part 10

Mary jumped back from the hole and went to Wong, always keeping that hole in the web in sight, as if the Monster would burst through any time. "Wake Up! Wake Up!"

Wong stretched, "Oh, is it my go again?" Then he saw Mary was scared and followed her yes  to the web,"What?" he went over to the hole and stood on tiptoe to look through, and the next second he was just as scared, "Babosa! We gotta go!"

Mary wondered what Wong was talking about - she hadn't seen that social worker here? "What about the brown slimey thing?"

"That's what I said! We go NOW!" With his back paw, Wong flipped the stick-thing into the air, Mary put up her arm to stop it hitting her face, and it landed straight in her palm, waiting till she curled her fingers round it before pulling forwards, her away from the hole it had made at the side, the stick-thing cut through the web as easily as a warm spoon in soft ice cream, the the air was a fizzle of blue polkadots as so many bits of web were zapped out of the  way.

Luckily the stick-thing seemed to know where to go. Though sometimes rough corners of rock edge poked throuigh the web, so they had to swerve out of the way, or the ground went up or down making Mary stumble, it would hold its place in the air, keeping her up. Apart from its zapping, Mary's and Wong's panting was the only other sound, they were too worried about getting away to talk. Then, from behind,  a came woman's voice, muffled through the web, "Mary!" Had Karen got free? Mary's breath was so loud she couldn't be sure, so she stopped to listen," You're going to get yourself in trouble if you don't listen to me, Now!" Mary thought the voice sounded too harsh to be Karen. "Mary, this is your friend, I got icecream for you, chocolate, remember? You want to see Mum and Dad, I can help with that! Stay where you are, I will come get you!"

Not Karen, not safe! "Babosa!" Mary sobbed, "You were right! Why is she here?"

Wong rubbed his paw over his ears where a piece of web dangled, "She wants you, for Gello?"

The voice was closer, sharper, "Don't listen to that cat, it's a liar!" How did Babosa know about Wong?

Mary saw his eyes were wide and his ears back - he looked so sad and frightened, Mary reached round and gave Wong a big hug, burying her face in the deep fur round his neck and breathing in his smell, "Don't worry, I will be your friend forever!" When Mary lifted her face, she saw the tunnel behind them being pressed down by a huge weight. Glistening brown showed through the grey. The web roof was being dragged backwards by this weight too, it would trap them like shrimps in a net.

Wong had seen, too, "Let's keep going, quietly so she doesn't know?" Mary nodded.

But though they made no noise, the zapping web was loud and at once the voice came again, "Don't you dare run away from me! Stop, or you will never see your parents again" 

Whispering "No! No! No!" Mary felt Wong's paw in the middle of her back, warm and steady. The stick-thing in Mary's hand pulled them forward, just in time, as where they had been, the roof flattened like dough being rolled. Mary heard a squieshing slither. It must be what she had seen on the cliff! The stick-thing jerked again, opening a way for them to one side.

Over and over, they changed which way they  were going, but couldn't go fast enough to escape the huge slimey weight only just behind. Once it was so close the web roof pressed down on the end of Wong's tail, "OwOwOwOwOw!" He yowled, pulling, and Mary spun round and hacked at the web till he was free, leaving a tuft of soft orange fur behind. There was no time for Wong to lick the sting away as they were off at once, the stick-thing zappingd again at the web infront. 

Wong hadn't said anything for ages, and though Mary tried to watch out for the Mouth  Monster, her eyes kept closing, though the stick-thing in her hand kept zapping web, but she then she realised its rhythm had changed. Mary made herself wake up properly, and looked around, "The web's ending!" She turned to Wong as a shadow fell on them. The Mouth Monster was rearing up! It made Mary think of a giant slug, with its long pale belly, and the strings of goo it was using to slide over the spiderweb. Mary looked at Wong and then they ran! with their last bit of energy, into the open at last and - 

a tall cliff wall, "Too far to go round!" Wong panted, "I'll look for paw holds!" Mary gripped the stick-thing in both hands and took a deep shakey breath, about to to turn round and face the Mouth Monster. But when Wong got closer 'Grrrrringgh!' the wall split open, "Quick, In here!" but Mary was in before Wong finished speaking.

It was dark, so she only went a few steps, afraid of what they were going towards as well as what they were running from. Mary looked back at the blobby red mouth slurping, a flash of teeth. Though it blocked the light, it didn't stop it altogether, which meant it wasn't getting any closer! Strangely, Mary heard Babosa again, Come out!" Did the social worker know about the giant slug? Did she want to protect them from it? Even though Mary was very scared, Babosa didn't make her feel safe, "You are in big trouble, the two of yous!" The social worker's voice seemed to be coming out of the Monster's mouth? Was Babosa inside it? When Mary didn't move the red mouth ROARED, Mary saw its spikey teeth going on right down its throat! She jumped back as the red mouth folded into a line, its face lowered to the ground, and with the two stalk things pointed forward it raced towards the gap in the wall -

'Grrrrringgh' the opening was gone, and EVERYTHING WAS BLACK!

This wasn't just night-time dark, it was eyes-shut in the night time! Mary opened her eyes wide and waved her hand infront of her face, and nothing was there! "I can't see!"

"That's because you are not a cat. We are the best! Ow! What is this uncomfortable thing?" Wong grunted and must have moved because then Mary saw a long, faint light and a black Wong shape next to it. 

"The stick-thing! It's shining!" Mary picked it up, and found every little move, the light got brighter, so she waved it around like a sparkler,  "Where are we?"

Wong's eyes were like green fireworks. "Somewhere safe... I hope!" he curled round to hold his tail steady with both paws and lick where the web had stuck, 

"I wonder how big it is in here,, here" her voice echoed

Wong looked up, "Shhh! There might be walls!"

Mary smiled, "Walls aren't scarey!"

Wong looked thoughtful "It might not have been walls. Anyway, the Madge says they have ears!"

"Sorry," Mary whispered. Holding the stick-thing made her feel brave though, and as Wong didn't want to move yet, she felt safe enough to explore, turning back every now and then to check he was still there. But soon a pile of pale brown rocks blocked the way. It seemed like the air was alive with a strong rich mushroomy smell here. Mary waved the stick thing about but couldn't see any, though, maybe it was because of what Wong had said, she thought one of the high up rocks looked like a huge ear, on its side, smooth and curvy and flat. As Mary tried to work out where, if it had been an ear, the chin and nose would be, to make a face, two long, grey things poked up over the ear shape's edge. She thought they were two fingers, but then there came a furry head with big dark eyes. They were ears.  "Rabbit!" Mary whispered, and the rabbit turned and vanished, "Please, come back!" Holding the stick-thing in one hand, Mary scrambled onto the rock pile, to see where it had gone, but as soon as she got off the ground, the rocks under her began to move.

"Help!" Mary lost her balance, and fell over, as a boulder swung over where she had been standing! She was afraid she would be crushed as more boulders tumbled, rumbling and grinding round her, and pebbles clattered through whale like shadows in the stick-thing's light.  A small cave appeared beside her, and quickly Mary crept in.

She hoped the rabbit had found somewhere safe, too. Though everything still shook, this cave stayed the same way up. There was a row of big smooth stones curving round, stopping her falling out. Suddenly there was a lurch! Mary slipped on the soft cave floor, sliding back as the roof came down, leaving her curled in only a tiny space. 

The stick-thing was half covered, but when Mary pulled, it came free, so Mary tried pushing! The new walls around her, were almost warm, almost soft, like playdoh that's only just been put away, and without Mary even trying the cave peeled opened again, and she crawled forward to look for Wong, "Are you ok?"

Mary didn't hear if Wong replied, for a GUSH  of ROARING hot air EXPLODED from behind, BLASTING her over the row of smooth stones!

Mary was falling

falling

"Oof" She shut her eyes, holding on tight to the stick thing with one hand, and curled up as small as she could. When she opened her eyes, it was light! She looked up. A pale purple glow came from frilly shapes on the rocky ceiling that was now not much higher than where she had landed, on what seemed to be the end of a bridge that stopped in mid air. Mary looked over the edge. There was Wong, small, his face tilted up. He waved his paw. Mary wanted to wave back, but was worried to let go incase she fell. It must be very high. 

She turned round slowly, to look for a way down. The ear shape had gone, but there was a warm breeze, and Mary saw the small cave, and waited, incase it was a volcano and lava would come pouring out, but it didn't, which made her feel safer. A bit. A round boulder stuck out over the cave, like a porch, and a bit higher on each side of that, must be some holes in the roof because they were full of bright sky blue.  Perhaps a way to escape through?

First, she had to get there. Mary tried standing up, but started to wobble and sat down at once. Some pebbles rattled away. She looked up again. Was the cave closer? There seemed to be more wind - Mary lifted up the stick thing and waved it, to get more light and the cave errupted! Not with lava though,