Woody and Zipper's Great Adventure (standard:fantasy, 1719 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Oct 16 2005	Views/Reads: 4023/2324	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
He knew about the monsters. His mother had warned him…

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story


'Your not going to send me back, are you?' pleaded Zipper.  'I'm not
sure I could climb back down the way I climbed up.' 

'Why, which way did you climb?' 

'Well, I lost site of your tracks in that dark crevasse where all the
boulders were, so I thought you must have gone up.  So I found a place 
to climb and then had to keep going, and then I came out in a cave 
under this cliff and found your tracks again.' 

'Oh, you must have found a short cut.'  Woody seemed impressed, and soon
reached a decision.  'Well, as you've come this far, you might as well 
come for the whole trip.  But I'm in charge.  You have to do as I say.' 


'Nooks-and-crannies!  Thanks Woody!' exclaimed Zipper.  'You'll be glad
I came.' 

'Right then, best foot forward,' said Woody, as the two of them set off,
still keeping to the cliff face and trying to keep their feet out of 
the cracks. 

'Bet you couldn't climb this.'  Zipper was examining the cliff face as
they stumbled along.  It seemed so smooth and shiny. 

'No, I tried.  Too smooth.  Smells funny, as well.' 

'You're right... Hey, Woody, I've just thought: you haven't told me
where we're going.' 

'Going?' replied Woody.  ' That's because I don't know where we're
going.  Except to say that we're going on an adventure.' 

'Are we?' exclaimed Zipper.  'Oh, nooks-and-crannies!  An adventure! 
Wait till I tell all my brothers and sisters.' 

*** 

Jim kicked off his work boots in the porch and walked through into the
kitchen.  'Hello, love.  What's for dinner?' 

'Bangers and mash.' His wife Mary was rinsing the kitchen sink, having
just peeled some potatoes. 

'Oh, good, my favourite.  I'll go for my shower, then.' 

'Okay, love.  Oh, before you do, there's another of those wood-lice in
the living room.  Can you catch it for me?' 

Jim laughed as he opened the living room door.  'Can't you catch it? 
Where is it anyway?' 

Mary reached for a towel and dried her hands, and followed Jim into the
living room.  'It was next to the skirting-board.  Oh, it's gone...  
no, look; it's moved.  Oh no, there are two of them now.  Wherever do 
they come from?' 

Jim knelt on the carpet and gently picked up the two wood-lice and
dropped them into the palm of his hand.  One landed on its back and lay 
there with its legs franticly kicking the air.  As Jim got to his feet, 
he offered them to his wife, holding them close to her face. 

'Oh, take them away!' Mary exclaimed, with a grimace.  'You know I can't
stand them.' 

Jim laughed again as he carried the wood-lice into the kitchen and
dropped them into the sink and flushed them down the drain with water 
from the cold tap. 

*** 

Woody landed on his back again, but this time on a cold wet surface
instead of a hot dry one.  Zipper was somewhere nearby; he could still 
hear him whimpering.  But before Woody could gather his wits and try to 
figure out what had happened, he was struck by a torrent of swirling 
water, and washed into darkness. 

Not that he was afraid of the dark or even of a little water, but he was
spinning and tumbling, and no longer knew which way was up or which way 
was down.  At one point, he was washed into something soft and gooey 
and managed to get a foothold, but then Zipper came crashing into him, 
and the two of them tumbled together, spluttering and gurgling. 

'Help me... I'm drowning!' cried Zipper, as he locked legs with Woody. 

Woody was about to reply when the two of them were plunged into deep
water and sucked into a swirling vortex.  Luckily the air trapped 
between their bodies soon brought them back to the surface where they 
clung to each other, still spluttering and gurgling. 

'Where... are we?' Zipper asked, in a week and frightened voice. 

'I don't know,' replied Woody, taking in his surroundings.  They were
floating on the surface of a circular lake in a huge cave, and above 
them were rectangular shafts of light that illuminated large drops of 
water that fell from above.  'This place seems familiar, and it smells 
quite nice.  But I think we should get out of this water.' 

They separated and began to swim, dodging the drops of water as best
they could.  One of Woody's legs was hurting and he wasn't sure if he 
had broken it.  Soon they reach the wall of the cave and began to swim 
around the edge of the lake until they found a wide crack where they 
were able to climb up onto a ledge. 

'Were are we?' Zipper asked again, sounding a little less scared.  'And
what happened back there?  I thought when that monster came, we were 
going to be squashed or eaten.' 

'Try not to think about it,' replied Zipper, examining his damaged leg. 
'The important thing is, we survived.  You'll be able to tell your 
grandchildren about this.' 

'If we ever get out of here,' said Zipper, looking around.  Just then,
another torrent of water came crashing from above, almost washing them 
off the ledge.  They moved back towards the wall of the cave and waited 
for the downpour to stop. 

'Listen!' said Woody, after a while.  'Did you hear that?' 

From somewhere above them came the sound of a familiar voice. 
'Zipper...  Woody... Zipper!' 

'It's my dad!' exclaimed Zipper.  'He must have come to look for us!'
Dad... Dad!  We're in here.'  Zipper's voice echoed around the cave. 

'Zipper!  Is that you?' came the reply. 

'Dad!  We've had an adventure!  We nearly got squashed by a monster!' 

'Zipper!' came the reply again, but much louder this time. 

'We're down here!' Woody shouted.  'We're okay!'  He was wishing that
Zipper had not mentioned the monster.  He was sure to get the blame for 
almost getting them both killed. 

Soon the shape of a large wood-lice loomed above them on another ledge,
and before long more rescuers arrived. 

'Dad!' cried Zipper  'We nearly got squashed!' 

'Now you mind your language,' said Zipper's dad, as he looked for a way
to climb down.  'Or you'll be in double-trouble.  We've been out 
looking for you all day...  And as for you, young Woody; I'll be having 
words with your father about you.' 

Woody groaned at the prospect. 

'It wasn't Woody's fault,' said Zipper.  'It was me that followed him. 
But we had a great adventure.  Didn't we, Woody?' 


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