Toad Away (14 page)

Limpy was impressed. This ancient human really did possess ancient wisdom.

The old man smiled and winked at them.

“Have you got something in your eye?” said Goliath. “I've got some mucus here that's really good for getting grit out.”

“No thanks,” said the ancient human. “I'm fine. But you're obviously not or you wouldn't have come to see me.”

Limpy opened his mouth to explain their quest, but before he could start he saw something so amazing, so incredible, that the words jammed in his throat.

Hanging on the wall behind the ancient human was a necklace.

Charm's necklace.

Limpy leapt past the old man, snatched the necklace off its hook, and examined it more closely.

It was identical to the one Aunty Pru had given Charm. Woven from spiderwebs with dried mouse eyes threaded on it.

Limpy was about to demand to know what Charm's necklace was doing there when he saw something even more amazing and incredible.

Hanging on other hooks on the wall were other necklaces.

Exactly the same as the one in his hand.

Limpy struggled to speak.

“These … these necklaces. Where did you get them?”

The ancient human gave a gentle smile. “They're traditional,” he said. “Folks around here have been wearing them since time began.”

Limpy struggled to take this in.

“Are there many of them?” he asked.

“Yes,” said the ancient human. “Everyone's got them. I've got six.”

Suddenly Limpy's mind was racing.

The necklace he'd found in the mud.

Perhaps it wasn't Charm's.

Perhaps she wasn't dead.

Limpy saw that the ancient human was watching him, still smiling.

“The necklace you found was one of mine,” said the ancient human. “I hung it on a bulldozer to try to remind the driver that his ancestors came from this forest.”

Limpy stared at the ancient human.

He wanted to shout with joy. He wanted to swing from the roof rafters and beat his chest and yodel with joy.

Instead he grabbed Goliath.

“Those necklaces,” Goliath was saying with a frown.“I've seen one of those somewhere before.”

“Goliath,” said Limpy. “Charm's not dead. The necklace I found in the clearing wasn't hers.”

Goliath stared at him, the news slowly sinking in.

“Where is she?” he said.

“I don't know,” said Limpy.

He pictured Charm somewhere in the jungle, lost and scared, with monkeys throwing things at her and jaguars stalking her and insects trying to lay eggs under her warts.

He felt dizzy with worry, and joy, and more worry.

The ancient human gave another soft smile. “I know where she is,” he said.

Limpy stared at him.

“Where?” croaked Limpy. He could hear Goliath croaking it too.

“You love your sister very much, don't you?” said the ancient human.

“Yes,” said Limpy. “I do.”

“So do I,” said Goliath.“That time I put a tickle bug in her bed was just a practical joke.”

“Twenty-seven tickle bugs, wasn't it?” said the ancient human.

Goliath stared at him.

So did Limpy.

How did he know that?

“Your sister came to see me this morning,” said the ancient human. “I told her you were both in the jungle and I told her where to find you.”

“But she didn't find us,” said Limpy.

“That's because,” said the ancient human, “after I sent her, you left to come here.”

“So where is she now?” said Limpy.

“Give me a moment,” said the ancient human.

He took a very deep breath and closed his eyes. And stayed that way for what seemed to Limpy like much longer than a moment.

“I think he's asleep,” said Goliath. “Shall I tickle his foot with a bit of mucus?”

Limpy shook his head. “Raoul reckons this bloke
can see everything in the forest,” he whispered.“Without leaving his hut.”

Many more moments passed.

Limpy was getting concerned.

The ancient human didn't seem to be breathing.

What if the effort of trying to see everything in the forest had been too much for him?

What if he'd died?

Not only would Charm never be found, but the humans might blame Limpy and Goliath for over-stressing their wise ancient leader and a war might break out between the forest humans and the forest toads for the first time since time began.

The ancient human opened his eyes.

“Your sister is safe and well,” he said. “I'll draw you a map.”

He started drawing in the dust at his feet.

“Thank you,” said Limpy, weak with relief. “Thank you so much. How can I ever repay you?”

“Well,” said the ancient human, “you could do a pee in that pot.”

He pointed to a pot similar to the ones the women outside had been carrying.

Limpy was confused.

“Are you sure?” he said to the ancient human. “Isn't that a drinking-water pot?”

“Yes,” said the ancient human. “That's why I'd be grateful if you could pee in it.”

Limpy looked at Goliath.

Perhaps the strain of locating Charm had been too much for the ancient human's brain.

“I'll do it,” said Goliath, hopping up onto the rim of the pot.

“Actually,” said the ancient human, “just your cousin, if that's OK.”

Goliath looked hurt.

Limpy shrugged.

If that's what the ancient human wanted, fair enough. He'd been very kind to them, so it seemed ungrateful to argue.

All Limpy could think about as he peed into the pot was finding Charm.

T
he ancient human's map was spot on.

Limpy and Goliath followed the path to the frangipani bush he'd described, turned left, were chased all the way to the giant fungus by a hungry crab, turned right, found the tree with the orange moss growing on it, turned right again, followed the slime trail of a giant slug who tried to suck their eyes out, took the left fork at the bat skull, meandered through the forest while Goliath went after a flying beetle for lunch and then spat it out when it tried to eat his tongue, turned left again at a big rubber tree, where Goliath filled his mouth to bursting with Amazon bubblegum, hopped for ages keeping an eye out for bloodsucking bats, and suddenly there she was, standing on the riverbank next to where Limpy had dug the grave for her necklace.

Charm.

Limpy was about to yell her name and rush over and fling his arms around her when he saw something that hadn't been on the ancient human's map.

Flatface, standing close to Charm, speaking to her in a very unpleasant voice.

“Call yourself a toad?” he was saying. “I've seen bigger pimples on a monkey's bum.”

“Go away,” said Charm.

“You're the most pathetic little runt I've ever seen,” jeered Flatface. “I bet boys run a mile when they see you. They probably think you're a toenail that's fallen off a sloth.”

“I'm not listening,” said Charm.

“What?” said Flatface.“Don't you like me calling you names? You'd better spray me then, hadn't you? Come on, midget-features, squirt me with your poison. Squirt me, squirt me, squirt me, I dare you.”

Flatface started dancing around Charm, poking his tongue out at her.

As Limpy hurried closer, he saw to his horror that Flatface had the leaf parcel. He was holding it up so that if Charm squirted him, she'd hit the parcel and give Flatface the missing ingredient he was desperate for.

Limpy was about to yell to Charm not to fire, but before he could, she started squirting.

Not at Flatface, though. Charm aimed her ribbons
of poison out over the river, where they fell harmlessly into the water.

Flatface was as stunned by this as Limpy.

He stared at the watery ripples, then his face crumpled.

“This is hopeless,” he wailed. “I give up.”

He threw the leaf parcel onto the ground, turned, and stamped dejectedly away.

Limpy rushed over to Charm.

“Are you OK?” he said.

She stared at him, eyes widening with relief and joy.

“Limpy, Goliath, thank swamp,” she said. “When I heard you were here I panicked. I thought I'd never find you.”

“We came to rescue you,” said Goliath.

Limpy saw Charm frown and open her mouth to tell them both that she didn't need to be rescued, then her face softened and she gave them a big hug instead.

Limpy glowed with love for her.

He remembered the horrible things Flatface had called her.

“Flatface didn't mean those things,” Limpy whispered to Charm. “He just wanted your poison pus for his war plans.”

Charm thought about this.

“I reckoned the poor bloke was just crotchety
because of what the humans did to his head,” she said.

“I'd be pretty ratty if I had a face that shape. Didn't seem fair to squirt him. But he was getting on my nerves so I thought I'd better empty my poison sacs before I got tempted to let him have it.”

Limpy gazed at Charm. He'd never felt prouder to have her as a sister.

Goliath was staring at Charm in disbelief.

“So you ditched your ammo in the river?” he said.

“That's right,” said Limpy, giving Goliath a stern look. “I think that makes Charm a war hero.”

Charm looked thoughtful.

“I've been watching the creatures around here,” she said. “How they do awful things to each other all the time. And do you know what I've realized? They can't help it. No matter what they want, food, self-defense, a bigger backyard, they use violence. Their world's a jungle. Snakes, spiders, bloodsucking bats, killer wasps, humans, they're all the same. Only cane toads are different, because we can choose not to be violent.”

Limpy's warts tingled with pride as he looked at his dear, clever sister.

“Is that ancient wisdom?” he asked.

“No,” said Charm. “I only realized it this morning.”

“Yeah, well tomorrow morning,” said Goliath, “you'll realize it's wombat poo. What if cane toads
want
to be violent?”

Before Charm could reply, Limpy heard a desperate croak in the distance. The croak of a cane toad in distress.

Limpy spun round.

Through the trees he could see Flatface struggling in a net. The net was in the hands of a human.

Limpy peered harder. He recognized the human. It was the pilot from the small plane they'd arrived on.

As the pilot carried the net further into the forest, Flatface's cries were getting fainter.

“Help me. Somebody help me, please.”

“Come on,” said Limpy to Charm and Goliath. “He mightn't be the nicest bloke around, but we can't just let him be kidnapped.”

They set off after the human.

B
y the time Limpy, Goliath, and Charm caught up with the human, he was loading Flatface into the small plane.

“Oh, no,” said Charm. “This isn't going to be easy.”

Limpy saw what she meant. Flatface was already in a cage.

“Come on,” said Limpy. “We've got to try.”

They hopped across the dry grass of the landing strip. Limpy was used to being the slowest because of his crook leg, but for some reason today Goliath was lagging behind. Limpy could hear him puffing and wheezing.

Limpy glanced over his shoulder and saw why.

Goliath's mouth was bulging with a huge amount of Amazon bubblegum.

Before Limpy could suggest Goliath ditch some of his load, they reached the plane. Limpy pulled the
others into the shadow of the fuselage, well away from the pilot, who was tinkering with one of the engines.

The cargo door was still open. Limpy peered in and what he saw made him forget bubblegum completely.

The plane was full of wooden cages, each one with a cane toad in it.

“Stack me,” croaked Limpy.

“It's a mass kidnapping,” said Charm.

“This,” muttered Goliath, “is war.”

The caged toads saw Limpy and Goliath and Charm and started croaking for help. Until they were silenced by a familiar voice.

“Be quiet, everyone. Do you want our friends to be captured as well?”

Limpy saw it was Raoul, gripping the bars of his cage, head bruised and warts bleeding.

“We've got to move fast,” said Limpy to Goliath and Charm. “We've got to get them out before the plane takes off.”