‘What’s it doing?’ asked Will, as the Thud shuffled over to Miffni and Pong Pong and held a long stick up to them. The creature stared at the stick for a long time with a large frown across his brow, then he grunted and ushered the pair inside.
‘It’s difficult to tell how old monsters are just by looking at them,’ Urk explained. ‘I think he was measuring them to see if they’re big enough for The Monster Mash. Miffni is younger than me, but she can usually pass for a teenager because she’s so massive and Pong Pong is OK because Squidlets are so tall.’
‘But that means we can’t follow them,’ said Will. ‘We’re both much shorter than the Thud’s measuring stick.’
‘You’re right,’ said Urk. ‘But together we might just be tall enough.’
‘Uh?’ said Will, and then gasped when Urk ducked beneath his Jub Jub sack.
‘Give me the forks and carry me on your shoulders,’ Urk’s voice whispered from somewhere inside the dark tent of material. ‘Then we should be about the same height as the stick!’
‘And if we’re not?’ asked Will.
‘Then the Thud will make us as flat as a pancake,’ Urk swallowed.
After a short struggle and much tugging of material, Urk and Will eventually left the doorway and tottered across the road as one tall Jub Jub. Will could see very little through the thick, dark fabric and had to rely on Urk nudging with his hooves to guide him to The Monster Mash.
A tiny monster hopped up to the entrance in front of them and was immediately ushered inside after flashing his ID card at the Thud. But the bouncer quickly barred the doors again as the unsteady Jub Jub teetered to a halt.
‘Good evening,’ Urk said cheerily, waving a friendly fork.
‘HMMMPH!’ grunted the Thud, moving forward with his measuring device.
As the stick came closer, Urk’s eyes widened when he saw that they needed a few extra centimetres to gain entry to the club, so he quickly sat up straight and craned his neck until his head drew level with the top.
‘Fine weather we’re having,’ he gasped, as the creature frowned at the stick. ‘Being such a tall teenager, I usually get to see it first as I’m so very high up. Not that we get a lot of weather here in Monsterland, being underground and all …’
Fortunately the Thud was using every ounce of brainpower to study the stick and paid no attention to Urk’s nervous babbling. After what seemed like an eternity of concentration and a small amount of dribble, the creature arrived at a decision.
‘YOU GO IN NOW,’ grunted the Thud and nodded towards the door.
‘Jolly good!’ chirped Urk, and slumped with a sigh when the stick was taken away. He then gave Will a few light hoof-kicks to steer him towards the door, waving his forks for balance as they staggered into The Monster Mash.
