27

Back at the Magic Circle, Zack, Sophie and Alex were hard at work on the airtight safe.

‘OK, let’s just run through the plan one more time,’ said Zack as Alex continued to fiddle with the lock, now sat inside the safe with the door swung open, his legs dangling off over the edge. Alex had now successfully managed to pick the lock on several occasions, but Zack had refused to let the lad completely lock himself inside – just in case!

‘We’re going to have to rehearse it fully at some point, though,’ said Sophie, checking her watch again.

‘OK, fine, well, let’s just talk this through first …’ Zack paced across the stage like a student director. ‘As soon as we’re all locked inside, Alex will then move into position to pick the lock.’

‘And so … so maybe I should get in last.’ Alex’s voice sounded even more frail as it deflected off the inside walls of the safe, thinning it slightly.

‘And I’ll be keeping an eye on President Pickle!’ whispered Alf from directly above. The three of them smiled up towards the flies, just about making out Alf’s ghoulish silhouette, leaning over the walkway like a prying poltergeist.

Sophie craned her neck to see if Ernest was still up there too.

‘He’s gone to the toilet,’ whispered Alf loudly, correctly interpreting Sophie’s neck straining and causing the sentence to echo about the theatre.

Sophie smiled, wondering if Alf had ever considered a career in mind-reading, as Zack continued …

‘Now, as in Houdini’s original escape, once we’re all inside and the clock has started, a screen will be placed in front of the safe, shielding us from view. Hopefully, shortly after that, Alex will have picked the lock.’

‘Which is when we make our escape to the roof,’ said Sophie excitedly, moving upstage towards the gauze curtain.

‘Precisely!’ said Zack. ‘And from there on, we’re in Jonny’s hands, I guess!’

‘How long do you think before anyone suspects that something is up?’ asked Sophie eventually, wondering how long President Pickle might leave it before having the safe door surgically opened.

‘Well, knowing President Pickle’s love of us lickle children, I suspect he might leave it a good while. Long enough for us to get a decent head start at least!’ said Zack.

‘What about while everyone thinks we’re inside?’

‘I don’t know … Maybe Deanna could perform one of her dance routines –’

Clunk.

It was a frightening, conclusive sound. The metal door had slammed shut, securing its contents safely inside which – in this case – happened to be a small boy with blond hair named Alex Finley.

‘No!’ cried Zack as he and Sophie tried to prise the door open – to no avail.

Alf leaped off his watching post in an instant and hurtled his way down the ladder at the back of the stage, slipping down the last few rungs like wet paint, deliberately missing his footing to speed up his descent – a manoeuvre he’d had to do on many occasions when he was in danger of being caught out and needed a quick getaway.

‘Alex! Alex, are you OK? Talk to me!’ shouted Zack, desperately fiddling with the dials.

‘Tell us what to do, Alex!’ screamed Sophie as Alf joined her. The three of them strained to hear Alex’s muffled voice.

‘What’s he saying?’ Zack looked around for something to force the door with.

‘How much oxygen in that safe?’ Alf looked at his watch.

‘I don’t know, I don’t know – we haven’t worked that out yet!’ shrilled Sophie; perhaps, in all their excitement, they’d overlooked just how dangerous trying to escape from an airtight safe might be. It was all very well Alex saying he could pick the lock, but could he do it in the dark, as the air slowly … ran out?

All of a sudden the safe door clicked and pinged open like a microwave.

‘I … I said,’ said Alex, pushing the door further open with his little foot, his voice cool as a refrigerated cucumber, ‘please don’t turn the dials or bang on the door while I’m trying to pick the lock from the inside!’

The three let out a huge gush of laughter as Zack and Sophie dragged Alex out of the safe and gave him a tight, squishy hug.

‘How … How did I do? Was I quick?’

‘Faster even than Houdini, by all accounts,’ said Alf, impressed. ‘Which certainly bodes well for tonight.’

Suddenly they heard footsteps on the landing.

‘Quick – President Pickle!’ rasped Alf, recognizing the sound of the man’s trot instantly, the steady footsteps carrying the unmistakable weight of his pride and no doubt several large slices of recently digested chocolate torte.

He vanished in an instant, like a real-life ghost, just as President Pickle appeared through the green door by the stalls and stared up at the three children beside the safe.

‘Oh, you managed to get it up the stairs, I see,’ he said, stopping in his tracks, clearly rather baffled. He sucked on his lower lip like he’d just popped in a particularly sour cherry drop. ‘You children are full of surprises, aren’t you?’ he said, almost impressed, before realizing and reverting to his usual haughty self. ‘But you can’t be in here unsupervised any longer, I’m afraid, and council members will be starting to arrive soon. Follow me!’

‘But, sir, we need to rehearse,’ pleaded Sophie.

‘I know!’ said President Pickle, pretending to understand and pouting sympathetically while batting his eyelids. He beckoned them off the stage and away from the safe before frogmarching them up through the stalls and out of the theatre. He led them back towards the Junior Room, grumbling about the traps, annoyed at having to watch his step all the damn t– OUCH!

Sophie looked at Zack and Alex apprehensively. OK, so they hadn’t quite rehearsed the escape as a group, but at least Alex had managed a dry run with the door closed. He could do it again, right?

Alex smiled reassuringly as they hopscotched down the corridor. On his life, he would get them out of that safe.

Careful with your choice of words, Alex!

Zack glanced at his watch. ‘Jonny should be here by now,’ he whispered to the others as they reached the Junior Room, the heady warm air already spilling through the gap under the door.

‘What was that?’ asked President Pickle, turning on the spot, annoyed at having missed something potentially incriminating. He opened the door wide to reveal Jonny toying with a set of multiplying billiard balls, chatting animatedly to an enraptured Max.

‘Oh!’ said Zack, beaming at his best friend before turning to President Pickle. ‘Nothing to worry about!’