Adam Brodie and the monster from the dark planet

Chapter Twenty Eight

Chapter Twenty Eight

"Rubbish," said Malcolm.

They had both watched all three DVDs on Adam's laptop and Malcolm had been unimpressed by any of them.

"Do the people of the future honestly believe my dad carries on like that?"

Adam shrugged.

Malcolm looked at Adam. "You got those little people in your magic box to behave in the wrong way. My dad is nothing like that."

"Look at it this way," said Adam. "Alright we got it wrong about how your father lived, but we do treat him as a great hero."

Malcolm smiled. "You do don't you."

"Lights out in five minutes," came a voice above and around them.

Malcolm was starting to smell.

"Malcolm," said Adam. "You need to take a shower."

"Again?"

"Malcolm it isn't a one-time only deal. You have to take a shower regularly."

Malcolm sighed. "Alright, for a peaceful life, I will take a shower."

"A few times a week."

Malcolm nodded.

"And change your clothes."

"Now you're being ridiculous. Where I come from nobody ever changes their clothes except on special occasions, Easter, Christmas, that sort of thing. My dad hasn't changed his clothes in seven years."

"It is a special occasion. It's called being smelly."

"What happens to my clothes?"

"The blue men will come and take them away and wash and press them for you to wear again, but this time clean."

That's exactly what happened. Adam changed his clothes and left them in a basket and when he came back from lessons they would be on his bed clean and pressed.

"Does that colour come off those blue men?" said Malcolm.

Adam rolled his eyes. "No it doesn't."

"I don't want it on my clothes."

"You won't."

Malcolm went into the bathroom and took a shower. He still insisted on lying on his bed fully clothed. The light went off and Adam lay in his bed wandering if the Nexus hadn't deliberately put Malcolm with him. Adam was starting to see Malcolm as a special project, someone to take from the Middle Ages into the modern world.

He suspected that Malcolm had deliberately been put with him from some reason, and Adam did not like being used. He thought about Jake and how Jake must have lain on his bed exactly like him, and then something had emerged from beneath his bed and dragged him under it to heaven only knows where.

He could hear Malcolm's rhythmic breathing indicating sleep. He used to snore but Matron stopped that. If only Adam knew Jake was safe. Adam wondered if the same fate awaited him, and that thing from his childhood was waiting to strike one night.

He felt very cold and afraid. He opened his eyes and saw shapes and forms in the darkness. Adam closed his eyes and fell asleep.

The next day was the start of the second week and Adam went to breakfast. He took his tray of food to the usual table. Brigitte was already sitting at it staring blankly at the open pages of the book, Dimensional Science for Idiots by Mxyzptlk.

"Are you winning?" said Adam.

She shook her head. "I can't make head nor tail of this."

"Maybe you want the one for complete idiots."

Brigitte scowled at Adam. "Funnneee!"

George came to table. Various cartoon creepy crawlies were running around his tray.

"Oh you're reading Mxyzptlk?" he said. "You need the one for complete idiots."

"He's already done that joke," said Brigitte.

"No joke," said George. "There is such a tome and I have it on my electronic book reader."

From within the scales of his body George took out a large tablet looking device. Brigitte peered at it.

"It looks like a Kindle."

She took out a Kindle from her tunic. They compared the two.

"Pretty much the same," said George. "You're welcome to a copy of my edition. All I have to do is transfer it from my device to yours."

"Is that possible?"

"Data is data. It's all just ones and zeroes. I can transfer the book by wireless transmission."

"Let's do this thing," said Brigitte. She looked at the screen and smiled. "It's already transferring."

"You'll find the complete idiot one easier than the idiot one, hence the title."

"Transfer finished," said Brigitte. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Malcolm sat down with a tray piled high with food.

"You certainly like to eat," said Adam.

"Love it," said Malcolm. "Though Friar Tuck did say gluttony is one of the several deadly sins, though he could talk as he was very fat."

Malcolm used the knife to cut up his food but then he ignored the fork and used a large spoon to scoop the food into his mouth. Adam thought this was an improvement as the first few times Malcolm had eaten in the canteen he only ever used his fingers.

"You might want to close your mouth while you're chewing," said Adam.

"Why?" said Malcolm, half a sausage hanging from his mouth.

"It's considered a courtesy," said Brigitte.

"Alright," mumbled Malcolm, his mouth full of food.

Malcolm rapidly finished the big meal. He used to lick the plates clean but Adam had successfully persuaded him not to do this. Malcolm sat back contented and belched loudly. Then he lifted his backside from the seat and farted.

"That's better," he said sitting back down.

He looked at the shocked faces ranged around him on the table.

"What?" he said.