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Stuart
Macfarlane |
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Sample extracts from
Medusa Island
Website:
MedusaIsland.com
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Extract from Chapter 5 : Simon and Ross meet
the girl with the world’s worst hair style.
There were two caves. To save time, Simon insisted they split up and
explore one each.
Ross took a coin. “Heads you explore the creepy cave that’s haunted by
the evil ghosts of pirates—Tails I explore the bright shallow one where
we shelter when it rains.”
“Okay,” said Simon. “Just hurry.”
Ross threw the coin—Tails.
Simon squeezed through the narrow entrance. Immediately the darkness
wrapped a hostile veil around him. The cold, thin air stabbed his lungs.
Reaching out to steady himself, his fingers met a thick gooey substance
trickling down the cave wall.
‘Dead pirate’s blood!’ Simon screamed but he was so terrified the words
stuck in his throat and refused to come out.
‘Don’t be stupid—there’s no ghosts . . . no blood,’ he assured himself.
Still, he avoided touching the wall as he crept deeper into the cave.
The passageway twisted this way and that and was strewn with rocks that
reached out to trip him up. After a long upward climb the path gradually
leveled out. Ahead, the cave opened out, lit by a shaft of light
shimmering from above. Simon instinctively sensed danger. Not ghostly
danger but definitely danger of some sort. His heart raced. Beads of
fear tricked down his cheeks. Desperately he fought to control his
breathing in case the sound of his gasping should betray him. He edged
towards the light with foreboding.
“Aaarghhh!” screamed Simon.
“Aaarghhh!” screamed the girl at precisely the same time.
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from Chapter 13 : Running scared from Minotaur to Minotaur. |
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They kept running; running for their
lives. Ahead of them a second Minotaur leapt out from behind a
parked truck. They crashed to a halt. They were trapped. In a
matter of seconds their flesh would be ripped from their bones
in a frenzied bloodbath.
“Stare at it,” commanded Simon. “Stare at it and turn it to
stone.”
“I am staring,” cried Melissa. “Nothing’s happening.”
“Well stare harder,” bellowed Simon. “Come on Melissa.”
Melissa stared straight into the huge beast’s angry eyes willing
it to turn to stone. With an eternity of hate the beast glared
back. The rancid heat from his breath engulfed Melissa, burning
her lungs with fear. The Minotaur’s roar spat across her face.
He obviously was not stone.
“It’s not working,” said Melissa.
“Oh great,” said Simon, “You turn my friends to stone but your
power won’t work when we need it.”
“Don’t blame me,” snapped Melissa.
“I’ve just remembered something Miss Teryee told us,” said Ross.
“Medusa’s power only worked on humans. Animals and mythical
beasts could stare at her all day without any nasty effect.”
“Brilliant,” groaned Simon.
Dozens of creatures were now crowded around, eager for a fight
and the spilling of blood. The two Minotaurs pushed forward and
scowled a warning to the others, claiming the quarry for
themselves. Horns thrust out like swords they inched towards
their victims.
“Come on,” yelled Ross. “Through here.”
Ross squeezed through a tiny gap in a garden hedge with Simon
and Melissa fast on his heels.
“Faster, faster. Come on,” shrieked Ross.
Behind them they heard the snapping of branches as the Minotaurs
tore up the hedges from their roots. |
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Extract from
Chapter 32 :
Mr. McRoast thinks
the children are fast-food—but will they be fast enough? |
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Mr. McRoast ran. He ran as fast as he
could. Being an oversized lion this was pretty fast. But the
rocks were moving faster. They were bouncing wildly down the
mountain like huge balls and with each bounce they got nearer to
Mr. McRoast. The leading rocks were almost upon him and behind
rumbled hundreds more.
“What are we going to do?” asked the Wolf Head.
“What do we normally do when we’re being chased by rocks?” said
the Goat Head.
The Wolf Head searched his memory. “We’ve never been chased by
rocks before,” he said.
“Oh!” said the Goat Head.
“Me’s thinks we’s should hide behind that big, big, big rock,”
said the Eagle Head.
“That’s stupid,” said the Wolf Head, “You can’t just hide from
tumbling rocks.”
“They’re catching up on us,” said Goat Head.
“We need a plan,” said Wolf Head.
“But if we’s were behind that big, big, big . . .” said the
Eagle Head.
“Shut up!” interrupted the Goat Head.
“But . . .” said the Eagle Head.
“We don’t need your silly opinion,” mocked the Wolf Head, “What
we need is . . .”
Before the Wolf Head could complete his sentence a huge rock
struck the Lion Body. Mr. McRoast was thrown through the air. He
hit the ground with a thud, rolling over and over. More rocks
hit him making him spin faster. His body was tossed this way
then that before plunging down a deep crevasse. Above him the
rocks, carried by their momentum, flew over the crevasse. He lay
dazed, sore, but safe in the little hollow. He stayed there,
licking his wounds, until the last rock passed and the noise
subsided.
“Well, shall we get on with our attack?” asked the Goat Head.
“Nah,” replied the Wolf Head, “Those creatures are far too
dangerous.”
“Me’s hungry,” said the Eagle Head.
“Shut up,” said the Wolf and Goat Heads in unison. |
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