Part 4 is here.
The forest between Gemma Meadows and Joel Fields was hard enough to navigate in broad daylight, but at night it was practically impossible. Sarah and Pete were still trying to forge ahead, but it was so dark that they could well have been going in circles since teatime.
"Pete," Sarah said finally. "I'm getting too tired to walk, and we're never going to get anywhere in the dark anyway. Let's find a place to sleep."
"And where might that be?" Pete snapped. "Did you see a bed and breakfast just through that last clump of trees? Or perhaps some sort of goat hostel?"
"Oh, shut up, Pete."
"I'm sorry. I'm just frustrated. I always thought that Joel Fields was just a stone's throw away."
There was a rustling in the leaves ahead. The two goats whirled around to see two fiery red eyes staring down at them from a nearby tree.
"You shouldn't throw stones...when you're in a glass house..."
* * *
Goldberg and Cliffey were both well aware of the troll bridge.
For Goldberg, it was a nuisance. Whenever he wanted to make a trip into town, he had to time his journey so that the troll was asleep when he went over the bridge.
For Cliffey, of course, it was much more terrifying. It was only an afternoon since he had narrowly escaped death by the troll's terrible claws.
But either way, they knew that there should be something under that bridge.
"...Perhaps he just...left?" said Goldberg, hopefully.
"Perhaps," said Cliffey. But he didn't sound like he really thought so.
* * *
Sarah and Pete were too scared to run. Those evil ruby eyes went on staring at them, seeing into their souls.
"Silence is golden," croaked the voice from the tree again. "But my eyes still see!"
And with that, the biggest crow they'd ever seen swooped down to greet them.
They still couldn't move.
It landed just a few feet in front of them. It stood there on the path, still staring at them.
They said nothing.
Suddenly, the great crow spoke, much louder than before.
"Speak!" he boomed. "And I shall listen."
It was Sarah who finally stepped forward, full of fear.
"We...we're going to Joel Fields." She waited for a reply, but the crow just stared at her. She nodded, and went on, a little more confidently this time. "We're going to Joel Fields, where the grass is twice as green and the dandelions twice as dandy but we're lost. Can you help?"
The crow didn't say anything for a long time. Sarah was wondering if he'd heard when she suddenly realised that he was whispering something. All she heard was something about good intentions.
"I beg your pardon?" she trembled, now more nervous again.
The crow sighed and shook his head. "Hop on," he said, sticking out his mighty wings.
The goats hesitated.
"Do we trust him?" Pete wondered aloud.
Sarah was about to set about weighing up the pros and cons of hitching a ride on this gigantic bird, coming to a logical decision, but before she could open her mouth they heard the roar of the troll behind them. So instead of a logical decision, all that came out of her mouth was a scream.
Quick as a flash, they scrambled onto the crow's back, and as soon as they were on, he took flight. Below them, they saw the troll emerge into the clearing, looking angrier and more grotesque than ever.
Both Sarah and Pete breathed a sigh of relief.
"Good thing we didn't stop for a nap," said Pete.
"Shut up, Pete."
TO BE CONTINUED
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