Max looks over the room at Minty and the children. He realizes he has everyone in the room to worry about and the children’s safety are paramount.
“Minty, do you think the discs are going to be strong enough. Maybe we should engineer something else..? Something stronger..?”
“Max, we made these discs with our own keratax. They’re so strong that the suulids would never be able to muster enough power to break there shields”, she exclaims forcefully. “And anyway Max do you really think we would dare put these three little sweethearts in any danger. After all the time it took for us to be together... Husband?” She shakes her head playfully at Max.
“Alright then. You three must stay exactly where we show you and to do exactly what we tell you, right?” imposes Max.
“Y - e - s”, affirm the children.
“Now this is up to you three. Take your time to answer this. Do you feel ready to come with us? If you don’t then that’s okay too. We’ll go ahead and catch up with you all when we get back. So what do you think?” Max and Minty both pause for an answer from the children.
“What if it turns really dangerous or something happens to you two, what then?” asks Chloe.
From being the eldest, Chloe is concerned of an alternative outcome.
“That’s very good of you to ask something like that”, says Max. “I’m actually quite impressed”.
Chloe begins to feel her face blush at the compliment.
“For starters, nothing’s going to happen to us okay”, Max reassures. “But to make you all feel a little safer, we’ll write a chant for you three to say together three times and with that you’ll come home safe, sound and normal size. How’s that?”
“That’d be great”, answers Chloe.
Max nods.
“How about I go through with you what it is we’ll be doing Chloe?”
“Okay”, she begins:
“No.1 we’ll be taken with you two visibly to the first point.
No.2 we’ll be taken with you two invisibly to second point. It’s there we’ll stay quietly and safely invisible to watch you and Minty from a distance.
No.3 if you and Minty aren’t back by the time you say or we feel in any danger, we chant three times what it is you’ve written down for us and then we’ll arrive safely home in Charlotte’s bed room normal size… Is that everything?” asks Chloe proudly.
“It certainly is. Now if you just give Minty and I a few moments to get organized with your chant”, insists Max. “We’ll be right back”.
While Max and Minty are gone the three children huddle together and begin an impromptu meeting. “So what do you guys think about the situation?” asks Chloe. As always being the eldest she’s very hurried to get a feel of the situation from the other two.
“Well I’m okay with it if you are”, answers Charlotte.
“What about you Hudson?” Chloe asks.
“I think it’s pretty awesome” he replies.
“Well… yeah” says Chloe her patients really starting to try. “But Hudson, I’m referring to the safety side of it. Are you okay with that?”
“Never doing anything like this before, I don’t think I’d want to miss out”, says Hudson.
“Yeah me too”, agrees Charlotte.
“Alright then but remember you two, follow what I say… right?” Chloe enforces.
Back in the lounge room come Max and Minty holding out a piece of paper. “This is the chant we have prepared for you three if you at any time feel you want to get out of there. Okay?”
Max holds it out for Chloe to take. She looks at it briefly before folding it up and putting it in the front pocket of her jeans.
“Now because you’ll have to keep hold of your discs in one hand, when you repeat the chant you’ll need to put one hand on top of the other… like this”. Max says showing what he means by putting his hand on top of Minty’s and so on.
So take us home one, two, three.
And when you get home just relax and when we’re back we’ll all get together”. Max pauses briefly to look at each of the children.
“Everyone hold hands, close eyes and repeat with me three times”, he says.
“One, two, three, Patrick’s life must be set free, it’s only us he’ll be able to see,
Patrick’s life must be set free, it’s only us he’ll be able to see,
Patrick’s life must be set free, it’s only us he’ll be able to see”, they all say together.
Woosh!
Before anyone knew it, there they all are standing in a scrub land with Max and Minty.
“Okay you three in your left hand take hold of your discs, then lay the other hand one on top of each other with Minty and myself”, Max advises. “You all MUST keep hold of your discs until we’re back together. Don’t let them go and remember if anything happens, Chloe say that chant… alright?”
Chloe nods
“Now I’ll chant us to the next point. You don’t need to repeat it”, insists Max.
“Let the children safely watch
Patrick’s freedom instead of woe
Unbeknown we will flock”.
Woosh!
Now of course the five have landed in a small clump of bushes surrounded by trees. They can now see the dwelling in which Max and Minty are sure Patrick is still being held.
“DON’T LET GO OF YOUR DISCS”, Max stresses, silently through grit teeth. “Stay as quiet as you can. Just watch. Any problems... “
Chloe stops Max abruptly.
“Yeah, yeah we’ll say the chant”, she whispers.
Max winks to Chloe.
As the children watch on the suulids noticed the door has been unlatched. They look furious as they throw open the door. The suulids glare down into the darkness of the basement where Patrick is supposed to be.
One of the suulids looks around giving his head a shake, as he definitely felt something gently breeze past him.
“Here, here”, the larger suulid starts to yell out.
They both begin frantically looking around the yard. Then the smaller one notice the bushes look as though something is moving through them. “Hey look”, says the smaller one. Now pointing in the direction of the bushes being pushed about in an unusual manner, briskly up the hill.
“What is that?” asks the larger one scratching his head.
Then he throws his hand out again and again and again, starting spot fires in a large circle surrounding everyone, including the children.
“Oh no! Chloe say that chant. Let’s get out of here”, rushes Hudson, on the brink of
Hyper-ventilation. Chloe can see Max and Minty aren’t that far from them now.
“Chloe start”, begs Charlotte.
“Alright, alright”, Chloe snaps.
She madly reaches in her front pocket for the chant Max and Minty prepared for them earlier. The fires seem to be burning closer and closer to the children. It seems they’re so close to it, they can feel the heat coming off the spot fires.
“Oh Chloe come on”, Charlotte pleads unbearably.
She’s already holding her hand out flatly waiting for the others to do the same.
“I’ve got it”, Chloe announces. As the children all put their hands together. Chloe begins with the chant. “Unfortunately it wasn’t… Ooh!”
Chloe fumbles and drops the piece of paper with the chant on it.
“Chloe!” Hudson stresses, through grit teeth.
Chloe pulls her hand away from the others and reaches down to pick up the piece of paper. A small gust of wind gathers up the piece of paper, making Chloe have to really dash for it.
. Finally Chloe grabs hold of the piece of paper from the ground. She places her hand on top of Charlotte and Hudson’s.
But what happens next….