Five Go Back to Kirrin Island

©2006 Enid Blyton Yahoo Group

Every once in a while, regular members of the Enid Blyton Yahoo Group join forces and write a Round Robin. If you've never heard of a Round Robin, well, in this case it's a brand new story written by a group of fans, with each member writing a chapter and making it up as they go along. Nobody knows where the story will lead; there's no plot to follow, and the direction of the next chapter is decided by the end of the last one. It's a lot of fun, and the result is either a wonderful new story—or a complete mess!

What follows is the Famous Five in a brand new exciting adventure. There are over 20 members uniting to write this story, so this section will grow one chapter at a time over the next few months...

Chapter 13: Uncle's news, and a return to Arden Hall
by Michael Bennett (March 29, 2006)

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George awoke first when Timmy decided that George's stomach would make a very good pillow indeed.

"Oh Timmy!" exclaimed George. "You've woken me up."

The sound of George's voice caused Anne to stir too.

"Wake up, Anne. Let's see if the boys are up. We've got lots to do today."

The memory of the day's plans came flooding back to the still sleepy Anne. She felt a twinge of excitement, or was it a dread, when she thought of exploring cobweb-filled houses and under-sea tunnels.

The five children were soon up and dressed and hurried down the stairs ready to tuck into one of Joan's tremendous breakfasts. The smell of bacon and fresh coffee greeted them as they approached the dining room. Voices could be heard through the closed door. They paused for a moment and listened. Uncle Quentin and Mr. Lenoir could be heard talking but the children were surprised to hear another man's voice that they did not recognize. George gave Julian a quizzical look as they entered the room.

"Oh, children, you're up," said an excited Uncle Quentin. "I've got wonderful news."

"What is it?" asked George. She was worried that she may not find the news quite as wonderful as her father did.

"Children, this is Professor Hayling from Cambridge," began George's father.

The five turned to look at the scientist with interest. Was this the same man they had met once or twice in the past, whose son Tinker owned a lighthouse? But no, this man was quite unlike the sometimes irritable and always absent-minded Professor Hayling they knew. The man before them seemed about the same age, but a little less grey around the temples. Perhaps he was related to Tinker's father, thought Anne—a cousin, or a brother.

Professor Hayling nodded politely at the five children.

Instantly the children knew what the "wonderful" news was going to be.

"I've been offered a Professor's Chair at Cambridge," said Uncle Quentin. "They want to give me my own laboratory to further my energy research."

"Oh no, father!" wailed George. "We can't leave Kirrin. How can you even think of such a thing?"

Upon hearing all of the commotion, George's mother entered the room. "Now George, don't get all gloomy and angry just yet. Nothing is decided," she said, trying to calm the hot-headed George. "Your father and I have only agreed to go to Cambridge to listen to the proposal."

This did little to make George feel any better. She could tell by the look in her father's eyes that he would have accepted the offer right there and then if it wasn't for her mother's more cautious attitude.

"Now your father and I are leaving today for Cambridge to learn more about the proposal from Professor Hayling's people. In fact we have to leave in less than half an hour, I'm afraid," said George's mother.

Uncle Quentin spoke up. "We'll only be gone a few days. Julian, I'm counting on you to help Joan as much as you can and to look after the others. Sooty, I'm afraid that your father will have to return to Smuggler's Top sooner than he expected and you'll have to go with him."

"Oh, Father," said Sooty. "Couldn't I stay with the others? Please." Sooty badly wanted to go with the others to Arden Hall and to the under-sea tunnel.

"We don't mind if he stays with us," said Julian, much to the surprise of the others. Julian was feeling that he had been rather sharp with Sooty the night before. He saw no real reason why he shouldn't take part in the adventure.

The adults quickly consulted on this and decided that Sooty would stay in Kirrin after all.

Very soon goodbyes were said and the five found themselves waving half-heartedly as three cars disappeared in the distance—the Kirrins in a taxi to the station, Professor Hayling in his own car to Cambridge, and Mr. Lenoir back to Smuggler's Top. Julian saw the dark scowl on George's face and decided that the best thing to do was to get on with their planned explorations as quickly as possible. They asked Joan to pack them their lunch and their tea. Julian didn't know how much time they would need and he didn't like the idea of going hungry. An adventure without food was no adventure at all!

They decided to go with their original plan. Julian, Dick and Timmy would go down the under-sea tunnel and Sooty, George and Anne would explore Arden Hall and have a better look around. Sooty was about to protest and say that he wanted to explore the tunnel but decided that he should just keep quiet and be thankful that Julian had changed his mind and was letting him come along after all.

At just after ten o'clock the five children set off from Kirrin Cottage. Each group was carrying a packet of food, their torches, and a rope. Julian made sure that he had some chalk with him to mark the walls of the tunnel. It would be terrible if he and Dick were to get lost under the sea! He didn't mention the chalk to the others as he knew that the very thought of the boys getting lost would upset Anne. Who knew how many more tunnels there were down there?

They all began the walk across the moors to Arden Hall. No one spoke very much. They were all upset about the possibility of George's father accepting the position at Cambridge and leaving Kirrin.

Very soon they arrived at Arden Hall. It looked just as forlorn as ever, even in the bright sunshine. They took a quick look around the outside and could not spot anything that looked out of the ordinary.

"Let's go inside and look for the treasure!" said Sooty at last.

"Not so loud," hissed George. "Alfred Bolo and Pottersham could be inside the house. We mustn't let them know that we are on to them. They already know that someone has found the underground room in the tunnel."

Anne quickly looked around, half expecting to see Alfred Bolo or Pottersham walk out the door at that very moment.

"Come on, we'll climb in that open window," said Julian. "Now, no one make a sound."

They climbed into the old dusty room. It was mostly empty, except for an old chair and some ragged curtains that hung loosely at the side of the window. Anne reached out to touch the fabric. It crumbled into pieces in her hands. She shuddered and wished for the thousandth time for a peaceful holiday just once.

George pointed in the direction of the next room.

"That's the room where we saw Alfred Bolo and Pottersham. The room with the hole in the floor that Pottersham climbed out of," whispered George.

Very quietly—they were all wearing rubber-soled shoes—the children made their way into the room.

"Look," whispered Anne. "That must be the stone that covers the hole that we saw Pottersham climb out of. It has a small gap running all the way around it. Do you suppose it is an entrance to the cellars?"

They all looked to where Anne was pointing. She was right. All the other stones in the floor fitted tightly together, but this one was definitely a looser fit.

"The cellars or..." George paused for a moment as her idea became more focussed. "...the entrance to the tunnel that we saw on the map, the tunnel that runs from Arden Hall to Kirrin Island!"

"Let's see if we can open it up," said Dick.

In excitement they began to push and prod at the stone, but could not move it.

"It's no use," said an exasperated Julian.

"There must be a lever or a button that makes the stone move," murmured Sooty. "Like the secret passageways in Smuggler's Top."

The five children looked around the room, but could not find anything that would make the stone in the floor move.

"Perhaps there is another way into this tunnel," said George. "Maybe there is a passage that links the Arden Hall tunnel with the one that starts in the old quarry. We could have easily missed another opening in the dark tunnel."

"There wasn't a link on that old map we found," said Sooty.

"Well it's worth a try," said Dick. "And we could always have another look in the secret room under Kirrin Castle."

"I think Dick is right," agreed Julian. "Dick and I will go to the quarry and explore the passage to the island."

They agreed to meet on the beach at tea time, share their news, have a meal and plan what to do next.

"Please be careful," said Anne. "This adventure is so muddled that I'm starting to feel the same way."

The others knew exactly what Anne meant by this. Dick gave her arm a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry Anne," he said. "We'll be safe with old Tim."

The reminder that Timmy would be with the boys did make her feel a little bit better.

Julian, Dick and Timmy headed for the quarry, leaving the others to explore Arden Hall. Sooty, George and Anne walked into the next room, but did not find anything there either. I don't even know what we're looking for, thought George.

At the far end of the room was another small room. Anne cautiously poked her head in the door and had to stifle a scream. George and Sooty ran over to Anne and immediately saw what she was looking at. Lying on the floor were what looked like five stuffed people on long poles.

"What on earth are those?" gasped Anne.

"They look like Guys, for Guy Fawkes' Night," said Sooty. "Or scarecrows. And they've been spray painted with fluorescent paint by the look of them. What ever can they be?"

"Anne! This is what we saw that night from our bedroom window. The floating shapes we saw. We thought they looked like figures. This paint would make them glow in the dark."

"But what would they use them for?" whispered Anne. She was still so shaken she could barely speak. "They're horrid. They look like ghosts or ghouls."

"I think that's exactly what they are supposed to look like," exclaimed George. "I'm not sure, but I wouldn't be surprised if Bolo and Pottersham and the others are trying to keep people away from Arden Hall. After all, they know that we are here for the summer and we heard them complain about Penny King riding her horse near the house. I think they are trying to scare us away by making us think that Arden Hall is haunted. And to think that it was their silly trick that led us here in the first place!"

"Oh, let's just get out of here," begged Anne. "I hate this place."

"All right, Anne," said George. "We'll go and eat some of the food that Joan packed for us and then come back. I'm tired of this smelly old house too."

Suddenly, they heard the scraping and dragging sound that they had heard the other day. All three knew at once that the stone in the floor must be opening up again. After a moment or two, they could hear the sound of men talking in hushed tones. It was impossible to make out what they were saying. George and Sooty began to creep forward to get closer to the men and hear more clearly. A terrified Anne was glued to her spot in the small room with the scarecrows. She wanted to tell the others to stay put but her voice seemed to have completely deserted her. George and Sooty made their way over towards the door that led into the room with the stone. They could see light shining up through the hole where the stone had been.

"Well, they're gone," said one of the men, "just as we wanted."

"Should we tell Bolo?" said the second man. George was sure that it was Pottersham that was speaking.

"Bolo doesn't need to know anything," said the first man. "He's caused enough problems for us. This place is crawling with police after his stunt blowing up that tower."

"Well, at least it has stopped the trippers from coming to the island," answered Pottersham.

Just then Sooty leaned forward so he could hear the men more clearly. As he did so he bumped George from behind causing her to stumble into the room. The men, startled by the sudden noise and movement, yelled out. Pottersham grabbed at Sooty and the other man grabbed at George.

George gasped. "Professor Hayling! What are you doing here? I thought you were on your way to Cambridge with my parents!"

Professor Hayling cocked an eyebrow at her. "I doubled back first chance I got. I have far more important things to do here in Kirrin."

The sight of Professor Hayling with Pottersham sent George into a rage. "You're out to steal father's invention," she screamed. "You won't get away with this. Too many people know about his plans for a new energy source. You will never be able to use his ideas for your own gain."

Pottersham scoffed and spoke in a low menacing voice. "You foolish girl, there is no new energy source. Your father's data is flawed. Worthless."

"What do you mean, worthless? choked George. "The other scientists at Cambridge have verified father's ideas and numbers."

"Are you sure?" snarled Hayling. "Has he actually spoken to any of these other scientists lately?" Hayling snorted loudly. "No, he hasn't. He's far too excited about the prospect of being given a laboratory of his own at Cambridge to even think about doubting my word! And why should he doubt my word anyway? We've met before, and he's great friends with my older brother—but let me assure you, girl, that your father is in for a rude awakening when he arrives at Cambridge to find a lot of blank faces staring back at him!"

Hayling gave a harsh laugh. "Your father will be the laughing stock of the scientific world. As I said, his ideas are worthless. And with out of the way, we can get on with our business. It's too bad for you and your friend here that you have seen as much as you have."

With that, George and Sooty found that they were pushed through the hole in the floor. Hayling and Pottersham followed close behind. Almost instantly George and Sooty could hear the stone above them closing.

Poor Anne stood in the little back room trembling. The men had been speaking loudly enough for Anne to have heard most of what they said. Uncle Quentin's invention was worthless and now George and Sooty were captured. She began to cry, not knowing what to do.

Suddenly Anne stopped crying. I must be strong, she thought. I must be smart. George wouldn't cry. What would George do? she kept asking herself. Suddenly she knew what to do. With a new found strength that surprised even her, Anne raced out of Arden Hall and headed towards the quarry—towards the under-sea tunnel.

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