Dark Night of the Soul

Chapter 18

Sunday.

What we need is an enthusiastic but calm state of mind and intense but orderly work.

'Will you be careful, Bob?' shrieks Jenny Livesey. 'If you spill that, there'll be no more breakfasts in front of the telly.' Bob steadies his bowl of sugar puffs on the cushion resting on his knees. He shovels cereal into his mouth as his eyes stay fixed on the TV screen. As the Newsround theme tune plays he pays more attention to his breakfast. 'Duh, boring news.'

After covering the climate change summit, the TV news drags Bob and Jenny's attention back. 'Mum, that looks just like our skateboard park! It is, look, there's that burger van.' Bob leaps up from the sofa to get a closer look, his cereal bowl falling to the floor with a splash of sticky yellow milk.

'OK, Bob, I warned you, that's the last time.'

'Oh, soz Mum but look, on the telly...that woman's talking to the man who owns the burger van...'

'What was weird was the stillness. We were just saying how bloody quiet it was. I never notice the noise from the skatepark but when it goes quiet, well..'

'Well there's no need to swear is there?' says Jenny. 'And what's he talking about, Bob? What's happened?

'I dunno, but they'll probably tell us if we keep watching. Shush.'

'You are on thin ice, my lad.'

'You see all sorts of weird shit around here. Skaters don't tend to wear suits. But no, I have never seen one dressed head to toe like a kiddies' TV character.'

'I apologise for any bad language you may have heard there, but, strange and troubling scenes at the skateboard park. What we know is that just the day after three children disappeared from the park, five teenagers are still missing having last been seen here, with reports of a suspect escaping dressed as a furry television character. And now, back to the studio.'

Bob turns to his mum, open-mouthed. 'Did you hear that Mum? Five more children have gone missing. The furry TV character can't just be a coincidence. The last I saw of Andrew, he was running at full speed towards some characters from his favourite kids' TV show... Then the next thing we - me and Kristen - knew, there was silence. Nothing. A weird stillness, like that burger guy said.'

Jenny says nothing but continues to stare blankly at the TV screen. She doesn't notice Bob pick his bowl off the floor and walk into the kitchen. Two minutes later, he pops his head around the door.

'Just going to see Kristen. OK?'

'Huh? Kristen? Sure. Make sure you're back in time for tea.'

Bob is out of breath when he arrives at the bunkers. As on the first day, he stops to look back down the hill. Feeling discombobulated, he walks towards Kristen's hideaway. 'Kristen! Are you there?' Bob shouts, rattling the makeshift door that she'd constructed out of cardboard and twigs.

'Bob. Is that you? Just hold on a sec.'

'Yeah, oh, soz. Yes, it's Bob. I've just watched the news. It's happened again.'

Kristen peers through her door and blinks in the morning sunshine. 'What do you mean? Bob, I've no idea what you're talking about. I've just woken up. Will you take it slowly?'

'So, I was watching the news on telly with my Mum. More teenagers were taken by those TV show characters yesterday. Just like Andrew was. In that Pinky Ponk. Disappeared into the air,' raves Bob breathlessly.

'OK Bob. Take a breath. Give me a minute and I'll come out,' says Kristen, going back into her bunker to throw on her jumper and pull on her boots.