It was just after 6 p.m. when Nelson arrived at Ivan’s house. Ivan came out of the workshop to meet him and closed the door behind him.
They say they are very upset, signed Ivan, sighing worriedly.
I know, signed Nelson. So am I.
Ivan moved forward and gave Nelson a hug, patting his back in a firm and friendly way to avoid it feeling too sentimental. Ivan was good at reading people’s feelings and knowing just what they needed in that moment. Right then he knew Nelson was close to tears, but would have felt ashamed to cry in front of Ivan, so a brotherly hug was just the thing. Reassuring but not overwhelming.
I’m going to leave you all alone.
Thank you.
Ivan showed Nelson inside, where he found all seven of his monsters wearing gloves and sitting on the floor beside the wood burner, staring at the flames.
‘Stan?’ said Nelson in surprise. ‘What the heck happened to you?’
‘I don’t wanna talk about it, all right?!’ barked Stan, and he stormed off past Nelson to sit on the other side of the workshop.
‘He’s tiny! What did you do to him?’ asked Nelson of the other monsters.
Between them they told Nelson about their day; how they had sneaked into the museum to steal a sin-extractor needle; and how Stan had wound up passing through the device.
‘So the needle you stole is inside that?’ asked Nelson, pointing at the cuddly pigeon beside Crush.
They all nodded in response.
‘And, what? I just stick that needle into my skin and you all go back inside me?’
They all nodded again.
Nelson still didn’t think he could let this happen. He wasn’t ready to let them go. But he decided to play along for the time being.
‘CAN WE JUST GET IT OVER WITH COS I CAN’T STAND THIS WAITIN’ AROUND!’ bellowed Stan from across the room. He had tears in his eyes, and his teeth were clenched.
‘No, we are not just going to “get it over with”. I was just at Uncle Pogo’s house, and he was saying this thing about how time is precious and you’ve got to make the most of it.’
‘Uncle Pogo’s right,’ said Puff with a sigh.
‘Exactly, so before you all go – you know, before we have to say goodbye to each other forever – let’s make the most of it; let’s have an absolutely wicked time,’ said Nelson, swinging his backpack from his shoulder and on to the floor.
‘What? Are we gonna have a party?’ Spike could not have sounded more sour. ‘Celebrate how rubbish it is that we have to leave?’
‘Nope!’ said Nelson cheerfully as he rummaged around in his backpack. ‘I had this idea on the way over. Each one of you gets to pick something you want to do. Absolutely anything in the whole world. Like a wish. And we do it. Whatever it is.’ Nelson pulled the Bang Stone out of the backpack.
‘Ooooooh!’ groaned Nosh at the smell of the stone.
‘A Bang Stone,’ whispered Miser, his fingers flexing as they reached out towards it.
‘I’d recognize that eggy stink from anywhere,’ moaned Spike.
‘I found it at my uncle’s house. It’s the same one I used to get home that time we saved my sister. Remember?’
They all nodded. How could they forget?
‘Well, we can go anywhere in the world with this. Anywhere! And you’re all invisible, and as long as I am too, we can do anything we want – right?’
‘Can you make me big again?’ growled Stan from the corner of the room.
‘I’m not a genie, Stan. Whatever you want to do, it has to actually exist somewhere – it has to be real. But it can be anything. So? If you could go anywhere or do anything in the world, what would it be?’
The mood in the workshop swiftly changed from glum to giddy as Nelson began to make a list of each monster’s name and the thing they most wanted to do.
It turned out to be the most extraordinary list you have ever seen.