Polly Pippin and The Tunnel of Death (22 page)

'You know Polly, things have not been right
since we met Mr Brad Capriole and his cronies.'

'That's true. Come on Alison it's time we
started to turn the tables on that old gypsy and her black basket.
I'm going to throw them both out.'

'Sounds good to me,' Alison said as she ran
to the door. 'Come on Manx, Minx.'

They ran back into the house prepared for a
fight and were surprised to find it empty. Both the gypsy and the
paper man were gone.

~

Headed by Lily and India, the girls crowded
round Polly and Alison. 'We were so worried, but Fifi was happy, so
it reassured us. Anyway, where did you get to?'

The black basket still sat in the middle of
the table, looking like a picnic basket and not at all
threatening.

'Has anyone opened the black basket?' Alison
asked urgency in her voice.

'India thought about it,' Lily said. 'She's
fearless.'

'Had Polly been here, they would already
have had their greedy little hands in it,' Gemma said.

'Come on you lot. Sreip told us we must not
open the basket, or he will skin us alive,' Alison reprimanded.

'Still, it would be nice to know,' Lucy's
little voice came from behind Lily.

'Lucy, shut up you little pain in the -'

'I was only joking,' said the youngest
twin.

'Look!' screamed Gemma, pulling everyone's
attention back to the big black basket on the table. They were all
dumbstruck as they watched the two Liddles sniff around it and
disappeared. Polly was at the basket in a second, trying to open
it. 'Minx! Manx!' she desperately called.

'Don't open the basket!' screamed Alison.
The basket opened just a little and was trying to suck Polly in.
India and Lucy, who were closest, grabbed hold of her.

'No!' screamed Lily as they were all sucked
into the basket just before the lid snapped shut.

The lid was tightly closed. Lily screamed.
'Get a knife or screwdriver!'

Fifi jumped up on the table and sniffed at
the opening.

'Get away, Fifi!' Alison went to grab her,
but she was seconds late. The little dog was gone.

'I am sick to death of everyone
disappearing,' Alison said, as she dropped to her knees, her head
in her hands sobbing.

The tunnel of death

Steve opened his eyes. 'Where the effing
hell are we? I have been involuntarily transported here, and my
life has been put in the most horrendous danger. This sort of thing
just does not happen in the real world. I'm either having a
nightmare, or I'm dead - one or the other. Right now, I wouldn't
care which one, so long as I knew.'

Suddenly, a rush of icy cold wind blew
toward him, carrying with it three coloured bundles. They rolled
towards him like tumbleweed and stopped right in front of him. He
thought they were bombs, so tightly closed his eyes, waiting for
the explosion.

'It can't be,' said Hamish. 'It is! It's
Polly, India, Lucy and a little dog.'

Fifi immediately jumped between the girls
and the men, growling like a pack of Rottweiler's. Polly picked her
up, calmed her down and ran to Hamish.

Hamish threw his arms around the girls.

'Thank goodness! You're alive Hamish!' said
Polly.

'What are you doing here?' Hamish started to
cry with relief.

'Where are we?' Polly asked.

'I'm not sure - probably Iceland. But,
Polly, how did you get here?'

'You won't believe it, Hamish. We were
sucked into a gypsy basket. Well, we weren't, I was. Brave little
India and Lucy here grabbed me and tried to pull me out.'

Steve, forgetting his meltdown, turned to
Hamish with a look that said, "see what I mean?"

'A gypsy basket Polly? A gypsy basket?'
Hamish repeated.

Steve snorted. 'A gypsy basket?'

'Well, how did you get here, Steve?' Polly
asked, and poked out her tongue.

Hamish knew he would have to step in. There
would be bloodshed if Steve pushed his luck. 'I was in the plane on
the way to Iceland, and to cut a long story short, ended up in a
shack with Steve and Piers.'

'Piers? Is Piers here?' Polly looked
round.

'He was, but he didn't get through to the
tunnel like us. The entrance closed over and left him behind. We
tried to get back, but it was no use. We could hear him faintly
calling, but it was through solid rock. I felt bad, so I waited for
him just in case the tunnel opened again. I didn't like the fact he
was on his own, it must have been dreadful for him.'

'Alright, alright. Fond hellos are over,'
Steve said. He was back to his old selfish self. 'I think it's
about time we got moving.'

Polly was beside herself.' Shouldn't we wait
in case the wall opens again?' Polly cried.

'Here five minutes and already taking over,
little Polly?' Steve said with a snigger. 'Little madam.'

Fifi growled as Steve walked close to Polly.
'It's okay, Fifi. I'm not frightened of him.' She pushed Steve.
'Back off, you.'

~

Despite the obvious controversy, it was
decided they would at least have a look down further down the
tunnel. Hamish went through the bundles and found warm clothing for
the girls, and Polly fashioned a coat out of a warm woollen hat for
Fifi. And finally, everything was organised. The men and Lucy were
carrying the bundles. Polly made a baby carry sling for Fifi and
held India's hand. In single file, they set off with Steve leading
and Hamish bringing up the rear. The further they got down the
tunnel, the warmer it got, and one by one, they took off the
clothes they had piled on. A sudden right-angle turn and the tunnel
came to an abrupt end.

'This is just like a B-grade movie,' Lucy
said.

'Will someone do something to shut that
idiot girl up?' said Steve.

Polly, who was walking right behind him,
poked him hard in the back. 'That's the first time she's spoken, so
shut up yourself. Who wants to hear what you have to say, moron?'
she said under her breath.

Steve heard the word 'moron.' No one had
ever called him a moron before. He stopped dead, and everyone
bumped into the one in front. He turned, and all the hate and
jealousy he had always felt for Polly burst its banks. 'Ever since
you came into my life, it's been one disaster after another.' He
lunged at Polly to give her a good hard shake.

Any feeling of camaraderie Hamish felt for
Steve fell to the dusty floor. He was going to thump him for trying
to attack his sister, but was trapped behind the girls. But Fifi
jumped out of her sling and ran at Steve, she jumped high, grabbed
his little finger and bit down on it as hard as she could. Steve
shook the dog off, yelling, 'Ouch! Ouch! It bit me! The bloody
thing bit me!'

Hamish was still trying to push past Lucy,
Polly and India. He yelled, 'you bastard! Don't you dare touch my
sister.' But his words were lost as a strange sound shut them all
up.

'That sounds like a helicopter,' said
Hamish.

'Backup! Backup!' Steve, who was first in
the firing line, screamed and with a great deal of difficulty, they
all turned to run back. Much to their dismay, they were facing
solid rock, the tunnel had closed behind them

'Get behind me!' Hamish yelled at Polly,
India and Lucy, but it was impossible, the tunnel was only a
body-width wide.

Hamish was frantic. 'I'll squat down. You
crawl over me.'

'Good idea, Hamish!' yelled Steve. 'Lucy,
hurry! Hurry!' Lucy grabbed Hamish's jumper, and as Polly lifted
and pushed, she levered herself over. She landed face first on the
floor behind him. 'Ouch, that hurt!' Lucy rubbed her face and her
elbow.

'Move India, move!' Steve was pushing her as
hard as he could he was anxious to get behind all of them.

Everyone was terrified, and as Polly bent to
clamber over her brother's back, the little dog ran, barking and
growling, at the oncoming noise.

'Fifi, get back here!' The little dog did
not move but stood rigid, barking even more loudly. Shouting
loudly, Polly repeated the command. 'Fifi, get back here! Now!'
Fifi immediately responded, ran back and jumped into her little
sling.

~

The noise immediately stopped. 'What an
obedient little dog, it's a shame we have to liquidate her.' A
dismembered voice came through the now eerie silence and penetrated
the ears of everyone in the group.

'Over my dead body!' Polly yelled back.

'Probably.' The word was followed by a
hideous, cackling laugh.

'I said "over my dead body" to them once,'
said Hamish.

'Really? When?' Polly asked.

'It was when I was on my way to Iceland…'
and Hamish started to ramble about his capture.

'Shut up, Hamish. We are not here to discuss
your non-existent future.'

'We will discuss nothing with you!' Polly
shouted. 'And frightened to show yourselves are you? You
cowards.'

~

Clang! A wall of steel bars fell down
directly in front of them, closing them together so they could
hardly move. Almost immediately, a heavy black sack fell over their
heads to their shoulders, trapping their arms to their
fingertips.

'Well done, Polly. My sincere thanks - Not.'
Steve's muffled voice came from beneath his sack.

'Shut up, pig's bottom!' Polly shouted back.
'India, are you okay?'

'Polly, I think I'm in a sack, and I don't
like it.'

'Shut up, all of you, and listen very
carefully.' The menacing voice continued, 'Any backchat or talking
to each other, and I will kill the little dog, and then one of you…
probably the child.' Polly stiffened but did not say another
word.

'Time to see which one of you is going to
die. If anyone dares to enter the Tunnel of Death, it always claims
a life. So this question is for all of you, except the child… she
is worthless, perhaps you should choose her. Just think about your
answer. Oh dear, Polly, I can read your mind, so don't even think
about escaping, you silly girl. I will kill that little dog you are
so attached to… and maybe the child as well.'

Polly tried to clear her mind.

'Hamish, Steve, Lucy and Polly, one of you
has to die… very painfully, I might add. The rest of you will be
forced to watch, and it will be very gory. Now for the good news.
You have the choice, which one lives or dies. So think! '

Steve was terrified - he was convinced they
would all choose him. He wished he had been nicer.

A few minutes went by. Eventually the voice
said, 'I have your answers.'

'So,' said Hamish, 'who is it going to
be?'

A noose dropped over his head and tightened.
'I love you, Polly!' he shouted. 'Okay, I'm ready to die,' he
added.

'Do what? Wait a minute! Hamish, have you
got a noose round your neck?' Polly asked.

'Yes, and it's bloody tight.'

'Wait, so have I.'

'I have a rope round my neck,' Steve called
out.

'So do I,' Lucy said.

'I don't have one,' said little India.

'So, we all have a noose, except the kid,'
said Steve, and for the first time in his life he was humbled and
grateful. No one must have voted for him.

'You are an incredible lot, you Earthbeings…
so selfless. I suppose you all want to know the result, so this is
it. For one of you, it will be your last little journey in life. So
let's see who the lucky winner is. First, Hamish, and… Hamish has
nominated himself. And, this is a bit of a surprise Steve nominated
himself, which proves there is a little bit of good in all of us.
So it's up to you girls. First, the kid.'

'Stop calling her a kid, and she's not in
the vote.'

'Polly shut up. India isn't in the vote she
hasn't a noose.' Hamish said.

'Well well, your brother is quite bright
Polly. It will be a shame if he is chosen. Now quiet while I read
out the results.' Hamish had his fingers crossed it would be
him.

'Lucy, now who did you vote for? Lucy, you
nominated yourself. What a nice little girl you are as well. Polly,
you have the deciding vote.' The voice hesitated. 'You voted for no
one. So you have to die.'

India burst into tears. 'It's okay Indi.
I'll be okay,' Polly tried to console her little sister.

'No, no!' Hamish screamed. 'Take me, take
me!' He attempted to fight his way out of the sack. Lucy was also
struggling and yelling "no". Steve kept deathly quiet, hoping the
voice would forget all about him.

~

'There is a way out,' said the voice, and
suddenly the nooses and the sacks covering them lifted as quickly
as they had been dropped. Standing in front of them was a Rebel as
handsome as any god. Behind him were more Rebels - men and girls
who were equally as beautiful.

'So, am I going to get the beautiful woman
treatment again?' said Hamish.

'What do you mean, Hamish?' said Polly. 'The
beautiful woman treatment?'

'Well, as I was telling you, when I was on
the way over here.'

'Quiet!' the man boomed out.

'I'll tell you later,' Hamish said quickly,
adding. 'You said you had a way out,' he challenged.

'For Polly, yes I do.'

The steel bars lifted, and the tunnel slowly
lit.

'Please, please come in.' A handsome Rebel
walked towards Polly and went to take her arm. Polly violently
pulled her arm away and shot him a filthy look. She took India's
hand as they walked in as the tunnel widened. Fifi sniffed at every
corner and every piece of furniture.

'Sit please, I am so sorry you were
subjected to that treatment, my men are sometimes a little over
zealous. The food is for you, but first we must talk.'

Everyone was very suspicious and nervous.
'We are not hungry, thank you very much.' Hamish stood.

'Hamish, do I have to remind you? Your
sister's neck is on the chopping block.'

'Sorry, I… '

'Don't apologise for me,' Polly shot
back.