‘Excellent name for a dog.’
The barking got louder as E.D. approached, then stopped suddenly. E.D. stopped too. Had someone called out? E.D. waited a few moments then crept forward slowly. The dog spotted him and started growling again.
E.D. whipped out a cabana stick and had just poked it through the wire fence when a door opened.
‘What do you think you’re doing?’ a man called.
E.D. looked up. A man in a security uniform stood at the door, glaring at him.
‘Hi.’ E.D. tried to look relaxed. ‘I was just seeing if he liked cabana,’ he said cheerfully. The dog had taken the piece and was chewing happily. ‘See?’
‘Hmph,’ the man grunted, stepping forward. ‘Amazing. I had my doubts about Nozza but I didn’t think he was that bad.’
E.D. grinned again. ‘Yeah, well last time—’ E.D. froze. Idiot! He looked up at the security guard. But he appeared more interested in Nozza, licking the last of the cabana off his lips. The dog trotted over to E.D. and pushed his nose through the fence.
‘Give him some more, bless him,’ the guard said. E.D. pulled out another stick, unaware of the security guard quietly opening the wire gate. Suddenly E.D. felt a firm grasp on his arm. ‘Now, come along. I think there’s someone who’d like to meet you,’ the guard said, his voice harder. E.D. tried to shrug his arm away, but the guard’s grip was like a vice.
‘Hey, man, you’re hurting me,’ E.D. said, wincing.
‘I don’t like smart-alec kids messing with my animals. Now get in here and we’ll see what the principal has to say.’
‘The principal?’ E.D. said, suddenly panicking. ‘ The principal?’
Ignoring him, the guard shoved E.D. into an office. Before he could talk himself out of it, E.D. hauled his arm away, momentarily surprising the guard. It was enough. As his grip slackened, E.D. barged straight past the uniformed man. But the security guard was quick. In no time he hadrecovered, positioning himself between E.D. and the door they’d just come through. E.D. glanced to his left, desperately searching for another way out. A black door with the word MAINTENANCE written on it was his only option. He didn’t remember it from his last visit.
‘Be my guest,’ he thought he heard the guard say, as he sped across the room and flung open the door. A moment later there was a click—he’d just been locked in.
Slowly E.D.’s eyes adjusted to the gloom.
‘The black tube,’ he sighed, finally making out the dim shape of the tube to his right. There was nothing else in the room. ‘Here we go again,’ he muttered, climbing two small steps and opening a sliding panel.
The tube was narrow and dark—pitch black.
‘At least you could turn the lights on!’ he shouted. No one replied. With one hand in front of his face, E.D. slowly made his way forward. Somewhere behind him the guard was speaking, but E.D. couldn’t make out what he was saying.
Nothing happened for a few minutes as E.D. inched forward, feeling with his right hand for a change in direction. But the only variance was the gradual climb that had started a few metres back. The floor and walls of the tube were shinyand smooth. As the climb started to get steeper, E.D. found it increasingly difficult to get a grip. He started using his elbows and knees, pushing them against the sides of the tube.
E.D. struggled on a few more metres before pausing. There was something else. Straining every muscle in his body, he listened. A low rumble, like a distant roll of thunder, was gradually creeping up towards him. E.D. didn’t often feel frightened, but the darkness, the deep growling noise coming towards him, the guard in the office and the fact that he’d left his motocross bike parked against the back wall of Explore! for anyone to come and steal, caused a tightening knot in his stomach and sweat to break out on his brow.
E.D. swore softly to himself. Slide back down and get out of the tunnel, or press on? But press on to
The barking got louder as E.D. approached, then stopped suddenly. E.D. stopped too. Had someone called out? E.D. waited a few moments then crept forward slowly. The dog spotted him and started growling again.
E.D. whipped out a cabana stick and had just poked it through the wire fence when a door opened.
‘What do you think you’re doing?’ a man called.
E.D. looked up. A man in a security uniform stood at the door, glaring at him.
‘Hi.’ E.D. tried to look relaxed. ‘I was just seeing if he liked cabana,’ he said cheerfully. The dog had taken the piece and was chewing happily. ‘See?’
‘Hmph,’ the man grunted, stepping forward. ‘Amazing. I had my doubts about Nozza but I didn’t think he was that bad.’
E.D. grinned again. ‘Yeah, well last time—’ E.D. froze. Idiot! He looked up at the security guard. But he appeared more interested in Nozza, licking the last of the cabana off his lips. The dog trotted over to E.D. and pushed his nose through the fence.
‘Give him some more, bless him,’ the guard said. E.D. pulled out another stick, unaware of the security guard quietly opening the wire gate. Suddenly E.D. felt a firm grasp on his arm. ‘Now, come along. I think there’s someone who’d like to meet you,’ the guard said, his voice harder. E.D. tried to shrug his arm away, but the guard’s grip was like a vice.
‘Hey, man, you’re hurting me,’ E.D. said, wincing.
‘I don’t like smart-alec kids messing with my animals. Now get in here and we’ll see what the principal has to say.’
‘The principal?’ E.D. said, suddenly panicking. ‘ The principal?’
Ignoring him, the guard shoved E.D. into an office. Before he could talk himself out of it, E.D. hauled his arm away, momentarily surprising the guard. It was enough. As his grip slackened, E.D. barged straight past the uniformed man. But the security guard was quick. In no time he hadrecovered, positioning himself between E.D. and the door they’d just come through. E.D. glanced to his left, desperately searching for another way out. A black door with the word MAINTENANCE written on it was his only option. He didn’t remember it from his last visit.
‘Be my guest,’ he thought he heard the guard say, as he sped across the room and flung open the door. A moment later there was a click—he’d just been locked in.
Slowly E.D.’s eyes adjusted to the gloom.
‘The black tube,’ he sighed, finally making out the dim shape of the tube to his right. There was nothing else in the room. ‘Here we go again,’ he muttered, climbing two small steps and opening a sliding panel.
The tube was narrow and dark—pitch black.
‘At least you could turn the lights on!’ he shouted. No one replied. With one hand in front of his face, E.D. slowly made his way forward. Somewhere behind him the guard was speaking, but E.D. couldn’t make out what he was saying.
Nothing happened for a few minutes as E.D. inched forward, feeling with his right hand for a change in direction. But the only variance was the gradual climb that had started a few metres back. The floor and walls of the tube were shinyand smooth. As the climb started to get steeper, E.D. found it increasingly difficult to get a grip. He started using his elbows and knees, pushing them against the sides of the tube.
E.D. struggled on a few more metres before pausing. There was something else. Straining every muscle in his body, he listened. A low rumble, like a distant roll of thunder, was gradually creeping up towards him. E.D. didn’t often feel frightened, but the darkness, the deep growling noise coming towards him, the guard in the office and the fact that he’d left his motocross bike parked against the back wall of Explore! for anyone to come and steal, caused a tightening knot in his stomach and sweat to break out on his brow.
E.D. swore softly to himself. Slide back down and get out of the tunnel, or press on? But press on to
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