Jonny Plumb and the Queen of Iceland: The Adventures of Jonny Plumb

By Kim Wheeler

Jonny's incredible adventures continue with the next instalment of the six set series called Jonny Plumb and the Queen of Iceland. Jonny and his two faithful companions and best friends, Legion and Legend, travel to Iceland in order to find the eleven singing Runes which means he has to walk along  winding paths, cross a raging river, s

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mouse Gate
• Release date: Mar 23, 2016
• ISBN: 9781590953310

Kim Wheeler

Kim Wheeler was born in Romsey, Hampshire and is married to a retired Chief Diver RN. After living in San Diego for some years, she now lives between the UK and USA dividing time with family. Passions include classic literature, contemporary art, cycling, good coffee and Tottenham Hotspur FC ‘COYS’.

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE:

THE RETURN

‘What’s the matter, Jonny? You seem very quiet,’ Legend asked.

‘Oh, I don’t know, just thinking, that’s all,’ Jonny replied as they all sauntered along the moss covered track, heading inland.

‘Thinking about what?’ Legion enquired.

‘Well, I really miss Isobel and I really miss Nanny Noo, but worst of all, and I can’t explain this easily...’ Jonny stopped midsentence then shook his head, ‘I miss my Mother.’

‘Lady Kathleen?’ Legend and Legion said in unison.

‘No, no, not her, although I do kind of miss her, this is different. It’s like; it’s something that comes from inside, something hidden, an unknown, a hollow feeling, an empty feeling. I miss the woman who gave birth to me,’ Jonny replied.

‘Oh!’ Legend replied, while looking at Legion for help.

‘Well, I guess that’s normal,’ Legion said trying his best to comfort Jonny, who was beginning to wonder so much about his life. Like who he really was, why he was like he was, and why he had been abandoned.

‘I don’t want to be different,’ Jonny mumbled under his breath, ‘I just want to be normal.’

‘Jonny, being normal is cool, but being who you are, well, imagine how many millions of children would like to be able to do what you can do. No, I just think you are feeling lonely. Let’s talk about your birth mother,’ Legion said as both he and Legend gently pushed their enormous warm bodies next to Jonny’s and continued to walk along the cliff tops.

‘I don’t even know her name or where she came from. Nothing. How can you fill the emptiness of, well errrr, emptiness?’

‘Well, happy memories, Jonny, you do have many of them, don’t you?’ Legion said quietly.

‘What is happiness?’ Jonny asked as he stopped to look over the vast oceans. Legend thought for a moment and then said, ‘That’s a great question Jonny. Isn’t that a great question, Legion?’

‘Perhaps, its being content with being who we are,’ Legion replied.

‘Yes, maybe you are right, and maybe, I shouldn’t think so much,’ Jonny said smiling.

‘Oh I don’t know, I think it’s good to think. Otherwise you wouldn’t be able to make decisions. As for who your birth mother was, well, we never knew our parents either, Jonny.’

‘If my memory serves me right, wasn’t there a song called ‘Happiness?’ Jonny asked. He began to sing the entire song, word for word ‘Happiness, happiness the greatest gift that I possess. I thank the Lord that I’ve been blessed, with more than my share of happiness.’

‘We should try and help Jonny find true happiness,’ Legend whispered to Legion who nodded in agreement.

Soon they approached what looked like a river. But unlike most rivers, this one had steam coming from it. Jonny knelt down and put his hand into the softest, warmest and gentlest water he had ever felt, well, apart from the pure waters of Jala. Nothing, but nothing, came close to that. There was a strange smell to it though, a bit like rotten eggs.

‘Mmmmm, smells like sulphur,’ Jonny whispered under his breath.

Legend and Legion walked over, and, without a second’s hesitation jumped straight into the hot water. Determined not to be outdone, Jonny quickly stripped off and jumped in and jumped straight out again.

‘Ouch, that burnt my bum,’ Jonny screamed as he ran up and down the snow covered banks of the small stream.

‘Go further down the stream, Jonny, it will be cooler there,’ Legend said sniggering as he and Legion lay almost motionless, allowing the amazingly hot, relaxing water, to just wash over them.

‘Ahhhh, this is the life,’ Legend said stretching and yawning.

Meanwhile, Jonny had walked ten yards downstream and tentatively poked his toes in the water.

‘Ahhhh, oh yes, just perfect,’ Jonny sighed as he effortlessly slipped under the bubbling stream. The water felt so good over his tired body. He lay there soaking up the warmth and staring up at the sky, thinking about Isobel, Nanny Noo and his birth mother. ‘Well at least I was lucky enough to have such good people in my life,’ Jonny whispered to himself.

The force of the water started to slowly push all three of them downstream. They didn’t care, so content were they that they didn’t hear the noise of the waterfall getting louder and louder. Suddenly all three were being driven downstream as the river flowed faster and faster. Jonny dug his heels into the stone and gravel covered river bed, gently slowing him down. Legend and Legion had already jumped out of the fast flowing water and ran upstream like excited children, leaping headlong with an almighty splash back into the hot water, followed by a giggling Jonny.

JONNY PLUMB RELAXING IN THE RIVER

‘Oh, this is fun,’ Jonny whooped out loud with joy. ‘This is happiness, oh yes, this is happiness.’

Meanwhile, three pairs of beady eyes watched their every move.

As Jonny dug his heels in, he managed to dislodge some stones and, to his amazement, he found that these were no ordinary stones. These were some of the Runes he was supposed to collect. He quickly picked them up before they could disappear over the looming waterfall. Each one had a different mark, a different design. He quickly checked them over. Jonny had by sheer accident found five more Runes, which meant he now had six, with only seven to go.

‘Jonny, Jonny, Jonny,’ Legend whispered but Jonny was just too wrapped up with the new Runes.

‘Jonny, JONNY, JONNY, Jonny,’ Legend screamed, and then whispered ‘Don’t look now.’ Both he and Legion climbed ever so slowly out of the bubbling water, not even stopping to shake themselves dry. Legend crawled almost like a tiger hunting its prey and gently picked Jonny up and ran him to the nearest tree line while Legion picked up his clothes.

‘Put me down, put me down,’ a bemused Jonny shouted as Legend placed his enormous paw over Jonny’s mouth.

‘Legend placed his paw to his mouth and whispered, ‘Shhhhhh, do not make a sound,’ as he stared directly into Jonny’s fearful eyes.

‘Quickly, put your clothes back on,’ Legion whispered while keeping a steady eye out for something that was slowly getting closer and closer.

‘Where are the prunes?’ Legend asked. Jonny opened his tiny hand to show Legend that he still had the five Runes.

‘Runes, Legend, Runes, not prunes,’ Jonny whispered and then added, ‘what are you two up to and why?’ However, before Jonny could utter another word both Legend and Legion pointed with their gigantic paws.

‘Look,’ Legend whispered.

Jonny tried to see what Legend and Legion were pointing at, but due to the size of these two enormous dogs, he couldn’t. He was getting so frustrated he stood up only to be squashed to the ground by both Legion and Legend.

‘Jonny,’ Legend snapped, ‘keep quiet and keep still.’ Jonny meekly obeyed and then he saw what his faithful dogs had seen some five minutes ago.

‘OMG,’ Jonny whispered.

‘OMG? OMG? What on Earth does OMG mean,’ Legend whispered, not once taking his beady eyes off whatever his beady eyes were staring at.

‘It’s short for Oh My God but as I am not allowed to spe...’ Legend placed his enormous paw back over Jonny’s mouth.

‘...Yes, you shortened the words, yes, how clever, well done you, how very smart,’ Legion whispered sarcastically.

‘We have to move,’ Jonny whispered.

‘No, you have to shut up,’ Legion responded quite angrily.

Jonny, Legend and Legion sat in stunned amazement, frozen with fear as a giant snake with the largest, most gigantic head in the entire world gently and purposefully slithered along the river bank, where only a few moments ago they all played happily.

‘It, it’s, it’s, it’s the Lagrfliotsormurnn,’ Jonny whispered.

‘Well that helps,’ Legend replied sarcastically.

‘Only trying to help, God, is this sarcasm catching?’ Jonny whined.

‘Listen, I can’t pronounce the first five letters, let alone the rest,’ Legion whispered.

‘LAG-R-FLIOT-SOR-MURNN,’ Jonny said like he was talking to a two year old. Then there ensued five minutes of two overgrown, hard as nails Rottweilers trying desperately to pronounce the name, leaving Jonny in hysterics.

‘LAGERFARTDOORMOOOOOOMOO,’ Legend whispered.

‘No, no it’s ‘LARDERPILOTFARTYPANTS,’ Legion replied giggling hysterically.

No, it’s LARDERFLAPPYFARTYFLOPPYMOOMOOPANTS,’ Legend said almost doubled up in fits of laughter.

Unbeknownst to these three giggling imbeciles, the snake, yes the snake that just happened to be five miles long, was close and was listening and watching. So close, in fact, that it could have if it wanted, eaten all three giggling imbeciles in a flash.

‘Wath on Earth ith wrongth with youth, iths acthually pronounthed Lathfliothsorthmurnnth,’ the ever- so- friendly snake replied.

(What on Earth is wrong with you, it’s actually pronounced Lagrfliotsormurnn)

Jonny, Legend and Legion immediately stopped laughing.

‘Do you want me to cure your lisp?’ Jonny asked standing up, showing not one ounce of fear.

‘Can youth, can youth, oh yeth pleath, youth thry thalking like thith with a thounge theth thize of a thiny athteroid.’

(Can you, can you, oh yes please, you try talking like this with a tongue the size of a tiny asteroid).

‘I wanth to thing a thong,’ the friendly snake said, taking Jonny completely by surprise.

‘Ok, sure, why not, what are you going to sing a song about?’

I’mth goingth tuth thing a thong calledth shilly thally things a thong.’

(‘I am going to sing a song called silly Sally sings a song’)

‘What did she just say, Legion?’ Legend asked while trying not to laugh.

‘I thinkth sthe thaid thath thee wath goingth toth thing a thong thilly,’ Legion replied.

(‘I think she said that she was going to sing a song silly.’)

‘Yeth thatths wath I thought thee thaid.’ Legend replied.

‘Err, is that a good idea, you know, singing a song when you have a lisp?’

‘Yeth, whyth onth earth noth, I meanth I uthed thu havth a thammer ath wellth.’

(‘Yes, why on earth not, I mean I used to have a stammer as well.’)

‘Well if you want to sing a song, then you should.’

‘That’s easy for you to say,’ Legend said chuckling to himself.

‘Why does the world laugh at me?

When I try to sing my songs

Why does the world throw stones at me?

Abuse me when I get it wrong

Why does the world despise me so?

When I stammer and lisp my words

Why does the world misunderstand me?

While I sing and cannot be heard

I only want to be loved you know

Like you and I and them

I only want to be loved you know

Or perhaps just be your friend

Why does the world run and hide

When I sing a beautiful song

Why does the world throw rocks at me?

Abuse me when I am wrong

Why does the world ignore me?

Because I stammer and lisp my words

Why does the human race misunderstand me?

When I sing and will not be heard

I only want to be loved you know

Like you, like me, like them

I only desire is to be loved you

Or perhaps, just be your friend...’

With tears rolling down his face, Jonny beckoned to the snake to lower her gigantic, and I mean, gigantic head.

‘Can’t we call you something else? I mean these two numb nuts are still having problems pronouncing it,’ Jonny said while pointing to the now very still, very quiet and very obedient Legend and Legion. Then added, ‘Do you have a name?’

‘Yeth,iths sthally.’

(Yes it’s Sally)

‘Sally?’ Jonny inquired.

‘Yeth,thaths wath I thaid thilly,thally,’ Sally replied then added, ‘I amth the thise of a thmall willagth buth nothodthy likesth me ath I thalk liketh thisth.’

(‘Yes, thats what I said silly, Sally,’ Sally replied then added, ‘I am the size of a small village but nobody likes me as I talk like this.’)

Tears began to well up again, not only in Jonny’s eyes