Dan Dan and the Noodles of Despair

The Army of Numbers

After an early start and a short trek into the crisp dawn air of the second day, they are greeted by the distant sound of running water.

Diverting from the central avenue along an ornamental pathway they find a bridge across a substantial river of clear icy blue water. A canal flowing from the centre of the garden and moving towards the wall.

Walking to the centre of the bridge, they peer upriver through the rising mists as they dance over the waters. Rising from the water is a hill surrounded by summer pavilions at the centre of the garden. Much closer than they had realised. Looking downriver through the expanse of the garden they see a distant lake and beyond, the chalky white parapet of the wall barely visible above the trees shining in the rising sunlight.

'We have come further than I had imagined.' says Anaximander 'We're very close to our goal.'

At that moment Daniel gasps in horror, grabbing Anaximander's arm, pointing back down the bridge. They all turn to see a large Orange, Yellow and Blue splodgy coloured dog with ears the size of dinner plates standing in the middle of the path. His head tipped to one side as if questioning what he sees.

'Jackson? Is that you?' exclaims Floyd in amazement.

The dog suddenly bounds towards them, Daniel takes cover behind Anaximander while Tiddlepuss hissing in defence arches up to become much larger in preparation for a fight.

'You must hide - quickly, you must get off the road, under the bridge, follow me - now!' says the dog.

'Do as he says' cries Floyd, and the company turn to follow his multicoloured tail as he leaps down the steps to the underside of the bridge.

Out of sight, they huddle on the footpath below the gardens and just above the water level. Steam blurting from every nostril, they all stare at the dog holding a paw over his mouth.

'Not a word.' he whispers as the sound of approaching voices becomes clearer - voices accompanied by a strange clicking sound.

'Don't tell me you've lost their trail, find it again!' booms a voice that shatters the peaceful sound of a garden naturally and in an ordered manner, waking up to greet the day.

A sortie of soldiers making it's way up the main avenue is venturing down the ornamental pathway towards them. Rifles at the ready checking left and right in search of whoever opened the garden gates.

At the foot of the bridge, the troops assemble and await their orders as the captain defiantly strides to the middle and looks upriver. His sword at his side, the plume of his shako moist with dew, his rows of crested tunic buttons and the folds of golden braid across his chest flashing his seniority in the morning's glow.

'Where the devil are you?' he mutters to himself under his breath as he grinds his teeth in disgust.

Turning to shout commands to his men, 'I want A-Troop to continue up the main avenue and B-Troop to circle round to the East. That fire is still warm, they can't be far ahead of us. One's, Three's and Five's stay close to your multipliers, Seven's remain with the troop, Thirteens fan out in advance. Nineteens keep an eye on your Fifteens. I want all of you number Thirty and all of you number Five, is that understood?'

'Sir yes Sir!' they shout in unison.

'Seventy one!' he responds in monotone precision.

With that, the soldiers break into their troops and set off, their voices fading back in the direction they came until all that can be heard through the mass of foliage is the occasional click.

Under the bridge, a mass sigh of relief as the huddled company release the breath held deep within their lungs as a communal cloud of steam.

'They're gone?' ventures Tiddlepuss.