A loud wump came from the dark room behind them.
Tea screamed and ran down the corridor.
“Come back!” shouted Elise.
“Follow him.” shouted Cribbins and ran after Tea.
Smorg was barking at something in the dark and Elise could hear the ticking noise again. It was loud and sounded like lots of Smorgs running over a wooden floor.
Suddenly a huge spider burst into the light and Elise fell backwards in fright. It grabbed Smorg. He struggled and barked, but couldn’t break free. Elise tried to get to her feet. More spiders appeared and ran straight past Elise. There was a very loud wump and the corridor was filled with grey, matted fur. The smell was awful. Elise tried to draw her sword. A spider grabbed her from behind and she was carried backwards along the corridor, followed by the spider holding Smorg. The matted fur parted to show a mouth with rows and rows of small, sharp teeth. The Grunderwump gurgled and shook. Elise was glad to be moving away so quickly, but not happy being carried by a giant spider. In fact she hated it. She screamed.
Chapter Ten
The spiders carried Elise and Smorg through dark rooms and tunnels, their feet making a drum roll of ticking noises on the stone floor. Elise yelled and shrieked and Smorg barked as they shot along the corridors. The spider kept turning Elise over and over. She realised she was covered in sticky, white web. It covered her legs and Smorg was covered all the way up to his snout. Poor Smorg he looks like an Egyptian Mummy.
Before long they were carried into a brightly lit corridor with tiles on the floor and light green walls. The corridor led to a huge hall with chandeliers and deep red wallpaper. Wallpaper in a cellar, thought Elise, how very odd.
The spiders carried them through the hall and into a brightly lit room. It had rows and rows of chairs with red velvet seat and in front a big stage with black curtains. In the front row sat Cribbins and Tea, both had their legs covered in web.
“Cribbins.” shouted Elise, “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine ma’am.” replied Cribbins. “They haven’t hurt us or anything.”
“Yet.” said Tea.
Smorg mumbled something, it sounded like “Stupid boy”.
The spider placed Elise in the seat next to Cribbins. Smorg was dropped on the floor. He growled.
“It’s ok Smorg.” said Elise. After all, you could say that the spiders, horrible though they were, had rescued them from the Grunderwump. And they hadn’t hurt them. Elise thought about Tea’s ‘yet’. She hoped he was wrong.
The lights dimmed and a wheezing noise came from below. A Pipe Organ rose up out of the floor. On the stool in front sat a small, grey spider. It began to play ‘Itsy Bitsy Spider’.
The curtains parted showing a painted scene of London. Elise could see Big Ben in the background. The music changed and a big, black, hairy spider waltzed on to the stage. It had small shoes on all its feet.
The spider danced around the stage, shuffling its feet in time to the music. Elise watched with a mixture of fear and awe. Frightened of the spider, but entranced by its gentle, shuffling dance. The music stopped and the spider bowed. Elise burst into applause. Tea stared at her.
“What are doing?”
“That was incredible.” said Elise. “Come on, applaud. It just performed for you. Where are your manners?”
Cribbins started clapping softly and Tea clapped very slowly. Smorg growled.
The music changed again. Elise recognised it from an old film she’d seen. Three spiders walked on stage and started doing the Sand Dance. Their feet shuffled and they moved their legs in strange patterns. They looked really funny. Elise giggled. She looked at Cribbins who was watching open mouthed. Tea sat with his arms folded, staring up at the ceiling. At the end the spiders bowed and Elise and Cribbins applauded loudly. Tea didn’t bother.
The next act was a spider that tap danced to the ‘Flight of the Bumblebee’. Elise was fascinated as its feet moved so fast they blurred. When the music finished, all the performing spiders lined up and took a bow. Even Tea clapped properly this time. As they left the stage, the organ played Itsy Bitsy Spider again and sank slowly into the floor.
“That was very strange,” said Cribbins, “Lovely, but strange. What happens now?”
“Now they eat us.” said Tea.
Elise ignored him. “I think we should get this web off our legs and go.”
She drew her sword and cut the web holding her legs. It was tough and sticky. She freed Cribbins and Tea and they helped Elise unwrap Smorg. Then they walked quickly out of the theatre.
Standing in the tiled corridor outside the theatre, Elise looked at the Travelling Map and was surprised to see the trail led back the way they came.
“The map trail leads back into the theatre.” said Elise, “Do you think we should follow it?”
“I should say not.” said Tea, “We only just escaped.”
“We didn’t really escape,” said Cribbins, “We just walked out. Nobody tried to stop us. I don’t think we were prisoners at all.”
“Then what were we?” asked Tea.
“An audience.” said Elise. “Come on. Let’s go backstage.”
“Are you mad?” asked Tea.
“Oh aye.” said Smorg and followed Elise.
Elise climbed the small set of steps that led onto the stage. She parted the heavy, black curtain and looked through. The scenery was gone and she could see the wall at the back of the stage. There were ropes and weights and cables all over the place.
“Hello?” shouted Elise. No one replied. She stepped through the curtains and looked into the wings at the side of the stage. Elise walked down some stairs and looked around backstage. There was nobody around.
“Where’s everyone gone?” asked Elise.
“Probably eating their young.” said Tea.
“Don’t be horrible.” said Elise. She walked down a corridor and found some doors. One had a faded star on it. It reminded Elise of the Dawn Star so she opened it.
Inside sat the small grey spider that played the organ.
“Sorry.” Elise said. “I should have knocked.”
The spider raised one leg and beckoned. Elise swallowed and stepped forward. She wasn’t sure how to ask a spider for directions, so she held up the Travelling Map. The spider took it from her hand and opened it. It seemed to study the map for a while.
The spider jumped up. Elise squeaked and jumped even higher. It handed the book back to Elise and squeezed past her, Elise could smell musty, old curtains. The others, still in the corridor, backed away as the spider left the room. It walked down the corridor and Elise followed. She wasn’t sure the spider wanted to help, but she didn’t have any better ideas.
The corridor came to an end and the grey spider crawled into a small hole in the wall. Elise ducked down and looked through. On the other side was a tunnel lit by soft green light that came from fungus growing in patches on the walls. She crawled through on her hands and knees and waited for the rest to follow. She could hear Tea complaining and Smorg muttering. There was a loud bark and soon Tea’s head appeared.
“Are you sure it’s safe?” asked Tea.
“I doubt it.” said Elise even though it was a little mean.
Chapter Eleven
They followed the spider along the tunnel. It went down deeper and deeper, until they entered a colossal cavern. The roof arched up into the darkness and at the end the green glowing fungus grew in great big clumps that shed light right across the cave. In the middle was a huge rock. As they got closer Elise began to feel nervous. There was something familiar about the rock that worried her. And then it moved. Elise saw it properly. It was not a rock. It was a vast, enormous spider as big as a house with legs like lamp posts.
Elise froze.
“What’s the matter now?” asked Tea.
Smorg growled.
“It’s… It’s…” said
Cribbins and gasped.
The small, grey spider looked tiny as it touched the giant spider’s leg. The huge spider rose up to its full height and it was even bigger than Elise imagined.
Tea squeaked and tried to hide behind Cribbins, who stood frozen to the spot with his mouth moving, but no sound came out. Smorg’s hackles rose. He looked like a brush with legs as he trotted forward and stood next to Elise.
The giant spider spoke in a high voice like pan pipes.
“Welcome humans. Do not worry I am not hungry.” There was gurgling noise. “That was a joke. Are you too frightened to speak?”
“Ple… Pleased to meet you.” said Elise. Her voice sounded squeaky. What was wrong with my throat, thought Elise. It felt half blocked.
“I am the Queen, pleased to meet you…?”
“Elise.”
“What a lovely name. And what do you do?” asked the Queen.
“Sorry?” said Elise, annoyed with herself for not saying pardon.
“Oh, I read somewhere that was the sort of thing humans expected queens to say. Is that right?”
“Yes, your Majesty.” said Elise, pleased that she remembered how to address a queen.
“Your Majesty? How delightful. No one said that to me before. What a lovely child you are. And who are these others?”
“This is Smorg my dog.” said Elise. She turned and pointed. “That’s Cribbins and hiding behind him is Tea, Lord Porridge’s son.”
“How charming. Now best you run along. I like to be nice, but you look so tender and tasty, it’s quite a temptation.” said the Queen and gurgled.
Elise didn’t know if the Queen was joking or not.
“Please your Majesty, can you help us find the Mines? The map led us here and we don’t know which way to go.”
“The Mines? Of course, why else would humans be here. We lived there for generations and no human ever came. Too frightened I suppose.
Then the roof collapsed, trapping us deep below the surface. It took us a long, long time to burrow out. When we got out there was a castle covering everywhere. So we made our home in the cellars.
You can still get to the Mines through our tunnels. This one will take you.” said the Queen, pointing with a huge leg to the small grey spider. “Be careful little humans, there are traps to stop us returning, to kill us if we dare walk in our own caves. You humans are so nice.”
Elise didn’t know what to say. “I apologise your Majesty. I think they’re scared of you.”
The Queen gurgled and Elise realised it was laughter.
“And you aren’t?” said the Queen and stepped forward. The Queen loomed over Elise and she was frightened, very frightened. She remembered Auntie Callie said everyone was scared; it was what you did that mattered.
“No.” said Elise. “I am impressed by your magnificence and honoured by your presence.”
The Queen stepped back. “Perhaps there is hope for humans after all.”
“Thank you, your Majesty.” said Elise as it seemed the right thing to say.
“You’re welcome child, now run along and remember the traps.”
Elise bowed and waved at the others till they bowed too.
The Queen settled back down and said in a quiet voice.
“We have never eaten humans, nor dogs or cats. It’s a myth. We’re not barbarians you know.”
Elise, Smorg, Cribbins and Tea followed the small, grey spider along the dim, musty tunnels. At times they had to duck and more than once Elise banged her helmet against the roof. She found she was scrunching up her shoulders and trying to make herself as short as possible. The green light from the fungus lit their way.
“Ow!” yelled Tea. “If I bang my head once more I’m going home.”
Smorg sniggered. “And how are you going to find your way?”
The small, grey spider stopped. Elise saw a dark pit ahead. She edged forward and peered down. She could see spikes at the bottom.
The spider scampered forward and climbed the side of the tunnel until it was close to the top. Then it leapt up and hung upside down from the roof, directly above the spiked pit. It lowered itself down on a silk thread attached to the roof and started swinging backwards and forwards. It swung out beyond the edge of the pit and it dropped down next to Elise.
It did something with the silk thread and offered it to Elise. At the end was a scrunched up ball of silk, a bit like a knot in a rope. Elise realised what she had to do. She took a run and swung out over the spiked pit. She didn't look down and when she got to the other side, let go and landed on her feet.
"It's fun," she shouted and threw the thread back. Cribbins caught it. He took a run up, and with a high pitched yell he sailed across, let go and landed in a heap next to Elise.
Next it was Tea, who made it look rather easy and sent the silk rope swinging back to the small grey spider who caught it neatly.
Elise watched Smorg, who was looking into the pit and sniffing. She wondered how to get him across, when the spider grabbed Smorg with its two back legs and swung across the dark pit. It let go of Smorg and sent him flying. Smorg yelped, but landed on his feet. The spider landed neatly next to him.
"Stupid spider, might have warned me." said Smorg
They walked in the half dark, until once again the spider stopped. It pointed in the murk. Elise saw nothing. She looked harder and saw a tiny dark line. It was a tripwire. Now she noticed lots of them strung across the tunnel. Up above there were lots of stalactites. Each one cut off and re-attached with a chain. Each chain had a catch attached to a thin, dark tripwire. One wrong move and a huge stalactite, like a giant spear, would drop down on the person below. How horrible.
The spider carefully leaned forward and drew a cross on the floor of the tunnel in the dust. It stepped forward and then drew another cross.
Elise understood. She took a high step and placed her foot on the cross, then another step to the next cross. Slowly and carefully she followed the spider through the tripwires.
Cribbins was next, teetering and tottering and making Elise wince. Tea followed and made it across. Once again Elise worried about Smorg, how was he going to follow the crosses. But Smorg didn't need to. He hunkered down on his belly and crawled under the trip wires.
The tunnel became smaller and smaller and they crawled on their hands and knees. They turned a sharp corner, scrambled through a hole just big enough to get through and arrived in the Mines.
They stood on a ledge high above a different type of tunnel. It was carved out of rock with straight walls, an arched rood and a clean, flat floor. The light was dim, but not the green fungus light of the spider tunnels and the air smelt fresh. The small, grey spider faced them and bowed.
“Thank you for guiding us.” said Elise and bowed in return. The spider scuttled into the hole and was gone.
“What do we do now?” asked Cribbins.
Elise opened the Travelling Map. The little golden trail was gone.
“Let’s explore.” said Elise. “I’ll make a map so we can find our way back.”
“What are we going to do once we get back here?” asked Tea. “Wander back through those tunnels with all those traps?”
Elise had to admit Tea had a point.
“I’ll make a map anyway. At least we’ll know where we’ve been.”
Smorg sniffed the air.
“I smelt that in the Amazing Maze.” said Smorg, “It’s coming from down there.” he pointed with a paw.
“Well let’s go.” said Elise and slid, feet first, over the edge and dangled by her hands, after that it was just a short drop to the floor.
Cribbins and Tea followed. Smorg stood at the edge looking down. It was a long drop for a dog.
“Don’t worry Smorg, I’ll catch you.” said Cribbins.
Smorg jumped. Cribbins caught him. They went down in a heap.
“Oof, you’re heavier than you look.” sa
id Cribbins.
“And you’re weaker than you look.” said Smorg.
“Come on.” said Elise who was impatient to explore.
Chapter Twelve
“Tink, tink, tink.” There it was again. It sounded like someone hitting stone with a spoon. They peered around the corner and saw a tiny man, no taller than Elise’s knee, on a ledge half way up the wall. He raised his pickaxe and struck the wall “Tink”.
“Hello.” said Elise.
The little man jumped around. “Go away.” He shouted in a high pitched voice. “Leave me alone, I’m doing no harm, I’m just mining. I ain’t no scab.”
“Sorry?” said Elise, “I don’t understand.”
“I’m not a scab.” he said and leaped off the ledge. That’s a long drop for someone so small thought Elise, but it didn’t bother the little man. He landed neatly and scurried around the next corner with the pickaxe over his shoulder.
Suddenly a loud voice shouted. “Oi you, come here.”
There was a high pitched shriek and the tiny man ran back yelling “I’m not a scab, not a scab.” He raced passed Elise and ran down the tunnel.
A large man dressed in baggy dungarees with no shirt on, walked around the corner.
“There’s no use hiding you little…“
He stopped when he saw Elise standing there.
“What do we have here? More scabs?”
“Princess Elise to you, oaf.” said Cribbins.
“A little Princess and her puppy out for a walk with a bunch of kids. How sweet” said the man and laughed.
He walked towards them smiling. He had long, dirty hair, a fat nose and grey, rotten teeth.
“I don’t know who you are,” said Tea, “Or what you’re doing in Porridge Castle, but you can clear off right now.”
“I am here, little boy, as by right of association and you and your hoity-toity little friends can clear off right now, before you feel the back of my hand.”
Smorg growled and his hackles rose.
“Forget it dog.” said the man and pulled a large cudgel out of his dirty trousers.