The Monsters of Rookhaven, стр. 27

Piglet

Piglet is surprised when the door opens. It hasn’t been opened in a very, very long time.

He is even more surprised when he sees the boy standing there, mouth agape.

The boy is new. When the boy looks up at him, Piglet can see the terror in his eyes.

‘Oh no, no,’ the boy says, his voice catching in his throat. And Piglet tilts his head and wonders what it might be that has frightened him so.

The boy backs away, but it seems as if he has forgotten how to use his legs, and he stutters and stumbles backwards, then falls to the floor.

‘No, please,’ he moans.

Piglet feels something. He feels . . .

He has to think about this.

Piglet feels sorry for him.

Piglet knows that the boy is not simply terrified now; the fact is the boy is terrified all the time. Piglet can see it in his green eyes, and in the lines that have appeared on a face that is much too young for them. Piglet sighs in compassion.

But Piglet is also hungry.

Oh, so very hungry.

And the door is open.

There is only one thing to do.

And when he does it, the boy screams.

Mirabelle

Mirabelle had instinctively grabbed Jem’s hand, and they’d both dashed into the deepest part of the house with the others in hot pursuit. She had never seen Piglet’s door open before, but here it stood now, swinging on its great brass hinges, a soft murmurous breeze emanating from the cool interior, the scent of damp earth wafting out from the centuries-old blackness and a large skeleton key angled awkwardly in the lock.

The stunned silence felt like nails across Mirabelle’s soul. Bertram had reverted to his human aspect and was leaning against the wall, inconsolable, as tears streamed down his face. Both Dotty and Daisy were clutching each other and weeping. Even Gideon had heard the commotion and was rocking fretfully back and forth in the dark behind them.

A frozen Enoch blinked rapidly for a few moments, while Eliza placed a gentle hand on his arm, her other hand covering her mouth in shock.

Jem broke the silence.

‘Where is he? Where’s Tom?’

She was white-faced, frantic. Mirabelle didn’t know what to say to her.

‘We should close it,’ Enoch said quietly.

Bertram laughed bitterly through his tears. ‘It’s a bit late for that now, isn’t it?’

Jem stood in front of Enoch. ‘Where is he? What’s happened to my brother?’

Mirabelle felt a fierce stab of pride as she watched her friend confront Enoch.

Enoch tilted his head and looked at Jem as if he’d come across a strange specimen of flower and wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. His expression was almost one of pity. Mirabelle wanted to slap him.

Enoch shook his head. ‘Piglet is free. You have no idea what that means.’

‘Where is he? Where’s Tom?’ Jem screamed.

Enoch turned away from her and gestured towards the open door. Both Dotty and Daisy stepped forward and pushed the door closed. It slammed shut with a great iron clang.

‘Where is my brother?’ Jem pleaded, grabbing Mirabelle’s arm.

Eliza pointed towards the other end of the corridor. ‘There’s a door that way. It leads up and out.’

‘Don’t worry. We’ll find him. He’ll be fine,’ said Mirabelle, trying her best to sound reassuring and hoping that the fear she felt wasn’t betrayed by her eyes.

She turned to Enoch.

‘We have to find Piglet.’

Bertram whimpered, and Enoch shook his head. ‘I won’t allow it. Confronting Piglet would be too risky for any of us. We must stay here within the confines of the estate.’

Mirabelle spluttered in disbelief. ‘We can’t just let him escape. We have to find him and bring him back!’

‘But Piglet is dangerous,’ Bertram moaned, cramming his knuckles against his mouth.

‘Bertram is correct,’ said Eliza.

Mirabelle couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She looked from one to the other, and each of them looked terrified, even Eliza. She was so angry now, there was a rushing whooshing sound in her ears.

‘He can’t be allowed to roam free. He can’t.’

Enoch closed his eyes and sighed. ‘Mirabelle, you need to understand . . .’

Mirabelle stepped towards Enoch. ‘You’re afraid of him,’ she growled.

Enoch looked as if he’d been slapped.

Mirabelle grabbed Jem’s hand. ‘We’re going to find Tom and Piglet and bring them both back.’

‘You will do no such thing!’ Enoch shouted.

Mirabelle gave an angry, defiant smile. ‘Oh yes we will.’

‘Mirabelle, you can’t,’ Eliza pleaded.

‘She can and she will,’ said a voice behind Mirabelle.

Odd stepped from the shadows and Mirabelle felt the sudden urge to run to him and hug him.

Odd fixed Enoch with a determined look. ‘She’ll find them.’

Enoch looked unconvinced. ‘And how, pray tell, will she accomplish this if she can’t leave the grounds?’

Odd gave a dismissive shrug. His hands were clasped behind his back. ‘She’ll leave. She just won’t do it through the front door.’

Mirabelle had spotted Odd making circles in the air with the little finger of his right hand. She grabbed Jem just as she felt the cold air behind her. She saw Enoch’s eyes widen as he looked over her shoulder, saw the look of determination on Odd’s face as he wheeled round and then pushed both her and Jem through the portal that had formed behind them.

There was a sudden popping sound, and the sensation of being squeezed through a tiny gap, and Mirabelle felt herself propelled forward at impossible speed . . .

She gasped as her lungs filled with cold night air. She was surrounded by trees and the night sky above her was sprinkled with stars. She tottered backwards as if she’d been kicked, but