Woody and Zipper's Great Adventure

©2005 Ian Hobson

Woody stopped for a moment beside the shear cliff face and looked out across the vast dry plane that stretched much further than he could see. He was finding the terrain difficult, as the surface here was soft and springy and yet full of cracks; not deep enough to fall into, but they slowed his progress. He thought that perhaps he should leave the cliff and its cool shade, but somehow he felt safer and less exposed beside it.

He was beginning to have a few regrets. It was only two days since he had set out from home, yet it seemed like half a lifetime. He had managed to forage for food along the way but here in these barren uplands there was an unnatural lack of food.

'Nothing ventured, nothing gained.' That's what his Uncle Fraygus would have told him. Poor old Uncle Fraygus. Woody missed him a lot; and his stories of adventures in far off places. Life without Uncle Fraygus had become very boring. In fact life had become intolerable. Not that he didn't love his family, or feel loved in return. It was just that there were so many of them. Life at home was one endless round of visiting relatives: uncles, aunts, cousins - and nephews and nieces; crawling about the place and getting under foot. Even the neighbour's kids couldn't keep away; especially young Zipper. He wasn't a bad lad, but he was a little too inquisitive; always following Woody about and asking silly questions.

Woody decided that it was time he continued with his journey. 'Put your best foot forward.' Another of Uncle Fraygus's favourite sayings came to mind. Woody looked down at his feet, wondering which foot was the best. It was difficult to decide with so many to choose from. Suddenly there was a tremendous pounding noise and the ground beneath Woody's feet began to tremble. Woody kept low against the cliff face. He knew about the monsters. His mother had warned him: 'If you hear them coming, keep very still and they may not notice you. But if they do; run for your life!'

The noise grew louder, and with it came a gust of wind, and the earth tremors were the worst that Woody could remember. He was tempted to turn and run back to the safety of the cave beneath the cliff where he had spent the hottest part of the day. But he kept still and closed his eyes tight, and soon the monster moved away and the noise and tremors subsided.

'Did you feel that, Woody? That was a big one. I thought we was going to be squashed for sure.'

Startled, Woody opened his eyes and turned towards the unexpected voice. 'Zipper! What in the name of tree-rot are you doing here?'

Zipper was big for his age but still not quite Woody's height. 'I followed you. You never told me you were going on a journey.'

'Too right I didn't! And I didn't tell you you could follow me either! What would your mother say?'

Zipper looked down at his feet. He was straddling one of the strange cracks in the ground and peering down into its depths, waiting and hoping that his friend would not send him home.

'And what would she say about you swearing?'

' "Squashed" isn't swearing,' exclaimed Zipper. 'My dad says it all the time.'

'Well I say it is,' said Woody. 'I remember what happened to my Uncle Fraygus.'

'Why, what happened to him?' Zipper loved stories almost as much as Woody; even the gruesome ones.

'Never mind that now.' Woody looked a little worried. 'I have to decide what to do about you.'

'Your not going to send me back, are you?' pleaded Zipper. 'I'm not sure I could climb back down the way I climbed up.'

'Why, which way did you climb?'

'Well, I lost site of your tracks in that dark crevasse where all the boulders were, so I thought you must have gone up. So I found a place to climb and then had to keep going, and then I came out in a cave under this cliff and found your tracks again.'

'Oh, you must have found a short cut.' Woody seemed impressed, and soon reached a decision. 'Well, as you've come this far, you might as well come for the whole trip. But I'm in charge. You have to do as I say.'

'Nooks-and-crannies! Thanks Woody!' exclaimed Zipper. 'You'll be glad I came.'

'Right then, best foot forward,' said Woody, as the two of them set off, still keeping to the cliff face and trying to keep their feet out of the cracks.

'Bet you couldn't climb this.' Zipper was examining the cliff face as they stumbled along. It seemed so smooth and shiny.

'No, I tried. Too smooth. Smells funny, as well.'

'You're right¦ Hey, Woody, I've just thought: you haven't told me where we're going.'

'Going?' replied Woody. 'That's because I don't know where we're going. Except to say that we're going on an adventure.'

'Are we?' exclaimed Zipper. 'Oh, nooks-and-crannies! An adventure! Wait till I tell all my brothers and sisters.'

***

Jim kicked off his work boots in the porch and walked through into the kitchen. 'Hello, love. What's for dinner?'

'Beef stew and mash.' His wife, Mary, was rinsing the kitchen sink, having just peeled some potatoes.

'Oh, good; my favourite. I'll go for my shower, then.'

'Okay, love. Oh, before you do, there's another of those wood-lice in the living room. Can you catch it for me?'

Jim laughed as he opened the living room door. 'Can't you catch it? Where is it anyway?'

Mary reached for a towel and dried her hands, and followed Jim into the living room. 'It was next to the skirting-board. Oh, it's gone¦ no, look; it's moved. Oh no, there are two of them now. Wherever do they come from?'

Jim knelt on the carpet and gently picked up the two wood-lice and dropped them into the palm of his hand. One landed on its back and lay there with its legs franticly kicking the air. As Jim got to his feet, he offered them to his wife, holding them close to her face.

'Oh, take them away!' Mary exclaimed, with a grimace. 'You know I can't stand them.'

Jim laughed again as he carried the wood-lice into the kitchen and dropped them into the sink and flushed them down the drain with water from the cold tap.

***

Woody landed on his back again, but this time on a cold wet surface instead of a hot dry one. Zipper was somewhere nearby; he could still hear him whimpering. But before Woody could gather his wits and try to figure out what had happened, he was struck by a torrent of swirling water, and washed into darkness.

Not that he was afraid of the dark or even of a little water, but he was spinning and tumbling, and no longer knew which way was up or which way was down. At one point, he was washed into something soft and gooey and managed to get a foothold, but then Zipper came crashing into him, and the two of them tumbled together, spluttering and gurgling.

'Help me¦ I'm drowning!' cried Zipper, as he locked legs with Woody.

Woody was about to reply when the two of them were plunged into deep water and sucked into a swirling vortex. Luckily the air trapped between their bodies soon brought them back to the surface where they clung to each other, still spluttering and gurgling.

'Where¦ are we?' Zipper asked, in a week and frightened voice.

'I don't know,' replied Woody, taking in his surroundings. They were floating on the surface of a circular lake in a huge cave, and above them were rectangular shafts of light that illuminated large drops of water that fell from above. 'This place seems familiar, and it smells quite nice. But I think we should get out of this water.'

They separated and began to swim, dodging the drops of water as best they could. One of Woody's legs was hurting and he wasn't sure if he had broken it. Soon they reach the wall of the cave and began to swim around the edge of the lake until they found a wide crack where they were able to climb up onto a ledge.

'Were are we?' Zipper asked again, sounding a little less scared. 'And what happened back there? I thought when that monster came, we were going to be squashed or eaten.'

'Try not to think about it,' replied Zipper, examining his damaged leg. 'The important thing is, we survived. You'll be able to tell your grandchildren about this.'

'If we ever get out of here,' said Zipper, looking around. Just then, another torrent of water came crashing from above, almost washing them off the ledge. They moved back towards the wall of the cave and waited for the downpour to stop.

'Listen!' said Woody, after a while. 'Did you hear that?'

From somewhere above them came the sound of a familiar voice. 'Zipper¦ Woody¦ Zipper!'

'It's my dad!' exclaimed Zipper. 'He must have come to look for us!' Dad¦ Dad! We're in here.' Zipper's voice echoed around the cave.

'Zipper! Is that you?' came the reply.

'Dad! We've had an adventure! We nearly got squashed by a monster!'

'Zipper!' came the reply again, but much louder this time.

'We're down here!' Woody shouted. 'We're okay!' He was wishing that Zipper had not mentioned the monster. He was sure to get the blame for almost getting them both killed.

Soon the shape of a large wood-lice loomed above them on another ledge, and before long more rescuers arrived.

'Dad!' cried Zipper 'We nearly got squashed!'

'Now you mind your language,' said Zipper's dad, as he looked for a way to climb down. 'Or you'll be in double-trouble. We've been out looking for you all day¦ And as for you, young Woody; I'll be having words with your father about you.'

Woody groaned at the prospect.

'It wasn't Woody's fault,' said Zipper. 'It was me that followed him. But we had a great adventure. Didn't we, Woody?'