Hunk and Thud (9 page)

‘I think we wait and see how Hunk does in the ring,' said Jack.

‘Meditation run!' scoffed a voice beside them.

They turned and saw that Robin had joined them.

‘You heard all that?' asked Milo.

‘Of course,' said Robin. ‘The man's a poser!'

‘Hey!' called a voice.

They turned and saw Sam Dent and Princess Ava heading towards them.

‘What's this I hear about a match between Big Rock and Hunk?' asked Ava. ‘Hunk just told us about it. Is he making it up?'

‘It's true,' said Jack. ‘They're going into the ring together as soon as Hunk gets back from his practice run.'

‘This I have to see!' said Ava eagerly. ‘We were about to head back to Weevil, but when we heard about this …'

‘Not to be missed!' nodded Sam in agreement.

‘At least we'll find out whether Hunk is a real wrestler or a fake,' Milo muttered to Jack.

Inside the Town Hall, Jack and the gang watched as Big Rock did press-ups and generally limbered up. A few of the townspeople had wandered in, curious to see this unofficial extra bout. As word spread, Jack noticed even more people arriving and grabbing a seat.

The only person not there was Hunk.

Milo looked at his watch.

‘Hunk should be here by now,' he said.

Robin snorted. ‘He's chickened out,' he said. ‘Like I said, he's just a poser. I bet he's never wrestled.'

The sound of the door opening made them all look round, and they saw Hunk appear. He had an apologetic smile on his face. His left arm was in a sling.

‘Hi, guys!' he said as he walked down the aisle and joined them. He gestured at the sling on his arm. ‘It looks like the match is off, I'm afraid. I injured my arm.'

‘While meditating?' asked Robin, a sarcastic note in his voice.

‘Stopping a runaway horse,' said Hunk. ‘It had a small child on its back and it was out of control, so I jumped in its path and pulled it to a halt.' He gave a sigh. ‘Unfortunately, I wrenched my arm doing it.'

‘That was a very brave thing to do,' said Jack.

Hunk shrugged.

‘It was nothing,' he said. ‘It's just unfortunate that I can't go into the ring with Big Rock until my injured arm gets better.'

‘Not to worry,' said Big Rock. ‘Accidents happen. You join us anyway. We still be tag team.'

‘Er …' said Milo cautiously. ‘It's not that easy, Big Rock.'

‘Why?' demanded Big Rock.

‘We need to see Hunk actually
wrestle
,' said Milo.

‘But he can't,' said Big Rock. ‘He hurt arm saving small child from runaway horse!'

‘Yes, well …' began Milo awkwardly.

‘You don't believe me,' sighed Hunk.

‘I never said that!' defended Milo.

‘You didn't need to,' said Hunk. He gave a rueful smile. ‘Don't worry,' he said. ‘I absolutely understand your position, Milo. I'd be suspicious as well, if I was you, in these circumstances.'

Big Rock frowned as he looked at Milo and Jack.

‘You think Hunk telling lie?' he asked, annoyed.

‘Well …' began Milo, embarrassed.

‘I think they think I might have made it up about being a wrestler,' said Hunk. ‘Or exaggerated how good I am.' He gave a laugh. ‘And you can see their point of view. When I'm forced to prove it, I injure my arm!' He smiled at Milo and Jack. ‘As I say, I'm not upset. I only wish I had the chance to prove you wrong. But …'

‘You say Hunk lie!' said Big Rock, and now they could see the big troll was really upset.

‘We never said that, Big Rock,' appealed Jack. ‘But, as Hunk says himself, we've never actually seen him wrestle …'

‘He say he's good,' growled big Rock. ‘That good enough for me!'

‘Yes, but, just because someone says they're good, it doesn't mean they are,' said Milo. ‘I mean, I could
say
I'm a brilliant wrestler, but it doesn't mean I am.'

‘You not brilliant wrestler,' said Big Rock, looking puzzled at this turn of the conversation.

‘Exactly, that's the point I'm trying to make,' said Milo.

Big Rock scowled.

‘Trolls don't lie,' he said. ‘And Hunk is troll!'

‘Half-troll,' put in Robin. ‘Like Jack.'

Hunk looked at Jack, intrigued.

‘You're a half-troll like me?' he said, impressed. ‘Which part?'

‘All of him,' said Milo.

‘But I'm not the same as you,' said Jack. ‘When I turn into a troll, all of me turns troll. From the top of my head to the bottom of my feet.'

‘He turns into Thud,' added Big Rock. ‘Big strong troll. Stronger than me.'

‘Wow!' said Hunk, awed. ‘I'd like to see that!'

‘We all would,' said Milo, ‘but it doesn't happen a lot.'

‘And I can't make it happen,' said Jack. ‘It just sort of … happens. Now and then.'

‘When things are bad,' said Big Rock. ‘When we're in trouble. And there's big danger.'

‘Awesome!' said Hunk. He gave a big smile. ‘We could be a triple troll tag team: Big Rock, Hunk and Thud!'

‘No!' snapped Big Rock, still upset. ‘They call you liar!' He shook his head. ‘Me and Hunk make troll tag team on our own.'

Milo and Jack gaped at their big troll friend.

‘But Big Rock … !' Milo began to protest.

Big Rock shook his head.

‘Me and Hunk be troll tag team on our own,' Big Rock repeated. ‘Come on, Hunk.'

With that, Big Rock turned and stomped away.

Hunk looked awkward and embarrassed.

‘Actually, I don't think you should be too hasty, Big Rock!' he called after the big troll, but Big Rock kept walking, a cloud of upsetness hanging over him. Hunk turned back to Milo, Jack and Robin and gave an apologetic smile. ‘I'm sorry about that,' he said. ‘I think he got upset because we're both trolls. It's a brotherhood thing. I'll have a word with him and sort it out.'

And with that, Hunk hurried after Big Rock.

‘Huh! Well, you messed that up!' snorted Robin.

‘What else could I say?' asked Milo defensively.

‘You know how sensitive Big Rock is,' said Princess Ava accusingly, coming forward for the first time.

‘Yes, but Milo was on a loser,' put in Sam, defending Milo. ‘Whatever Milo said, he would have been in the wrong, unless he said yes to Hunk joining the group.'

‘Don't worry, Big Rock will come back,' said Milo confidently. ‘We've been together too long for him to walk out just like that.'

‘And Hunk said he was going to talk to him,' Jack reminded them.

‘Yes, but it depends on what Hunk actually says to Big Rock,' said Robin thoughtfully. ‘All that being friendly and apologising and flattering, maybe it was all part of an act to get Big Rock away from Milo.'

‘Well, it looks like he succeeded,' snorted Princess Ava. She turned to Sam. ‘It looks like there's not going to be anything else interesting happening, so we might as well head back to Weevil.'

‘Yes, Your Highness,' nodded Sam.

‘Sam, please,' sighed Ava. ‘You only need to call me Your Highness when we're at an official function.'

‘What does he call you when you're not?' asked Jack.

‘The Masked Avenger, of course!' said Ava. ‘Come on, Sam. The royal coach is waiting for us!'

As Jack, Milo and Robin walked away from their caravan, Milo let out a long and unhappy sigh.

‘So, I guess that's it!' he said miserably. ‘If Big Rock leaves to join Hunk, that'll be the end of Waldo's Wrestling Trolls. Big Rock was the very last of the Wrestling Trolls.'

‘He'll be back,' said Jack. ‘You said so yourself.'

‘I was just saying that to cheer myself up,' admitted Milo. ‘You saw the expression on his face, and what he said. He wants to leave and join Hunk. That's it. Waldo's Wrestling Trolls is over. Finished.'

‘There's always Thud,' suggested Robin.

‘No,' said Milo, shaking his head. ‘We never know when Jack's going to turn into him. How can we advertise Thud the Wrestling Troll when ninety-nine per cent of the time he's just Jack.'

‘Maybe I can learn how to control it?' said Jack hopefully.

‘How?' asked Milo.

Jack gave an unhappy shrug.

‘I don't know,' he admitted miserably.

Suddenly they heard the fast pounding of hooves behind them, and a voice shouting, ‘Help! Help! The dam!'

They turned, and saw a panic-stricken looking man on a galloping horse arrive on the green. The man leapt off the horse and ran to Milo, Jack and Robin.

‘We need help!' he exclaimed. ‘The dam's breaking! If it gives way, the valley and all the towns in it will be flooded!' shouted the man urgently. ‘Everyone will be killed!'

The man's frantic yells had brought Princess Ava and Sam Dent hurrying back, and Jack could see that Big Rock and Hunk were also running towards them, anxious expressions on their faces.

‘We need to put logs in the breach and tie them in place!' said the frightened man.

‘We do that!' said Big Rock. ‘Come! Quick!'

‘I'm with you, Big Rock!' nodded Sam Dent, and then he, along with Princess Ava and Hunk with his arm still in a sling, ran after the big troll towards the dam. Jack noticed that, as Princess Ava ran, she was taking her mask from a pocket and pulling it over her head.

‘Let's see what we can do to help!' urged Milo.

As Milo, Jack and Robin followed the others, Milo said to Jack: ‘Maybe you'll turn into Thud. It sounds like we're going to need Thud's strength.'

‘It doesn't feel like it's going to happen,' said Jack unhappily.

When he was about to turn into Thud, Jack usually felt a tingly sensation run through his body, and his vision became filmy as a thin layer of transparent rock covered his eyes. Right now there was no tingly sensation – he was still just small, nine-year-old Jack.

As they got near to the dam, Jack realised for the first time how big it was. It was indeed very much like the crude sort of dam that beavers built, but massive. It was made from whole trees piled into the river, and then more trees and huge logs laid on them, each one tied in place by thick ropes. Some of the trees had been kept alive by the water seeping through the cracks in the dam, and smaller trees and bushes had sprouted out from the original logs and trees, so that the whole dam looked like a high mountain wall of living greenery.

Now, in the middle of this massive mountain of logs and trees and bushes, a gap had opened up and water was gushing through. The ropes holding the trees together in the centre must have rotted, or become dislodged. Whatever the reason, the force of the water pouring through the gap had started to make the rest of the trees and logs around the gap unsafe. Even as Jack watched, a whole tree came away from the middle of the wall and tumbled down, rolling over and over before it crashed into the river below. The additional force of water had turned the previously peaceful river into a raging torrent. Jack could only guess at the incredibly powerful force of water behind the huge wooden dam, pressing against it, punching holes in it. More gaps were opening up in the giant wall of wood as logs suddenly hurtled out from the dam like bullets shot from a gun, and more water gushed through the new gap and poured down the dam.

The river below the dam was rising rapidly and was almost up to the level of the riverbanks. Very soon it would be pouring over the banks and begin cascading towards the town, and then on through the rest of the valley to the other towns and villages, drowning them, and the people and animals who lived there.

Already, many of the townsfolk were climbing over the huge dam, clinging onto the slippery logs and trees and trying to tie the loose wood into place. The dam was so big the people looked like insects as they clambered up the wall of timber, ropes wrapped around them so they could tie the trees to one another and try to stabilise the dam.

Big Rock, Sam Dent, Princess Ava (as the Masked Avenger) and Grit were climbing up the dam to join those already on it, slipping now and then on the wet logs and trees, but steadfastly making their way towards the breach in the dam.

‘Where's Hunk?' asked Jack. ‘I can't see him. I thought he was with them.'

‘Huh!' snorted Robin derisively. ‘I bet he's hiding somewhere. And after it's all over he'll come out and tell stories about how brave he was. He's a fake wrestler and a fake hero.'

As they watched, another log spilled out from the hole in the dam and hurtled down to the river, hitting Grit. The young troll nearly fell, but the Masked Avenger stretched out an arm and grabbed her, pulling her to safety.

‘They need more help!' said Jack.

‘They need Thud,' said Milo. He looked at Jack hopefully. ‘Anything yet?'