Music: Majestic Nature by Craig Stuart Garfinkle
Artwork by Steve English
The script:
Episode 12 - DANGER!
As Horatio Fleming McNaughtie, the Border Terror, swept from the Manor, the Baron's voice echoing behind him into the emptiness, Eller jumped as an unearthly howl made the windows rattle. Even the shadows, growing in the ever-increasing darkness, seemed to shift uncomfortably as if moved by a passing car headlight when no such light shone.
Then the Baron had started to claw at everything in the kitchen, throwing things to the floor when he found them empty or containing something other than the special treats. But he was looking in the wrong place. The biscuits were gone, thrown down the rubbish shoot.
The seriousness of the situation became even more evident when Roseberry, not known for her speed or agility, fairly bounded into the room, a questioning look on her face. Seeing the desperation of the Baron’s actions and the empty tin, she quickly caught on. 'I know I left plenty of them in there.'
'Well, they aren’t there now!' There was panic in his eyes. 'I, I came to get the tin, the lid was off, and they weren't there. Look, it's empty.' He tossed the tin her way without looking up as he rifled through other tins in the hope they’d just been misplaced.
Another terrifying, window-rattling howl made them jump. To Eller’s surprise, the Baron looked a little relieved. Then blowing out his cheeks, he added, 'At least he hasn’t gone straight to the villages. I know that means he's around here somewhere but I'd rather that than risk all those folk down there.'
Risk the villagers? Was Horatio really that dangerous without these treats? She’d thought she was playing a simple trick to annoy the Baron and his mutt. The rising tide of panic inside her grew. This was obviously far more serious.
Another howl, further away. What had she done?
The screaming in Eller’s head that had been increasing since the moment Horatio ran out into the night, got to the point where it snapped her out of her stupor. If Roseberry and the Baron were this serious about those snacks, then the panic she felt shouldn't be ignored. She needed to make this right. But how? The biscuits were gone!
She scanned the kitchen, now littered with tins and pots and lids, none of which contained any of the special treats. Then, her eyes landed on the rubbish shoot, and she saw it. Rushing forward to check, she realised what had happened. In her haste to throw the snacks down the rubbish shoot, one had somehow stuck to the side, just inside the entrance. It had almost gone down the shoot but was still there, just out of view. They were safe… but how was she going to show the others where the biscuit was?
Again and again, she attempted to grab the last remaining snack from the rubbish shoot and, every time, she moved straight through it. As frustration rose, she started shrieking. Yelling at the Baron, at Roseberry, at herself - but no one heard her. It seemed that all she could do was listen to the howls moving around in the night and watch the others fighting down their own fear.
It was Roseberry who spotted it. 'Archie!' she said, a strange hush to her voice. 'Look!'
Eller was taken aback to hear the name of the Baron spoken out loud and turned to see what Roseberry was pointing at. The other two seemed to be looking at something directly above her head. It took a minuet to sink in, but then she understood. They could see her badge, although now they seemed confused, probably because Eller had turned around and it must have moved with her.
Once she realised they were looking at her LOST badge, she flung her head into the rubbish shoot. She didn't go in too far, just enough to get the word LOST to gently make its way to the shoot entrance, bouncing slowly into place. It was a revolting place for her to put her face but, if it helped, it was worth it.
It took a moment, but then the others saw it.
‘Archie, look! There’s a...
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