The Wonderground

14 - The Octopus and the Damselfly

Amelia noticed Elliot was gripping the edge of the basket so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. Elliot saw her staring at his hands and he hastily shoved them into his trouser pockets.

"I'm sorry," he said. "It turns out I'm a nervous flyer."

"Have you never flown before?" asked Amelia.

Elliot shook his head. "We don't have a lot of money" he replied. "It's just me and dad. He's a taxidermist."

"I am assuming he has never stuffed a thirty-foot damselfly," smiled Amelia.

"Or an inflatable orange octopus," grinned Elliot.

He watched two insects buzzing around frantically above the balloon. "Looks like a damselfly courtship ritual," he indicated.

Amelia squinted at the second insect. "Is there somebody riding that damselfly?" she asked with surprise.

Elliot shaded his eyes with his hands and squinted over the top of his glasses. "You're right," he agreed. "That's incredible!"

"He looks to be in some difficulty," gasped Amelia. She let out a small shriek and pointed as the figure fell from the giant damselfly, tumbling through the sky. "We have got to do something!"

The large round eye of the octopus blinked open, and Elliot felt a tentacle wrapping around his tummy again, pulling him hard from behind and suspending him, on his back, out over the rear of the basket. Elliot opened one eye and saw the figure plummeting towards him. He reached out desperately towards the floundering body and grabbed. He managed to get hold underneath the person's arms, but the tentacle swung perilously below the basket with the extra weight. The octopus held on. Elliot held on. He noticed the oversized gold chain, the ginger hair and smelled expensive aftershave. It was Jack! He was unconscious.

"Jack!" he shouted in the boy's ear. "Wake up!"

Jack's black designer puffer jacket was expensive but slippery and Elliot was losing his grip. They were losing height. There was too much weight.

"Jack, please!" Elliot pleaded.

Jack woke with a start. He realised he was dangling pendulously in mid-air and began to squirm and wrestle in terror.

"Blake? yelled Jack with surprise. "Is that you?!" Elliot gave a weak smile as their eyes met. "You can't let go!"

"I'm not strong enough!" wailed Elliot. He spotted a teardrop-shaped decorative pond below them. He hoped it would be deep enough. "Please forgive me, Jack," he said with an anguished look on his face.

"Forgive you for what?" asked Jack imploringly.

"For this," replied Elliot as he let go.

"No!" shrieked Jack flapping his arms. "I'll get you for this!" he screamed as he plummeted towards the ground. Elliot hoped he had calculated correctly and pumped his fist as he saw Jack splash perfectly in the middle of the pond. He held his breath and waited nervously. He heaved a deep sigh of relief as Jack floated to the surface, his jacket acting as a buoyancy aid. As the octopus tentacle recoiled and dropped him tenderly back into the basket, Elliot looked down to see Jack pointing up at him angrily and smashing his arms wildly on the surface of the water.

***

Rose and Isla were walking together down a narrow-cobbled ramp between two buildings when a small white object slammed into the ground in front of them and bounced into the gutter.

"Did someone just throw a shoe at us?" asked Rose, looking round, but seeing nobody.

Isla bent to pick up the expensive looking white trainer. "It looks brand-new." She noticed the letters 'JW' were stitched in silver lettering at the heel. "This is Jack's shoe," she exclaimed. "Where did it come from?"