Toad Heaven - Morris Gleitzman [20]
Limpy and Charm grabbed the loose skin under Goliath's arms and struggled to hold him back.
“Dunno why I'm doing this,” muttered Charm. “A few truck wheels over his head would do him good.”
Limpy looked around desperately for a way to escape.
They were trapped between the truck and the fence and the steep edge of the platform.
Then Limpy saw a weed-covered plastic grate in the concrete near their feet. It was covering a hole.
“Quick, Goliath,” he said. “Help me get this open.”
Limpy grabbed the grate and started pulling at it. Charm helped him. The truck was getting closer. Goliath gave it a last scowl as he hooked his nail under the rim of the grate and prized it up. Together, panting, they rolled the grate away from the hole.
Charm looked nervously down into the darkness.
“Do all wombat holes in towns have lids?” she said.
“It's a drain,” said Limpy. “Like the stormwater one under our highway at home. Jump!”
The truck was almost on top of them. Limpy decided this wasn't the time to tell Charm about what humans use sewers for.
He pushed Charm into the hole. Goliath squeezed in after her. Limpy followed. As he fell, he closed his eyes and thought of their lovely swamp. He wished he could land with a squish into soft, familiar mud.
Instead, he landed with a painful thud and a splash.
“You okay?” said Goliath's voice in the gloom. “I'm okay, and I think Charm's okay 'cause she's biting my knee.”
Limpy checked to make sure that he could move all his limbs and warts.
“I'm okay,” he said.
Above them, one of the truck wheels rolled over the hole and stopped, blocking out the circle of daylight.
They were in total darkness.
“I don't like towns,” said Charm in a small voice.
Limpy reached out till he felt her arm and gave it a gentle squeeze.
“Don't worry,” he said. “We'll be in the national park soon.”
He heard his voice echo down what sounded like a tunnel. He was surprised to hear how confident it sounded, because he didn't feel very confident at all.
“Which way do we go?” asked Goliath.
Limpy could feel water trickling over his feet. Fortunately, it didn't seem to have lumps in it.
“This water must be going somewhere,” he said.“Let's follow it.”
They set off, hopping slowly and cautiously.
Limpy reached out in the darkness for Charm's hand.
Poor kid, he thought. She didn't ask to be here.
He gave her hand a squeeze.
“Thanks,” said Goliath. “That feels good.”
“Limpy,” said Charm. “Do you actually know where the national park is?”
Limpy let go of Goliath's hand and hesitated before he answered.
If I was Malcolm, he said to himself, I'd say “Yes, of course. I know exactly where it is. Follow me.” But I'm not, I'm Limpy.
He took a deep breath.
“Yes,” he said. “Of course. I know exactly where it is. Follow me.”
“Where?” said Goliath.
Limpy thought about confessing that he didn't know exactly where it was at all. Then he remembered the adoring way Charm had looked at Malcolm. And how jealous he'd felt.
“To the east,” said Limpy.
They hopped along the tunnel in darkness and silence.
Crunch.
Limpy stiffened.
What was that sound?
Slurp.
He relaxed. It was just Goliath eating something.
“Mmm,” said Goliath. “The flying beetles in here are delicious.”
“Actually,” said an annoyed voice, “we're cockroaches.”
“Sorry,” said Goliath. “My mistake.”
Crunch.
Slurp.
After a while the blackness up ahead started fuzzing into gray. As they moved toward it, the gray got lighter and a white circle slowly came into focus.
“The end of the tunnel,” said Limpy.
He saw that Charm was peering anxiously ahead, her dear little face straining to see what they were moving toward.
Limpy peered as well.
The light was too bright to see anything clearly, and his eyes were still getting used to it when in front of him suddenly loomed three big dark shapes.
“Hmmm,” said a voice. “Here's something a bit more interesting than cockroaches.”
The voice was deep and soft and menacing.
Limpy pulled Charm close to him and froze.
A big round furry whiskered face was blocking their way,