The Little's Voyage

By Setlu Vairst

In space, no one can hear you chuckle!
From Spider Heaven to the Elfain Village is only a small journey when compared to the voyage that four familiar friends will embark upon as they go to seek out the source of the evil that was Chagga Toombe.
A strange alien race, called the Transloovians, work and toil within the honeycomb chambers of a dead world, seeking out a precious material whilst trying not to fall prey to either the Grimshankles or to alien attack ships.
The Strange Invaders have another plan in which they hope to attack the Earth and wipe out mankind, leaving the planet empty and ready for them to colonize and this time it looks as though they will succeed. That is unless a boy named Danny, a Seagull called Bongo Wiggins, a spider who was just settling into the after-life, and a dead bee who thinks he’s John Wayne, can all come up with a plan to defeat the aliens before they launch their attack upon the Earth.
Leaving Earth on a very special type of spacecraft, the four friends will embark upon a journey from which only three will return. The stakes are high and Danny begins to see just how deadly the enemy of Earth really is. For the first time he is going to feel the loss of a close one, for the first time he is going to realise that he is going to have to grow up and leave his innocent childhood behind.
The Little's Voyage - Book #6 in The Occasion Mists series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Setlu Vairst
• Release date: May 2, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310630149

Setlu Vairst

Setlu Vairst released the first book from The Occasion Mists series in December 2013. 'Unicorn - Journey Beyond Forever' is the story of a young unicorn's journey to a place where he may be reunited with his parents and where a final battle with the evil humans will take place.There are eight completed works ready to be released in the coming months. Book 2 in the series 'Danny and the Seagull Who Came Back... From The Dead! was released on the 22 December 2013 and the third book will be published in the coming weeks.Born in Hanover, Germany, raised in Glasgow, and currently residing in the North of England, Setlu is currently concentrating on releasing the remainder of the completed works in preparation for returning to the other books from the series. There are currently four other works in progress and others planned.Setlu lives with his wife, youngest son and three dogs, and so the 'writing' environment can be noisy and hectic at times.His current ambition is to have a 'room' off the beaten track where he has space to leave notes about the stories safely scattered around and does not have to go hunting for where he 'thinks' he last left his notes.http://www.setluvairst.com

Book preview

01 - The Mission

Everywhere there were wisps of white and see-through greys, giving Spider Heaven its own unique demeanour amongst the other Creature Heavens. It was a place where gentle breezes paraded across beautiful webs, almost making them shimmer in the warm light that bathed the majesty of this paradise.

An important meeting was preparing to take place. It was a discussion about a mission that would have serious repercussions for Spider Heaven, all of the other Creature Heavens, and the very Earth itself.

Eldgy-Non, a relatively new arrival in Spider Heaven, had been awaiting his meeting with the Spider Queen for a short time and he was now beginning to feel a little nervous about what he knew that she would ask of him. His concerns shot from his mind as he suddenly saw the Queen approaching him. Walking in a dignified manner as, with deliberately slow steps, she came sauntering up to the place where Eldgy-Non awaited her presence and then stood silently before him.

The Spider Queen was big, very big, and she stood at least four body lengths taller than he did. Her long shiny legs never moved a muscle, but that was primarily because spiders did not have muscles and they used blood to move their limbs hydraulically instead.

And so, said the very, very big Spider, You do understand why we have asked you to go on this very dangerous mission don’t you, Eldgy-Non?

Nodding his head, Eldgy-Non began using his second left leg to scratch his third right leg. It is because I am small and because I have knowledge of Chagga Toombe, though I never came into direct contact with him, he replied, ceasing scratching his leg and turning his head back up toward the Queen.

You are partly correct, replied the spider, her body remaining motionless and her voice carrying clear and distinct around the great space that was Spider Heaven.

Eldgy-Non liked Spider Heaven as it reminded him a little of Bird Heaven, except that Bird Heaven was full of white clouds and Spider Heaven was full of white webs. They both looked similar and he had enjoyed his little stay in Bird Heaven.

You have not been in Spider Heaven for very long and so you have not yet attained your full angelic state and we believe that is what will give you a great advantage and help you to remain hidden from the aliens. The Spider Queen moved forward slightly, lowering her head so that when she spoke, the hairs on Eldgy-Non’s legs were more able to pick up the sound of her words. Of course you will have a number of limited powers at your disposal, she whispered, but you must be discreet with your use of these powers as they may draw attention toward you if they are misused.

Eldgy-Non nodded, whilst considering what he was letting himself in for and wondering, ‘Maybe I was a little hasty in accepting this mission as I was only just starting to enjoy myself here after such a miserable time on Earth, after all.’

Of course you will not be travelling alone on this dangerous and important mission… began the Spider Queen as a faint droning sound began to reverberate around the various webs that hung throughout the Queen’s Palace within Spider Heaven.

Turning around, Eldgy-Non spotted a dark shape moving quickly amongst the mass of webs, banking to the left and then to the right as it continued manoeuvring on its way toward him. The droning became increasingly loud and then, suddenly, he could see a large bee flying very fast and almost directly at him and, as it streaked past overhead, he turned quickly to follow its path, seeing it suddenly rear up into the air, narrowly avoiding a long, thin tapering web structure.

Not this time, friend, shouted the bee in a deep, masculine voice, whilst swinging around in a tight arc and aiming directly toward the web-ground on the left of Eldgy-Non. The bee landed quickly and then, before Eldgy-Non could say anything, the bee grabbed one of his legs and began shaking it excitedly. Eldgy-Non, my old friend, how are you doing? said the bee, I have not seen you since we had that cushy job in Bird Heaven. Get it, cushy job? Chantra Bulbous leaned closer to Eldgy-Non, knocking him in the ribs that he never had.

And, as you may have guessed… boomed the voice of the Spider Queen, Chantra Bulbous will be accompanying you on this mission also.

Eldgy-Non began to smile, feeling so much happier knowing that this was not going to be a solo mission.

Howdy, Ma’am, said Chantra Bulbous, turning to face the Spider Queen, dipping his head in an honorary salute.

Hello, Chantra, giggled the Spider Queen in a girly voice, It is so nice to see you again.

The pleasure is all mine, said Chantra, using one forearm to push a Stetson hat a little bit further back on his head whilst his other arm drew out a pretend gun and he feigned sending a love shot toward the Spider Queen. But then, as Chantra pretended to replace his invisible gun, and just as Eldgy-Non was thinking, ‘I knew there was something different about Chantra; he’s wearing a cowboy hat!’ a blur of shapes shot past him from various directions and Chantra Bulbous promptly vanished from sight, his body obscured by the bodies of at least six jumping spiders.

Hey, fellas, cut that out! shouted Chantra, quickly followed with, I was only having a bit of fun nnn nnn mmmm mmmm!

Guardians cease! shouted the Spider Queen and then, almost in unison, all of the spiders jumped away from Chantra, leaving him standing still but completely wrapped in spider silk and unable to move. Mmm, mm, mmm! Chantra called out.

Release him quickly, commanded the Spider Queen and, seeing as he was the nearest, Eldgy-Non moved toward Chantra, whilst dipping a hand into a web pouch at his side. Quickly, he drew out a pair of scissors and began cutting into the web that bound Chantra tight. Sheets of silken grey began falling away until, at last, Chantra stood there with a mixture of anger and humiliation upon his face.

I am so sorry, Chantra, said the Spider Queen with absolute horror in her voice, My guards are very well trained and very loyal, they take no chances while they are in my presence.

Realising that he might not be looking his most charming, Chantra took a deep breath and beamed an enigmatic smile, thinking, ‘We’re in the afterlife, what is there to be afraid of? Oh, well, old habits die hard, I suppose,’ whilst actually saying, It’s no problem, Queeny. I understand completely and I am sure that I would have done the same. Then, spinning around dramatically, Chantra drew his invisible gun and pretended to fire it toward one of the Spiders that had leapt on him, showing a sign of defiance and trying to regain his pride.

There was a blur of colour and, once again, Chantra sank out of sight beneath a number of very fast moving jumping spiders.

Even before the Queen shouted, Guardians cease, the jumping spiders had leapt away again, leaving a tall, grey, web statue that looked surprisingly like a Bee holding a hand gun."

Eldgy-Non raised an arm and tried to cover as many eyes as possible, preparing not to witness this embarrassing scene.

Eldgy-Non, please, if you would… said the Spider Queen, nodding in the direction of the unmoving and strangely silent figure of Chantra Bulbous.

Yes, Your Queenship, said Eldgy-Non, reaching into his web pouch and withdrawing his scissors once again.

There was no mistaking the anger in Chantra Bulbous’s face as the last of the webbing fell away from his head and, making matters slightly worse, Eldgy-Non could hear the sniggering of the jumping spiders nearby as they saw Chantra revealed in all his embarrassment.

Are you alright? asked the Spider Queen, with obvious concern in her voice.

Chantra did not reply at first but then, as he heard the sniggering of the spiders cease and saw a number of them making lasso’s with web strands whilst looking in his direction, he thought better of his actions, and so replied, I am fine, Your Majesty, perhaps my cool has been a little super-heated is all!

Good, good, said the Spider Queen, moving a little forward so that she was looking directly down at Chantra.

‘That’s one hell of a big spider,’ thought Chantra to himself, whilst fighting against the natural urge to back away.

Now, I am sure that the two of you are familiar with the plans that have been made, but I would suggest that you speak with the Elfain folk more on the matter when you arrive.

Arrive? said Chantra and Eldgy-Non in unison.

Why, yes, said the Spider Queen. Surely you were told that this mission has to begin down on the Earth itself, were you not?

Erm, no, said Eldgy-Non and Chantra, both in a confused unison of doubt.

Well, really, said the Spider Queen and then, sighing loudly, she turned her head and began shouting, Comfy Two-Packets, come here at once.

The Spider Queen began tapping her feet impatiently and that was a lot of noise because she had so many big feet. Chantra turned to look at Eldgy-Non and, as Eldgy-Non rolled his eyes, Chantra shrugged his shoulders. Then, from somewhere amidst the spider webs and cocoons there came the creepy sounds of scraping and clicking. Chantra had never heard anything like it before and, even though he would never admit it, his heart was pounding faster and faster as the sounds drew nearer and when, eventually, he saw a huge dark shape moving up behind a giant wall of web, he was almost tempted to spin his wings and make like the dust.

Of course, that would not be the coolest thing to do and so, after having lost much cool already this day, he decided that he would remain where he was, hoping that the knocking of his knees was drowned out by the sound of the Spider Queen tapping her many feet.

The dark shape continued drawing closer and closer to the wall of web and then, as it touched it, it continued moving forward, making the web wall billow outwards before suddenly ripping, revealing the tallest spider that Chantra had ever seen.

In silent awe, he continued watching as the giant spider continued approaching to where he stood and even though he could not put his finger on it, he felt that he knew that there was something weird and strange about the way this particular spider moved as it seemed to shake and dither much more than any other spider that he had ever seen before.

Comfy Two-Packets, said the Spider Queen in a scolding voice, I think you have some explaining to do!

Yes, my Queen, replied a thin and tired sounding voice, I’ll be right down.

Chantra’s jaw, hanging open in amazement, continued to hang there, whilst his eyes stared, unbelievingly, at the gigantic creature before him.

‘I’ll be right down?’ thought Chantra, ‘Whatever does he mean?’

Chantra’s head jerked back a little as the giant spider before him suddenly began shaking one of its legs and then most of the lower section of the leg fell off, landing with a dull thud upon the finely woven floor of the Spider Palace.

His head jerked again as another leg fell to the floor, and then another, and another and he saw that as each leg disconnected from the upper section of leg, the spider tilted crazily at an obscure angle, looking as though it was perilously close to toppling over completely.

Eventually, an eighth leg was discarded and the spider was vastly reduced in height and stature and then, slowly and painfully, the spider began moving closer toward the Queen.

They are his walking sticks, whispered Eldgy-Non, he travels nowhere without them but in my opinion he only balances on all eight of them so that he looks taller.

Shhh, whispered the Spider Queen as Comfy Two-Packets hobbled up closer to their little group.

Well, Comfy, said the Queen, "Did you not tell Eldgy-Non that his mission would start upon the Earth?

Didn’t I? asked Comfy Two-Packets, squinting towards the Queen and then at Eldgy-Non and then Chantra Bulbous.

Damn queer looking spider, said Comfy Two-Packets, his eyes squinting harder at Chantra. And what kind of spider has stupid stripes like that? Why if he…

Comfy! shouted the Spider Queen and then, whereas every creature in the Palace within earshot suddenly came to attention, including Chantra, Comfy Two-Packets began concentrating on his mouth and, as Chantra stared in open amazement, he watched the spider prod around in his mouth before extracting a rather large set of dentures.

Comfy, repeated the Spider Queen, Did you not tell Eldgy-Non that he had to return to the Earth for this mission?

I fwort I muthda have dunth, mumbled Comfy, his lips rattling against absolutely nothing.

Pardon, said the Spider Queen.

I thed, I thawt I muthda have donth, but if he thess I thavent, thenth maybe I thore-dot! replied Comfy Two-Packets.

Chantra could feel a sense of the giggles coming on and he knew he was not alone for, a little way ahead of him, one of the tough-looking jumping-spiders that had recently leapt upon him, was rapidly pushing as much spider web into its mouth as possible in order to prevent it from laughing out loud.

Chantra was holding back a flood of his own giggles and, even though he managed to keep a dam in place, a small squeak suddenly burst from his lips.

Wodth youth say? said Comfy Two-Packets, swinging his head closer toward Chantra. Yaw wheely are a stwange wooking cu-wheat-ture, aren’t you?

Chantra was struggling hard not to laugh and so, slowly raising his hand to his head and grabbing his Stetson, he began slowly bringing it forward and down over his face until only his eyes could be seen peering over the top.

Smellth vunny, too, said Comfy Two-Packets, before swinging his head back to the right and squinting hard toward the Spider Queen.

There was an eruption of laughter from somewhere behind them and Eldgy-Non and Chantra watched as, with lighting speed, the Queen fired a web shot across from her toward the source of the giggles. The web strand hit a spider full on the face and began wrapping around his head, quickly cutting off all sound and, in a ghostly silence, the spider toppled to the ground.

Chantra forgot his own giggles as all the spiders nearby came smartly to even-more-attention, not wanting to draw the wrath of the Queen upon them.

Well really, Comfy, began the Spider Queen, I expected more from you than this.

Your Math-jesty? queried Comfy Two-Packets, turning to face the Queen.

I had expected, began the Queen, as she started walking slowly along in front of a row of Spider Guards that held themselves smartly to attention, seemingly un-influenced by the tone in her voice, that you would have made contact with Eldgy-Non and have given him the details before he had his audience with me.

The Spider Queen stopped walking but remained standing with her back towards Chantra, Eldgy-Non, and Comfy Two-Packets.

Comfy Two-Packets looked around, trying to locate the sound of the Queens voice and, satisfied he knew where she was, he began moving toward her, pushing his dentures back into his mouth as he went.

Your Majesty, Comfy said, I have ensured that I have held all of my required meetings for this time frame, and then, reaching a foreleg beneath him he withdrew a notebook, immediately opening it and, after squinting at various pages, he raised his head and said to the Queen, I have every meeting marked with a big red tick.

The Spider Queen reached out and took the notebook from Comfy’s grasp, beginning to flip through the pages.

See, said Comfy, All big red ticks on every page.

Yes, replied the Queen, and then added, How long have you been giving practical lessons for breaking out of eggshells?

Eh? said Comfy, holding a completely baffled look upon his features as he continued staring toward the Queen.

And, said the Queen, just how long have you been giving speeches on ‘Cleanliness and the Feather?’

Eh? repeated Comfy, although a little louder than the previous time.

And… said the Spider Queen, staring directly at Comfy Two-Packets, how long has your name been Gannet Glutch?

Comfy was about to reply but stopped, allowing his mouth to close whilst an extremely confused look drew itself heavily upon his features. He began rubbing his jaw, his fingers rapidly dancing as his brows dove down into an even deeper furrow.

Comfy, you have left your own notebook in Bird Heaven and somehow, and I can’t think how, you have picked up Gannet Glutch’s before we left. The Queen paused, waiting for a reply from Comfy and then, when none appeared to be in the immediate offering, she leant closer toward him, whispering, Comfy, you really need to wear your glasses more often.

Blushing red, Comfy shuffled a little, looking extremely awkward and then, just before he could reply, there came a commotion nearby and all of the Spider Guards in the immediate area began moving fast. Jumping or scurrying, some went in the direction of the raucous noise whilst others positioned themselves around their Queen.

From the direction in which a number of the spiders had gone racing toward, a huge and gigantic shadow could be seen, almost as tall as the palaces ceiling, though its features were hidden by the mass of spider webs that were strewn throughout the palaces interior.

The huge shadow had stopped its moving and a tense silence invaded the palace. The Spider Queen moved forward, pushing a number of her guards to one side, as she called out, Who is it that invades the palace of the Spiders?

Is that you, Spider Queen? asked a loud, deep voice. It’s me, Prince, the Dog God. The Owl God sent me to collect something from you and return another.

The Queen, recollecting Prince from her time in Bird Heaven, called out, Guards, let him pass. Then, wondering what it was that she could have that would be of interest to the Bird God, she recalled that Comfy Two-Packets had been in possession of Gannet Glutch’s notebook. Raising the book, she began quickly flipping through the pages, wondering what could be so important that the Owl God would send for it to be returned to him quickly rather than wait for it to be taken back by one of her own messengers once they realised that a mistake had been made.

A word on a page caught her attention. ‘Bongo?’ she thought to herself, ‘was that not the name of the bird that caused so much trouble recently?’ She began reading the text beneath the heading and, as a huge shape loomed high in front of her, she thought, ‘what does it mean, ‘…that through his own foolishness Bongo Wiggins will be lost forever, never to return to Earth or Bird heaven, and that the same would be true of the human child?’

Hello, Queen, said a voice from above her and, looking upwards, she saw the face of the Dog God, his features covered in a ghostly whiteness due to the vast number of webs that had become stuck to him as he had made his way through the palace toward her.

Hello, Prince, replied the Spider Queen, trying to stand as tall as she could, yet knowing that it made no difference as far as the dog was concerned. ‘It is a little disconcerting,’ she thought to herself, ‘that, even in the heavens, all creatures maintain their original sizes so that, whenever any return to Earth they are not shocked by the sudden differences in size of the Earth inhabitants.’

Staring toward the Dog God, she noticed that he held a notebook in his mouth and, as he opened his mouth to allow it to fall, she saw the notebook falling toward the floor, rapidly growing smaller as it did so, so that by the time that it reached the floor it was the exact right size for the spiders.

Quickly closing the notebook that she held, she threw it up into the air, watching it growing larger and larger as it neared the head of the dog and then, as the Dog God swiped the notebook from the air, she saw it reach its final size.

Thank you, Spider Queen, said Prince, slowly nodding his head. Gannet was becoming very frantic about his missing notebook. You remember what he’s like, don’t you?

Recalling the antics of Gannet Glutch when she had been in Bird Heaven, she nodded, humour in her voice, saying, Yes, I remember him forever chasing pages that seemed to explode out of the covers of his notebook. I am sure that he will be pleased to have it returned as I am pleased to have Comfy’s notebook back.

Comfy’s back? questioned Prince.

Yes, Comfy Two-Pockets is my aide and he is totally useless without this, said the Spider Queen as she reached out and picked up Comfy’s notebook. Isn’t that true?

Er, yes, mumbled Comfy, hoping that he was to have remained omitted from any further conversations about notebooks.

I am glad you have returned this to us, said the Queen, holding the notebook out for Comfy to take hold of. It has only been missing for a short time and already its being ‘lost’ has caused us a number of problems.

Not anything serious? asked Prince.

No, nothing serious, more of an annoyance really, she replied, watching out of the corners of her eyes as Comfy’s stomach tried to hug the ground. Please, thank the Owl God for his speed in returning the notebook to us.

I will, he would have come himself except, well, you know, said Prince, nodding around the palace grounds.

Following his eyes, the Queen realised that he was referring to the spider webs that littered the Palace and she recalled the way that the Birds were revolted by the webs. ‘For some reason Birds have a fear of flying and being caught in the strands…’

It was nice to see you again, Prince, said the Spider Queen.

It was nice to see you again, Queen, replied Prince as he began to turn, revealing to the Queen some other large shapes standing further behind him. ‘Three white bulldogs, the Prince’s personal guards, and…’ she realised, ‘between them all they have made a complete mess of the webs within the Palace. It’s going to take a long time to get new webs spun and the Palace redecorated.’

Sorry about your webs, said Prince, as if reading her thoughts.

Oh, it’s nothing, replied the Queen, It will be good exercise for a number of spiders. Then, as she thought, ‘How would you like it if the spiders sneaked into Dog Heaven and filled all of your bone holes with webbing,’ she heard a sudden loud noise. Realising that one of the Prince’s guards had sneezed and the sudden eruption of wind had blasted a number of hanging webs, blowing them together, making them stick in long strands and looking altogether un-aesthetically pleasing, she rolled her eyes, realising that her Palace was going to be looking rather messy for quite some time.

Prince glanced toward her, shrugging his shoulders as he began moving away, walking past his guards who, one by one, fell in line behind him.

‘Pompous twit,’ she thought and then, as the last guard fell in behind, she saw something on the dog’s backside. A quick-thinking spider had quickly spun a design and now, hanging at the back of the dog, there was a sign saying ‘Kick Me.’ The Queen gave a chuckle and then turned to face Comfy, saying, We have a few things that we have to tell Eldgy-Non, don’t we?

Opening his book and glancing through the pages, Comfy was nodding his reply, trying to look so involved in the contents of his notebook that he would not have to look up into the disapproving face of the Spider Queen.

Ah, yes, said Comfy, This will be a very special occasion for Eldgy-Non, Your Majesty.

02 - Arrival

Danny could not believe what was happening and, as he looked around at Bongo, Brixan, and Little Jakey, he wondered what adventures lay ahead of them now that they had agreed to go to Elfain Land. He was with his best friends and the Elfain known to him as Lia-For, whom he knew previously as Aphelia, and she had just told him that it was Ada’s idea that they all went to Elfain land.

When he had asked her if Ada knew that Aphelia was really Lia-For of the Elfain folk, Lia-For had replied, Of course she does! It’s Ada’s idea that we Elfain folk spend time with the normal humans, it helps us to understand them, and it’s Ada’s idea that you all come and stay with us for a while.

Ada is definitely amazing, said Danny.

She is, agreed Lia-For.

I’d like to meet this Ada person, said Bongo, with Brixan and Little Jakey both nodding their heads in agreement with his statement.

Will I ever see Ada again? asked Danny.

One day you will, on that you can be certain, said Lia-For and then, turning to face Bongo, Brixan and Little Jakey, she said, Are we all ready?

All four nodded and then Lia-For began to glow in the way that the Elfain folk do when they are getting ready to travel, and the glow grew until it encompassed Danny, Bongo, Brixan, and Little Jakey, and then it suddenly vanished, taking all of its occupants off and away to Elfain Land.

For Danny, there was a sudden rush of blue light reaching into his mind and then his thinking seemed to slow down and it felt as though it took him an hour to think to himself, ‘I wonder what Elfain Land will be like?’

Lia-For had transported them to Elfain Land from their place on the branch of a tree and now they suddenly found themselves in a large green field. The field was not an ordinary field because where the grass grew it was green but the tips of the grass were all of a dark blue and, as the wind blew, it created an amazing, magical effect on the field as these colours played against each other, creating lines of ripples surging across the field.

Glancing up into the sky, Danny noticed that the sky was a very light orange colour and his first thought was that it was a setting sun that caused the colour but something told him that was not the case; this was the real colour of the sky in the land of the Elfain Folk. Continuing to look around the land, Danny tried to work out where he was, where Elfain Land really was.

Where are we? he said quietly, turning to face Lia-For who was crouching down beside him whilst running her hand across the blue tips of the green grass in front of her.

We are in Elfain Land, Lia-For replied, adding, and I am glad to be back where everything is the correct colour. You know your blue skies are very strange, don’t you?

Er, no, replied Danny, Blue is fine by me, I am used to it and we do see orange skies at times, mainly during sunsets…

Our sunsets can be purple sometimes, but mostly they are a very light green… Lia-For said, interrupting Danny.

I like the grass though, said Danny, I love the blue tips on the top of the grass.

Me too, agreed Lia-For. I love running the palms of my hands across the tops of the grass. It sort of tickles.

Lia-For? said Danny.

Yes, Danny,

Where are we?

We are in Elfain Land, Lia-For replied, matter-of-fact-ly.

Yes, but where is Elfain Land?

Where we are now. It’s all around you, Danny, said Lia-For.

Yes, I know that… began Danny, but where is Elfain Land?

I’ve told you. This is Elfain Land, replied Lia-For, continuing to caress the blue tips of the green grass.

How did we get here? Danny asked, trying a different approach.

By blue light, replied Lia-For, glancing up at Danny and then, looking back in front of her, she continued watching her hand glide across the grass.

How far did we travel? Danny asked.

Oh, a great distance, you can rest assured of that, said Lia-For, smiling up at Danny.

So, how big a distance have we moved then? Danny said; crouching down so that his eyes were level with Lia-For’s eyes.

Oh, at least five or six yards, said Lia-For, suddenly standing up and beginning to run across the field.

Something shot past him in the grass and, catching a brief glimpse of tails, he knew that Brixan and Little Jakey had gone racing after Lia-For and he stood quietly watching the strange blue lines that appeared in the field denoting where Brixan and Little Jakey were racing through the strange grass.

This place is definitely different, said a voice from beside him and, turning, Danny looked into the eyes of Bongo Wiggins.

Yes, agreed Danny, and wherever this place is it is definitely a strange place!

Where is this place, Bongo asked.

You had best ask Lia-For, replied Danny, adding, and if you can get an answer that makes sense then come and tell me!

What do you mean? Bongo asked.

You just ask Lia-For and you will see what I mean, replied Danny, beginning to walk through the grass, moving in the direction of the running figure of Lia-For and then, seeing that she was heading towards a large, dark mass that he had only just noticed across the field, he too began to run. Turning his head back, he called out, Bongo, come on, we’ve got a bit of catching up to do. We do not want to get lost on our first day in Elfain Land, do we?

Small hills were rising all around him and he saw that all of the hills had the same covering of the green and blue grass that he was running through.

Danny, talking to himself, said, How big is Elfain Land? How far does it stretch?

It sure seems quiet, said Bongo, as he ran along beside Danny.

What do you mean? asked Danny.

Haven’t you noticed that there are no birds, or any other animals for that matter? puffed Bongo.

Now you mention it, replied Danny, it does seem very quiet.

With a silent mental agreement, Danny and Bongo slowed down, coming to a halt together as Danny turned to Bongo and said, What’s that dark lump at the end of the field?

The two stood staring at the dark mass that rose quite high into the sky and which did not appear to have any distinct shape that could help them to identify it.

‘If anything,’ thought Danny, ‘it looks like lumps of gigantic black cotton wool just sitting at the end of the field.’

You mean the dark lump that Lia-For is walking straight toward? said Bongo.

Then, before Danny could reply, he saw something move, dark against the darkness, seeming to come out from the mass and then, suddenly, it surrounded Lia-For as she was snatched from sight.

Lia-For! shouted Danny, beginning to run forward, his arms chugging hard as he raced through the blue-tipped grass, trying to get to Lia-For as fast as he could.

A blurred white shape shot past him and he knew that it was Bongo taken to the air and then, realizing that he could do the same, he lengthened his stride and leapt into the air. Remaining in the sir for approximately two seconds before he descended back toward the ground, vanishing amongst the blue tipped grass, Danny was suddenly eating soil that he could not be sure of the colour of!

Quickly sitting up and spitting dirt from his mouth, Danny saw Bongo flying back toward him with concern on his face, Danny, are you all right? Bongo called, as he swung in a tight arc, coming in to land beside Danny.

Scratching his head, Danny sighed and then, standing up, he replied with, I am fine, Bongo, but for some reason I am not able to fly in Elfain Land.

That’s strange, said Bongo, I can fly fine, so I do not know why you cannot.

Spitting more soil from his mouth, Danny shrugged his shoulders while looking at Bongo and then, when Bongo asked Lia-For told you that you would have all your powers when you were here, so how come you can’t fly?

Danny suddenly shouted, Lia-For, and then turned and began racing toward the dark mass that had swallowed Lia-For from sight.

Bongo went flying past him once again and then, as Danny began to notice small flashes of colour amongst the black mass, Bongo landed on the field, staring at the dark mass and waiting for Danny to reach him.

What is it? puffed Danny, as he drew up beside Bongo.

I have not got a clue, replied Bongo, flicking his head to make the piece of party string that was blocking his view swing out of the way of his right eye.

Danny stirred at the blackness, seeing it appear to ripple as if it were alive and then, fascinated by the flickers of colours that appeared for the briefest instants, he tentatively reached out his hand, stretching toward the black mass.

Two things happened suddenly and it was the second ‘thing’ that caused Danny to startle and, stumbling backwards, made him trip over one of Bongo’s feet. The first thing that happened was that when Danny moved his hand toward the black writhing mass the sinister shape appeared to retreat from him, almost as if it feared him. Then, as he was beginning to feel a little braver and was getting ready to make a grab at the strange material, Lia-For’s head suddenly appeared, poking out of the black mass, saying, Danny, what is keeping you so long?

It was this sudden appearance of Lia-For’s floating head that startled Danny, causing him to stagger backwards, tripping over Bongo and then, as he sat there on the ground, he saw Lia-For’s body materialize below her head as she began to walk toward him, almost as if she were coming out from behind a curtain.

Danny, what is wrong? said Lia-For with concern in her voice.

Danny’s mouth fell open but no words came out and, raising his right arm, he pointed toward the black mass that continued to writhe and pulse behind Lia-For.

What is it, asked Lia-For and then, after turning to look behind her, she quickly turned back toward Danny saying, Oh, Danny, I am so sorry. I should have told you about the Shadow Trees…

Shadow Trees, Danny repeated, pushing himself up from the floor and standing up while trying to look as though there was nothing that was causing him any concern or, indeed, embarrassment.

Yes, Shadow Trees, repeated Lia-For, as she reached out and grabbed Danny by the arm and then, pulling him toward her, she turned and ran toward the black mass, dragging a hesitant Danny along behind her.

Danny felt as though he should have felt something, or at least hit something as he approached the black mass, but he did not. One moment the black mass was there and then it was suddenly gone, leaving Danny in what appeared to be a small wooded area.

Spinning around, Danny looked upon the dark mass that continued pulsing and rippling and then, reaching out his hand, he was about to attempt to touch the dark mass once again when he stopped, hearing Lia-For speaking to him.

Danny, stop, please don’t do that. Eckle-La-Fay would treat that as being most rude, said Lia-For.

Danny, dropping his outstretched arm, began to turn around to face Lia-For when, out of the corner of his eye, he caught the sight of Bongo coming through the black mass and saw that his eyes were as wide as he believed his own must have been when he had first come through the black mass.

Looking dumbly toward Lia-For, Danny was hoping that she would tell him more about the Shadow Trees and Eckle-La-Fay, whoever he was.

Standing with her fists on her hips and her head tilted to one side studying Danny, Lia-For allowed a moments silence to pass before saying, I wanted to get you to Somar-Oolay before I had to start explaining things but I guess this one won’t be able to wait.

Even as Lia-For spoke, Danny looked up through the branches overhead and could clearly see the sun lighting up the orange sky. With a deeply creased brow, Danny looked at Lia-For, wanting to say something but not able to think of the right thing to ask.

You are within Shadow Trees, began Lia-For, her face turning around looking at the trees close to her and the dark mass ahead of her. And they are called Shadow Trees because they move all of their shadows to one side of the wood; ensuring that the tree tops and the other side of the wood remain constantly in the sunshine.

The crease in Danny’s brow did not relax and, taking a deep breath, he folded his arms across his chest, waiting for Lia-For to give him some more information; particularly information that would help him understand what was going on around him.

Let me see, said Lai-For, her features looking as though she was trying to find a way of explaining a telephone to a cave man. There was a time a long time ago when the woods could have been covered in shadow, mainly because branches would create extra shadows making the wood darker and sadder…

Sadder? Danny asked, his brow rising slighting before taking a sudden plunge and almost dragging his eyebrows down below his eyes.

Well, yes, said Lia-For, the woods did not like the way that they felt when they were in the shade and so what they did was to move all the shadows over to one side, ensuring that most of the forest stayed in the sunlight for most of the time.

Danny’s mouth opened, betraying the fact that he had something to say and then, slowly, it closed again, telling Lia-For that even he, himself, did not think that what he wanted to ask was worth listening to.

It’s really quite simple, said a voice from somewhere close by and, as Danny spun around, he saw only Bongo to his side, with Lia-For remaining standing in front of him.

Who’s that? Danny whispered.

That’s Eckle-La-Fay, said Lia-For.

Where is he? Danny asked.

He’s all around you, stated Lia-For. Eckle-La-Fay is the wood itself.

Danny’s brow returned to its previous sunken position as he tried to contemplate what exactly was meant by what Lia-For had just said to him. ‘Taken literally,’ he thought to himself, ‘then the wood is called Eckle-La-Fay…’

Is this the Earth child you spoke to me about, Lia-For? Eckle-La-Fay whispered, his words drifting amongst the tree trunks and branches closest to Danny.

Yes, replied Lia-For, We have only just arrived and so he has not been able to begin to get accustomed to our land. How did you know he was the Earth boy, Lia-For asked.

No wings, replied the voice of Eckle-La-Fay.

Hearing these words, Danny glanced at Lia-For’s back, seeing the light shimmering across the gentle looking fabric of her wings.

Turning to glance toward Bongo, he saw that Bongo had his wings slightly outstretched, showing off his own wings, trying to look nonchalant as he gazed up through the trees. Danny began feeling a little awkward, feeling really out of place because, from what Eckle-La-Fay had indicated, it would appear that all of the inhabitants of Elfain Land had wings.

Funny looking thing, isn’t he? whispered the voice of Eckle-La-Fay, though still clearly audible to Danny.

Ecky, that’s not nice, scolded Lia-For, turning and glancing at the trees nearest to her.

I am not over there, replied the voice of Eckle-La-Fay, causing Lia-For to spin around and glare into another section of the wood.

Danny was following Lia-For’s gaze, hoping to see what Eckle-La-Fay looked like but he saw nothing but tree and branches and leaves, with some grass growing amongst the trees.

I am only teasing, said Eckle-La-Fay, you know how I like to play…

Hmmph, said Lia-For and then, stretching out her hand and grabbing Danny by the wrist, she began pulling him through the wood, walking directly towards where there were branches blocking her path and, as Danny stared in amazement, he saw the branches writhing and twisting, leaving a clear path through which Lia-For could pull Danny.

Do you have to leave so soon, questioned the voice of Eckle-La-Fay, the sounds seeming to come from everywhere around Danny who, glancing behind him noted that Bongo was following him, with Brixan and Little Jakey trotting along behind.

Yes, I do have to go, replied Lia-For, We have to be at Somar-Oolay before the elder’s meeting tonight. We have to be finished with the Elders early as they have important matters to discuss this night.

Can I come? shouted the voice of Eckle-La-Fay as Lia-For moved out from the wood, walking into another green field of blue tipped grass.

No, you will only slow us down, called Lia-For over her shoulder.

Glancing behind him, Danny looked at the edge of the wood, looking for any sign of the one called Eckle-La-Fay but he saw nothing.

I would not slow you down that much, wailed the voice of Eckle-La-Fay, seeming to lose volume rapidly as the sounds were torn to shreds by the passing breeze.

Maybe another time, Lia-For shouted back as she began breaking into a run, dragging Danny along beside her.

Pulling himself free from her grasp, Danny began to run faster, seeing to his right-hand side the figure of Bongo, Brixan, and Little Jakey racing along beside him, slightly getting ahead of him. He was surprised that Little Jakey was managing to keep up with them and then, fearing the young pup would tire quickly, Danny slowed down his pace. Turning to his left, he looked at Lia-For, seeing her face looking ahead of her whilst her wings trailed behind her, shimmering and twinkling in the light of the sun. The field began to rise a little and soon, Danny and Brixan were the ones that could be heard panting the loudest.

We’ll walk a little, said Lia-For, bringing herself to a halt, watching the others as they came to a halt and then, once they were all stopped, she began to walk forward once again until, at the point that she drew level with the others, they all began walking forward again. All of them were walking in a straight line, which would ultimately bring them all to the top of the hill together.

Danny began to whistle, enjoying the sense of belonging to a somewhere whilst travelling to that somewhere and not requiring words to explain how he felt. From the silence of Brixan and Bongo, he knew that they must feel the same and, with the huge silence that came from Little Jakey, he knew that the pup was also stunned into happy silence.

Danny’s mind went back to Ada, to Moot-Saga, to Ankle-Scent and he wondered what they were all doing now. ‘I guess I’ll never see Moot-Saga or Ankle-Scent again,’ he thought to himself, somehow feeling sadder because of thinking this thought. ‘Lia-For has said that I will see Ada again so that is good, but will I ever see the caterpillars again? Will I ever play in Ada’s garden again?’

Suddenly, something grey stuck out of the blue-tipped grass in front of him, startling him, causing him to come to a halt, as did the others.

Keep still, whispered Lia-For, Don’t move a muscle.

Danny felt a little uneasy and nervous and, as commanded by Lia-For, he held himself completely still, as did Brixan and Little Jakey.

There came a tense silence, in which Danny tried to see better the shape that stuck up out of the grass before him but, though it was almost directly in front of him, he found it difficult to make out any particular features. He stared hard, noticing that since the sudden appearance of the creature it had not moved.

Suddenly, something moved upon the creature and, for an instant, Danny saw some detail. The creature appeared to be angular and, at a guess, Danny thought that its back legs were longer than its front legs, or perhaps it was crouched down, facing toward him. ‘But if it is,’ thought Danny, ‘then where are its eyes?’

As if on command, two yellow circles appeared just above the tops of the blue tipped grass and then something moved, starting above what must be the eyes and stretching the whole distance towards the back of the creature. Two distinct grey shapes separated from the main body and Danny realized that they must be ears; long thin ears that had been held tight against the sides of the creature.

Suddenly, the creature reared up on its hind legs, before quickly slamming itself back into the ground, turning and racing away to Danny’s left side, heading out across the field, swiftly becoming lost from sight in the long grass that continued to ripple in the breeze.

What was that? whispered Danny.

It was Emerald, said Lia-For. He is very shy and will come to no one. We must have scared him as he was sleeping, hiding in the long grass out of sight of all others…

He looked a little strange, said Danny, asking, Is he a creature of Elfain Land?

Actually, no, replied Lia-For, Emerald was rescued from your Earth, although he is not originally from your Earth.

What do you mean, asked Bongo, leaning slightly forward so that he could see past Danny and look directly at Lia-For.

We believe Emerald is from another world. We do not know how he got to Earth and we are unsure of how long he had already been there when he first came to the attention of the Elfain folk.

How long has he been here then? Danny asked.

He has been with us for quite a few hundred years now, said Lia-For, acknowledging Danny and Bongo, and then saying, And in all that time, no one in Elfain Land has been able to make friends with the poor creature. He just roams the lands, spending his time hiding from all others, while the people of our land do our best to leave him in peace as that seems to be the thing that he wants the most.

That is sad, said Danny.

It sure is, agreed Bongo.

Uh, huh, agreed Brixan, placing a forelimb across Little Jakey’s shoulder and giving him a playful squeeze.

Why do you call him Emerald, said Danny, turning to face Lia-For for a moment before returning his gaze to the direction in which he had seen the strange creature running.

I am not sure, replied Lia-For, but I believe that he was seen by one of the Elfain folk a long, long time ago and instead of being the dull grey colour that you saw just then, he was seen as a beautiful emerald green colour. It was only on the one occasion when he was seen like this and the name has stuck with him ever since.

What does it mean? questioned Danny.

We are not sure, replied Lia-For. Perhaps emerald green is his natural colour or perhaps he becomes that colour when he is ill. I am afraid that we just do not know. For all our powers, we cannot find out. It might be different if someone could tame him or become a friend to him but, as that has never happened so far, then it is an answer that we will probably never discover.

So you just leave him alone? asked Danny.

Yes, we allow him to freely roam the lands and we try to respect his privacy as much as possible although, as you have witnessed, there are times when we inadvertently cross paths.

Why did you bring him here if he is just to be left on his own? asked Brixan.

‘Yeah, good question, Brix,’ thought Danny.

He was brought here, began Lia-For, "because he was being hunted by vicious gangs of humans. That is how the Elfain folk first found out about him. Through stories that were spreading through the human villages and eventfully falling upon the ears of one of the Elfain folk, the Elfains heard about him and decided to try to help him.

"When the Elfain folk chose to investigate they found a strange creature that was not of the Earth and they could sense its terror and fear, it’s loneliness, though they could not get close to it.

They knew that it would be only a matter of time before the humans caught and destroyed the creature that they referred to as a dragon.

It was only by luck that my people were able to lead it into a trap, out of sight of the humans, and transport it here to Elfain Land." Lia-For turned to face Danny, awaiting any further questions.

He does not look like a Dragon, said Danny.

No, agreed Lia-For, but to the humans of the time, any strange creature that was not known to them was generally called a Dragon. In fact, we have no name for the type of creature he is. We simply call him Emerald and hope that one day we will find out where he is from, or find a way to be friends with the creature and take some of his loneliness away.

The group stood in silence for a few moments and Danny knew that all of their eyes were gazing in the direction of where they had last seen the strange creature running. ‘I think I know how you feel,’ thought Danny, ‘because until Bongo came along I thought I had no friends in the entire world.’

Moving to his right, Danny placed his arm around Bongo’s shoulder and, as Bongo turned to look at him, he said, Hiya, mate!

Bongo looked back for a moment and then, suddenly, Danny pushed Bongo away, swiping at Bongo’s party hat and knocking it to the side, calling out, Tag, you’re it!

The sound of Lia-For’s laughing followed Danny as he continued racing up the hill, laughing loudly himself, knowing that Bongo would be hot on his trails and, with the sound of Brixan and Little Jakey barking and chasing them, Danny felt full of joy inside as he listened to the happy sounds of his new found friends. With the hearty laughing pursuing him Danny continued racing on up the hill, listening to the sounds of Bongo panting hard not far behind him and the yelps of Little Jakey off to his right. Laughing so hard, Danny was now finding it difficult to run and was almost considering giving up the race when he suddenly reached the top of the hill where he abruptly stopped running, feeling Bongo come crashing into his back, almost sending the two of them toppling over and, as Bongo said, Hey, Danny, what are you playing at? Brixan and Little Jakey arrived and all four of them fell into a stunned silence, staring open mouthed at the scene that was beyond the rise of the hill.

03 - Kagget and Ruccas

Kagget-Stumph looked down at the place where his stomach used to pop out a little, yet not so far that it would have hidden the shape of his elegant feet. ‘I sure do miss my feet,’ he thought to himself, whilst his eye remained fixed upon the globular mass that occupied the part of space that his stomach used to inhabit.

I suppose I had better carry out a check, he said aloud to no one in particular, but hoping that the sound of his voice would make his large blue eye look around the chamber, forgetting about his missing stomach for a little while. Not expecting to succeed, Kagget was not surprised to note that his eye remained fixed upon the bit of space that was located a little distance below the place where his head used to be.

His large blue eye continued staring at his vanished stomach, looking at the light yellow mass that was now there, studying it and looking a little into it as the material of his new body was quite see-through. He was glad that the light in the chamber was sufficiently dim to ensure that he could not clearly see any of his inner organs.

It has been a few years, he said, and I am still not used to seeing some of what my insides look like!

Slowly, he began moving forward, thinking, ‘Still, there are some good things that have come out of this,’ as his lower body section began its muscular contractions. Secreting mucus, Kagget began moving toward the upward curving section of the chamber wall. It was immediately in front of him and so he expected to reach it quite soon.

His eye was searching the ground in front of him, looking for any sharp pieces of rock that could hurt him. Everything looked fine and so, increasing the waves of muscular contractions that raced along his underside where it touched the floor, Kagget built up such a speed that it actually looked as though he was moving.

His underside made contact with the rising chamber wall and then, tensing muscles and increasing secretions, he prepared himself for the vertical climb up the wall and over onto the ceiling where, once in position, he would be hanging upside down from the chamber roof. Once there, he would be able to scrutinize the equipment and scan the area outside, checking for any signs of their enemy.

It has been a little while since they last attacked but I know that they will again and, when they do, it will not be Kagget-Stumph who is responsible for missing giving our people sufficient warning.

As his lower body section began to stick to the chamber wall and he began his vertical climb with his body projecting horizontally away from the chamber wall, Kagget looked towards the place where his belly used to be and watched an event that never seemed to amaze him. He thought of the arms and hands that he would require for the tasks that he would need to carry out and slowly and, as if by magic, two appendages began to extend, shaping themselves and, as Kagget continued staring, he thought, ‘it just looks like someone is pouring banana custard into a pair of invisible gloves.’

With his arms entirely formed and his hands completing their final stages of growth, Kagget began to wiggle his fingers, ‘feels just like the way they felt when I used to have a real pair of hands with fingers to wiggle!’

Hi, Kagget, said a voice from somewhere nearby.

Kagget’s jelly-like domed head began to turn a little, moving his big blue eye around and showing him the chamber that he was within and allowing him to look through the exits from the chamber into the adjacent chambers as he strove to locate the source of the voice.

The walls of the chambers glowed with a phosphorous green glow and, for as far as his eye could see, there was chamber after chamber running in every direction. The whole area around him was a giant honeycomb, which had only come into existence as he and his people had burrowed their way through the rock, seeking out the precious energy stones that were needed to maintain their civilization.

Who’s there? Kagget called out, the pointy tip of his blue eye trying to turn a little further to see more in the direction directly behind him.

It’s me, Ruccas, replied the voice.

With his eye tip on full bend, Kagget was just able to see the yellow shape of a blobby thing on the ceiling of the chamber behind him and, as he tried to focus, the yellow blobby thing suddenly vanished.

Knowing that the yellow blobby figure of Ruccas had not vanished, Kagget called out, Ruccas, are you all right?

Immediately after saying this, Kagget relaxed the muscles in his underside and allowed his body to slide gracefully down the chamber wall and back onto the chamber floor itself. Turning quickly, he began contracting and expanding his underside muscles as rapidly as possible as he completed his turn and slowly, as fast as he could, he began to move toward the other chamber in which he had caught a glimpse of Ruccas just before he had vanished from sight.

Kagget was nearing the edge of his chamber and, as quickly as possible, he was slowly approaching the other chamber. Ruccas, where are you? he called out.

Fu-wim, muvvel… came a weak sound from the chamber.

Concentrate on growing a complete mouth, Ruccas, shouted Kagget, his mind taking him back to his time in the ‘Bloo-bee-yat’ Nursery when the great disaster had struck.

Flashing to the past, his mind began recalling the time when he had first become a ‘Transloovian,’ finding himself awakening in a nursery along with a great number of his people who had also been transformed.

His first awakening and awareness had been very strange and it had taken him a little while to realize that his shape was that of a puddle of water and that the puddle of water that he had now become had a yellow cast to it. At first he had thought he was floating in a large vat of custard but, after a few moments, he realized that he was one of the ‘puddles’ that made up this giant ‘mass of custard.’

These thoughts were in his head and it appeared that these were all that he had to go on. Pictures in his mind told him what he looked like, what was around him, and he knew that these images had been placed there in order to help him. ‘But to help me do what?’ he thought to himself.

‘How will I go to the toilet?’ he suddenly asked himself, beginning to panic as he realized just how alien this new body that he was in really was. ‘Do I need to go to the toilet?’ he questioned himself and then, imagining all of the ‘people puddles’ that were floating beside him, around him, and above him, he gave an involuntary shiver. ‘I hope no one has the urge to go before we’ve found out how to control that function. That is, if we actually have that function.’

He recalled how his wonderings of the bodily functions of the ‘puddle person that he now was,’ was suddenly interrupted by the invasion of muffled sounds that drifted into his consciousness.

Trying to concentrate on the sounds that emanated from somewhere around him, Kagget had remained immobile, but this was primarily because he did not know how to move as much as not wanting to move as he tried to understand the sounds. With all his energies, he concentrated on the sounds, hoping to identify