Fred lay motionless and confused, his eyes closed. Was he dead? He didn’t feel dead, but how could he not be? The fire had been so close he’d felt like he was in it, burning, unable to breathe. The last thing he remembered was hitting the rock, everything turning black, and feeling as though all the air had been sucked from the atmosphere, away from him. Yet if he was thinking all this – remembering things – surely he must be alive. He was too scared to move or try to open his eyes, in case he found that he couldn’t, because he was in fact dead. Eventually he realized how silly it was to just lie there wondering, and that he might as well find out. When he tried to wiggle his toes and they moved as normal, Fred was filled with relief. He wasn’t dead. Not yet, anyway. Despite the raging inferno around him, the flames had missed him by centimetres. He wasn’t on fire. He was lucky.
Fred opened his eyes and looked around. He could still see a clear path towards the opening of the hiding place. He couldn’t tell if the lizard had seen him or was just spraying fire at random, but he didn’t want to hang around to find out. Gathering himself, Fred glanced over his shoulder. The lizard was looking the other way. This was his chance.
Just then, the creature roared a raspy, penetrating roar. Fred knew what was coming next. As fast as he could, he crawled the remaining few metres to the hollow, keeping low. He heard the lizard inhale deeply, then blast another fiery wave in his direction.
Fred flung himself into the tiny cave. As the fire surged towards him, its heat dislodged the mountainside and hot shards of rock splintered in all directions, huge lumps falling to the ground with a thump. One fell in front of the entrance to Fred’s cave a split second before the fire reached him; he was plunged into near total darkness, but also blocked from view and the flames. Through the small slither at the hollow’s entrance he could still feel the deathly heat, but for now, he was safe.
Exhausted, Fred collapsed against the cold, hard rock of the cave.
What am I doing? he thought. WHAT AM I DOING?! I’m a moron, an idiot. I could be at home, warm and cosy. Miserable, hopeless, a disappointment, yes – but still warm and cosy. Better than being frightened to death, stuck in a cave, hungry.
Then he remembered!
He opened his now slightly chargrilled backpack and pulled out the enormous packet of crisps he’d hastily packed that morning. He hadn’t realized how old they were: the use-by date had long been and gone. The crisps must have been festering on his bedroom floor for months. Still, the bag was almost full and he was grateful to have something to eat. He prodded a crisp: it was soft in the middle, but its edges had been nicely crisped up again by the heat of the lizard’s fire. He sniffed it: not revolting. It survived the lick test, too. Fred ate it, then
scoffed a whole handful in a blur, being careful to save some for later just in case. Slightly soggy, dusty, two-year-old bacon, leek and cheese crisps had never tasted so good.
As he chewed, Fred weighed up his options. He couldn’t see how winning this competition would be worth all the terror he’d have to go through to do it. Facing that lizard? Now that he’d actually seen it, the thought sent shivers from his ears to his toes. Not even a lesson with Merlin was worth that risk. Those wizards and witches who’d already made their escape clearly agreed.
Yet, he still had both his ears and all his toes. He hadn’t lost his lips and his favourite bit of elbow-skin was just about intact. Better, more accomplished magicians had vanished, fled, hidden or been eaten up with ease, but he was still alive, heart beating, lungs breathing.
He wasn’t defeated yet.
For a while, Fred could still hear cries outside and the lizard’s roar, so he tiptoed back to the slim gap in the entrance to the cave and peered through. A few brave and hardy witches and wizards were obviously taking the fight to the lizard, not prepared to give up on the prize on offer just yet. They cast huge nets and ropes and spears and missiles from their wands; some conjured great walls and rivers of water to tackle the beast’s breath; others attempted to confuse the lizard by disguising themselves or creating illusions. Spell after spell was launched at the creature: many missed their target and died in the air; others rebounded off rocks, causing everyone to dive to avoid them; and some hit their mark, but to no avail. The fearsome creature barely noticed it had been hit; its tough, armour-like skin was too thick to penetrate. The few witches and wizards who were foolish enough to let their concentration slip, and took their eyes off the monster for more than a second, paid the ultimate fiery price. Fred couldn’t watch any longer.
Gradually, as an hour or two crawled past and those still fighting began to lose their will, both sounds faded. Eventually, they stopped completely. An eerie silence trickled into the cave.
Fred walked back to the entrance and peered out into the valley once more. He was dreading going back out there, into the unknown, unsure whether the lizard lurked unseen behind a wall of rock or round a hidden corner. But he had no choice. There was nothing to be gained by hiding in a cave for the rest of his life, other than a covering of moss and mould, perhaps. The small gap was just big enough for him to squeeze through. Heart pounding, legs trembling, he stepped outside.
Steam and smoke hung in the air. Flames still flickered from the valley floor. Fred, as far as he could tell, was completely alone. Though he could see bodies around him, none of them moved.
Fred strained his eyes again, searching for a tail, a sudden trail of fire, a glint of scaly skin. The lizard was nowhere to be seen.
This was his opportunity to leave, to go home – to be safe.
But he couldn’t do it. Something was keeping him there, forcing him to stay. Voices fought in his head. One screamed at him to leave, forget the lizard, save himself, that he wasn’t good enough and couldn’t do it. But another voice – a strange but forceful mixture of Marvin’s and his own – shouted back. It told him to stay, to prove people wrong – to prove himself wrong. Believe in yourself. It’s about more than just magic.
Fred knew then that he wasn’t finished.
He had to find the lizard.