Monster Mission

It was clear that the poor little scraps had been abominably treated. They had not been allowed to clean their teeth and been given sweets which tasted nasty—drugged ones, the policewoman was sure. All the way they had whimpered and complained and it was clear that the aunts who had held them were as evil and dangerous as everyone imagined.

But of course the muddle took some time to sort out. The tax inspector had to come from Newcastle upon Tyne to fetch his children and no one knew whether the T-shirts and the chocolate bars should be given to them or kept for when the other children came. And the whole business of capturing the vile kidnappers and the children that they were holding had still to be done.

But it couldn’t be done at once because a great fog had come down, covering the Western coast and making it impossible for helicopters to take off, or ships to move. The prisoners had been in the hold of the Hurricane for several hours when they heard the engine judder into life.

Soon they would be off, and then … Nobody put into words what would happen once they were out in the Atlantic, but all of them knew. Why should Sprott let them live to tell the world what he had done.

In a corner, Minette was talking quietly to Fabio.

‘If I could get to the kraken … just for a few minutes?’

Fabio shrugged. ‘How would it help? We’ve nothing to cut him free with.’

‘I’ve got an idea. It might not work, but we’ve got nothing to lose.’

‘What sort of an idea?’

Minette looked round. The aunts were dozing, their backs against the wall; the worm was curled round himself like a piece of worn-out hosepipe …

She moved closer to Fabio and whispered in his ear.

Fabio looked doubtful. ‘Remember what Aunt Etta said—that they can’t do it till they’re ready.’

‘Yes, I know—but once or twice when he’s been learning a song, I thought… And anything’s better than nothing.’

‘All right,’ said Fabio. ‘Let me think.’

He sat for a while with his head in his hands. Then he went over to speak to Herbert who nodded and went over to the mermaids’ tank.

‘I can’t,’ they heard poor Queenie say. ‘I haven’t the heart.’

But Herbert was firm: ‘I’m afraid you must,’ he said in his sensible voice.

An hour later Des came down the ladder with some bread and a bucketful of drinking water and as he did so, Queenie called to him.

‘Des,’ she trilled. ‘Could you come here a minute?’

He put down his bucket and sidled past Herbert. He could never be sure whether this was or wasn’t the man who had tried to strangle him on the point—it had been too dark to see his face—but Herbert gave him the creeps.

‘I’ve got ever such a painful place here in my back,’ Queenie went on. ‘Would you come and look, please?’

Des bent over her and Queenie tossed her hair so that it fell over his face.

‘No, not there,’ she fluted. ‘You show him, Oona.’

It was only thinking of the kraken that gave Oona the courage to come closer to the man with his horrible hot breath, but she did it, and she too tossed her long thick hair so that Des was completely covered in the mermaids’ tresses.

‘Where?’ he kept saying. ‘Where does it hurt?’

Only Boris was guarding the hatch—Casimir wasn’t good for much since Dorothy had broken his nose—and Fabio now climbed up the ladder. ‘Help,’ he shouted. ‘The mermaids are being pestered. Send someone down!’

Sprott heard him and was furious. He had forbidden the men to go near the twins.

‘What’s going on there?’ he yelled and, as Boris turned, Fabio dodged round behind him running towards the deckhouse, while down below the mermaids began to scream.

The chase did not last long—Boris caught Fabio and almost threw him down into the hold. But Minette had been behind Fabio and managed to slip out unseen in the muddle and the fog, and make her way to where the captured kraken lay.

The kraken lay tethered and dangerously still. He still breathed but only just; his eyes were closed.

She tiptoed forward and laid her cheek against his head, and her tears fell on his face.

But Minette had not escaped from below deck to cry. She had only a few minutes to do what she had set herself to do.

‘You mustn’t give in like this,’ she said into his ear. ‘It’s wrong. You’re a brave and important person. You have to fight back.’

The kraken tried to turn his head but the ropes bit into his throat. She saw the look in his golden eyes and her heart sank. But she wouldn’t seem to be sorry for him; that was not the way.

‘You must remember who you are,’ she said sternly.

The little kraken sniffed and was silent.

‘You must think of your father,’ she went on.

‘Father,’ said the kraken. He seemed a little stronger when he said that and she could see he was thinking of the mighty creature who had given him life.

‘That’s right.’ Minette followed this up. ‘What does your father do?’

The little kraken sighed. It was a heartbreaking sound, as though all the sorrow in the world was coming out of his throat.

‘Go on. Think,’ prompted Minette.

The kraken sighed again. He was not good at simply thinking. Then:

‘Smiles,’ he said.