Charlie in the Underworld Read online

  PUBLISHER’S NOTE

  This is the fifth volume of Charlie Small’s journal and was discovered by a team of archaeologists who were excavating a site before the builders moved in to put up a new block of flats. It was lucky they did, or this incredible document would now be lost under tons of concrete!

  Intrigued by their find, Dr Septimus Vole, the chief archaeologist, examined the journal carefully. He came to the same conclusion as the publishers: Charlie Small’s journals seem to be completely genuine.

  Hearing of this new discovery, the publishers asked if they could add it to their growing collection of chronicles describing Charlie Small’s incredible adventures. Dr Vole readily agreed and all the volumes are now in the possession of Mr Nick Ward, custodian of the Charlie Small journals.

  Alongside this book, the archaeologists found some other items: an enormous crocodile’s tooth and a broken telescope. We know from reading Charlie’s previous adventures that they are part of his trusty explorer’s kit. He must have lost them and, knowing how careful he is with all his adventurer’s tools, we can only hope that he has not had some terrible accident – or been captured by some horrible foe …

  Because of this, the publishers have decided to mount an expedition to search for Charlie Small. We will not be happy until we learn of his whereabouts and, if possible, bring him back home. What follows is a note from the leader of the expedition.

  The Charlie Small Relief Expedition

  Where is Charlie Small? Can we find him and help him get home? How can you be eight years old and four hundred years old at the same time? Are Charlie’s journals telling the truth, or is this the most elaborate hoax of the century?

  These are just some of the questions everyone has been asking, and the publishers of Charlie Small’s amazing journals are determined to find the answers! As custodian of the journals and finder of the very first Charlie Small diary, I have been asked to head an expedition and go in search of the lost boy adventurer.

  After spending months poring over maps, I am finally ready. I have hired a team of porters to carry my explorer’s equipment on the expedition. I have packed tents and stoves; food and satellite navigation systems; guns and ammo; bows and arrows.

  We don’t know which river Charlie set out on, but I’ve decided to start my journey where I found his first journal. I’ll sail all the way to the coast and then, if I still haven’t found him, take a ship across the wide tumbling oceans. Will I find a clue to the whereabouts of our hero, Charlie Small? I hope so!

  I will send regular e-mails to let you know how I’m getting on, so please check the website www.charliesmall.co.uk for any updates. Our boats are loaded and we’re ready to start. Ouch! I’ve just got a splinter from the side of our boat. This adventuring lark might be more dangerous than I thought. Wish me luck!

  (Nick Ward)

  GENTLEMAN EXPLORER AND

  CUSTODIAN OF THE CHARLIE SMALL JOURNALS

  A DAVID FICKLING BOOK

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2008 by Nick Ward

  All rights reserved. Published in the United States by David Fickling Books, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

  Originally published in Great Britain by David Fickling Books, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of the Random House Group Ltd., in 2008.

  David Fickling Books and the colophon are trademarks of David Fickling.

  Visit us on the Web!

  www.randomhouse.com/kids

  Educators and librarians, for a variety of teaching tools, visit us at www.randomhouse.com/teachers

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.

  ISBN: 978-0-385-75178-0 (trade)

  eBook ISBN: 978-0-307-79291-4

  Random House Children’s Books supports the First Amendment and celebrates the right to read.

  v3.1

  Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Attack of the Ape-men

  A Very Close Share

  Down A Slippery Slope

  Taking A Breather

  How I Ended Up Underground

  Swamped

  Into The Dark

  The First Sign Of MADNESS!

  The Buzz!

  Busy Little Bees

  A Flying Torch!

  A Pillar Of Strength!

  A Tight Spot

  The Real Pits

  A Tarzan-Like Escape!

  Out Of The Frying Pan And Into The Fire!

  Spidion Attack – HELP!

  Cut And Run

  Stuck In The Pit

  What Now?

  The Light Flight

  On Solid Ground – But In A Tight Spot

  In The Grip Of The Ape-man

  Walking With The Ape-man

  A Light At The End Of The Tunnel

  The Great Cavern

  A Light Snack

  Waiting For The Ferryman

  Waiting Some More!

  Still Waiting …

  Later

  Much Later

  Much, Much Later!

  What Happened?

  This Is What Happened

  Across The Water

  My Old Home!

  On To Subterranea

  The Megashark!

  Split Asunder

  Back In Bed

  Exciting News

  Getting Better

  Getting To Know Tom

  Tom’s Close Call

  A Right Ruckus In The House

  The Scruffer Searches For Tom

  Eliza

  The Bad Stuff

  The Shadow

  A Funny Find In My Dinner!

  Tom’s Story

  Secret Passages

  Eliza’s Story

  A Plan And A Pact

  A Cunning Disguise!

  Down On The Flats

  The Castle

  The Mudskippers

  Down The Drains!

  Between The Walls

  The King Of Subterranea

  The Shadow Of Subterranea In Person!

  Sneaking About Like Rats!

  An Old, Old Enemy!

  Jakeman At Last!

  Another Horrible Surprise! (Yikes!!)

  Back With Jakeman

  Thinking …

  The Mole ← Brilliant

  Tom Returns

  Some News For Me

  The Adventures Of Tom Baldwin

  My Meeting With Eliza

  Back In The Castle

  The Lock-Up

  The Queen

  Back To The Castle

  Royals Reunited

  Tom Returns!

  Off To The Mines

  Working In The Light Mines

  Things Start To Happen

  ALL OUT WAR!

  Is This The End?

  Jakeman To The Rescue

  A Close One!!

  Bye-Bye, Craik, And Bye-Bye, Jakeman!

  Jakeman’s Envelope

  What Next?

  Time To Go

  Rocket Man!

  Unexplored Regions!

  Attack of the Ape-men

  Fighting for breath, I raced down the dark tunnel that carved its way deeper and deeper into the solid bedrock. Behind me I could hear the heavy footsteps of the razor-toothed ape-man, all hair and solid muscle. I could tell he was gaining on me … fast!

  My torch showed the tunnel stretching ahead of me into the distant gloom
. There was no way of escape and nowhere to hide. What was I going to do? Help!

  ‘Man-cha!’ bellowed the Neanderthal ape-man, and I gasped, because it was a word I sort of recognized. It was like a word I had learned in Gorilla City; just maybe, I thought, these ape-like people spoke a similar language. ‘Cha’ was the Gorilla word for banana, and from the horrible slobbery noises this creature was making, I reckoned that ‘Man-cha’ must mean ‘Man-banana’, or ‘Man-food’! Crikey, he wanted me for a snack!

  ‘Man-cha!’ he yelled again, and suddenly the tunnel was filled with a hundred voices, all shouting the same thing.

  ‘Man-cha, man-cha, man-cha!’ A horde of ape-people had joined in the chase. It was turning into a horrific sort of foxhunt – and I was the fox!

  I careered down the tunnel, the creature now only a few steps behind, and waited for the tug on my shoulder as his large hairy hand grabbed me. Then, just a few metres further along, a huge rat-like animal shot out of a hole in the wall. It was as big as a badger and ran straight through my legs, into the path of the ape-man.

  ‘Man-cha!’ he bellowed again, and fell upon the hapless creature. It squealed and struggled and the ape-man roared and lifted it to his mouth. I couldn’t bear to watch what happened next; nor did I have time to. I jumped feet first, straight into the hole from which the rat had just emerged. It was a tight fit, but I managed to wriggle myself in.

  Peering out of the narrow burrow, I looked back down the tunnel at a scene of complete mayhem. The rest of the tribe had caught up with my pursuer, seen that he’d got some food and attacked en masse. They must have been starving, because they fought ferociously over the tiniest scraps, roaring and biting and gnashing their teeth.

  A Very Close Share

  I felt sorry for the rat. It didn’t stand a chance; but I was relieved that it wasn’t me being fought over by the mob of hairy thugs. Then I sneezed! An ape-woman heard me and came racing over to the mouth of the burrow. I ducked my head back inside but she thrust her arm in and grabbed a handful of my hair.

  ‘Yeow!’ I screamed as, twisting and tugging, the creature started to pull me out of the hole like a cork from a bottle. My hunting knife! I needed my hunting knife, but the burrow was too narrow for me to reach round to my rucksack. The ape-woman tugged again and I shot towards the entrance. I was done for!

  Then, as I scrabbled on the ground, trying to push myself further back into the burrow, my hand closed on a splinter of stone. Whether it was one of the ape-people’s discarded weapons or just a shard of natural flint I don’t know, but the edge was razor-sharp and I immediately lifted it to my scalp and sliced through my hair, just below the ape-woman’s fist.

  She flew backwards, and I wriggled and writhed deeper into the burrow. Soon her face was back at the entrance and her hand darted in again, but I was out of reach. I let out a huge sigh of relief. The burrow was slightly wider now and I inched back some more, hoping that I would soon be able to sit up.

  It did get wider – just as the ground started to slope away behind me. I began to slip. I tried to stop but the tunnel got steeper and steeper, and I found myself hurtling backwards into total darkness. Yikes!

  Down A Slippery Slope

  I slid on and on down the dark burrow, happy to be out of the clutches of the ape-people but scared of where I might end up.

  Whoa! All of a sudden I shot out and landed in a heap on a hard floor. Ouch! Rubbing my bruised bum, I got to my feet and flashed my torch around. I was in a small chamber; ahead of me was the mouth of another tunnel, just like the one I had been chased along. Oh, marvellous! I slumped to the floor. Nothing seems to be going right. As soon as I think I’m getting somewhere, I end up slap-bang in the middle of another sticky situation.

  Still, I wanted to go exploring; I wanted excitement and I was certainly getting plenty of that! So, stop snivelling, Charlie Small, and make the most of it, I said to myself. Things could be worse; I could be behind my desk at St Beckham’s doing double maths. Instead, I’m trapped miles underground, in the middle of an amazing adventure.

  I must get moving. Sitting in a cave on my backside is not going to find me a way out of here; but first, by the light of my trusty torch, I want to check my explorer’s kit and write up my journal.

  Taking A Breather

  Good! I didn’t lose anything out of my rucksack when I was escaping from the antagonistic ape-man. This is what I have in my explorer’s kit at the moment:

  1) My multi-tooled penknife

  2) A ball of string

  3) A water bottle (getting dangerously low)

  4) A telescope

  5) A scarf (I don’t know how useful this will be now it’s got a large bullet hole through the middle!)

  6) An old railway ticket (I found this in a drawer at home and so far I haven’t found a train I can use it on)

  7) This journal

  8) A pack of wild animal collectors cards (really useful)

  9) A glue pen (to stick any interesting finds in my book)

  10) A glass eye (my prize possession and a reminder of the bravest friend I have met on my travels so far: the steam-powered rhinoceros)

  11) The hunting knife, compass and torch I found on the sun-bleached skeleton of a lost explorer

  12) The tooth of a monstrous river crocodile

  13) A magnifying glass

  14) A radio

  15) My mobile phone with wind-up charger

  16) The skull of a Barbarous Bat

  17) A bundle of maps, collected during my travels

  18) A few doubloons from the Betty Mae

  19) A bag of marbles

  20) A large slab of Granny Green’s toffee, a bit melted but still delicious

  21) A plastic lemon full of lemon juice (this proved really useful against a revolting rattlesnake I met in the Wild, Wild West)

  22) The lasso given to me by Wild Bob Ffrance

  23) A diamond the size of a walnut. Chief Sitting Pretty presented it to me for helping save his son, Nagachak, from Mapwai, the Great Bird of Death. It’s so precious I keep it on a leather string around my neck!

  I’m so glad I brought my explorer’s kit with me. It has saved me loads of times. If you ever decide to go on a great adventure, make sure you take one with you. You never know when it might come in handy.

  How I Ended Up Underground

  To think, just this morning I was happily walking across the desert with my friend Jakeman, the inventor. He had just told me he knew how I could get back home, when everything went wrong!

  A huge, hairy hand shot out of the sand, grabbed him by the ankle and dragged him kicking and screaming into the ground! (See my journal, The Daredevil Desperados of Destiny!)

  What was going on? I had to do something! I dug into the sand and found a wide tube that disappeared into the depths of the earth. Without thinking, I dived in and slid down into the blackness. I landed in a narrow tunnel. By the light of my torch I crept along until I came to a crack in the tunnel wall. Peering through, I saw something that set my heart racing!

  In a large, dimly lit cave, a horde of halfhuman, half-ape-like creatures were breaking up the rock and carting the pieces away. They were dressed in moth-eaten animal furs and were squat, with powerful shoulders and thick, muscular arms. Their faces were fierce and heavy-browed; they snarled as they smashed the rocks with their crude tools.

  What were they up to? I didn’t have time to find out – all of a sudden a great ugly, snag-toothed face was staring straight at me from the other side of the gap. I’d been spotted! With his heavy sledgehammer, the ape-man broke through the tunnel wall between us; I ran!

  Soon I was being chased by the whole pack, until I managed to escape down the rat hole and ended up here; I’d lost a lot of my hair, but I still had my head!

  Now it’s time to find Jakeman. Was he grabbed by one of those hairy apes for dinner, or was it some other hideous creature that dragged him down into this terrible place? I have no idea, but I’m determined t
o find out …

  Swamped

  I made my way along the tunnel. It was very quiet and I started to feel a bit lonely, so I hummed one of the Daredevil Desperados’ campfire songs to keep my spirits up. At least there don’t seem to be any ape-men down here, or any more of those revolting rats – or so I thought.

  All of a sudden I heard a noise, a strange whooshing sort of sound, and I stopped, straining my ears to listen. The noise got louder and louder; it sounded like water, and it was coming straight towards me! Oh no, don’t say the tunnels are flooded. If I were hit by a flood wave, I’d be pounded against the rocks like a rag doll. I turned to run, but I was too late.

  Whoosh! Out of the gloom it came, rushing over the rocky floor straight towards me. But it wasn’t a river of water. It was a torrent of writhing, wriggling rats; thousands of them, all as big as the one the ape-man had feasted on. I threw myself to the ground, rolling into a ball and holding my breath, as wave after wave of horrendous and humungous fat black rats swarmed over me and continued on down the tunnel.

  I could feel their sharp claws through my hoodie; I could feel the swish of their scaly tales, and the tunnel was filled with their shrill, ear-piercing squeals. It was disgusting, and there was nothing I could do but wait until they had passed.

  Into The Dark

  Picking myself up and brushing myself down with a shudder, I carried on down the tunnel. After a while it started to spiral deeper and deeper into the earth. I didn’t like the idea of this, but there was no way back and I had no choice but to go wherever the tunnel took me. The air grew stuffier and warmer the deeper I went. Phew! It was starting to get really hot. I took off my hoodie and put it in my rucksack.

  I started to panic. What if this tunnel didn’t lead anywhere? What if it just carried on down to the earth’s molten core and I was frazzled like a rasher of bacon? What if I couldn’t find a way out of this subterranean sauna and had to wander through these dark tunnels for ever?