Festival of Shadows (6 page)
Read Festival of Shadows Online
Authors: Michael La Ronn
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An angry tree picked up its roots and plopped down in front of Theo.
“Out of my way,” Theo said, juking to the right.
The tree darted to the right. Theo broke to the left, but the tree did the same thing and smirked at him.
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“I told you to get out of my way,” Theo said as he scurried up the tree’s side.
The tree groaned and swiped, but Theo dodged him and climbed into the tree’s crown. He pulled out its branches, one by one, and he threw them down in front of the tree’s eyes.
The tree grabbed at Theo, but he avoided its wiry branches.
“I’m not going to tell you again,” Theo said. He jumped down the other side of the tree and started running. The tree bent over, trying to fix its crown of black leaves.
The golden glow appeared through the trees, growing closer and closer.
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Theo sank into the ground and everything reversed itself again. He ran, but then a tree grabbed him. He pulled himself loose from its grip, but when he landed, he sank into the ground and everything reversed itself again. He kept running but he found himself in front of the angry tree again. It laughed at him.
~ Theo changed direction again.
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“I told you to get out of my way,” Theo said as he scurried up the tree’s side.
The tree groaned and swiped, but Theo dodged him and climbed into the tree’s crown. He began pulling out its branches, one by one, and he threw them down in front of the tree’s eyes.
The tree grabbed at Theo, but he avoided its wiry branches.
“I’m not going to tell you again,” Theo said. He jumped down on the other side of the tree and started running. The tree bent over, trying to fix its crown of black leaves.
The golden glow appeared through the trees, growing closer and closer.
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The trees stopped moved, and Theo ran for what seemed like forever until he saw the golden glow through the trees.
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The forest kept moving around him, and it was impossible for him to get his bearings. He ran for what seemed like forever until he finally saw the golden glow between the trees.
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The forest reset itself back to its normal direction.
Theo poked through the last tree, and he entered a clearing with a large stone dais in the middle. Cutter was sitting atop the dais, playing with the Whatsamadoozle.
“Yes, Your Grace, I am your most faithful servant. I hope that you will give me a lissssssome little boy to feast upon. Perhaps that nappy-headed little boy you brought in this evening.”
Grant.
Theo wanted to charge the dais.
If he touches Grant, I will hurt him really badly.
“What do you do with all the little boys and girls you bring to your castle, Your Grace? I want to know. If you aren’t eating them, then perhaps you can give me a few morsels . . .”
Cutter dragged the Whatsamadoozle to the other side of the dais, and he turned his back.
Theo crept toward the dais and tripped over something. Looking down, he saw that he had stepped on a wooden leg. Scattered about the clearing in large mounds were toy parts—heads, eyes, legs, and feet of toys whose lives Cutter had ended. Theo felt his stomach in his mouth.
~ He searched the field of toy parts for something that he could use.
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He settled on a wooden sword and approached the dais. He peeked over the top; Cutter was still monologuing to himself.
He climbed onto the dais.
~ He threw the sword at Cutter.
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“Hey!” Theo cried.
Cutter turned around, and the sword hit his eye. “Arrrrgh—” He clutched his face with one hand. With the other hand, he transformed the Whatsamadoozle into a battle ax, and he swung it blindly.
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The blunt side of the ax cracked into Theo’s chest, knocking him across the dais.
Cutter jumped on top of him, but the ax got stuck in the stone floor. Theo ran under Cutter and jammed his wooden sword into Cutter’s tail. The dinosaur jumped into the air out of pain.
Theo grabbed the ax, and it dematerialized and reappeared in his hand as a golden ball.
“Arrgh—you’ll pay for that!”
“The Whatsamadoozle is mine now.”
Cutter spread his wings, and their edges began to move like chainsaws and made a terrible grinding noise. He swiped, but Theo jumped out of the way. Then he ripped around and sawed ten trees in half.
“Teddy bear cutlet. Sounds delicious!”
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Theo dove over the ax, and Cutter missed him.
~ He ran between Cutter’s legs.
~ He climbed on Cutter’s face, covering his other eye.
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Theo crouched and rolled, and Cutter spun around and smacked him with the ax.
“Pesky little bear,” Cutter said. He approached Theo, dragging the ax behind him.
Theo couldn’t stand, but he could crawl. There was a torch stand to his left, and immediately behind him, the dais dropped off into the grass.
Cutter raised the ax to strike.
~ He crawled to the torch stand.
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Theo tried to roll off the dais, but Cutter stopped in mid-strike and kicked him off. He hit the ground hard and rolled across the grass, stunned. Cutter was on top of him in an instant, with one hand on Theo’s neck, and the ax raised in the other.
“It’s over, bear.”
I’ve got to talk my way out.
“If you kill me, Stratus will be mad.”
“What?!” Cutter stopped. “You’re right. It would be much better to see His Grace rip the stuffing out of you himself.”
He lifted Theo by the throat and inspected him.
Theo tried to think fast; he saw a torch burning on the dais. “Which way is Stratus’s castle?” he asked.
Cutter turned and pointed east. “There.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Why would I care whether you believe me?”
“Why don’t you cut down one of those trees so that I can see? I’d like to know where I’m going to die, that’s all.”
Still carrying Theo, Cutter growled and stomped toward the tree line. Theo reached over as they passed the dais, grabbed the torch and jammed it into Cutter’s neck.
“Yowch!” Cutter dropped the Whatsamadoozle in the grass, and Theo snatched it.
“Tricked you. The Whatsamadoozle is mine, now,” Theo said.
Cutter patted out the flames on his neck. “You’re a conniving little cub. You’re going to pay for that.”
Cutter spread his wings, and their edges began to move like chainsaws and made a terrible grinding noise. He swiped, but Theo jumped out of the way. Then he ripped around and sawed ten trees in half.
“Teddy bear cutlet. Sounds delicious!”
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Theo snatched the torch off the stand and held it up just as Cutter brought the ax down. The ax cut the torch in half, but the burning half set the Whatsamadoozle on fire; Cutter dropped it and rubbed his hands.
Theo snatched the Whatsamadoozle and juggled it until it cooled down. It turned into a golden ball in his palm.
“The Whatsamadoozle is mine now.”
“You’re a conniving little cub. You’re going to pay for that.”
Cutter spread his wings, and their edges began to move like chainsaws and made a terrible grinding noise. He swiped, but Theo jumped out of the way. Then he ripped around and sawed ten trees in half.
“Teddy bear cutlet. Sounds delicious!”
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Theo covered Cutter’s other eye with his hand.
“Get off me, you fluffy—”
But Theo held on, and Cutter kept swinging.
Cutter changed the Whatsamadoozle into a hammer and brought it sailing down toward his own head. Theo jumped off just in time, and Cutter smacked himself; the dinosaur fell to the ground and the Whatsamadoozle flew into the air. Theo caught it, and it turned into a golden ball in his palm.
“That was easy,” he said. “The Whatsamadoozle is mine now.”
“You’re a conniving little cub. You’re going to pay for that.”
Cutter spread his wings, and their edges began to move like chainsaws and made a terrible grinding noise. He swiped, but Theo jumped out of the way. Then he ripped around and sawed ten trees in half.
“Teddy bear cutlet. Sounds delicious!”
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Theo expected Cutter to shout, but the dinosaur turned around, annoyed, as if he had been pinpricked. Theo jumped off the dais and into the shadows before Cutter saw him.
“Who’s there?”
Theo ran around the dais and climbed up behind Cutter. He grabbed a torch off a nearby stand, stabbed his tail, and it lit on fire.
“Yowch!”
Cutter accidentally threw the Whatsamadoozle into the air, and Theo caught it. He landed, and the Whatsamadoozle flashed in his hands.
Cutter blew the flames off his tail. “You again.”
“The Whatsamadoozle is mine now.”
“You’re a conniving little cub. You’re going to pay for that.”
Cutter spread his wings, and their edges began to move like chainsaws and made a terrible grinding noise. He swiped, but Theo jumped out of the way. Then he ripped around and sawed ten trees in half.
“Teddy bear cutlet. Sounds delicious!”
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Theo climbed on the dais as Cutter monologued. He grabbed a torch off a nearby stand and approached.
Cutter must have felt the heat coming, because he wheeled around. He stumbled back when he saw Theo. “You again.”
Theo drew nearer, and Cutter backed away; he didn’t like the flame.
“Stop, don’t come any closer!”
Theo neared him.
“I warned you,” Cutter said nervously. He morphed the Whatsamadoozle turned into a giant fan, and he blew the torch out.
Theo looked at the torch in disbelief.
“I love this thing,” Cutter said, running at Theo.
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Theo narrowly missed the ax. Cutter had swung wide, and left himself wide open; the ax clanked against the ground as he tried to regain his balance.
Theo leaped onto the battle ax and hung on tight. Cutter tried to shake him off but couldn’t.
“Clingy, are we?” Cutter asked. The Whatsamadoozle disintegrated underneath Theo’s grip and he crashed to the ground. It rematerialized in Cutter’s hands as a bow and arrow.
Theo struggled on the ground as Cutter aimed for him. On the ground nearby, Theo saw a yo-yo and a Frisbee.