Dan Dan and the Noodles of Despair

The Sheep

Standing on Daniel's chest Tiddlepuss licks his face between shouting his name 'Dan wake up, wake up, it's time to go, quickly Dan we have to go.'

He revives him as the dust and rubble start to fall around them, and the sound of distant heavy things breaking gets steadily louder.

Daniel comes to his senses and staggering forwards; they make their way up the glass staircase and back to the corridor.

Tiddlepuss darts back and forth scouting around in the rubble and dust to find a way out big enough for Daniel to get through.

They break into the sunlight just as the sky paddock crushes another two floors of Bill's castle. Flames and smoke are billowing from the top of what remains of the Frank Lloyd Wrong masterpiece. The brutality of its existence and now its destruction clawing at the clear blue sky.

Daniel and Tiddlepuss look on in wonder at the sky paddock leaning precariously against the remains of Bill's castle.

'Do you think the sheep survived?' asks Daniel.

Tiddlepuss starts sniffing the ground amongst the strands of wool and the mass of hoof prints.

'It would appear they have, and look here, amongst the hoof prints of the sheep are the prints of Floyd and Jackson - it looks like they are all making their way to the cave.'

Tidddlepuss and Daniel follow the trail of hoof prints towards the cave. Looking across the lake, Daniel can see the confused and disorganised soldiers on the shore. They are starting to make their way towards the island on whatever craft they can find.

Daniel pauses and glances back to the ruins with a mixture of bitterness and relief in his heart as Bill's castle edges its way into the next phase of its existence.

Reaching the cave, they find Anaximander and Jackson running back and forth, trying to herd the sheep inside.

'These really are the stupidest creatures ever to walk on four legs!' shouts Anaximander over the din of the sheep's frantic bleating and gruffing. 'Floyd's gone ahead, he's leading them down the tunnel.'

Working together, the four of them manage eventually to cajole the last of the sheep into the cave. Urgently cramming the last of the sheep in into tunnel Daniel slams the door shut from the inside. Turning down the shaft, he is amazed to see it is brightly lit by what appears to be the glow coming from the sheep's wool. 

He hadn't noticed it outside, but when the sheep moved into the tunnel, the luminosity of their wool combined to illuminate the way. Descending into the steam and the overpowering smell of sheep poo Daniel realises the tunnel is now far from the spotless state they found it in.

After what seems like a much longer walk than he remembered, they reach the other end of the tunnel. The sheep haphazardly climb the steps into the forest and scatter up the slope in search of some fresh grass.

Floyd, waiting outside the doors and overjoyed to see Daniel and Tiddlepuss, dust-covered but unharmed.

'I feared the worst when the sky paddock hit the castle, but I am glad to see you are both more than capable of looking after each other.'

'Let's get this door shut.' says Anaximander brushing the sheep poo and strands of wool from his clothes.

They push the doors shut with a thud. The lock activates, and the three keys pop out of the stone slots like three pieces of toast waiting to be plucked from a toaster.

'Hopefully, that's the end of that' exclaims Daniel 'should we destroy them?'

'These keys have already unlocked two sets of doors - who knows - there could be more. I'll just keep them safe for now.' replies Anaximander.