A Midnight Stroll in the Woods - Book 1 in the Troll Warrior series

Chapter 15 - Devising A PLAN

" See you soon Thalia!"

"I'll miss you Anne!"

"Don't be sloppy, okay?"

I laugh, "ill still miss you Anne."

"Yeah I know," a single tear slips down her cheek, "I hate doing this."

"Doing what?"

"Saying goodbye."

"Don't be sloppy Anne."

I hear a feeble giggle.

"Don't cry pleeeaase Anne! You'll set me off."

"Sorry."

"Nahh.. I was only joking."

"I know that."

"You, you should probably go." The words we both hated to hear slipped my lips.

"Okay. I will go now. Goodbye Thalia."

"Goodbye Anne. See you next holidays."

"Yup. Bye" She hugs me through the bars of my cell them takes one last look and walks away.

I slump down in a corner and cry the tears I had been trying so hard not to cry in front of Anne. She was the one thing that held me tender, close, in this cell I could almost lose myself and my human qualities (if you think about it, Im not exactly human.)  I cry and cry, I wimper her name. I can't get a hold of myself. I have no idea why I am so sad! I stay like this for at least two days. Not eating, not drinking, not even fully awake. I just lay there on the floor drifting in and out of consiousness. On the third day someone rattles the doors on my cell.

"Thalia!"

I sit up with a start, "Wha? Who?" 

"Thalia!" 

"Oh! Gomber." His whiskery face peers at me through the bars. It almost a sense of deja vou.

He grins at me. "Finaly up aye?" I just nod. "Look Thalia. You can't stay like this for much longer. You'll DIE." Well, what ever I was expecting, it was not that. " we need to gret you out of here."

Uh huh. I know that. 

"You, are going to escape."

"No im not."

"Yah you are"

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"Yes." "Damn it."

" Ok heres the plan."

"Ok." I really do NOT want to do this.

"Well Thalia. You are going to rattle the bars of your cell to get the police's attention. And while they are over here dealing with you (who are throwing a tantrum) I, will be stealing the keys to the cell. "

"You know, that is not very original."

"Who cares."

"Also, there is one problem with your plan."

"And it is...?"

"One of the cops carries the keys around with him."

"Oh. Damn."

"Yeah, and do you know what else? There are about a tribillion of them in there. Even if you distract five over to me, you will still have to deal with the others."

"Damn it." he's rethinking his plan... "Ok, here's the plan. When all the cops are asleep i steal the keys from the one with them."

"They take shifts so you'll have to go at about 3:45am. That's the guy with the keys shift. He sleeps in the office."

"Okay. And do you know how long the shift goes for?"

"Fourty-five minutes."

"Cool. That gives us enough time to get out of here and return the keys."

"Tonight?" He nods.

"Righty ho. see you later then."

I decide to get some sleep. Gombers plan is doing my head in. Seriously! I'll pick pocket the keys aye?  Not going to work.

Goodnight