Arthur Quinn and the World Serpent by Alan Early

Author:Alan Early
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Action & Adventure, Fiction, Viking, Loki, Dublin, World Serpent, Arthur Quinn, Viking Mythology, Jormungand, Children's Fiction
ISBN: 9781853658279
Publisher: Mercier Press
Published: 2011-09-22T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

As soon as the man in the playhouse spoke, Arthur turned and ran. One of his shoelaces had come loose and he tripped over it. He landed chin first on the floor, only just avoiding biting his tongue. Behind him, the man was standing up inside the playhouse, lifting it straight off the ground and giggling manically as he did. That was all the motivation Arthur needed. Ignoring the pain in his chin, he scrambled to his feet and fled. Legging it back down the escalators, he could hear the man laughing: a high-pitched cackle. Arthur went down the first escalator two steps at a time. He almost toppled over a second time and had to steady himself by gripping the moving handrail. He was relieved to see shoppers and staff in the girls’ section but still didn’t feel safe enough to stop. He turned around and raced down the next escalator, bumping straight into Ash at the bottom.

‘Whoa! Slow down, Arthur. What’s the matter?’ She’d paid for the train tracks and was holding them in a paper bag.

Arthur didn’t slow down. He grabbed Ash’s free hand and towed her out the front door in one hurried movement. He would have kept on running down the street if Ash hadn’t ground to a halt, pulling him up with her.

‘Arthur, wait! Will you please tell me what’s wrong?’

He looked back in the direction of the toyshop. People shopping or out for a Sunday stroll walked along the street – all of them totally carefree. There was no sign of the man he’d seen in the playhouse.

‘What is it, Arthur?’

He leaned against a shop window, catching his breath.

‘I …’ he began, ‘I think I just saw Loki.’

‘What? How?’

‘No, that’s wrong. I don’t think I saw him. I know I saw him. It was definitely Loki. I can feel it. It was the same face I saw in my first dream but different. It’s all scarred and old now.’

Ash looked as frightened as Arthur felt. ‘What did he do?’

‘He … He said my name.’

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