Here is a case unprecedented
The others were staring. “They’re all mad,” Kath said scathingly.
Ruth shook her head. She recognised her dream in Mick’s description. “it’s the truth,” she said. “Come and see.”
“You expect us to believe in some kind of Narnia?” Emma said, incredulous.
“What kind of mushrooms have you been eating?” Ernest asked.
“Come and see for yourselves,” Tom repeated. “But if we hadn’t found a way to somewhere else, how do you explain Mick?” Everyone looked at Mick in silence.
There was a roaring sound far off in the trees.
“What’s disturbed them?” Rachel said. “They don’t normally make much noise this time of day.” Ruth looked at Mick, who was quivering in fright.
“What is it?” she said.
“The noises,” he says. “It attacked.”
“What, the monkeys?” Sophie said.
“No, no, the noises!” Mick said.
Ruth looked at him and was worried that perhaps there was something wrong with him. Perhaps the strain of the crash and whatever had happened afterwards had been too much. As much as she didn’t want to, she knew they had to go back through and search the other island.
It wasn’t long before everyone was climbing up to the cave. Mick hadn’t wanted to come back with them, but had finally been persuaded.
“I still want to know what you’ve been eating, or drinking,” Ernest said as he squeezed into the passage at the back of the cave. Tom had made sure everybody checked to see that there was no second cave next door. Then, one by one, they went through.
“Oh my,” Emma exclaimed as she emerged on the other side.
“So you were right,” Jack said. “Well, I’d never have believed it if I hadn’t seen it.”
Mick was looking round cautiously, as if he expected someone to jump out on him already. “Shouldn’t stay here,” he said. “Monster will see us.”
“Monster?” Kath said. “Ok, maybe we are in a parallel universe or something stupid, but there’s no way you’re going to make me believe in some scary long-toothed and sharp-clawed prehistoric monster wandering around.”
Ruth ignored her and turned to Mick. “Can you show us where you were when the monster attacked?” she asked gently. He nodded, and led them off down the hill.
The others all followed, some quiet in wonder, some loudly discussing what on earth had happened. Mick led them towards where their camp would have been if they had been on their island. Ruth looked around, trying to remember her dream. Then Patrick, behind her, tripped over something and almost fell. He moved away some strands of creeper to see what it was.
“Oh,” he said. Ruth turned and looked down.
“Oh,” she said, feeling sick. She looked round. David and Becky were nearby, heading towards them.
“Don’t look,” she said to them. “It’s not- nice.” But David wouldn’t listen. He came over to where she was standing and looked down. Then he turned away and was sick. Becky went over to him and glanced down before quickly turning away too.
“What is it?” Rachel asked, coming over to Ruth. She shook her head and bent down to pull the creepers back over the horrible sight.
“How long ago did the monster attack you?” she asked Mick, who was cowering next to a tree.
“Days ago,” he said. “Lost count.”
“We’d better search the area, see if there’s any- anything else,” Ruth said. She looked across at David and Becky, who were being comforted by Emma and Ernest. What was hidden below the creepers had obviously been there some days. She was beginning to understand why Mick had gone almost mad.
It had been exactly like her dream. The monster in that had attacked Becky, and David had refused to leave her and had attacked him too. They must have been killed quickly.
Another realisation hit her. In that dream, she had been injured by the monster. She had run until she had fallen unconscious- and then she had woken up. At least, she had. What about her alternative self? Was she somewhere on the island, injured and alone? Or had she died too? Mick had said he that everyone had gone. Had she- her other self- never woken up after falling unconscious? Had the monster caught up with her, or had she died from her injuries? Ruth knew that however horrible what she had just seen was, she couldn’t just tamely go back to their own island now. She had to find out what had happened to her alternative self.
But others were not so determined. When she turned back to the main group after searching the camp site area, an argument had already begun.
“I’m not staying here,” David was saying. “We’re going back. “
“But what about the other people who were here- what if they’re still alive and need help?” Rachel said. “We’ve got to look for them, at least.”
“Have you seen yourself dead?” David demanded. “I have. This place is a nightmare. We shouldn’t even be here, it’s just an accident of physics or something.”
“David’s kind of right,” Emma said. “This isn’t our world, we’re not responsible for what happens here. We could even be doing damage by interfering.”
“But these people are us,” Ruth said. “If it was the other way round, wouldn’t you hope they’d help you?”
“But what can we do anyway? Mick’s already looked and can’t find them,” Emma replied.
“And even if we did, how could we help? We can’t even help ourselves get off the island,” continued David. “Most likely we’d just all get killed too, and I’m not hanging around for that to happen.” He and Becky turned round and set off for the cave.
“We can’t just abandon them,” Tom said.
“What about Mick?” Rachel asked. “We can’t just leave him on his own.”
“He can come back through to our world,” Emma said. “But there’s nothing else we can do.”
“We don’t know that until we’ve looked,” Ruth said.
“Well then, you stay if you must,” Emma said. “But we’re going back. Come on guys.” She turned to head back to the cave. Ernest gave the others a somewhat apologetic glance but followed her along with most of the others.
The story continues...
The others were staring. “They’re all mad,” Kath said scathingly.
Ruth shook her head. She recognised her dream in Mick’s description. “it’s the truth,” she said. “Come and see.”
“You expect us to believe in some kind of Narnia?” Emma said, incredulous.
“What kind of mushrooms have you been eating?” Ernest asked.
“Come and see for yourselves,” Tom repeated. “But if we hadn’t found a way to somewhere else, how do you explain Mick?” Everyone looked at Mick in silence.
There was a roaring sound far off in the trees.
“What’s disturbed them?” Rachel said. “They don’t normally make much noise this time of day.” Ruth looked at Mick, who was quivering in fright.
“What is it?” she said.
“The noises,” he says. “It attacked.”
“What, the monkeys?” Sophie said.
“No, no, the noises!” Mick said.
Ruth looked at him and was worried that perhaps there was something wrong with him. Perhaps the strain of the crash and whatever had happened afterwards had been too much. As much as she didn’t want to, she knew they had to go back through and search the other island.
It wasn’t long before everyone was climbing up to the cave. Mick hadn’t wanted to come back with them, but had finally been persuaded.
“I still want to know what you’ve been eating, or drinking,” Ernest said as he squeezed into the passage at the back of the cave. Tom had made sure everybody checked to see that there was no second cave next door. Then, one by one, they went through.
“Oh my,” Emma exclaimed as she emerged on the other side.
“So you were right,” Jack said. “Well, I’d never have believed it if I hadn’t seen it.”
Mick was looking round cautiously, as if he expected someone to jump out on him already. “Shouldn’t stay here,” he said. “Monster will see us.”
“Monster?” Kath said. “Ok, maybe we are in a parallel universe or something stupid, but there’s no way you’re going to make me believe in some scary long-toothed and sharp-clawed prehistoric monster wandering around.”
Ruth ignored her and turned to Mick. “Can you show us where you were when the monster attacked?” she asked gently. He nodded, and led them off down the hill.
The others all followed, some quiet in wonder, some loudly discussing what on earth had happened. Mick led them towards where their camp would have been if they had been on their island. Ruth looked around, trying to remember her dream. Then Patrick, behind her, tripped over something and almost fell. He moved away some strands of creeper to see what it was.
“Oh,” he said. Ruth turned and looked down.
“Oh,” she said, feeling sick. She looked round. David and Becky were nearby, heading towards them.
“Don’t look,” she said to them. “It’s not- nice.” But David wouldn’t listen. He came over to where she was standing and looked down. Then he turned away and was sick. Becky went over to him and glanced down before quickly turning away too.
“What is it?” Rachel asked, coming over to Ruth. She shook her head and bent down to pull the creepers back over the horrible sight.
“How long ago did the monster attack you?” she asked Mick, who was cowering next to a tree.
“Days ago,” he said. “Lost count.”
“We’d better search the area, see if there’s any- anything else,” Ruth said. She looked across at David and Becky, who were being comforted by Emma and Ernest. What was hidden below the creepers had obviously been there some days. She was beginning to understand why Mick had gone almost mad.
It had been exactly like her dream. The monster in that had attacked Becky, and David had refused to leave her and had attacked him too. They must have been killed quickly.
Another realisation hit her. In that dream, she had been injured by the monster. She had run until she had fallen unconscious- and then she had woken up. At least, she had. What about her alternative self? Was she somewhere on the island, injured and alone? Or had she died too? Mick had said he that everyone had gone. Had she- her other self- never woken up after falling unconscious? Had the monster caught up with her, or had she died from her injuries? Ruth knew that however horrible what she had just seen was, she couldn’t just tamely go back to their own island now. She had to find out what had happened to her alternative self.
But others were not so determined. When she turned back to the main group after searching the camp site area, an argument had already begun.
“I’m not staying here,” David was saying. “We’re going back. “
“But what about the other people who were here- what if they’re still alive and need help?” Rachel said. “We’ve got to look for them, at least.”
“Have you seen yourself dead?” David demanded. “I have. This place is a nightmare. We shouldn’t even be here, it’s just an accident of physics or something.”
“David’s kind of right,” Emma said. “This isn’t our world, we’re not responsible for what happens here. We could even be doing damage by interfering.”
“But these people are us,” Ruth said. “If it was the other way round, wouldn’t you hope they’d help you?”
“But what can we do anyway? Mick’s already looked and can’t find them,” Emma replied.
“And even if we did, how could we help? We can’t even help ourselves get off the island,” continued David. “Most likely we’d just all get killed too, and I’m not hanging around for that to happen.” He and Becky turned round and set off for the cave.
“We can’t just abandon them,” Tom said.
“What about Mick?” Rachel asked. “We can’t just leave him on his own.”
“He can come back through to our world,” Emma said. “But there’s nothing else we can do.”
“We don’t know that until we’ve looked,” Ruth said.
“Well then, you stay if you must,” Emma said. “But we’re going back. Come on guys.” She turned to head back to the cave. Ernest gave the others a somewhat apologetic glance but followed her along with most of the others.
The story continues...
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