26
A Little Flushed
Everything happened in slow motion.
Bryony saw her father tumbling through the air, taking Edwin with him.
She saw them rolling down the side of the toilet. She saw Edwin’s mouth open in a silent scream as hit the murky water.
There was a splash. Then Bill and Edwin disappeared beneath the surface.
“Edwin!” howled Jane. “Oh my poor boy! He can’t swim!”
“Neither can Dad,” cried Bryony. “Oh Dad! Daaaaaad!”
Bryony and Jane stared at the slimy pool below them. The surface was still, no sign of movement.
Then Bryony saw bubbles, and seconds later something emerged from the slimy depths.
It was Bill, coughing and spluttering as he dragged Edwin up with him.
“Oh thank God,” gasped Jane. “Edwin, are you all right?”
Edwin managed a smile at his mother. “It was my bath night anyhow.”
Bryony laughed, but then noticed how her father was struggling to keep both him and Edwin above water. She looked up and saw Jane was also in difficulty.
“I’m not sure I can hold on much longer,” whimpered Jane. “I’m sorry, Bryony.”
“Not long now.” Bryony glanced at her wristwatch. It was eleven fifty eight precisely. “Just two more minutes.”
Two minutes for Jane to hold on. Two minutes for her father to keep himself and Edwin afloat. Two minutes before Bryony could make her wishes come true again.
Then her troubles would be over. She would be in America with Mum. Dad would be there, too. Her life would be like it was before. There would be no more Jane. No more Edwin. No more Wychetts.
With her free hand, Bryony reached into her trouser pocket and pulled out her mother’s letter. She read the address to herself, again and again, until the words were burned into her mind.
A groan from above made Bryony look up. Jane’s face was bright crimson and contorted with agony, but still she clung to the rim of the toilet. Bryony was surprised at how strong and resilient Jane had turned out to be. Perhaps she wasn’t such a wuss after all.
Switching her attention back to her father, Bryony saw he was floundering a little, but managing to remain afloat.
“Just ninety seconds to go,” she called out, showing her wristwatch to Edwin. “Are you OK?”
Edwin spat out a mouthful of rancid water, then smiled and gave a thumbs-up gesture.
Bryony smiled back, and admitted to herself that maybe, like his mum, Edwin wasn’t so bad. Perhaps in the future, if she ever visited England again, she might pay him a visit. It wouldn’t be a regular thing. Just a one off. And probably for only half an hour. But it would be nice if they both kept in touch.
Suddenly she noticed that Edwin’s expression had changed. He wasn’t smiling anymore; he was pulling a horrible face, like he used to do when he was trying to tease her.
Bryony wasn’t putting up with that. She pulled a face back at him, making a mental note that perhaps she wouldn’t bother keeping in touch after all. Edwin seemed intent on prolonging the game, his expression becoming even more grotesque. And then he screamed.
Bryony was about to scream back when a shadow fell over her. She looked up and witnessed the cause of Edwin’s strange behaviour.
“What have we here?” said the human-shaped Katya, looming menacingly over the toilet. “Some horrible little insects that refuse to go away. And what do we do with horrible little insects? We flush them down the toilet.”
Katya smiled, and reached up to grab the chain.
“Wait,” croaked Bryony.
Much to Bryony’s surprise, Katya obliged.
“What is it?” she asked, her hand freezing on the chain. “Want one last request before I send you back to where you belong?”
Bryony glanced at her watch again. Just one minute to go. All she had to do was keep Katya talking.
“Well?” demanded Katya, her slender, satin clad fingers caressing the rusty chain. “I don’t have all day. I’m moving house, if you remember, and there’s lots of unpacking and furniture to arrange.”
“You can’t win,” blurted Edwin, before Bryony could think of anything to say. “The Dark One is beaten, and the rest of the Shadow Clan with him. Your plans are finished.”
Katya tilted her head back and laughed. “On the contrary, everything has gone exactly to plan. My plan, that is. I always intended to get rid of the Dark One, and then claim Wychetts’ power for myself. If anything, you’ve helped me get what I wanted.”
“Then save us,” said Bryony. “Why do you need us dead?”
“You are Guardians,” hissed Katya. “And while you live there is always the chance you will try to thwart my plans. Take a deep breath and savour it; it will be your last.”
Her gloved hand tightened on the chain.
“Wouldn’t you prefer to eat us?” asked Bryony.
“No thanks.” Katya wrinkled her delicate little nose. “I don’t like the idea of eating something that’s been down the loo. Besides, I’m not so hungry right now. I’ve just had supper.”
Bryony winced as she remembered Stubby’s sacrifice. She couldn’t let it be for nothing. Another peek at the watch. Forty seconds…
“But enough chat,” purred Katya. “I’ve waited long enough for this moment. Goodbye, my pathetic little playthings.”
“Hold on!” It was Edwin who cried out this time. “I’ve got a question. Are you a cat that turns into a woman, or a woman that turns into a cat?”
Katya smiled mysteriously. “Both.”
Then she yanked hard on the chain.
Bryony braced herself. There was a loud gurgling, but that was all.
Katya scowled. “The flush isn’t working.”
“Don’t worry,” called out Bill. “I’ll sort it first thing tomorrow.”
Bryony glanced down at her father, but couldn’t tell whether he was joking or not.
But Katya wasn’t done yet. She pulled the chain again.
More gurgling ensued, louder this time. High above her, Bryony saw the wooden cistern trembling. A head of water was building up. One more yank would probably be enough.
Twenty seconds to go. The gurgling got louder still.
“Edwin,” called Bryony. “Get ready to use the magic.”
“We have to wish for the same thing,” cried Edwin. “That’s the only way we can undo the deal we made with Katya.”
Bryony shook her head. “I’m going back to Mum.”
“But we have to save Wychetts. We can’t let Katya use the power for evil.”
“I don’t care,” shouted Bryony. “I’ll be with my mum. My real mum. She’ll protect me no matter what. I’m her only child, her special girl.”
Bill looked as though he was trying to speak, but dirty water splashed into his mouth, and all Bryony heard was an agitated gurgling.
“All right,” croaked Edwin. “Go back to your precious mum. But I’m going to save Wychetts.”
“You can’t,” warned Bryony. “Stubby said we can only defeat the Shadow Clan if we combine our powers. You’ll fail if you try to save Wychetts on your own.”
Edwin nodded. “I’m willing to take that chance.”
“But if it doesn’t work…” Bryony stared aghast at her stepbrother. “You’ll get flushed down the loo. You’ll drown. Both of you.” She looked up at Jane, whose face now resembled a wrinkled beetroot.
“Edwin will do what’s right,” Jane hissed through clenched teeth. “Just like his father would have.”
“But you’ll drown!” screamed Bryony, staring down at Edwin once again.
“What do you care?” spat Edwin. “What do you care about anyone but yourself?”
With a shriek of desperation, Katya grabbed the chain with both hands and pulled so hard that it snapped. The cistern almost came away from the wall. The gurgling reached a deafening crescendo.
Bryony looked at her watch again, then closed her eyes and counted.
Five, four, three, two…
The sound of rushing water thundered in her ears, and then a violent force hurled Bryony into the toilet. Jane’s hand slipped from her grasp, and she hit the water so hard it knocked the breath from her lungs.
In a heartbeat she was under, sucked into the swirling torrent. Her eardrums felt fit to burst from the terrible roar, and when she opened her eyes she saw nothing but darkness.
Then she heard Edwin’s voice. It was distant and distorted. But she recognised the gurgled words.
“Make a wish, Bryony.”
But Bryony could hardly breathe. Foul tasting water seeped into her nose and throat, causing her to choke. For a moment she saw light again, and a pair of emerald eyes glaring at her from above.
Then she heard Edwin’s voice again. “Bryony, it’s time to make a wish!”
Time to make a wish…
This was the moment; the moment Bryony had been waiting three years, six months and thirteen days for. Now she could have what she had yearned for. Now she could be with Mum again, have the life she missed so much.
So why did she hesitate?
She heard Edwin’s voice once more, but now it was a gargled scream.
A swirling current snatched the letter from her hand, and Bryony saw the paper float away into the gloom.
But she remembered her mother’s address, and recounted the words in her mind as she was sucked down. Down and down until there was no light. Until there was nothing, not even the darkness.