The sun streamed in through the window. Martin never really noticed before but the walls were painted a pale yellow. The room took on a golden glow. Somehow, it felt like being inside an egg. Martin frowned. The room also felt empty - like when he used to come home from school to the apartment in the city..... like when his mom got back late from work sometimes because of the traffic. He could always feel when no-one was home as soon as he opened the front door. Well, this was exactly how this room felt - as if no-one was home. Martin turned to go back downstairs, maybe being shipwrecked up here wasn't such a good idea after all. Maybe he would go and play in the tree-house instead. Yeah, that would be much better!
"Leaving so soon, my dear?" A familiar voice said from over his left shoulder. Martin nearly jumped out of his skin, but he tried not to look surprised as he turned around. His heart was pounding but he forced himself to act calm. The monster was hanging by its tail from the rafter, just as before, its face level with Martin's.
Curiousity got the better of fear and he stared at the creature. With its shaggy face, huge yellow eyes and long stiff whiskers it looked like some sort of weird sheepdog or cat. That was until you noticed the big sharp claws on the end of its stumpy legs, and the fact that it was actually covered in bright orange feathers. It stared back at Martin without blinking.
"Where were you?" Martin suddenly burst out without thinking.
"Out, my dear," replied the monster, "But I'm back now and that's all that matters."
"I got your note," said Martin, beginning to feel a little confused.
"I know," came the smug reply.
"How did you know? How did you even know I was coming up here"
The creature smiled at him, a big sharp-toothy smile that made Martin feel very uncertain about the whole situation. "Wh-What are you?
The creature finally blinked at Matin, then rolled its yellow eyes and shrugged its shoulders, although that looked rather odd as it was upside down. It began ticking off each point on its long claws, "Firstly, I knew you were coming up here because I was that rather handsome fly sitting on the bannana in the fruit bowl. Secondly, I am a Chippetuck and thirdly, what is a chocolate chip cookie?"
"What is a Ch-Ch-Chippetuck?" Stammered Martin.
"Uh-uh," the Chippetuck waggled his claw at Martin, "I asked you first."
"What...?" Martin's brain was buzzing.
"The cookie, my dear," said the Chippetuck with another very toothy smile.
"Oh, w-w-would you like one?"
"Why yes, thank you, my dear. How gracious of you to offer." And with that, the Chippetuck took the whole box and popped it into his mouth and munched contentedly till it was finished, then he spit out the wrapper in one neat ball saying, "Delicious, my dear, but the shells are nasty." Martin could only gape at him, open-mouthed.
* * * * * * *
"And your name is Chippetuck?" Martin was sitting on the rug feeling more and more confused. The Chippetuck had curled itself on and around the old easy chair and was spinning an apple on one of its claws.
"That's right, my dear, I'm Chippetuck the Chippetuck." He seemed a lot less scary now. The sort of monster you could really be friends with......
"So where do you come from?" Was Martin's next question.
"Chippetuck."
"You keep saying that."
"Well, my dear, that's because I'm Chippetuck, the Chippetuck, from Chippetuck."
Martin scratched his head, "And all the Chippetucks are called Chippetuck? How do do you know which one is which?"
The Chippetuck seemed surprised, "We all look different, of course."
"Oh," Martin thought this over for a while as the Chippetuck began to nibble at the apple he had been spinning. "Where's Chippetuck?"
The Chippetuck looked at him for a moment and then, with a twinkle in his eye, said, "Seven worlds from this one." Martin felt more and more curious with each new answer, then he remembered the part about being the Chippetuck being a fly down in the kitchen...... "So how come you can change into other things?
The Chippetuck finished the first apple and started spinning the second one.
"Are you a genie?" Asked Martin hopefully. He suddenly wondered if he might get three wishes.
"No, I am a Chippetuck."
"Is that like a genie?" Martin still felt hopeful.
"No, that is like a Chippetuck."
"Then how come you can do tricks?"
"Tricks?" The Chippetuck seemed a little surprised, "I do not do tricks, my dear. I do magic."
"Magic....?" Martin felt his face getting red as his heart began to beat a little faster, "What sort of magic?"
"What sort of magic did you have in mind, my dear?" Enquired the Chipptuck, licking his lips as he finished the second apple and began to eat the muffin.
"An adventure!" Said Martin firmly. "I would like to have a really good adventure....."
"Hmm. I see," the Chippetuck clicked his claws dramatically and, in the next moment, Martin was nowhere to be seen.
"Oooh," said the Chippetuck, "Two sandwiches!" He licked his lips again.
One moment Martin was sitting on the rug in the attic talking to the Chippetuck, and in the next moment he was sitting on the cold hard ground in the middle of a deep, dark forest. All around him, giant trees stretched up to the sky, filtering out the sunlight and making the forest floor a gloomy place full of strange whispers and rustlings, as the forest creatures went stealthily about their business. Martin gulped, this was not exactly the sort of adventure that he'd had in mind. He was thinking about how he was going to explain this to his parents and of all the things he was going to say to the Chippetuck after he got back when, all of a sudden, there in a small clearing between the trees, Martin noticed three unicorns drinking at a tiny stream.
They seemed to glow with a mysterious silvery light as they tossed their long manes and stamped their sharp hooves. Ever so carefully, Martin crept closer towards them, closer and closer. They were so beautiful as they stood there with their pale coats gleaming, the long single spiral horns glistening silver in that strange magical light. His eyes never left them for second. And so, not looking where he was going Martin found himself tumbling right down a huge black hole that went all the way from this world to the next.
KER-THUMP!
Martin landed on a large dinner plate piled high with spaghetti as thick as ropes and meatballs the size of cannonballs! The plate was moving along at a very rapid rate when suddenly it swooshed down onto a table with a bit of a clank and, before he even had time to think, a huge head with a million razor teeth leaned towards him and a deep voice asked, "Are you my side order? I don't remember ordering anything on the side...."
"No, " gulped Martin, "I'm not."
"Pity," said the Tyrannosaurus Rex with a sad sigh, "I don't know why I come here. The service in this place is appalling."
At that, a large dinosaur waiter bustled over to the table, "Good heaven's! He exclaimed. "It's another one of those boys!"
He turned and called, "Arthur, get me the dustpan and the broom. Immediately!" Then he turned back to the Tyrannosaurus Rex and apologised profusely. "I'm so sorry, sir. We'll have this mess cleared away in no time at all. Pierre will bring you a fresh plate!"
"Hmmmmmmmmm......." Rumbled the Tyrannosaurus, "This never used to......"
But Martin never heard the end of that conversation because, before he knew it, he was sitting in a garbage dumpster, outside the back of the restaurant, in a rather unpleasant-smelling alley. 'Just wait till I get back!' Thought Martin furiously, 'I'll give him an adventure!'
He scrambled out of the dumpster and dusted himself off. Great! Now he smelled like garbage! He was still grumbling to himself as he left the alley, when his mouth dropped open in astonishment. There were dinosaurs everywhere! Small ones, large ones, all going about their business, and taking no notice of him whatsoever. Some were hurrying along the street, others went in and out of shops, one was selling newspapers, another had a flower stall. It was just like the city where he used to live, except there were no cars. The dinosaurs on the roads were all riding bicycles.
No-one back home was ever going to believe this! This adventure was really turning into something, after all! Martin couldn't help grinning, maybe that Chippetuck wasn't as bad as he'd figured. He stepped out to cross the road to take a closer look at a very interesting toy and hobby shop he'd just spotted, when BOOF! He was immediately knocked over by a small dinosaur on an even smaller bicycle.
Instantly, he was surrounded by inquisitive dinosaurs. Someone picked him up and gave him a gentle shake to remove any dirt. Someone else gave him a rather large handkerchief to tie up his knee, which had been scaped. And all around him there were voices.......
"He just stepped right out in front of me," squeaked one.
".... didn't look where he was going," rumbled another.
"I saw it all," one of them said from way up high, the words floating down like leaves.
"Oh, no! It's one of those boys!" Gasped a lady dinosaur in surprise and she wrinkled her nose at him.
"Here comes a policeman, He'll sort the whole thing out!" Said the deepest voice of all.
"Hmmm." Said the policeman, rocking back and forth on his hind legs and tail. "Hmmm" He said again, folding his arms and shaking his head, as he listened to what the dinosaurs had to say."Hmmm."
"Most curious" he added looking at Martin, and then, "Perhaps you had better come with me." he suggested, not unkindly.
"Most curious, indeed." He helped Martin into a little wagon that was attached to the back of his police cycle and rode off.
So it was that Martin ended up at the dinosaur city police station where they cleaned up his scaped knee and gave him something to eat that tasted like peanut butter sandwiches. And although, the dinosaurs had been really, very kind, Martin was miserable because, not quite knowing what to do with him, they insisted that he stay there until they did know what to do with him! Yes, Martin was in jail! He lay in the middle of a huge bed, on an enormous pillow, trying not to cry. Later when one of the dinosaur policeman peeped in to see how Martin was doing, he noticed that he'd fallen asleep and so covered him with a cosy quilt to keep him warm and tip-toed away.
Martin lay snuggled up in his bed smiling. That was the best dream he had ever had! He opened his eyes and yawned, then closed his mouth with a snap. He was still at the dinosaur police station! Martin pinched himself once, twice, three times. His arm felt very sore. It wasn't a dream after all!
"Chippetuck," whispered Martin under his breath as his chin started to quiver. "Chippetuck, I want to go home now."
Then a little more loudly, "Chippetuck, I'm not kidding. This isn't funny. I want to go home now."
"Not funny, my dear?" Said the Chippetuck appearing suddenly. He hung by his tail from one of the bars at the top of the cell and swayed gently to and fro. "Not enjoying your adventure?"
Martin gritted his teeth, "No Chippetuck, I'm not. Please, I want to go home now. My mom and dad will be worried sick."
"Oh dear, I didn't realise they were sickly," clucked the Chippetuck. Martin tried to say they weren't but the Chippetuck ignored him and went on, " You do look a mess. We have to get you sparkling clean before we get you back home.' The Chippuck scratched his head and then replaced a feather that had fallen out as he did. "Ahhh!" He snapped his claws, "I know just the place!"
Martin gasped as he was hit by jets of cold water and swirling blue plastic streamers. Oh no, he was sitting on the roof of someone's car as it was going through the car wash! He almost blew away as warm air fans turned on. Hardly able to catch his breath, in the next minute he was back in the attic, clean, only a little damp and very much alone.
"Why don't you answer when I call you?" Mrs Chen stood in the doorway looking very annoyed.
"I....er....was busy mom, replied Martin guiltily.
"You sure were," said Mrs Chen, stepping into the room, "Martin, I can't believe you unpacked all your toys so fast. You sure did a good job, honey." She looked around in astonishment, "The room looks great!"
Martin looked around, every toy was neatly put up onto a shelf. It looked fantastic! "I....er...got sick of being shipwrecked, so I..er..... thought I'd clean up.
Mrs Chen nodded in approval. "Good job." Then she spotted the the only bit of mess in the room. It was the big paper bag that she'd used to pack his picnic lunch. "Martin did you eat all that food?" his mother asked in surprise.
He nodded.
"I can't believe that you ate all that food."
"Neither can I, mom," said Martin, "Neither can I."
She shook her head slowly and went out the door. From up in the rafters came a loud burp.
"I heard that Martin, " his mother frowned.
"Sorry, mom. I couldn't help myself."
The Chippetuck giggled and Martin glared at him.