Toad Heaven - Morris Gleitzman [31]
It was a roar.
A loud roar that wasn't getting softer or coming to an end, just going on and on and on.
What could it be? A huge campground generator? A very angry wild pig? A truck upside down in a ditch with its accelerator jammed on?
It didn't really sound like any of those.
Then another thought came to Limpy.
He'd heard a roar like that before, but not so close.
It was the roar of a plane.
Limpy had seen them often, flying high over the swamp, and a wise old buzzard had told him all about them.
This bus is on the ground, thought Limpy, which means the plane must be on the ground too. Which means we're probably at an airport. Which means there could be lots of planes.
A horrible possibility was growing in his mind.
Panic started to churn in his guts.
What if the humans get onto the planes with their luggage? thought Limpy. The pilots will wind up the big rubber bands and we could all be flown to different places. Me and Goliath and Charm might never see each other again.
“Quick!” yelled Limpy. “Goliath. Charm. We've got to get out of here.”
Limpy felt for the hole he'd chewed in the paper bag and ripped it into a bigger hole and scrambled through. He fought his way up through a tangle of human clothes and shoes to what he hoped was the top of the rucksack.
Yes, that felt like a flap. He'd seen them on wombats’ bottoms.
Limpy wrestled it open and dragged himself out.
As his eyes slowly got used to the dim light, he saw that the luggage compartment of the bus was huge. Rucksacks were piled almost as far as he could see.
“Goliath,” he croaked. “Charm. Where are you?”
“Here,” said Goliath's muffled voice.
Limpy threw himself at the rucksack he thought the voice had come from. He got the rucksack open and heaved out human clothes wildly.
There were Goliath's legs.
Limpy grabbed them and hauled on them.
“Hey,” protested Goliath as he emerged. “I'm eating. There's a hat in there that's full of white flaky stuff that's really yummy. Like dried coconut, only better.”
“We've got to go,” said Limpy. “But first we've got to find Charm.”
Limpy scrambled to all corners of the luggage compartment, yelling Charm's name over and over, hoping desperately that Goliath's repeating trick would work this time.
It did.
“Down here,” called a tearful voice.
“Yes,” shouted Goliath. “She's here. We've found her.” He kissed something in his fist. “Thank you, lucky rabbit poo.”
Limpy felt faint with relief.
He dragged Goliath down a mountain of luggage and there was Charm, kissing something herself.
When Limpy saw what she was doing, he felt such a glow of love that he almost forgot the danger they were in.
But not quite.
Gently he pulled her away from the paper bag and from the lips of the shiny cane toad inside it.
“I was just giving him the kiss of life,” said Charm. “To try and revive him. He might not be completely dead.”
“Charm,” said Limpy softly. “He's full of sawdust.”
“So what?” said Charm tearfully. “Goliath eats heaps of sawdust.”
Limpy sighed and turned to Goliath.
“You explain,” he pleaded.
“Explain what?” said Goliath. “I don't understand anything. I don't even understand why a human would keep delicious food in his hat.”
Limpy dragged them both toward an air vent. On the way, he told them about the airport.
They listened to the roar.
And understood.
Together the three of them frantically pounded at the air vent with the miniature cricket bat and the tennis racquet and the golf club.
It was no good. The metal strips wouldn't budge.
Then daylight flooded into the gloom of the luggage compartment. Limpy squinted fearfully into the glare.
The bus driver had opened the compartment door and was pulling luggage out.
Limpy grabbed Goliath and Charm and dragged them into the shadows.
“Shall we all get into the same rucksack?” whispered Charm. “At least that way we'll all be together.”
Before Limpy could reply, a figure came crawling into the compartment.
Limpy recognized the figure. It was the young human who hadn't wanted to buy him. The boy started dragging