Short Story: No Time To Lose

No Time To Lose

“I hope you’re behaving Karl Fontella” came Mum’s hollow voice drifting from the kitchen.

“Um” I mumbled in reply. I was bored. I looked up to see the clock. The hours were slowly ticking on. The time until my party started lasted eternity. Unless I could some how make the time go faster, then it would come quicker.

“You can, you know?” came a squeaky voice from deep inside the clock.

I sat up bolt right. “What?” I stammered.

“You can make time go faster” said a small elf dressed in green clothing, appearing from around the bottom of the clock.

“Who are you?” I whispered in my soft husky voice.

“Arizonia, the helpful elf” it replied.

“You won’t hurt me will you?” I said stupidly; but bearing in mind I was only five so I didn’t know what to say.

“Of course not!” it exclaimed.

“Oh” I replied, “that’s alright then.”

I put out my hand and the little elf clambered on. His little delicate steps tickled my palm.

“Aren’t you afraid I might hurt you?” I asked.

“No, because I am immortal. I cannot die.”

“That’s good then, we can both trust each other.”

I gently placed him on the chair arm.

“Now what were you saying about time?” I questioned.

“I said you can make time fly” replied Arizonia.

“How?” I asked.

“Chuck a clock in the air!” He chuckled at his own joke.

“No, honestly?” I asked.

“I’ll shrink you, and take you to my cousin, Saint Fortel the Keeper of Time. He lives in Mr. Jubilee’s toadstool patch.”

The little elf produced a small bottle containing some blue liquid.

“Now put your forefinger out” he ordered.

I obediently did so.

He tipped a little drop onto my finger and I lifted it to my lips. I sucked my finger. I felt a tingle run through my body like a bolt of electricity. I felt myself shrinking and fell to the size of a mouse. The elf now towered over me.

“Come” he said, “I’ll lead you to my cousin.”

I followed Arizonia to the grandfather clock. It was then that I saw what I looked like! My charcoal black hair was ruffled about, and my blue eyes had bags beneath them. I was wearing a Nike sweater badly creased, and some jeans that were very, very filthy. I still wore my Batman slippers. I looked at the mirror reflection in disgust. It pulled a face back at me. I turned away.

“Come on slow coach” came Arizonia’s voice echoing through the muddy tunnel that led beneath the clock.

I took one last look in the mirror, then turned and ran after Arizonia. The passage was narrow and steeply spiralled down towards the centre of the Earth. I caught up with Arizonia just before he entered a large dimly lit room. The room was swarming with dwarves and elves of all different shapes and sizes! They all ran over to Arizonia complaining and shouting abusive language at him, continuously turning and looking at me, or pointing at me. I turned and started to run for a door marked ‘exit’ but a stern voice louder than all the rest silenced the room. It was Arizonia’s.

“Whilst all of you lounge around larking about, there are people who need help. At this moment in time I seem to be keeping our reputation for myself. You all get rewarded for sitting around whilst I work my heart out all day long. Then you even have the nerve to bite my head off when I keep our money coming in! From now on you’re going to have to earn your wages!”

Arizonia barged through the hushed crowd and made his way towards me.

“I’m sorry for their behaviour” he apologised.

He turned and headed away, an upset expression on his face. I followed.

He led me to a little tunnel. I was led through a whole network of tunnels and kept having to dive into little holes in the walls as ants and worms made their way past. Eventually we emerged into a room with a small elevator.

We climbed in and Arizonia set the floor to ‘6849000~UP’.

When the lift finally stopped he entered ‘:80AR80*DF Arizonia Augustus Karter’. The doors eased open and I found myself surrounded by toadstools. A younger elf exited out of a toadstool. “Kane Porter” he beamed grinning, “but most people call me Saint Fortel”.

“Karl” I remarked smirking.

“And what can I do for you today Arizonia?”

“Well…” he hesitated. “Can you sort out time; put the clocks forward too…” he trailed off to allow me to continue.

“Four o’clock” I said.

He went into the toadstool and returned with a small golden clock. He turned the time to four o’clock.

“Agh. the party’s going to start without me!” I wailed.

“Is something wrong?” asked Kane.

“Yeah! The party is starting without me!” I wailed.

“There’s no time to lose!” exclaimed Arizonia. “The buggy!”

Arizonia bundled me into the back of the buggy. Arizonia took the passenger seat, and Kane took driver.

“We’ve got to get home” I exclaimed.

Kane put his foot square down. The engine rocketed into gear and mobile sped forwards.

“Put on the jetpack” Kane commanded.

I did.

“Climb into the cannon!” called Arizonia.

“Prepare the firing” cried Arizonia to Kane.

“Klipgear to A23 and Forehead to linkJ” said Kane.

“Take 4^th gear and 2^nd, I’ll take 1^st and 3^rd” said Arizonia.

“Battle stop light red?”

“Check!”

“Set light Fru to green!”

“Check!”

“And Trey light to Perder!”

“Check!”

“Five… four… three... two… one… zero!”

The explosion echoed behind me and I was fired up through the bedroom window onto my bed. A crowd suddenly burst in.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY KARL!”

I drew in my breath as the cake was brought in; on it were two little elves dressed in green. Arizonia and Kane! They sat in a small blue and white buggy in a semi-circle of toadstools. I looked hard at them, and saw Arizonia wink and mouth “Happy Birthday”.