‘There she is! I see her! My cousin! Just down there!’

  He waved his hand vaguely to the left. As Posy turned to look, he edged quickly away from her. ‘I’d better hurry,’ he gabbled. ‘Don’t want to lose her again. Thanks for everything, Posy. Bye.’

  He shot off into the crowd, leaving the flower-seller staring after him in puzzlement.

  Leo walked as fast as he dared without actually running. At first he was worried that his clothes would mark him as a stranger, but there were people in all sorts of clothes on the street, and anyway everyone was too busy cleaning up to look closely at anyone else. No one took any more notice of his jeans and T-shirt than Posy had.

  He hurried along, keeping his head down and stealing glances left and right. Everywhere he looked he saw evidence of earthquake damage – shattered shop windows, collapsed stalls, people sweeping up broken china and glass.

  A bald man he recognised as the street’s balloon-seller was standing at the very top of a ladder, vainly trying to catch the trailing strings of a huge bunch of balloons that had floated up out of his reach.

  And everywhere the little creatures Posy had called dots were scampering about, giggling, dragging stolen food away, tripping people up and generally making nuisances of themselves.

  At last Leo reached the tavern called the Black Sheep. The familiar swinging sign of a dancing black lamb dangled crookedly, trailing a long piece of broken chain. The benches and tables that usually stood in front of the tavern had been overturned. A wet mess of food scraps, broken glass and smashed china littered the ground. The landlord, now looking very glum, was sweeping up.

  Mimi, where are you? Leo thought desperately. We’ve got to get out of here!

  He risked a glance behind him. He could see a blue police cap over the heads of the crowd. It was right beside the striped awning of the flower stall and it wasn’t moving. It looked as if Officer Begood had stopped to talk to Posy. Leo’s stomach flip-flopped unpleasantly.

  ‘Here!’ The soft call seemed to come from right beside him.

  He jumped and looked wildly around. A tiny, chubby woman wheeling a vast barrow of squashed bananas squeaked a warning as she nearly ran into him.

  ‘Sorry, sorry!’ babbled Leo, jumping out of her way. As the barrow trundled past he could see dots peeping from between the bananas. Some of them were gobbling slimy banana scraps greedily. Others, black currant eyes gleaming with mischievous delight, were throwing skins down onto the road, probably hoping to make passers-by slip and fall.

  The chubby little woman couldn’t see what they were doing. She had her head down, pushing the barrow. She was wearing a brightly striped cap and matching mittens. Stubby orange wings stuck out through holes in the back of her duffle coat.

  Leo’s jaw dropped.

  ‘Over here!’ The low call came again, and this time, when Leo looked around, he caught sight of Mimi peering at him from the mouth of the dim, narrow alley that ran between the Black Sheep and the toy factory next door.

  Mimi looked nervous and excited. She beckoned to Leo urgently.

  He hurried over to her. ‘Where have you been?’ he demanded fiercely.

  ‘Sshh! Where have you been?’ Mimi retorted, just as fiercely. ‘If you had to come with me, why didn’t you hold on to me, so we stayed together? I’ve wasted ages looking for you!’

  ‘I didn’t want to come!’ yelled Leo. ‘It’s the last thing I wanted! We’ve got to go back, right now! You –’

  ‘Now, now, young people!’ broke in a smooth voice from the shadows behind Mimi. ‘No need to argue! No need to fuss! We’re all together now, and that’s what matters. Come in, my boy. Come in!’

  A man’s arm reached out of the alley, and soft, damp fingers, glittering with rings, fastened on Leo’s wrist.

  Chapter 8

  Tom

  Leo was drawn firmly into the shadows. As his eyes adjusted to the dim light, he saw that the person who had pulled him into the alley was a man in a checked coat. The man had wavy brown hair that shone with oil, a dimpled chin and a toothy smile. He looked vaguely familiar to Leo, who disliked him on sight.

  Mimi, however, seemed perfectly comfortable in the man’s company.

  ‘He knows all about it,’ she announced breathlessly. ‘He knows where we come from, and he wants to help us find Mutt. He can take us to the Blue Queen’s castle. He knows the way. Oh, if only I’d gone straight there! I meant to, but I was staring at the tavern when I asked to come in and I suppose –’

  ‘Mimi –’ Leo began, but the man in the checked jacket interrupted, as smoothly as before.

  ‘We have to keep it all very quiet,’ he said, tapping the side of his nose. ‘I gather you picked up the box while the music was playing, my boy. Carried it around, too. Not a good idea, if I might say so. It caused a
lot of damage. People wouldn’t like it if they knew.’

  Leo glanced nervously back at the street. The man nodded, and pulled him a little further into the shadows.

  ‘You’re safe for the moment,’ he said reassuringly. ‘But as I was explaining to our little friend here just before you came along, we should make ourselves scarce as soon as possible. She wouldn’t leave without you. She wouldn’t even move away from the street, out of sight – never mind the danger if anyone realised who she was. Loyalty like that’s a fine thing, isn’t it? But now you’re here…’

  ‘I think a policeman might be following me,’ Leo said rapidly.

  The whites of the man’s eyes gleamed in the dimness as his eyes suddenly widened.

  ‘Begood?’ he snapped, in quite a different voice.

  ‘Yes,’ Leo admitted. ‘I was talking to Posy the flower-seller, and she –’

  The man swore under his breath. ‘That’s torn it,’ he muttered. He looked at Leo. ‘How far behind you is Begood?’ he demanded. ‘Did he see you come in here?’

  ‘I don’t think so,’ Leo said uncomfortably. ‘He was still at the flower stall, talking to Posy. But other people might have –’

  ‘Right,’ the man interrupted, frowning. ‘So. I’d been hoping to get some supplies together before we left. There’s a window that leads into the Black Sheep kitchens just along here. And old Jolly, the landlord, you know, won’t be keeping an eye on his storeroom for a change. He’s too busy cleaning up out the front. But with Begood coming…’

  He smacked his lips regretfully. ‘It’s a pity. A chance like this doesn’t come every day. Old Jolly keeps excellent brandy. And a particularly good, spicy sausage…’

  He saw Mimi and Leo exchange glances, and hurriedly cleared his throat. ‘Naturally I’d have squared it with old Jolly later on,’ he said heartily. ‘Oh, we’re great friends, Jolly and me. But never mind, never mind. We’ll forget all that. The important thing now is to get you out of trouble. We’ll go through the side door of the toy factory. It’s down there on the left.’

  He pointed down the alley. Leo and Mimi squinted through the gloom, but could see nothing.

  ‘It’s hard to see from here, but it’s there all right, trust me,’ the man chuckled. ‘Dolly and Teddy always leave it unlocked, the silly old ducks. It makes a nice, quiet short cut through to the back streets. Very handy for a quick get-away. I’ve used it hundreds of times. Now –’

  ‘Are the people who run the toy factory really called Dolly and Teddy?’ Leo interrupted suddenly.

  ‘Yes,’ said the man, looking surprised. ‘I told you!’

  ‘And the tavern landlord’s called Jolly, and the flower-seller’s called Posy, and the pie-man is Crumble and there’s a policeman called Officer Begood?’ Leo went on, his voice rising in disbelief.

  Mimi gave a snort of nervous laughter.

  ‘Ah!’ said the man, his face clearing. ‘You mean the names suit the people? Yes. Quite a coincidence, isn’t it? Happens a lot around here, for some reason.’

  ‘So what’s your name?’ Leo asked abruptly.

  ‘My –’ The man hesitated. Then he gave his big toothy smile again. ‘Oh, my name’s – ah – Tom. Plain old Tom. Sorry. Didn’t I say?’

  ‘No,’ Leo said. He was certain the man was lying.

  ‘We’d better be off,’ the man said hastily, backing further into the alley and beckoning Leo and Mimi to follow. ‘Begood will be here any minute. You don’t want him to catch you, do you?’

  The toy factory door was about halfway down the alley, on the left. An enormous, overflowing black rubbish bin stood outside it, almost invisible in the dim light.

  Tom dropped Mimi’s arm and gripped the doorknob with both hands. ‘Got to take this ve-ery slowly,’ he muttered. ‘Otherwise the hinges squeak.’

  Leo seized his chance to draw Mimi aside. ‘Mimi, what are you doing?’ he whispered in her ear. ‘You don’t know this guy. You can’t just go with him. I’m sure his name’s not Tom, for a start, and –’

  ‘Don’t be silly!’ Mimi flashed back impatiently. ‘If he works against the Blue Queen, of course he’d keep his real name a secret. I didn’t tell him yours, did I? Not that it would probably matter. He’s on our side. He’s helping us escape from the police, isn’t he? And he’s going to help me find Mutt. He promised! Oh, and I didn’t tell you. He was the one who sent us that warning note!’

  Leo stared at her in confusion. This changed everything. If Tom had written the warning note, he really was a friend. And yet… He frowned, thinking furiously.

  ‘Mimi,’ he said suddenly. ‘Did Tom mention the note first, or did you?’

  ‘Oh, I don’t know,’ Mimi sighed. She turned to watch Tom easing the door open, little by little. ‘He said he’d been looking for me everywhere, and was so glad he’d found me. He knew where I’d come from. He knew about Mutt being taken by the Blue Queen – they call her the Blue Queen, too, because no one knows her real name. He said he wanted to help me. So then –’

  She broke off. She looked up at Leo and for the first time her eyes held a trace of doubt. ‘So then I asked him if he’d written the warning note,’ she murmured reluctantly. ‘And he said yes, he had.’

  Leo groaned.

  Mimi wet her lips. ‘You think he just said that to make me trust him,’ she said in a low voice.

  Leo nodded.

  ‘You don’t think he wrote the note at all,’ Mimi said, even more quietly.

  Leo shook his head.

  They both glanced at the man who called himself Tom. He had the door almost half open now. Any minute he’d turn and beckon to them.

  ‘Come away,’ Leo urged. ‘Now. While he’s not looking.’

  In dismay he saw Mimi’s mouth straighten into the stubborn line he’d learned to know only too well.

  ‘No,’ she whispered. ‘If Tom did lie about the note, maybe he had a good reason. I’ve got to go with him. He knows how to get to Mutt – I just know he wasn’t lying about that. And, besides, if we don’t use his short cut through the toy factory we’re sure to get caught by that policeman who’s after us.’

  Leo glanced nervously back at the main street. And there, to his horror, he saw a tall blue figure. Officer Begood was standing right in front of the alley, with his back towards it. He was nodding, talking to someone, but Leo couldn’t see who it was.

  Maybe it’s the landlord of the Black Sheep, Leo thought, his heart pounding. Did Jolly notice me outside? Did he notice Mimi? Did he see us come in here?

  Mimi squeaked with fright as she, too, saw the policeman.

  Tom swung around. He darted a sharp look towards the main street, and stiffened. ‘Come on!’ he whispered urgently, gesturing at the half-open door. ‘Squeeze in!’

  But at that moment, Officer Begood moved, and the person he’d been talking to became visible. It was an old man with a white beard, who looked very annoyed. On either side of the old man, clinging tightly to his hands, were two little girls dressed alike in pale blue overalls and frilly white shirts.

  Leo gasped and gripped Mimi’s arm. No wonder the man who called himself Tom had looked so familiar!

  ‘Come on!’ Tom whispered fiercely from the door. ‘Do you want to get caught? Do you want to go to gaol? If you do, you’ll never find your dog!’

  Mimi struggled to tear herself away from Leo, but he wouldn’t let her go.

  ‘You’re a thief!’ he said, glaring at Tom. ‘You stole that old man’s money!’

  ‘What?’ spluttered Tom, his eyes darting left and right. ‘Why would you say a thing like that?’

  ‘I saw you!’ Leo insisted. ‘You took the old man’s wallet out of his pocket, while he was waiting at the pie stall!’

  ‘What does that matter?’ Mimi hissed. ‘I don’t care if he’s a bank robber! I just want –’

  A flash of inspiration struck Leo.

  ‘And that’s why you don’t want Officer Begood to find us here!’ he exclaimed. ‘It’s
not because of us at all! You’re scared for yourself!’

  ‘That’s – that’s very, very hurtful, my boy,’ the man said, fingering his moustache nervously. ‘You’re upset, I understand that, but that’s no excuse for insulting people who are trying to help you.’

  ‘You’re not trying to help us!’ said Leo, more convinced than ever that he was right. ‘People who are trying to help you don’t tell you lies.’

  Tom bared his teeth in what was probably supposed to be a charming smile, but in fact was more like a lopsided snarl. ‘Let the girl go,’ he said sharply. ‘She wants to save her dog, and she knows I can help her. She needs me. Don’t you, Mimi?’

  Mimi’s eyes were very wide. She looked at Leo, then she looked at Tom, then she looked back at Leo again.

  Leo swallowed. His heart sank to the soles of his shoes. He knew what he had to say.

  ‘You don’t need him, Mimi,’ he mumbled. ‘I’ll help you find Mutt.’

  ‘Really?’ Mimi asked seriously. ‘Don’t say it if you don’t mean it.’

  ‘I mean it,’ Leo said, forcing himself to sound firm. ‘I’m with you. We’re Langlanders, aren’t we? And Langlanders stick together.’

  Mimi looked at him for a long moment, then nodded. She turned to Tom. ‘Thank you,’ she said primly, backing away until she was pressed against the big black rubbish bin. ‘But I think I’ll just stay here for now.’

  Tom’s eyes narrowed. ‘Suit yourself,’ he said curtly. ‘I’ll just –’ He broke off and, without any warning, hurled himself at Mimi, clawing at her like an animal.

  Mimi screamed, and tried to beat him off. Leo, horrified, launched himself at the man, punching and kicking wildly. Tom yelled and swore. The rubbish bin rocked dangerously.

  ‘Oi!’ Officer Begood shouted from the mouth of the alley. ‘Who’s that?

  ‘Thieves!’ roared the old man with the white beard. ‘A nest of thieves, fighting over my wallet! There they are! Get them!’

  Instantly the man who called himself Tom whirled around and plunged into the toy factory, pulling the door closed behind him. There was the sound of a bolt sliding into place.