Flabberwocky

8 - And Then There Were Five

It wasn't until Saturday that Molly could put her new plan into action. They would go and visit Nan and offer to take Horace for a walk. Then, on the way to the Flabberwocky's house they would meet up with Panda and Barry, and the four of them, or five including Horace, would try and get the old witch to open her door and let them in, simple.

"Isn't it rubbish when plans go wrong right at the start," mused Lawrence, as he swung back and forth on Nan's garden gate. Molly continued banging on the door, causing Horace to bark uncontrollably in the back garden. "I've had enough of knocking on doors and nobody answering!" she shouted, "I know she's slow, but even if she was in the bath she'd have got to the door by now." Lawrence stepped off of the gate and shuddered a little as he accidentally pictured his Nan in the bath. Molly pressed her face against the stippled glass in the door, "she must be shopping or something, Lawrence, you're gonna have to climb over the back gate." "Eh? we can't do that." Molly disagreed, "what, we can't come and take him out for a walk, of course we can, he's our family." Lawrence laughed, "our family? he's a dog!" "He has lived with Nan and Grandad for as long as I can remember, he's like a cousin to us." Lawrence worried that his sister was going insane, "you think that dog is our cousin?" Molly pushed Lawrence by his shoulders around the side of the house towards the back gate, "foster cousin then, come on, go and get him." Reluctantly Lawrence clambered up and over the garden gate, then unbolted it on the other side. Horace had stopped barking and was now tugging at Lawrence's shoelaces as he often did. Molly pushed open the gate, "come on then, let's go." Lawrence bent down to pick Horace up, "but we don't have a lead?" Molly sighed, "take off your belt stupid, do I have to spell out everything." He passed Horace to Molly, and yanked his belt from his trousers. He then carefully unclasped Horace's collar, and pushed one end through his belt buckle before refastening it. Molly put Horace on the floor, and walked him out towards the street. Lawrence called after her, "shouldn't we leave Nan a note?" Molly turned back to shrug her shoulders, "I don't have any paper or a pen, it'll be ok, let's go." Lawrence checked his pockets for something to write with, "it won't be ok, Nan will think he's been stolen." He pulled out a handful of odds and ends from his jacket pocket and then stopped to study them. "Wait," he protested, rushing to the front of the house and kneeling down to poke something through Nan's letter box. Molly and Horace were already at the corner of Bourbon Boulevard by the time Lawrence caught them up.

"What were you putting through Nan's letter box?" Molly asked. "Well, I didn't have anything to write with so I thought I'd put some clues through the letter box instead of a note." "You are so weird," said Molly as she passed the end of the belt to Lawrence for him to hold, "so what did you put in the letter box?" "Well," explained Lawrence, "I had the wrapper to a Bullion bar, which Nan knows is my favourite, so she'll know the message is from me." He paused to allow Molly's sigh to finish, "and a small bone which was next to Horace in the garden, that's so she knows it has something to do with him." Molly interrupted, "and don't tell me, the last thing was a crisp packet." Lawrence looked stunned, "wow Molly, how did you know that?" "It's obvious Lawrence." He smiled smugly, "strollers crisps, so the message is, Lawrence walking Horace, who needs a pen eh?" Molly raised her eyebrows, "or salt and vinegar bullion bone." Lawrence pretended not to hear her.

Anticipating something ahead, Horace tugged them towards the corner of Garibaldi Gardens, where Barry was waiting with his skateboard. As they approached he folded his arms in an odd way, with one finger pointing towards his shoulder, "wots up girlfriend, jus hangin wid ya lil bro and mindin ya minipups." Without hesitation Molly stretched out her arm and pushed Barry against the hedge by his neck, "if you ever mention my minipups again Barry, I'll tell your Mum what I caught you doing in our greenhouse last Summer." Barry's face was now whiter than the puffy sports socks poking out of his trainers. As Molly released him he brushed the leaves out of his hair, "chillax, I just meant Horace, I didn't mean to cuss you up." Lawrence usually fell about laughing when Barry used his street slang, but he now had a burning question, "what did you catch Barry doing in the greenhouse last Summer?" Molly didn't answer, instead she was waving across the road. Lawrence nudged Barry, "here comes Panda." After checking she was really coming, he quickly licked his fingers and tried to spike his fringe up.