NO ORDINARY ROOM (35 page)

Jamie had been trying to think how his sister could possibly have saved his life and he was stumped, but Uncle Stanley was about to settle his curiosity.

‘Your case was very similar, Jamie, except Devilmortex turned you into a mosquito.  It was the time that you woke up in the garden and it looked as though you had been sleepwalking.  Your dad had tried to kill the mosquito and it was only your sister’s pleading that had stopped him from finishing the mosquito off.’

Jamie remembered Soupinpota telling him that ATACS could be used to change a human into some other life form, including an insect.  Devilmortex must have been changed him into a mosquito while he was in bed and the mosquito had flown down to the kitchen.  He hadn’t realised until now the part that Leanne had played that day in saving the life of the mosquito and in future he would never accuse her of being soppy.

 ‘So, now it’s time to say goodbye, young, Jamie.  I am sure that you will have a very interesting life and one day you may discover why I left you the key to what I think you’ll agree, was no ordinary room.  Goodbye, Jamie.’

The display on the screen changed and Uncle Steven’s computer desktop displayed a picture of Everton’s current team, but not before Jamie saw a message flash up and quickly disappear.

* * *

‘That was quick,’ said a surprised Uncle Steve when Jamie rejoined the family.

‘He doesn’t look to happy,’ chipped in his dad, ‘He must have got a ‘dear john’ email from that girl Isobel.’

The adults laughed and Jamie walked away, heading for the quiet spot near the fishpond.  He had a sneaking feeling that the message from Uncle Stanley had been ‘live’ and not recorded because if Soupinpota could be restored then perhaps Uncle Stanley had as well.  

 Jamie had switched off his Uncle Steven’s computer after Uncle Stanley had said his goodbye.  Jamie had smiled when he’d seen that the bed was covered in very large insects and they were marching in step just like soldiers.  He had never seen a bug before, but he guessed that’s what they were because they were wearing clogs and he was intending to ask his Dad to take him to Bootle.

When the marching bugs had disappeared, Jamie’s smile had been replaced by a worried look when he recalled the message that had only been displayed for a few seconds.  The message had been on view long enough for him to see, ‘I’M BACK, JAMIE’, blazoned across the screen with the name DEVILMORTEX underneath it.  Jamie hoped it was just another Soupinpota farewell joke like the marching bugs wearing clogs.

End