The Tunnels Below by Nadine Wild-Palmer (best short novels of all time .TXT) 📕

to Mrs Hoots and buy something to wear that will get us in tonight.” Cecilia reached into her pocket and pulled out some buttons and began counting them. Jasper and Luke couldn’t help themselves and began to chuckle, throwing each other amused glances.

“What?”

“We’re going to need a lot more than that,” said Luke. “I know! Why don’t we pool our buttons together and bet them on the Ride or Sigh competition?”

“Gamble, are you crazy?”

“What’s life without a little bit of risk, Cecilia?”

“Have you got a better idea?” Jasper added.

She sat there thinking quietly for a moment then shook her head.

“But what if we do get to Lady-Bird and she refuses to help? We will have gone to all this trouble and be back at square one. Kuffi hasn’t done anything wrong, he just made a mistake and it wasn’t even his fault!”

“For Jacques d’Or it makes no difference. If we’ve got a chance to make it right, we have to try. Kuffi’s life depends on it! And on top of that, you’re also going to need to be extra careful. Wherever Lady-Bird is, Jacques d’Or and his heavies are bound to follow. He likes to show up and show off, so no doubt he’ll be making an appearance and giving some grand speech about how wonderful he is and how much light he has generated.”

“Jacques d’Or is out of control, man,” said Luke flippantly.

“That’s beside the point. Look, I think if we can get you in to see Lady-Bird, she’ll help. She’ll be heartbroken that her oldest, dearest friend has met with trouble and that she’s the only one who can save his life.”

“But won’t she just think we’re crazy fans like everyone else?” said Luke.

“Not if you’re not fans at all!” said Jasper. “You’re going to pretend to be trainee reporters. She loves giving interviews and she’ll be expecting one after she’s performed. Once you’ve gained an audience with her—you can reveal the real reason you’re there!”

“Well, Cecilia is going to need ID papers, Jasper, and it’s not long before the Ride or Sigh competition starts,” said Luke.

Jasper inhaled and let out a big blue sigh. Cecilia gasped as the miniature cloud floated up to the ceiling and disappeared. Cecilia poked Luke in the shin with her foot. “Luke! What was that?”

“Ouch, you doofus, that hurt!” He didn’t look at all pleased. Luke pulled in a deep breath and huffed out a deep groan that released a puff of hot orange.

“Oh, that!” he said, smiling mischievously. He waved his hand back and forth through the orange mist until it was gone. “That’s a sigh and it means it’s almost time for the Ride or Sigh competition!” His voice was getting louder with excitement.

“Yes, we’d better gather ourselves together!” said Jasper, and with that he got up and moved back over to the little desk in the corner and beckoned Cecilia over to him.

“Now then, Miss Cecilia, you’re going to need some ID papers.”

Jasper asked Cecilia to sit in front of him on the floor. He reached out his hands and felt the contours of her face and eyebrows, lips and nose. It was a new experience to have someone analyse her face in such a way. As he did so she noticed the deep grooves etched into the palms of his hands like ancient rivers.

“You thought I couldn’t see you, didn’t you?” he said eerily. “But I see things you don’t. There’s much more to a picture than just paint on a canvas.” His expression and movements seemed to have taken on an animalistic style, as had his temperament—no wonder he didn’t find it difficult to fit in in this mysterious underground world.

Cecilia’s attention turned to the stuff hanging on the walls of the cubby. All about the place were various creations: animal masks, ears, wings and tails. Up close they looked handmade but she supposed that in the shadows one might pass for a sheep-face or a dog-face.

“I know what you’re thinking,” he said, startling Cecilia. She worried for a second that he was some kind of mind reader, like something from Star Trek, which her dad always forced them to watch but which she secretly loved. “My disguises, why I have made them?” Jasper said in answer to the question Cecilia hadn’t had to ask.

“Yes,” she said plainly, looking over at Luke; he shrugged in return.

“It’s easier to try to blend in, I find. I’m vulnerable if I look just like me as I am. You know. A human being.”

So he does know he’s a human, Cecilia thought.

“Oh, is it? Well, I guess I’ve been lucky. No one really seems to notice me. Julius was a bit curious but apart from that—”

“It’s because, to be honest, Cecilia, I imagine it’s quite hard to work out what you actually are. You’re really grubby, so I suppose you look a bit like a pig-face that’s been rolling in the dirt.”

“Gee, thanks,” said Cecilia.

“Yeah, you’d definitely pass for a pig-face, now I think about it. Anyway what’s wrong with being a pig-face?” Luke said innocently.

Jasper agreed. “Yes, your nose is quite upturned from what I can tell but it’s still a lovely nose nonetheless.” Jasper took his hands away. “OK. We’re all done.” He turned away from Cecilia and chirpily set to work. Cecilia was fiddling with an old jar that had some kind of specimen in it, a sort of metallic liquid-gel that morphed and changed shape entirely of its own accord.

“What’s this silvery stuff? It looks a bit like liquid metal. Mercury or something.”

“If it’s what I think it is, you’d better put it down,” Jasper said, puffing out a small red cloud. “This not the time to mess about with the Deep. Here, look at this instead.”

Cecilia didn’t know what he was talking about. “The Deep…” she muttered, putting the jar down and walking over to Jasper, who was holding out some documents for her.

“That was quick,” said Luke, stretching as though he’d just woken up.

Cecilia looked