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 19: Underground capers
by Hari Menon (September 2, 2006)

Back | Index | Next

The five children and Timmy dashed down the tunnel in the direction of Kirrin Island, as fast as they could run in the semi-darkness.

"Have they caught up with us, Julian?" asked Anne, out of breath. She was beginning to regret having been plunged into the middle of Yet Another Exciting Adventure.

"No, they're still some distance away," panted Sooty, who was bringing up the rear. "Blow, don't stop so suddenly, George. I nearly ran into you."

"Sorry," said George. "But I stopped because Timmy stopped to sniff something. I'd love to set him on those crooks, but I don't trust that gun. I'm sure one of them managed to recover it."

"All I hope," said Julian, "is that they lost their way in the maze. I wish I had the time to add some chalk marks so we'll know our way back if necessary"

"Never mind," said Dick. "I added plenty!" And he held up a piece of chalk and grinned. "That'll keep them busy, because I led the trail away from us. If we need to retrace our steps, just remember to ignore my squiggles!"

"Where does that tunnel lead to, Julian?" asked Anne as they passed a cave opening.

"No idea," said Julian. "But it seems to lead in the direction of Kirrin Cottage, or perhaps Kirrin farm. We must explore it someday. This moor is a warren of underground passages, so let's stick to this main path for now."

The men's voices sounded quite indistinct now and the children relaxed a little.

"Where do you think they're keeping Joan?" asked George. "I do hope she's safe."

"You heard Pottersham and Chapman," said Julian. They took her as a hostage, in case the police sniffed them out, but now she's of no use to them. They're planning to leave the country as soon as they can. I don't think really Chapman intends to use her as a nurse; I'm sure Pottersham was just baiting him."

"Poor Joan," said Anne, almost in tears. "Do you think she's held prisoner in one of these caves? We'd never find her unless Timmy manages to sniff her out."

"Yes, but first let's put as much distance between us and those thugs as possible," said Sooty. "I must say you kids do lead exciting lives. After you left Smuggler's Top, about the only excitement I had was when some men came to drain the marsh."

"It must have been especially exciting when you managed to fall in," said Dick slyly. "I heard Mr Lenoir tell Uncle Quentin what a nuisance you made of yourself."

"That'll do," said Julian, seeing Sooty opening his mouth to argue. "Save the squabbling for later."

Sooty shut up, but he didn't seem to mind. He liked Julian, despite his authoritarian ways.

"We ought to be near the island now, shouldn't we?" said Dick after an hour had gone by. "Why have you stopped, Ju?"

"I say—do you know what's happened?" said Julian. "The roof's caved in just here! It was probably a delayed effect of the explosion that brought down the tower; the earth looks fresh. Whatever it was, we can't possibly get past it."

"Oh no!" cried George. "Are you sure we can't dig ourselves through?"

"No," said Julian gloomily. "It'll take half a dozen men armed with shovels and spades to get past this one!"

"What do we do now, Julian?" said Dick after a pause. "Do we dare go back? The men could be waiting for us."

Julian frowned. He was debating whether he should put the others into danger again.

"I have an idea," said Anne hesitantly. "Do you remember the passage we saw branching off along the way; the one you said leads in the direction of Kirrin Cottage? Why don't we see if it leads anywhere?"

"Well, we don't know that it leads anywhere," said Julian. "I was just guessing. But seeing that we have no other option, we might as well see where it goes. It's a good thing at least two of us have torches—"

"And plenty of chalk," said Dick, trying to joke, but nobody laughed. They were far too worried.

"Let's get going," said Sooty, bored. "We couldn't have done much even if we had got to Kirrin Island, seeing that we're not likely to find a boat waiting for us. Better to do a little exploring—but gosh, am I hungry! Anyone remembered to bring dinner?"

"Don't be an ass," said Julian. "I have some chocolate, so you'll have to be happy with your share. I hope we get somewhere in the next hour or so, because I don't want to wander around like this for ages."

Munching on bars of chocolate, the children retraced their steps. After a while, they came to the cave opening they had passed earlier. It looked big enough to walk through, though a grownup would have found it a bit of a squeeze.

"I'll go first as usual," said Julian. "Anne and Dick can be right behind me, then George and Timmy, and Sooty can bring up the rear. Do tell me if you hear any noises."

"Aye, aye, captain," said Sooty, grinning. He was feeling better now.

They walked along the passage, often bending almost double, because the roof was quite low in some parts.

"Do you think this is leading uphill, Julian?" said Sooty, his voice sounding muffled.

"Yes," said Julian. "It stands to reason, because we're not under the sea anymore—we're probably heading across Kirrin Common. Let's keep going."

"Now what?" said George impatiently, as the little party came to a halt. "Don't tell me it's a roof fall again?"

"No, but it looks as if the passage ends here," said Julian, disappointed. "But wait, there's a hole at my feet. Good thing I didn't fall right into it. Want to see if leads anywhere?"

"Seeing that the only alternative is to walk backward for a good twenty minutes, I expect we should," said Dick with a groan, and Sooty heartily agreed. Both of them were feeling very tired and hungry.

So was Anne, though she tried hard not to show it. George, of course, said nothing. She was only worried about Timmy, who hadn't had anything to drink in a while and was panting heavily.

Julian flashed his torch into the hole, and was relieved to see it didn't seem very deep.

"We don't need a rope after all," he said. "It's only a six-foot drop. I'll swing down and see."

He lowered himself into the opening carefully, and found that he was on a ledge in a roughly circular 'room'. He helped Anne and the others down, and they took a look around.

"Funny," said Julian. I'm sure we didn't pass this way earlier, but there's something familiar about this place."

Dick nodded, but Sooty was sure they hadn't come that way at all.

"Guess what?" said George excitedly. "We have been down this passage before. Remember when we were snowbound during Christmas some years ago when we had that horrid tutor staying with us? We recovered some of Father's secret plans from a pair of rogues staying at Kirrin farmhouse, and this is a part of the passage we took to escape from there to Kirrin Cottage!"

Julian clapped her on the back. "Exactly!" he said. "I recall this wide bit of the passage is about midway between the farm and Kirrin Cottage, so we can go to either place!

"We never got a chance to stop and explore at the time," said Dick, remembering their frantic dash down the passage towards Kirrin Cottage.

"But which direction is which?" asked Anne timidly.

"Oh, Kirrin Cottage is that way," said Julian, who prided himself on his sense of direction, even underground. "But Uncle Quentin and Aunt Fanny aren't home, so I'm not sure if we'll be able to open the stone in the floor of Uncle's study."

"No, we never figured out how to open it from inside the underground passage," said George. "Do you suggest we go to Kirrin farm instead, Ju?

"Considering that Mr and Mrs Sanders have a larder that's well-stocked round the year, I'd have thought that's an easy decision to make," said Dick with a gleam in his eye. He was looking much happier, and dreaming of a pink, glistening ham, and buttered scones, and tomatoes, and pots of tea, and...

"Woof!" said Timmy, as if he thoroughly approved.

So on they went for another quarter of an hour, in the direction indicated by Julian.

"This is where we climb," said Julian as they reached a blank wall. "Leave Timmy behind for a minute. Don't look so mutinous, George. We'll haul him up in a bed sheet or something."

One by one, they went up the sheer wall, using iron staples set in the rock, and came to a narrow ledge. Julian had already swung open a wooden door, and then another panel of wood slid aside noiselessly. They were in the cupboard in one of the upstairs bedrooms at Kirrin Farmhouse! It was quite empty, because no guest was staying there.

Sooty looked around curiously, because he had never been in the room before. But George was busy tying two or three sheets together to make a kind of harness for Timmy. She slipped down the shaft with it, and got Julian and Dick to pull poor Timmy up. Tim hated being bumped against each rung on the slow ascent, but there was no alternative. Soon he was with the others too.

"Funny," said Julian, who had opened the door to the landing and was listening intently. "There's not a sound to be heard; not even a chicken clucking in the yard. Where do you think Mr and Mrs Sanders have gone? Shall we yell for them?"

They went downstairs into the empty hall—and stopped suddenly as they heard a series of muffled thuds from behind the locked kitchen door!

Back | Index | Next