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 17: Escape from the island
by Viv and Rosie Endecott (May 30, 2006)

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The children and Penny looked at each other in excitement. "This has turned into a very queer night," said Penny. "I come here to do some quiet experimental work on an uninhabited island, but instead I am whisked away into a cave by a bunch of kids, two of whom tell me that they have just been released from being kidnapped by my supervisor, and that my family fortune is lurking somewhere in their bedrooms!"

Everyone laughed at this strange yet succinct summary of what had happened to Penny over the last couple of hours. But then George suddenly looked concerned. "I wonder where Mother and Father are now. They left with Professor Hayling this morning. Could they have they been kidnapped too?"

Everyone looked very worried until Julian said, "I think they should be okay. They left in separate cars, remember? Uncle Quentin and Aunt Fanny took the local taxi to the station, where they were to catch the train to Cambridge. Hayling drove off in his own car, then no doubt doubled back as soon as he was out of sight of the taxi. He's certainly got your parents safely out of the way for a couple of days, George, because they will have to stay overnight. But gosh, what will Uncle say when he arrives at Cambridge University, demanding to be given a bogus chair that he hasn't really been offered!"

Nobody was too sure whether to laugh or cry at their uncle's predicament. "Father has worked so hard, and this meant so much to him," said George, "but if this means we stay at Kirrin then I can't say that I'm sorry."

"How many people are in this gang, and do we know where they all are?" asked Penny. "We don't want to go running into any of them."

The children considered. "I can still see the two boats, and there is no one by them, so Professor Hayling and Pottersham are here on the island with us," said George. "Have you got the list of the other names, Ju?"

Julian took the papers out of the wallet and read out the list. "Alfred Bolo, Peter Sole, Harper Chapman, Samuel Hardy, and a couple of others, but we have no idea where any of them are."

Penny glanced at the wallet and at the papers that Julian was clutching. "Pass that card over," she demanded. "Look, see that crest with the shield and the snake? That is the family crest of the Wallaces. The audacity of it! Not only did they intend to steal my family treasure, but they even use my family crest on their visiting cards!"

"I say," said Dick suddenly, "if these crooks believe that the treasure is in Kirrin Cottage, and have gone this far to get Aunt and Uncle out of the way, then what may have happened to Joan? She is the only person there. We must make a plan to get off the island and get back to the cottage as soon as we can. Does anyone have any ideas?"

There was silence as the little group considered their plight. "We must get the boats," said George. "The other gang members may be in the tunnels. So we need to keep Hayling and Pottersham out of our way whilst we make good our escape. But we haven't much time because we've been talking for ages."

There was a moment's silence, until Sooty addressed Penny. "Did you say that your equipment was rigged up and ready?" She nodded. "Right-o," Sooty continued cheerfully. "Leave your small boat for George, Timmy and me, and we'll cause a suitable diversion!"

"What have you got in mind?" asked Anne. "Do you know how the equipment works?"

"It's not that," Sooty grinned. "I know how it doesn't work! And there is nothing more unpleasant than a piece of electrical equipment howling as if in pain, and with all its monitor lights flashing. Believe me, Pottersham and Hayling will soon want to know what is going on! George can get to the rowing boat whilst I create the diversion—she knows how to get off the island and can row home far better than me!"

Julian considered. "I can't think of a better idea," he said. "What do the rest of you think?"

"I think we go with it," said Dick. "Sooty can go up the shaft, and when the diversion starts the rest of us will creep across the rocks to the boats. I'm puzzled why Hayling has left the boats unguarded knowing that we are here, but perhaps they are still looking for us around the castle. Do take care," he added, giving his schoolmate a friendly shake on the shoulder.

Still grinning, Sooty shinned up the shaft. "I can see them," he called down, "but they have their backs to me. I'm off to twiddle a few knobs, and as soon as you hear something like the Martians landing, then run for the boat!"

A few minutes later and there were indeed strange noises to be heard on Kirrin Island. As arranged, Julian led the little group across the rocks to the cove where the motor boat lay at anchor. From the shore they could see some flashing lights, and then there were a few bangs as well. "My poor equipment," sighed Penny. "How will I ever replace it?"

The children waded out to the motor boat. "We had best get going," called Julian as he started the outboard engine. "We'll see you back at Kirrin Cottage, George."

"Okay, Ju," called back George. "I can see Sooty coming this way now, so we won't be long behind you."

It was the early hours of the morning when the little company were together again on Kirrin Beach. "It went better than I thought," laughed Sooty, recounting his sabotage attempts. "I cranked up the power and did everything I knew you weren't supposed to do! There's nothing like a few bells and whistles for real fun and games!"

It felt good to be back on the mainland, and though the children were now very tired, they were wary about returning to Kirrin Cottage. "Why not come and have a kip in the barn at Kirrin Farm?" offered Penny. There is a big stack of hay bales you can lay on, and you will be quite safe there. We can't do anything more until the morning."

It seemed a good plan, so stumbling at times along the rough track, the weary children followed Penny to Kirrin Farm. Even Timmy was too tired to chase the numerous rabbits that were out at that time of night. Minstrel heard them coming and trotted over to the gate, where Penny gave him a pat. "You've got guests tonight, Minstrel," she told him. "They are going to stay in your hay-loft!"

The old barn felt warm inside, and the five children quickly fell asleep on the sweet smelling hay. No one stirred when the silent form of a white barn owl swept in through the glassless window above them, returning to its nest high in the rafters. Timmy, ever watchful, raised only half an ear when a mouse scampered about on the floor below him. The mouse was not bothering his beloved mistress, so Tim grunted slightly and slept on. The barn owl noticed, however, and set off in deadly pursuit.

It seemed that only a couple of hours had passed when they all awoke with a start when the farmyard cockerel crowed. "That's the problem with living on a farm," thought Dick, as he rolled over, trying to ignore the bird. "Early to rise only works if you're early to bed, and we weren't!"

Just then, he heard Penny calling over to them. "Mrs Sanders has breakfast for anyone hungry enough to eat it." Dick then remembered that he was indeed very hungry, and joined the others in the big farmhouse kitchen. There was a large jug of creamy milk on the table, a loaf of bread was cut ready for toasting, bacon and eggs were cooking, and Mrs Sanders was stirring a big pan of steaming porridge.

The children looked at the fine breakfast approvingly. "We have the same sort of food as this at school," commented Anne, "but somehow it never seems to taste as good!"

"Ah, that's home cooking for you," smiled Mrs Sanders. "Now, you help yourselves, whilst I go and see to my hens."

Julian raised a questioning eyebrow at Penny. "All I've said," she confirmed, "is that I persuaded you to camp in the barn last night. No questions have been asked, which is as well, because I wouldn't know how to start answering any!"

"We've got to get into Kirrin Cottage," intervened Anne. "I want to know if Joan is okay and whether those men have searched the place. But why would they have hidden anything in Kirrin Cottage in the first place?"

They all puzzled over the mystery.

"The robbery was twenty years ago," said Penny, "just after my third birthday. We left for India soon after."

"Mother and Father were just moving into Kirrin Cottage then," replied George. "The place needed a lot of building work doing to it, Mother said. That is when they built the extension with the kitchen and bathroom, renewed all the plumbing, and installed the electrics."

"The builders!" exclaimed Sooty. "I knew that I had seen the names Sole and Hardy somewhere. Sole & Hardy! It's on the side of that builders' van that has been parked at the end of the lane. Sole & Hardy, builders and general repairs. Do you suppose that they were involved with the work on Kirrin Cottage twenty years ago?"

Anne looked up. "If they were the builders, it would explain how they came to have a plan of Kirrin Cottage," she said.

"We can be pretty sure that they don't know everything," said Julian. "We know that we can get into Kirrin Cottage through the Secret Passaage." This time it was Penny who raised a questioning eyebrow at him! "It runs from here into Uncle's study," he explained, "but until we know where those men are we'd best not use it."

"The passage from the quarry," continued Anne. "We had to dig our way into it. The men can't know of that way into the passages."

"I've had a thought," said George. "The passage from here to Kirrin Cottage must cross the passage from Arden Hall to the island, but when Sooty and I were captured at Arden Hall, we were only taken along a passage as far as a roof-fall. We were then taken back to ground level and had to walk to the beach before getting into a boat to go to the island. Do you suppose that the passage from here to Kirrin Cottage is still usable, or has the floor collapsed into the other passage below it?"

It took a moment to digest this piece of information. "Do you mean that there are passages at different levels, like the London Underground?" asked Anne.

Penny looked up. "I think it is time to do a little spying," she said. "I like to take Minstrel for a ride at this time of the morning, so we shall go for a little snoop around Kirrin Cottage? I ought to be able to see Joan, but should I need to, we can get away quickly over the moors. We can all make more plans when I get back."

"I think that I'd like to keep an eye on Kirrin Island," said George. "There was a little window above us in the hayloft that looks out the right way. I shall watch from there."

"I'll clear up the breakfast things," said Anne. "You boys could bring in some firewood for Mrs Sanders." She looked up at Penny and smiled. "Do take care, Penny, and bring us back some news about Joan. I never like the idea of an adventure, but really I'd never miss one for the world!"

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