Snotty Saves the Day by Tod Davies

Author:Tod Davies
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Exterminating Angel Press
Published: 2011-07-25T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter XIV

WAR

Outside, it was chaos.

Drums sounded with their dull thump from the Plains below. “Thurr-rrrump. Thurrr-rrrrump.” That sound made the hair on the back of Snotty’s neck stand on end.

And there was that rumbling, even closer than before: BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

“What’s happening?” Snotty shouted, running here and there. “What is it? What do I do now?” Melia, as she ran past with Tia, Fia, Fion, Mion, and Lui, said over her shoulder, “See you after the battle, Snotty.” Her mouth trembled as she smiled.

“It’s my turn to tell the next story, Snotty!” Lui called, and she blew him a kiss from her crimson paw. But Snotty saw her paw shake, and saw her steady it as she disappeared with the others down the rocky Path he had flown up with his Idea.

“Wait!” Snotty called after them. “Wait for me!” He ran after the Bears, but brought his foot down on the edge of a flat rock that skidded out from under him. His foot went one way, his ankle another, and a sharp pain made his teeth clench as he went over and down.

Nevertheless he hobbled on.

At the top of the Path the Dog stood, conferring with three figures. And Snotty saw these figures were the Monsters that he had refused to pardon in his glorious days as the Sun God.

“Is it you?” Snotty said. The Monsters looked completely different to him now. The Monstrous Woman was a large, startled Doll. The Tusked Boar was a worried Piglet with a runny nose. And the Polar Bear was a white fluffy Teddy with a pink ribbon around his neck. He gave Snotty an anxious smile.

“Yes,” the white Teddy said. “It’s us.”50

Snotty saw that the group circled something that bounced heavily on the ground. Coming closer, he saw it was an Idea. Only this Idea was more garishly colored than the others.

“What is it?” he said.

“It’s a False Idea,” the Doll said with a tight smile.

“How did it get here without an audience?” the Piglet squeaked. “A False Idea can’t travel far on its own.”

There was a moment of silence while everyone thought about what that meant. The Dog’s expression said, “No. It hasn’t come here on its own. And there are more to follow.”

A black shadow covered them. Looking up, Snotty saw a Dragon flying overhead.

“Is that...?” he said. Then he stopped, ashamed. The Dog nodded grimly. Yes, it was the Dragon Snotty had pardoned. It had joined the Gnomes as their advance guard.

“It’s not your fault,” the Piglet squeaked consolingly. “You couldn’t have known.”

“Everything looks different when you have the Fever,” said the fluffy white Bear.

They all looked at Snotty with sympathy as he hung his head. The fluffy Bear patted him on the arm.

“The Dragon never could have joined us anyway,” the Doll said. “Dragons hate to look small. They can’t live without thinking they’re Big and Strong.”

“But the Dragon IS Big and Strong,” Snotty said, astonished. The others looked back at him, just as surprised.

“Nobody’s as Big and Strong as they look,” the Doll said matter of factly.

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