Butterfingers Read online

  "Then there's this awful change everywhere," Otter went on, "as if the land's not ours now. With that shadow up there, the air no longer smells fresh. We're keeping our heads down and hoping for the best. Those knights were riding along, flags waving, playing their pipes. Stupid! Asking for trouble. Then the monster soared out, roaring. I took cover in the stream, but I heard screams. When I finally thought it was safe to come out, they'd all gone."

  Ned shifted uneasily. Tuff's tail was between his legs; Dilly's ears were laid back, and the whites of her eyes showed. As for Piggy, he'd found some nice mud to roll in.

  "Ned, dear," Dilly said finally, in her soft voice, "I know you think it your duty and all, and of course I'm with you there, but isn't this really foolish:3 Shouldn't we go back to the palace? Perhaps it's our duty to stay and look after the king?"

  Tuff said nothing. Eventually he muttered contemptuously: "Dooty!" then added bitterly, 'And he ain't even got a plan!" He snorted and sat with his back to the others.

  Ned got up and walked over to a stunted alder; he stood there, looking at the sky as the light faded. Then he noticed that the bark of the tree was flaking, and some of the leaves looked scorched and shrivelled; the earth around was parched. He felt in his pocket for the golden ball.

  As the animals watched Ned, Tuff turned round again, suddenly anxious.

  "A difficult decision," said Otter respectfully.

  Ned turned and walked back to them. "Friends," he said, "I've decided I must go on. But I go alone."

  The animals stared at him. Then they all started talking at once:

  "Never think it, dear, never think it! I couldn't let you go on your own . . ."

  "I'd certainly advise against that, Mr Ned! Not something to tackle alone. Perhaps . . ."

  Tuff started running around Ned. "Stupid boy – always said he was stupid, and I dare say I always will," he yapped. "How he could manage on his own beats me! What have you ever done, Ned, but you haven't messed up, eh? No wonder they call you Butterfingers!"

  "Don't call me Butterfingers," said Ned.

  "Well, you can't even carry a bucket of water across the yard without spilling it!" barked Tuff. "It's no wonder the stable master shouts at you, you lumping great fool! Trip over your own shadow, you would. No wonder the cook shoos you out of the kitchen whenever she sees you. Why, you've only got to look at eggs to make them crack. You've only got to—"

  "All right, all right, Tuff—" started Ned, raising a hand as if to calm him down.

  "If you think I'm letting a great lummox like you set out on your own, you're very much mistaken, my boy! I've got my dooty too, you know – it's not just you that waffles on about dooty—"

  "Enough, enough! I accept!"

  "Accept?"

  "I accept your help," said Ned, smiling. "I couldn't do it without you, really I couldn't, Tuff. I'd be lost without you."

  Tuff sat down. His gruff voice softened. "Indeed you would, indeed you would." His small stump of a tail began to wag and he grinned up at them all.

  But as they settled down to sleep that night, pressed close to the trees, Dilly shivered at the thought of what lay ahead. And she wondered, in the deepest part of her heart, if she was up to the challenge that lay before them. As for Ned, though he lay close to her as usual, and she heard his regular breathing, his eyes were wide open, staring into the darkness.

  THE GREEN BOAT

  "NOW," SAID THE OTTER THE NEXT MORNING. "It's too dangerous to go over the bridge and along the road. But under the bridge there's a small boat. I suggest you go down river on that for a while. It's a bit of a detour, but safer because the trees line the banks and much of the river is shaded and under cover. It joins the road again further along."

  "A boat?" asked Ned. "But will it take all of us – Dilly as well?"

  "Bit of a tight squeeze, but it should be all right."

  "I'm not sure I like the sound of a boat, Ned dear," said Dilly.

  "Come on, Dilly. It'll be safer. All right with you, Piggy?"

  Piggy snorted. "Give it a go, give it a go."

  "I'll accompany you, if I may," said Otter. "I can swim alongside. I think I'd like to do my bit in this adventure and help with monster-slaying."

  "I can't ask you to put yourself in any danger for us," Ned said.

  Otter waved a paw dismissively. "You need me," he told him. "No one knows the river like me."

  "Then we'd be glad to have you," said Ned.

  Tuff grinned. This was more like it – a few more sensible friends and they might even come up with a plan! "Why, we're getting to be almost a little army – the princess's army, so to speak! That measly old monster will take one look at us and turn to jelly. Come on – let's go get the monster!"

  Otter led them to the small red-brick bridge; it curved low over the water, casting its dark shadow in reflection. He ran down the bank and Ned scrambled after him. Hidden under the foot of the bridge was a long, shallow boat with a punting pole; it had once been bright green, but now most of the paint had flaked off and it looked uncared for. It rocked violently as Ned got in.

  "Come on, Dilly. Come on, Tuff and Piggy. Careful now!"

  He stood steadying the boat and held out his hand to help Dilly. On shaking hooves she made her way down the sloping bank. The boat wobbled precariously as she stepped in and she gave a nervous whinny.

  "Steady, steady!" said Ned.

  Then Tuff jumped in and sat jauntily at the prow. Piggy, frowning, followed, taking a big leap and landing near Ned. The boat rocked wildly.

  "Cor! This is an adventure and no mistake!" said Piggy. "Thought my days were marked out by grub and mud. Never thought I'd be off down a river with members of the court!"

  "Time to get this straight, Piggy,"' said Ned. "We are not members of the court, whatever you were led to believe. We work in the palace stables. Do you still want to come?"

  There was a pause. Tuff gave a little growl and turned his back on Ned, but Piggy grinned. "Oh well," he said. "Close to the court, so to speak. Close enough. And it is an adventure. Be glad when it's lunch time, though!"

  Otter dived into the water beside them. Ned pushed off with the pole, and the boat, with its strange assortment of passengers, slid quietly off. The river veered away from the road, as Otter had said it would, and curved around in a long loop, almost turning back on itself.

  Otter swam alongside the boat, his sleek brown head parting the water and making a neat V of ripples. Then, on the bank, Ned saw some old pear trees at the bottom of a neglected garden.

  "Hang on," he said. "Free food!"

  He drew in to the bank again, hopped out of the boat and picked several green pears. He stuffed them into his pockets and climbed back aboard. As he stretched over the side of the boat, he felt his jerkin catch against the wooden side, and the golden ball popped out of his pocket and fell into the water with a splash!

  "I've dropped the princess's ball!" cried Ned.

  "Stupid boy!" barked Tuff. "Not called Butterfingers for nothing! Never known a boy like you for—"

  "Will you be quiet, Tuff! Help me find it quickly!" He leaned over the side of the boat.

  Piggy shuffled forward. "What's up?"

  "Stupid boy has dropped the princess's ball," said Tuff. "Told him not to bring it with him, but oh no, he knew best. 'She'd want it, Tuff,' he said. 'It's her special ball.' Well, not so special that he goes and drops it!"

  "Help me get it. I mustn't lose it!" said Ned.

  But it was bobbing away, swept along in the current, further and further downstream. As they watched, it swung round in a little eddy towards the bank and disappeared among some reeds. Ned pushed the boat in the same direction. Dilly lurched unsteadily on her legs and whinnied.

  "Can you see it, Otter?" Ned called.

  Otter swam around, dived down and came up again, shaking his head.

  Ned and Tuff peered over the edge of the boat. The water looked very dark and all they could see was their reflections staring b
ack. Then the bushes on the bank rustled. As Ned glanced up, he caught a flash of reddish-brown between the overhanging branches, but then, almost immediately, it was gone. Drawing into the bank, he jumped out of the boat, beating back vegetation with his feet. Tuff and Piggy got out too and snuffled around the undergrowth.

  The ball was nowhere to be found.

  "What shall I do?" cried Ned. "I can't lose the princess's ball. She'll never forgive me!"

  MOUSE

  "STOP MOANING, BOY – NOTHING WE CAN DO ABOUT IT," SAID TUFF. "If you hadn't been so foolish, we wouldn't have had to waste time. Anyway, if that namby-pamby princess can only worry about—"

  "She's not namby-pamby! She's the smartest—"

  "Listen, boy! If that princess is only worried about a ball when we've come all this way to save her, then she's the most ungrateful little madam I've ever met."

  "Will you stop talking like that about—?"

  "He's right in a way, dear," said Dilly from the boat. "She'll be so grateful to be rescued that she won't even miss the ball."

  "Do you think so, Dilly?"

  "Of course, dear. Now, shouldn't we go on? We've looked and looked, but we've got more important things to do. The sooner we find this monster and save the princess, the better."

  "Yes, yes, you're right. Thank you for looking."

  They rejoined Dilly in the boat and set off, Ned still looking out for Bella's ball as they floated along. The river had started to curve back to the west again and soon ran alongside a cornfield, its ploughed furrows stretching away from them in stripes of browny-yellow.

  "The road is just across there," said Otter. "The river passes through open fields here, and we might be seen. Best if we leave the boat under this willow and go through the corn. We can join the road on the other side."

  They tied up the boat and got out. Dilly heaved a sigh of relief at being back on firm ground. Piggy looked hopeful and started to snuffle around for acorns. As they looked around, they saw that the ears of corn were withered; many lay flattened on the ground as if something huge and heavy had landed there. Above them, in the vast grey sky, they saw several black and white birds and heard the familiar cack-cack-cack.

  "Uh-oh," said Dilly.

  "They're far away," said Ned. Then, in the distance, he saw a plume of smoke!

  Otter ran ahead to see what was going on; when he returned, he looked worried. "There's obviously been a bit of a fire," he told them. "Looks as if it's out now but I'm not sure what caused it."

  The smoke billowed about at the end of the field. The air was sultry and smelled of ash. Although it was hard to see the sun, it was very hot. Far ahead, the shadow-cloud loomed threateningly.

  "We must hurry through the corn," said the otter.

  So they made their way tiredly between the rows of dying corn stalks. The magpies had disappeared, but the smoke hovered over them, smelling acrid and ominous. Dilly led the way, with Ned on her back, trampling the corn with her hooves. The dog, the pig and the otter followed behind, half hidden by the stalks.

  "Watch it!" came a little voice.

  Dilly stopped suddenly and Ned almost fell over her ears.

  "That's my house you nearly trod on," said the voice.

  Ned got off, peered down between the rows and saw a little field mouse balancing on an ear of corn. "Hello," he said.

  "Hello," said the mouse. "I know it doesn't look much, but it's my home. Don't want you lot treading on it, do I?"

  "I'm very sorry. We didn't see it."

  "No one sees it," said the mouse sadly. "Took me ages to make my nest here, and no one notices. A master craftsman couldn't have done better, but it means nothing to passers-by. Tread on it without even looking, they will. Or plough it up. The times I've had to start all over again you wouldn't believe."

  "It's a very nice house," said Ned politely. "I can see that now. Very sorry, I'm sure. We're on an urgent journey, you see."

  "May I ask where you're off to?" asked the mouse.

  "We're off to kill the monster."

  "Oh, I'll be glad if someone deals with him. A right nuisance he is. Fair ruined this field with his dark cloud, blasts of fire and smoke. The far end of the field was singed when he flew over. I was worried it would all catch fire!"

  "Fire . . ." pondered the otter. "Why, it sounds like a d—"

  "Hush," said Tuff quickly.

  "Have you seen him?" Ned asked the little mouse.

  "Yes, like a great black shadow flying over, making this awful noise, and his great claws hanging down."

  "Claws!" Dilly muttered.

  "Don't you worry, Mouse, we'll get that old monster," said Tuff quickly.

  "Jolly good thing. Get life back to normal," said the mouse.

  "Yes, that's the reason for our journey. We're off—" started Ned.

  "Monster-slaying!" cried Piggy and Tuff.

  "And to rescue the princess," said Ned.

  "Ooh, an adventure! Mind if I—"

  "Tag along?" said Tuff.

  "Yes," said the mouse.

  "Hop aboard, Mouse," said Ned. "We'll be glad to have you."

  The little mouse ran up Ned's sleeve and sat inside the collar of his jerkin, while Ned climbed back on Dilly and took the reins.

  "Off we go! Off to do a bit of monster-slaying and save the princess!"

  A DARK WOOD

  THEY FOLLOWED THE NARROWING ROAD AS IT WOUND UPWARDS; AT LAST THEY SAW AHEAD OF THEM A SMALL WOOD, FULL OF DARK AND TWISTED TREES. It seemed to get hotter and hotter the further they travelled. Ned loosened his jerkin and took a deep breath. Would this journey ever end? As they approached the wood, he looked up at the crooked branches and just made out the shapes of some little birds huddled together in the gloom. It was hard to see the way ahead clearly; the branches curved overhead almost like a tunnel. Dilly took a few steps forward, then stopped.

  "It's so dark, Ned," she said. "I'm not sure I want to go in there."

  "It's the only way, Dilly," said Ned besides, it's hard for anything overhead see us – couldn't be better cover! Come on!"

  He patted her flank. As she gave a sudden Jump forward, he caught his head on a low branch and almost fell. He swung half out of the saddle, clinging on with one leg and one hand.

  "Clumsy boy," said Tuff under his breath. "Needs watching every moment, that one."

  Here and there, among the bracken, dead leaves and pine needles on the ground, Ned could just make out the gleam of little eyes. Occasionally he heard a rustle and saw the back legs of a rabbit dodge out of sight. A startled bird gave out a cry, but soon all was quiet again. Too quiet. Dilly laid back her ears.

  Meanwhile Tuff and Piggy were having a great time – Piggy with the acorns he found as he snuffled about, and Tuff because there was an exciting smell of rabbits.

  They walked in single file under the low branches and slowly made their way past a tangled ivy-covered bush.

  "Why, hello," came a smooth voice from behind the bush.

  They all jumped. Dilly came to a sudden stop and Ned almost fell off again.

  "What have we here then? A little procession, no less, of very, very interesting animals."

  "Who's there?" said Tuff and began to growl, low in his throat.

  "Don't be alarmed, friends, don't be alarmed," said the voice. "Just interested, you know, at such a strange little procession through my wood."

  From the shadow of the bushes emerged the dull red fur and long tail of a fox. It was a thin but rather handsome fox, with one ear.

  The otter slunk back quickly and the mouse slipped quietly down Ned's neck.

  "Your wood? Didn't know this wood belonged to anyone," said Tuff.

  Ned got down off Dilly's back. "We want no trouble, and mean none," he said.

  "We're just passing through."

  "Passing through to where, hoy?" asked the fox in his low, slinky voice.

  "Mr Ned to you, Foxy," said Tuff angrily.

  "Mr Ned? Well, I didn't realize I was being
honoured with Mr Ned," said the fox.

  "Mr Ned from the court, I'll have you know, so you mind your ps and qs, Foxy!"

  "From the court? Well, well, honoured indeed! You wouldn't think you were from the court to look at you, but then, one can never tell by appearances. Why, who would have thought such an odd little group would have been carrying treasure?"

  "What treasure?" Ned quickly strode over to the fox, who casually extended a paw as if to fend him off.

  "Ah, how impressive. So used to treasures that you can scatter them as you travel. Must be nice to have so many that you can lose one you like."

  "What arc you on about. Fox? Have you found anything of ours?"

  The fox grinned a wide grin. His teeth looked large and yellow. Then, from behind his back, he produced the golden ball and tossed it up and down.

  "Give me that!" yelled Ned. "That's the Princess Bella's ball and I'm taking it to her."

  Tuff started to growl again. "Hand it over, you villain," he said.

  "Villain? Oh, charming! Catch!" Fox called to Ned, and he threw the golden ball to him. Ned grabbed lor it and missed. It rolled along the ground and he ran after it.

  "You stole it from us!" barked Tuff.

  "Stole? Me? Never," said the fox, and he laughed a low laugh. "I found it where you foolishly dropped it. Oh, I've been following your progress for a while. Such an odd group of friends. May I ask, pray, where you are going?"

  "Er . . . we arc . . . like I said . . . just passing through." Ned quickly put the ball safely back in his pocket.

  "Oh," drawled the fox. "Just passing through, are you? Dropping golden balls as you go. A little group of people, from the court" – he smiled his wide smile – "almost a little army, no less, a little more ragged and less well equipped than the army of knights that came through some time back, but a little army nevertheless."

  "I don't like your smile," said Tuff.

  "Don't you? What a shame. And 1 so like your scowl." The fox slowly looked round at the rest of the group. "Are you on the same useless venture as those knights, pray?"