Tommy Randall and the Two Wise Hamsters
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Once upon a time, there was an ample boy called Tommy Randall. He was on the way to see his Maud Zeus when he decided to take a shortcut through Dallington Forest.
It wasn’t long before Tommy got lost. He looked around, but all he could see were trees. Nervously, he fell into his bag for his favorite toy, Dolly, but Dolly was nowhere to be found! Tommy began to panic. He felt sure he had packed Dolly. To make matters worse, he was starting to feel hungry.
Frustrated and terrified about where this mysterious forest might lead him, Tom threw his satchel down by an enormous tree stump and started chewing on some raw sticks. Suddenly, something moved in the shadows of one of the branches above… Tommy froze.
Something scurried through the leaves with terrifying speed. His legs turned weak as a wave of fear coursed up his spine. As suddenly as it came, the movement ceased and silence fell. For just a second Tommy thought that whatever it was may have gone, only to realize moments later that it must still be hiding somewhere nearby.
It took every ounce of strength left in him not to turn tail and run.
Slowly, so slowly, Tommy made himself walk forward towards where the movements had stopped. Now, if you look close enough at this next picture, can you see the small creature creeping out from behind its branch?
If I told you to reach inside your pocket and pull out ten pennies, how many would be sticking to your fingers afterward? Three or four is usually the answer, right? Well, now imagine doing the same thing five times over – that’s exactly what happened to Tommy.
All the way home, no matter which way he tried, money would keep falling off his hand. What do you think this means? Think hard. The answers will appear in my new book when it comes out!”
With these parting words, Tommy waved goodbye to Miss Perkins and left school for the day. Not long after leaving, he passed Mrs. Penelope Goudie standing outside her house looking very cross indeed. “And don’t let me catch you hanging around near our front door again,” she said.
“I’m sorry madam, ma’am,” Tommy mumbled quietly, pretending to go past her without stopping. However, there was not much chance of avoiding a lady who carried two heavy pails of water in each hand! And with a deep sigh, Tommy strode off home instead of dashing across the road like usual.
On the other side of the road stood his Aunt Martha in all her ragged finery and sour face glory. Tommy stared at her blankly as she banged loudly on his gate with a fistful of keys.
Eventually, the old woman pulled open the wooden door, thrusting them both inside. “Oh, come in here dear, you’ll freeze out there.” Aunt Martha closed the door behind her, pulling out a large steaming mug from the cupboard and handing it to young Tom, who had already begun shaking uncontrollably.
“I’ve saved the best until last,” announced Aunt Martha, while pointing angrily at three sacks that hung neatly beside the doorway. Inside were several pieces of bread, cheese, and milk. ‘Nice,’ thought Tommy as he tore straight into the loaf, cutting off the end and popping it quickly into his mouth.
After lunch, Tommy was allowed to use the bathtub – something he hadn’t done in a long, long time. He splashed merrily about and washed his hair thoroughly for the first time since he could remember. While his father and mother had always enjoyed bathing together in their big blue tub, Tom refused to share with anyone else.
Tommy felt clean for the first time in ages. So fresh that he wanted nothing more than to lay back and take a nap; unfortunately though, Tommy’s parents didn’t approve of afternoon naps. Before long Tommy found himself sitting in his own room once again, feeling bored.
Suddenly the idea occurred to him that he should write down everything that happened today, as well as describe Dolly for good measure. Somehow it seemed important for Tommy to record this adventure. He would forget most details in hours anyway. But by writing things down, somehow they became less threatening, becoming easier to understand and solve.
To start, Tommy drew a map of the area on the opposite page so that others would know where he had been. After scribbling away for a while, he put the book aside so he could continue his snoozing, only to find he couldn’t get up for the life of him! Reaching down carefully, he felt his way along the floor till he touched the cold, wet stone.
Whipping back the corner of his mattress, Tommy jumped back in horror: A blackish mass was stuck fast under his covers!
A creature wrapped tightly around him like some kind of nightmare spider. It writhed about violently, trying to break free but unable. Its bright purple eyes glared wildly into his own and its red tongue flickered excitedly over yellow teeth.
Its hands gripped frantically at the sheets and the bed frame until Tom realized that it had actually drawn itself through the straw in his mattress to reach him.
What made this thing even worse was that had crawled inside his mattress, it now appeared to have a human shape; meaning that it was one of those creatures that looked exactly like what they are, eternally trapped between worlds.
The reason why Tommy could see it clearly is that in reality, it had no eyeballs or ears. A tall thin man-like figure with just an assortment of sharp white teeth sticking out to either side of the narrow neck in its head.
It held onto his leg, biting firmly into the flesh beneath his skin whilst twisting viciously and continuously. Tommy cried out aloud, tugging on the covers in a futile attempt to pull it off, but the body continued to cling tightly to him until it had wriggled fully into the tiny space underneath his bed.
A moment later the creature had lifted its head up towards Tommy’s shoulder, opening wide its glistening black throat with rows and rows of pointed teeth. All Tommy needed to do next was press his ear against its hard chitinous chest, and listen closely. Deep within that darkness something huge, impossible to hear yet so close, began to speak.
“What did your new friend tell you?” asked the voice. Tommy was shocked but kept his cool. His parents probably wouldn’t believe him if he told them this right now.
“She said there were monsters hidden around the estate,” Tommy replied slowly. For several minutes, there was silence on the other end, until finally, the creature spoke again.
“How many had you seen before then?”
This question troubled young Tommy, though perhaps he shouldn’t have. He’d already visited the Forest after all… but that had been years ago. Most likely, the place had changed very little since his previous visit.
The headless monster wasn’t listening anymore, however. It was looking for prey nearby! Glancing along the dusty floor Tom noticed a pile of letters littering the area. Quickly crawling across the wooden beams he picked out the letter from The Captain’s headquarters.
Bending forward slightly, he read aloud ‘Captain’s Command.’ Though it was somewhat difficult due to the strange nature of these creatures’ minds, he still managed to make out enough words to recognize them as something relevant to the game. With great fear gripping his heart, he got to work.
Reading the list aloud took almost no effort at all. By the end, he had memorized the whole list, including each and every password he would need for future commands. At that point, Tommy knew he could trust this creature to serve him faithfully and follow the orders sent down to him. Now he just had to wait patiently for another set of instructions.
An hour passed during which time he could still feel the horrible creature clinging onto him through the sheets. Not to mention its incessant pulling, squeezing, and mauling, yet strangely Tom remained completely unaware of how rough his bedsheets were getting.
In fact, the only things Tommy cared about were finishing his letter and leaving the house. As soon as he finished, he unrolled the paper and began drawing what had just happened; making sure to draw in detail each and every one of those terrifying, unspeakable monsters hidden deep within the forest.
***
The next day, Tommy ran over to the park and made straight for the tree. Luckily there weren’t any guards so far from the entrance this time which meant he could climb without being stopped. Within moments he was high above, looking out at the road below.
With a nervous smile, he descended slowly to the ground before hiding himself among a pile of leaves near the edge of the trees. From here he watched silently as a group of people in tweed coats went past on their daily walk. Once they had gone, he was finally able to relax a little more. Then the unthinkable happened…
In a split second, the leafy canopy seemed to snap together with a loud crack! Following behind was a swarm of three dozen hornet-like creatures heading straight for him. Without hesitation, Tommy sprung to action, weaving through the trees until he reached safety.
Phew… Those things are really annoying! If I’m lucky not too many might have seen me. But then something even worse occurred. One of the buzzing insects flew over the path before landing back on top of Tommy’s pile of clothes.
Before he had time to react, it buzzed angrily before flying away somewhere else. Still, a bit shaken by the whole experience, Tommy left immediately, rushing home and bursting into tears when he realized he still hadn’t written his letter.
Only after returning a few hours later did he realize why everything was different. Through the window, he saw everyone running towards him, screaming frantically. Some were even throwing rocks or sticks. Soon the entire street was full of angry shouting.
Were they chasing someone? Tommy couldn’t see anyone amongst them. Instead, he thought back to the two monsters he’d met earlier. Oh well, it doesn’t matter who they’re following. Maybe there will be some good news once I finish my letter… He put pen to paper and began writing quickly.
Tommy waited anxiously for his reply. Many days passed and yet he received nothing. During that time, he worked relentlessly on the estate, becoming captain of several different teams and gathering prizes for his father’s work. Yet still, no response came.
Nothing ever seems to go his way anymore! Perhaps my mission is over! Feeling depressed, he prepared for bed one evening when the familiar buzzing sound pierced his ears. Had the creatures decided to send Tommy another task while he was sleeping?!
Quickly swinging round, he saw the creature circling overhead. Its sharp yellow eyes scanned the building. Almost instinctively Tommy backed up until the wall came into view, desperately wishing for protection.
To his dismay, the beast landed right beside the building and let out an evil cackle. Looking at him dead on, the thing examined each and every inch of him for several long seconds. All the while humming menacingly to itself. Finally, it gave the slightest shake of its head.
No new orders were needed. Just as Tommy started to relax, the creature lunged forwards! Instinctively he rolled under the desk while holding his breath as tightly as possible. His head was buried in a huge stack of papers where he tried vainly to concentrate on keeping quiet.
This continued for several agonizing minutes while his mind raced furiously. Then, much to his relief, the creature disappeared for good. Shaken but elated, he headed for the door where he discovered two creatures waiting for him.
One he recognized as the one who first entered his house with such fanfare. The other, though smaller in stature, looked extremely dangerous. Yet despite these fears, he dared not run, instead looking closely at the creature with a suspicious gaze. However, as soon as he opened his mouth, a fearful cry echoed off the walls. It was as if his very soul was calling out to help. What followed was like witnessing magic…
At least you’re still alive, the smaller monster spoke directly to his mind. Just one day ago I would’ve assumed that you were already lying dead on the floor, he added. That means we’ll have to do this again tomorrow, however, which brings us to today’s mission:
We need to find out what your home looks like. You can start by taking us inside and showing us around, said the larger and meaner one. Sounds easy enough.
I’ll just take a quick look. Before entering the house, he quickly changed his clothes and hid the clothes he had worn previously. Then he walked into the living room before opening the curtains and making sure everything was exactly how it had been last week.
Pleased with how things appeared, he turned back to his guests only for them both to be knocked to the ground as two giant men jumped down onto the scene! Before they could get away, he pinned them both against the sofa.
No matter their intentions, now wasn’t the time for it. Noticing they were far taller than him, Tommy lifted his arm so the two were pressed firmly between it and the sofa.
There was little escape available as his hands moved faster, sending painful jabs through them before grabbing hold of their throats. One got free momentarily but was unable to fight back in time. Both stared hopelessly at the end of his fingers – until he threw them into the garden.