A Clock of Stars by Francesca Gibbons

Author:Francesca Gibbons [Gibbons. Francesca]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2020-08-31T17:00:00+00:00

The night before they left for the mountains, the children didn’t sleep well.

Every time Imogen was about to drift off, things moved in the corners of her mind: her worry creatures would not rest. She closed her eyes and they stirred behind curtains and made the drawers rattle. Let me out, let me out, whispered a thousand tiny voices. You can’t go to the mountains. You’ll get yourself killed and sliced up. You’ll get lost. You’ll get eaten. You’ll never make it home.

Left to their own devices, the worry creatures would break free. They’d clutch at her stomach with their bony fingers until she felt sick. They’d sit on her chest so she struggled to breathe. They’d squeeze their ugly little bodies round her heart until—

Imogen imagined grabbing the worry creatures by the throat and stuffing them back where they belonged. Slam the drawers shut. Close the curtains. Give them all a good kicking.

She tried to think of something else. Something cheerful. She tried to think about being in bed with her mum, with books and fairy lights and a pinkish glow. The worry creatures were still for a minute – two at most – then they started to fidget and whisper and the whole thing began again.

Miro’s worry creatures were different. They hid from him. They left him behind. They were grown-ups closing the door in his face. They were shadows of little girls running between trees. A shoe disappearing behind a trunk. An echo of laughter. Miro would turn on the spot and call, ‘Wait!’, but the ghosts wouldn’t wait and soon it was just him and a moon that took up half the sky.

Outside, the skret howled.

Finally, morning came and the clock struck seven. A pair of jewelled planets flew in circles round the nine before the hatch popped open. ‘What will it be this time?’ asked Miro, sitting up at the bottom of the bed.

A tiny carving of a boy trotted out of the clock’s hatch. He was wearing a miniature crown. ‘Oh look, it’s a prince like me!’

The little prince started running on the spot. His arms and legs swung on their hinges. Suddenly the running stopped. The figure moved back towards the hatch, but this time it was as though he was being dragged through it, pulled against his will. His tiny hands held on to the edges of the open door, fighting an invisible force. He let go. The hatch slammed shut. The prince was trapped inside the clock.

‘That’s weird,’ said Marie. ‘None of the others did that.’

Imogen looked at Miro. He had turned pale. ‘Are you okay?’ she asked.

‘We need to pack,’ said the prince.

Lofkinye had given them a long list of things to bring with them. ‘I’ll sort out the clothes,’ said Imogen. ‘Marie, you fetch the food. The cook loves you. She’ll let you have whatever you ask for.’

‘What about Miro?’ said Marie. ‘What’s he going to get?’

‘Weapons,’ said Miro. ‘I’ll get the weapons.’

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.