12
Why?
He was numb. He’d howled for Mum. He couldn’t howl for Yesterday. Yesterday would hate anyone to howl for her. Yesterday might be a slave, but she still had pride.
He shouldn’t have left her. But he had to leave her! I had no choice, he told himself. That look in Yesterday’s eyes…
What would, they have done to her if he’d refused to leave? What would they have done if she had tried to escape with him?
What could, they do? Surely they couldn’t touch her once she was down the wormhole. Even the Guardians couldn’t hurt anyone at the School for Heroes.
He needed to think. If he’d thought before he’d dashed off maybe things would have been different. He needed to find the library and look up the Guardians. Surely they had weak spots! He also needed to ask all the old Heroes at Rest in Pieces what they knew of the Guardians and about their universe. Then he’d know what to do.
It isn’t going to end here, Boo reassured himself. It can’t.
The plane bumped gently as it landed, and whirled to a stop.
Its walls unfolded.
Boo stepped out. There was no sign of the boy slave. There was nothing to be seen at all, except the rocks, the hut. Boo padded across the rock, and slid underneath the leather hammock. He felt the ground sink beneath him, into the wormhole.
Yesterday, and her world, were gone.
Graunt Doom was waiting for him at the exit when he passed through the wormhole, too downcast even to yell ‘student approaching’ to the waiting guards.
It was the elderly gorilla again today, as well as a fossilised-looking mermaid in a wheelchair. They were studying a crossword puzzle and scarcely looked up as Boo padded out onto the ledge.
Graunt Doom leant on her stick, but the ancient zombie’s gaze was sharp as Boo approached. Mug stood next to her, his red-rimmed eyes sympathetic.
‘Could have told you it would be no use,’ boomed Graunt Doom.
‘But you didn’t,’ said Boo bitterly.
Graunt Doom shook her head. ‘Would have made no difference, boy.’
And she was right, thought Boo. He’d have charged off to Yesterday’s world no matter what the old Finder had told him.
‘Graunt Doom say now you wants to find out about the Guardians,’ rumbled Mug.
Boo nodded. ‘Yesterday’s trapped there,’ he whispered. ‘She won’t even try to escape. Why not? There has to be some way—’
‘No,’ said Graunt Doom.
Boo looked up at her. ‘You mean…you can See there’s nothing I can do?’
‘No,’ boomed Graunt Doom firmly. ‘Me can See you will do somethings. But not now.’
‘Why?’ demanded Boo, sitting back on his haunches.
‘Because time not right,’ said Graunt Doom calmly. ‘Yes, me can See that.’
‘But—’
‘Why you think school have Finder, boy?’ roared Graunt Doom. ‘Because me can Sees things!’
‘You dumb werewolf if you don’t take Graunt’s advice,’ rumbled Mug. He peered around the rocky ground as though he’d lost something.
Boo nodded. He felt like a dumb werewolf. The dumbest werewolf ever to have come out of Sleepy Whiskers. He’d just charged off, without a plan. And now…
‘And now you goes to the Ghastly Otherwhen,’ stated Graunt Doom.
‘Next week best.’
‘And me comes too,’ said Mug, picking up his ear and pressing it back onto his head with duct tape.
The secret to a Good Cunning Plan is this:
1 Work out a plan.
2 Make sure it’s cunning.
It’s amazing how many Heroes omit these simple steps.
FROM ONE MONKEY’S GUIDE TO CUNNING PLANS AND HOW TO SURVIVE THEM BY DR VB MUSSELLS