The Swamp Boggles (4 page)

M
rs B's usual cheerful smile faded slightly when she heard that Sophie and Sam had used up all her starch.

“I'm sorry. I'll buy you some more,” Sophie promised.

“But what on earth were you doing with it?” Mrs B looked astonished.

Sophie could just imagine what
Mrs B would say if she told her the truth.
Having a fight with three savage Swamp Boggles who seemed to want to rip my head off
. “Just messing around,” she said quickly. “I'm really sorry, Mrs B. We'll go and buy you some more right away.”

Sophie grabbed her school bag from her room and put
The Shadow Files
inside it.

“If you're going out don't forget your Fluffy!” Anthony said, waving it as he came over to her.

“Wanna cuddle!” it announced.

Sophie forced a smile as Anthony pushed it into her hands. “Thanks,” she said through gritted teeth.

“Lovely!” beamed Mrs B. “Thank you, Anthony. That was very thoughtful of you.”

As Mrs B turned away, Sophie pulled a face
at her twin. He smirked back. Shoving the Fluffy deep into her bag, Sophie opened the door. “Come on, Sam.”

“At least we know how to fight Swamp Boggles now,” she said as they walked towards the shops on the High Street. “If we see them looking for gems, then we can just spray them with starch!”

Sam nodded. “The trouble is what happens when we're not around,” he pointed out. “If they can travel underground like it says in
The Shadow Files
, then they'll be able to get all round town.”

Sophie bit her lip. It was true. She and Sam couldn't watch them every second of the day and night. “What are we going to do?”

Sam frowned. “Plan A: we scare them so much they then dissolve into puddles of water.”

“No good. They're not frightened of anything!” said Sophie.

“Plan B: we find all the gems before they do.”

“Easier said than done,” Sophie commented. “What's Plan C?”

Sam looked worried. “Think of another plan!”

Reaching the supermarket, they bought three cans of starch spray, using most of Sophie's pocket money. “I wonder if Grandpa will pay me back,” she said glumly, gazing into her almost-empty purse.

Sam looked across the High Street. “Should we go and see him? Mrs B said he's at Mr Badgett's. We could go and tell him what's been going on.”

Sophie winced. She still wasn't looking
forward to telling Grandpa that she had let the boggles get away with the key! “Maybe I'll talk to him tonight…”

But it was too late; Sam was already crossing the road.

Mr Badgett's shop –
Anything Goes
– was up a small alley, just off the High Street. It was one of the oldest buildings in the town and had a twisting, winding staircase and lots of little rooms, including a cellar and an attic. Mr Badgett sold all sorts of things, both new and old, and sometimes he paid Sam and Sophie to unpack boxes for him and tidy shelves.

The bow window at the front of the shop was packed full of things. Sophie grimaced at the sight of three brand-new Fluffies on an old pine rocking chair. “Do we really have to go in?” she said reluctantly.

Sam didn't answer; he stood staring up at the sign above the shop door as if he couldn't believe his eyes. “Look!” he pointed. “I
knew
I'd seen the word before!”

Sophie followed his gaze. “
Anything Goes, stockists of wares old and new, big and small…”
She stopped, realising. “Wares,” she breathed.

Sam nodded. “And do you remember the rest of the clue?” He recited it:

“High in an old place

The yellow gem will be found

Hidden on a dusty shelf

Strange wares all around.”

Hope leapt through Sophie. “Mr Badgett sells strange wares. Do you think, maybe… maybe the yellow gem is hidden in here?”

“Come on!” Sam pushed open the door and they ran into the shop.

Mr Badgett and Grandpa were in the front room. Mr Badgett was a tall, skinny man with long grey hair and a grey beard, and he wore a faded checked waistcoat and brown trousers.
Grandpa looked very different with his closely-cropped grey hair, tanned arms and black clothes, but the two men had always been good friends.

“Well, look who it is!” smiled Mr Badgett as Sophie and Sam came in. “My two favourite helpers. Have you come to earn some more pocket money, then?”

“No, not—” Sophie started to say, but she broke off as Sam elbowed her.

“Yes, please. Have you got any shelves that need tidying up, Mr Badgett?” He shot a glance at Sophie. “Maybe some
high
shelves.”

Sophie realised what he was doing. Tidying up would be a perfect excuse to look around!

“Yes, of course. Why don't you start through there?” Mr Badgett pointed to the next-door room, which was full of household things. He
fetched a couple of dusters and some polish from under the counter. “And the toy room needs a good tidy too. Those Fluffies are selling like hot cakes! You could bring a few more down from the storeroom for me.”

Grandpa gave Sophie a sharp look. “Haven't you got other things you should be doing? More important things?”

She gave him a meaningful stare. “No, this is
very
important, Grandpa. I think we really should do these shelves for Mr Badgett. Please could you ring Mrs B and let her know where we are, though, so she doesn't worry?”

Grandpa frowned and then understanding seem to dawn in his eyes. He nodded quickly. “Very well, I'll ring Mrs B. You run along, Sophie.”

Sophie hurried after Sam. “I'm sure he
knows something's going on. Wouldn't it be brilliant if we could find the yellow gem and show it to him on the way home?”

“It would!” Sam looked around at the cupboards and shelves piled high with crockery and glasses, the jumble of brooms and mops, bins and storage boxes. “But finding it isn't going to be easy.”

Sophie followed his gaze. How could they possibly find one tiny gem amongst all these things? She took a deep breath. There was only one thing to do. “Time to get tidying!” she said.

 

An hour later the two rooms looked much better, but they still hadn't found the yellow gem. “Let's get those Fluffies down from the storeroom for Mr Badgett,” said Sam. “And then we can start looking upstairs.”

The attic storeroom was all the way up the creaking wooden staircase – a low-ceilinged room with things piled everywhere: old shop mannequins without arms, rails of clothes, shelves stacked high, a barrel brimming over with sporting equipment. And, in the corner, a massive mountain of Fluffies in their boxes, covered by an old sheet.

Sophie grabbed three Fluffies from under the sheet. “Should we take these downstairs?”

Sam didn't reply. He was staring around him. “‘
High in an old place… Hidden on a dusty shelf.'
Sophie!” he said suddenly. “I bet the gem's in this room!”

Sophie's stomach flipped. Maybe he was right. “Let's ask Mr Badgett if we can tidy up here!”

They raced back downstairs. Mr Badgett was
just cashing up the till and Grandpa was standing by the front door. “Are you ready to go, you two?” he said. “Jack's shutting up now.”

“Shutting up?” Sophie's heart sank.

“Yes, thank you for your help.” Mr Badgett handed Sophie and Sam a two-pound coin each from the till. “You've done a wonderful job.”

Sam shot Sophie a look. “Can we come back tomorrow after school and tidy the attic?” he blurted out.

“Why – of course you can,” said Mr Badgett, looking surprised. “It could certainly do with a good sort-out up there.”

Sophie saw Grandpa's eyes narrow thoughtfully as he gazed at them. “Tell you what, Jack,” he said suddenly. “Why don't you and I go for a quick drink and leave Sophie and
Sam here to do a bit more tidying? I've got my mobile so they can ring me if they need us. We can lock the front door, but leave the back door unlocked in case they need to get out in an emergency.”

“Oh, yes. Please!” Sophie begged Mr Badgett.

“Well, it does seem a shame to waste such enthusiasm!” laughed Mr Badgett. “If you think it's all right, then, Bob. Of course they can stay. We'll just be half an hour or so.”

He unlocked the back door that led on to a walled courtyard. There were stone statues all round it, and a dry fountain in the middle.

“No one can get in here, the walls are too high,” he explained. “And we'll make sure we lock the front door on our way out.”

“Thanks, Mr Badgett!” Sophie's, eyes gleamed. “Come on, Sam! Let's go back upstairs.”

They shoved the cleaning things in Sophie's backpack and pounded up the staircase. Back in the attic, they started taking things off the shelves as fast as they could. Clouds of dust flew up and soon they were both sneezing. Sam opened up the stepladder and began to check out the top shelves, handing things down to Sophie.

“Some of this stuff looks like it's been here forever. These are ancient!” He handed her down four faded boxes with hairdryers in. “And look at this! Gross!” He handed her a sickly sweet painting of a little girl with a cute kitten in her arms. “Lucky Mrs B hasn't seen this or she'd probably have bought it for your bedroom wall!”

Sophie shuddered. He was right. “Any sign of the gem?”

“Not yet.” Sam gave Sophie a stack of old books. Dust flew off them, making her cough. “Are you OK?” he asked in concern as she choked and spluttered.

Sophie felt like she had just swallowed the contents of a Hoover. “I'm going to get some water!”

She went down to the toilet on the first-floor landing. Splashing some water from the sink over her face, she washed her hands and then caught some water in her palms, gulping it down and swilling the dust in her throat away.

As she dried her hands, she looked out of the window down on to the walled courtyard. She frowned. Something down there was moving. The fountain was turned off, but the drain cover on the ground underneath it was slowly lifting up!

Sophie felt her mouth drop open. As she watched, the drain cover fell with a clatter and a slimy head poked out.

“No!” she gasped.

A Swamp Boggle leapt out from the drain and stood in the courtyard.

Pulling the iron key out of its clothing, it held it up towards the building. Even from high above, Sophie could see that it was glowing with a yellow light.

She remembered how the key had glowed with a green light when it had been near the green gem a few days ago. The Swamp Boggle must be using it to try to find the gem!

Two other Swamp Boggles came climbing out behind their leader. Goo dripped from them on to the courtyard. Rubbing their slimy hands, they headed towards the unlocked back door!

S
ophie raced up to the attic. “Sam!”

“Sophie, look!” He had got down from the ladder and was holding something in his hand. “I've—”

Sophie interrupted him. “The Swamp Boggles are here!”

Sam's face paled. “Where?”

“Outside! I saw them climb out of the drain in the courtyard! They had the key, and it was glowing. They know the gem is somewhere in this shop!”

“It is.” Sam opened his fingers. Sophie's eyes became the size of dinner plates as she saw the glowing yellow jewel in his hand. “I just found it, on the top shelf!” he said.

“Oh, wow!” Sophie was torn between relief and panic. “That's brilliant! Now we just have to somehow get it away from the Swamp Boggles. Maybe they haven't come in yet.” She grabbed Sam and started pulling him to the staircase. “We might still be able to escape!”

But as they reached the top of the stairs, Sophie knew it was too late. Power tingled through her and she heard the Swamp Boggles below.
Squish! Squelch!
Their soggy feet moved across the carpet as they searched for the gem. “Where is it?” one of the boggles grumbled.

“It's got to be here somewhere,” said another with a very hissy voice.

“And when we find it, we'll take it to Ug and open the gateway. Har… har… har…” Sophie recognised the chief boggle's laugh.

She and Sam stared at each other and then slipped away as quietly as they could. They crept back to the attic. “We're trapped!” Sam whispered.

Sophie looked around the room. “What about a window?” But there weren't any in the attic. She took a deep breath. “OK, so… we're going to have to fight them!”

Sam paced up and down. “How are we going to do this?” he muttered almost to himself. “I know! Let's hide and lie in wait. The key will lead the boggles up here. When they come in we'll attack them with the starch cans, then hopefully you can fight them off and we'll get past them and escape.”

“Only one problem,” Sophie pointed out. “The starch is downstairs!”

They exchanged dismayed looks.

“OK,” Sam ran a hand through his hair. “Think again. What can we do?” His eyes fell on the pile of dusty hairdryers. “I know! We can use those to dry the boggles out!”

“Great idea!” Sophie gasped.

They quickly took the four hairdryers out of their faded boxes and plugged them into the wall. Then Sophie took the gem from Sam and slipped it into her purse belt along with the green one. She just hoped the boggles wouldn't realise the gems were on her!

Shoving the thought away, she picked up a hairdryer in each hand and waved them about like pistols. “Hairdryers at dawn!” she said in a small voice.

Sam only gulped in reply.

Sophie sympathised. Even with her Guardian powers surging through her, her heart was
racing with fear. Then her scalp prickled as down below she heard a slow squelching noise on the stairs. The Swamp Boggles were coming!

“Come on, we've got to hide!” she said. She and Sam ducked behind one of the shelves, holding the hairdryers tightly. After a few moments, Sophie heard the Swamp Boggles's voices on the other side of the door.

“Look at the way the key's glowing!” chortled the chief boggle from the attic landing. “The gem must be through there.”

Their footsteps squished and squelched up to
the door. Sophie and Sam huddled behind the shelves. Sophie mouthed: “One… two…”

The door swung open and the three Swamp Boggles came in.

“THREE!”

Sophie and Sam flicked the hairdryers on, and the loud whistling noise of the motors filled the attic. For a moment, the Swamp Boggles froze, almost comically surprised looks on their faces. Then they felt the warm air blowing on to their slimy skin.

“ARGH!” they shouted, jumping around.

They tried to turn about to get away from the blasts of air, but only succeeded in tripping over each other's feet and bumping heads. Sophie heard their skin cracking and saw her opportunity.

Leaving Sam to work the hairdryers, she jumped up and ran round towards the rapidly hardening boggles. “Take that! And that, you slimy slug brains!”

Her Guardian powers surged through her. Turning in mid-air, she kicked out with both feet. There was a loud
crunch
as the boggle she'd kicked staggered backwards.
Yes!
thought Sophie. If she could just knock them all over, then she could grab Sam and use her superspeed to whizz them downstairs!

Seeing the chief boggle lunging towards her, Sophie pivoted round and kicked his hands
away.
Thud! Thwap!
Turning a back flip, she landed neatly on the floor. “Go on, make my day!” she declared, dusting her hands down as he came at her.

Then suddenly the hairdryers stopped.

Silence filled the room. Sophie swung round, her eyes wide with horror. The third boggle had reached the socket in the wall and pulled the hairdryers' plugs out!

The chief laughed. “Or maybe you can make
my
day!” He grabbed the cables of the hairdryers, pulling them hard so that the hairdryers jerked out of Sam's hands. The chief tossed them to Hissy Voice, who threw them outside the door. Already, Sophie could see the boggles's bodies getting squishier again as they refilled with slime and water.

“Uh-oh,” said Sam as he scrambled to his
feet. With evil grins, the boggles formed a line and began approaching. “
Uh-oh” is right
, thought Sophie.
Now
what were they going to do?

As the boggles drew closer, Sam and Sophie backed off, Sophie almost tripping over her school bag. She grabbed it. Maybe there was something in it she could throw to keep them back? Not
The Shadow Files
, she couldn't risk losing that, but she had her school reading book and water bottle. Grabbing them she sent them flying through the air, but the boggles just ducked and kept on coming. Sophie flung her empty lunch box too, but that simply squished off the chief boggle's shoulder.

Sophie felt the wall behind her back. This was it – she and Sam couldn't go any further.

Beside her, Sam's face was pale. Then his foot
bumped into the painting of the girl and the kitten that he'd taken down off the shelf earlier. “Right, forget this!” he muttered, scooping it quickly up. “I'm not just going to stand here and be squelched by a Swamp Boggle!
Geronimo!
”

With a yell, he ran straight at the nearest one. Sophie watched in amazement as he slammed the painting down on the boggle's head. It popped out through the canvas and the boggle started to yell, then broke off as a sneeze ripped through it.

“ATCHOO!”

The boggle began to stagger about with the picture round his neck. “
ATCHOO! ATCHOO!
” Slimy green snot flew across the room.

Sophie's mouth was open as she gaped at the
scene. She had no idea why it was sneezing, but at least it was otherwise occupied now. “Way to go, Sam!” she cried, ducking to avoid the snot as it splatted into the wall behind her head.

The other two boggles started to sneeze too. They backed away from the painting.

“What are they doing?” cried Sophie.

“The question's not what are
they
doing, but what are
we
going to do, Soph?” Sam said wildly. “How are we going to get out of here?”

“I dunno! Where's Cutie-Pie when you need him?” Sophie reached into her bag and found her pencil case. She chucked that at the chief too, but it bounced harmlessly off his chest and that made him notice her again.

Snarling, the two boggles began to approach her and Sam once more, reaching out with their bony fingers. Sophie's heart pounded. How
were they going to get out? She reached desperately into her bag, but the only thing left in there apart from
The Shadow Files
was the Fluffy. One of the boggles's mouths started opening. Maybe she could stuff the Fluffy into it! She pulled it out.

“ARGH!” shrieked the boggle immediately. He pointed at the Fluffy, his mouth opening and closing, strange, terrified gibbering noises coming from him.

“ARGH!” yelled the other two – even the one with the picture over its head!

The Fluffy blinked sweetly at them. “Me wanna cuddle!”

“No!” screeched the boggles. They started backing away, all suddenly sneezing violently.

“What's happening now?” Sam gasped to Sophie.

“I don't know!” Sophie said. “They don't seem to like the Fluffy, though.” Her eyes widened as she spoke. The Fluffy… the picture of the girl and the kitten… Cutie-Pie… The Swamp Boggles didn't like anything cute! Why? She didn't know and right now, she didn't have time to think about it. She and Sam had to get out of the attic in whatever way they could.

She advanced, holding the Fluffy out in front of her like a sword. “Say hello to the Fluffy!” she sang at them.

“Mama! Me hungwy! Feed me!” Its mouth opened and closed, making hopeful sucking noises at the boggles.

“No! Please, no!” moaned the Swamp Boggles. Moving as one, they turned and raced for the doorway. Trying to get through all at
once, they got stuck, kicking and pushing.

Sophie kept advancing.

“Wanna kiss-kiss!” The Fluffy made a kissing noise. The boggles's struggles grew
more intense. One managed to squeeze his way out and fled down the stairs, with the key in his hand. The other two were too busy fighting with each other to get away. Red spots started to pop out all over them, and between the shrieks they were still sneezing uncontrollably.

“They
really
don't like that Fluffy!” Sam said with a grin.

“They don't like anything cute!” gasped Sophie.

“In which case…” Sam grabbed a cricket bat and swiped at the mountain of Fluffy boxes. “Say hello to the Fluffy army!” he yelled.

The boxes exploded around the room, setting off the Fluffies' mechanisms. Suddenly the attic was full of the sound of Fluffy voices: “Feed me… Mama… kiss-kiss… cuddle…”