Milo and the Raging Chieftains by Mary Arrigan

Author:Mary Arrigan [Mary Arrigan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781847176592
Publisher: The O'Brien Press
Published: 2014-10-15T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

BIG ELLA’S PLAN

We whooshed out through the fancy inner door, which Mister Lewis explained was a portal that could take us from past to present, as well as from present to past. We weren’t really listening, Shane and me – we were so relieved to be back in our own time.

‘There are two kinds of portals,’ Mister Lewis was going on. ‘There’s the castle one and the natural arboreal one …’

But we’d lost interest because we were trying to get Ossie on to the carrier of Shane’s bike.

‘It’s a wicked thing,’ he cried, putting his club into a belt round his middle. ‘I won’t touch it.’

It was only when Shane gave him half a sticky Crunchie that we got him aboard. Mister Lewis wafted along beside me.

Then a thought struck me. ‘Hey, Mister Lewis,’ I called out, ‘what’s going to be outside the castle gates? I’m a bit confused, like, I don’t know what century to expect.’

‘No worries, lad,’ he shouted. ‘Once we’re beyond the castle everywhere will be as you know it.’

‘Really? We’re really back in our own time? Are you sure?’

‘Trust me, Milo,’ he added. ‘All is the same out there as it was yesterday. Are you having second doubts, lad?’ he whispered.

I glanced around at Ossie, his hands clutching Shane’s back. He’s rude, bossy and a proper little upstart, I thought. But the other side of my brain put in the thought that if it was me trying to save my family, I’d be just like him. So, before the surging longing of turning towards home took over, I shook my head. ‘No,’ I sighed. ‘No second thoughts.’

‘I knew you’d say that,’ said Mister Lewis. ‘Good man.’

Well, that was no help. I was still as scared as a trapped mouse in a cattery.

‘Shane,’ Mister Lewis called out behind us. ‘Follow us to Big Ella’s.

‘No way!’ shouted Shane. ‘She’ll eat me alive and spit out me bones for sneaking out this late.’

‘Don’t be crude, boy. Your granny and I have met before.’

I knew that, of course, because I’d been there when there was this incident with a druid. But that’s another story. I’d never told Shane what had really happened. I was forbidden by Big Ella to tell him. Not ever.

The street was quiet as we pedalled towards Shane’s house.

‘I’m not sure I want to do this,’ said Shane. ‘Big Ella will have a gigantic hissy fit, and I’ll be grounded for years until I have no teeth and am too old to ride my bike.’

The lights were on downstairs. That was no surprise, when Big Ella gets a notion to paint a picture she goes for it straight away. Shane stood behind me as Mister Lewis ‘cooeed’ through the letterbox that Ossie held open. The door was flung open and Big Ella stood there with a dripping paintbrush in her hand. Shane clutched my arm. Like, I was going to protect him? But her face beamed when Mister Lewis moved in front of her.

‘Mister Lewis!’ she exclaimed.

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