Wild Avengers by Diane Van der Westhuizen

Author:Diane Van der Westhuizen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: africa, lion, cockroaches, tarantula, cape town, elephant, rhinoceros, baboon, amazon rainforest, simonstown
Publisher: Diane Van der Westhuizen

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Museum of the Dead

The three friends were exhausted after they had run for what seemed like forever. So they were relieved when Panacea finally slowed to a walk. Dr Panacea must have rocket fuel in her veins, thought Ty. She’s not even tired!

The old woman’s ancient legs had carried her down a crazy network of passages that she was certain would confuse Morbidius. The pharmacist may have been ancient, but her mind was brighter than a newly-minted penny. And it was only now that Panacea was satisfied they were safe, that she dared give her legs a rest.

“Let’s see Morbidius try and find his way through that!” she chuckled.

“Are we nearly there?” Chilli asked hopefully. She wanted to get out of the dank passage as quickly as possible. An icy wind, trapped underground for centuries, wheezed through the passage, making her shiver.

“Not far to go now, my dear” Panacea replied. She was striding briskly on the uneven ground, her cane striking the stoney ground with an echoing clack. “And, by the way children, Morbidius will have five of us to deal with soon.”

“Five?” questioned Chilli.

“You’ll see, you’ll see” she answered with a chuckle.

Ahead of them, the Hopejar’s light picked out a set of heavy wooden doors.

“Ah, here we are my friends” Dr Panacea announced.

The ancient doors were at least twelve feet high and set into the rockface. Ty had to twist his head backwards to make out the figures engraved on it. In the eerie green light of the Hopejar he could make out carvings of a life-size elephant on each door. Above the doors, an inscription had been chiselled into the rock face. It read: ‘The Museum of Follies and Foibles. Curator: Prof. Custodius Lovage.’

“Lovage? That’s your surname, isn’t it?” observed Ty.

“Yup. Custodius is my brother. Loves collecting things. He even has the complete skeleton of the missing link. Remarkable, just remarkable.”

“How can he help us? It’s just a museum,” Chilli declared doubtfully.

“Be careful of making assumptions, Chilli. And remember: patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet,” Panacea replied gently.

“Ty, please help me open these doors” instructed Panacea. “Pull that lever next to the entrance.” Ty yanked a handle carved from a walrus’s tusk and the doors swung smoothly open. The group of friends stepped into the museum.

“Huuulllloooo! Anybody home?” shouted Panacea, rapping her cane on the flagstone floor.

“This is weird. I feel like I’ve been here before,” murmured Chilli. And it was no wonder. It was an exact replica of the Museum of Natural History Chilli had visited in Concordia. She recognised the cavernous hall crowded with glass cases of all sizes. Each of the cases housed displays of animal skins, horns, elephant tusks and arrays of animal remains made into household items. Ty grimaced when he saw a chandelier made from deer antlers and a coat made from the exquisite fur of the clouded leopard.

Suspended from the museum’s roof was the massive skeleton of a whale covered in layers of dust. Under it hung a notice: ‘Sperm whale hunted off the coast of Antarctica.

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