There’s a light at the end of the tunnel! 

However, it really was a train.  Once the monsters had pushed me aside from the track (where I witnessed one of the beasts get hit by the locomotive and turned into instant slimy porridge) we emerged near the pristine lawns of Papplewick School in Ascot.  Evening was falling, and across the car park a pair of headlights flashed – it was all part of the organised handover.  The monsters made the trade with the school Librarian and the assembled Watersones staff (who have been secretly combating these monsters for years) and I was led to safety.

After being fed my first real meal since being imprisoned in the caves, I was ushered before a pack of eager pupils so I could perform for my freedom.  It was a terrific event and I was rewarded with an awesome wall of white noise as they joined in with the interactive quiz.  It brought a tear to my eye, although that could have been a crusty contact lens.

To please the monsters, I signed so many books my hand cramped (and I’m sure my hand also made an attempt to throttle me – are the monsters trying to possess us?).  I bid a fond farewell to the amazing kids, I tried to make a bid for freedom – but was thwarted by a pack (or is it a “gaggle” or a “murder”?) of monsters that had cunningly guarded all the exits.  Now I’m back down here, dreaming of fine dining and daylight – knowing that World Book Day and the madness of March is unleashed on all us authors…

Trackback URL