was in what she guessed to be a large tunnel, and spaced at regular intervals along the walls were what looked like statues, but in the gloom she couldn’t be sure. Following the walls, she began to edge her way along and soon she became aware of the sound of rushing water.
Turning a corner, Charlie’s path joined a much larger tunnel lit by smoky torches that spat and popped in the moist air. A river cascaded down a causeway and graceful bridges spanned it at regular intervals. In the distance, Charlie could see a circle of daylight.
A terrible and sudden thought brought her to a halt. Her house was enormous and she had, of course, seen many unusual sights and wonders within its walls, but nothing as strange as a whole river. Charlie had a sneaking suspicion she wasn’t in her house any more. The thought almost made her stop, turn round and head back. However, the idea of returning to confront the giant wasn’t exactly appealing. Besides, she had a curious nature. She had never tired of discovering new territory inside her house, so why should this be any different? Setting her mouth in a determined pout, Charlie hurried towards the light, eager to see where it led.
The bright end of the tunnel opened out on to a cliff face. Standing at the edge of the path, Charlie gaped in delight as she took in the view. Spread far below her lay an immense forest. Huge trees thrust their foliage skyward to form an extraordinary ocean of green that stretched as far as her eyes could see. Many of the trees were in bloom and the scents that filled the air and tickled at her nose – lavender, vanilla, aniseed and others – were unlike any she had experienced before. Gazing in wonder, Charlie saw huge pink birds that reminded her of flamingos gliding above the forest canopy.
Beside her the river emerged into the sunlight and fell to form a vast, roaring waterfall before continuing on its winding, snaking way into the distance. Near the base of the waterfall was a large clearing. Through the spray Charlie could just make out a small group of figures sitting around a blazing bonfire, with more people fishing nearby on the riverbank.
A sudden menacing growl coming from behind Charlie made her jump. Had the giant made it through the door? Spinning, she grabbed her pendant and prepared to put up a fight. But to her shock – and immediate fear – she found she was facing the largest dog she had ever seen. Hunching forward, the beast was nearly the size of a pony. Powerful muscles bunched and rippled beneath a gleaming black coat and a strip of white fur ran down its spine. Peeling back its lips to reveal enormous teeth, it growled. Clearly it wasn’t happy.
Charlie groaned. ‘Can my day get any worse?’ she muttered to herself. Bending down, she picked up a nearby stick and threw it down the path. ‘Er … fetch?’
The dog wasn’t amused. Snarling, it slowly padded towards Charlie, who just as slowly backed away.
‘I guess you’re not the sort of dog that pet shops hope to sell to urban, fun-loving girls, are you? Er … no? I didn’t think so. So why am I getting the really, really, really bad impression that you’re maybe the sort of dog that likes to EAT urban, fun-loving girls instead?’
Looking over her shoulder, Charlie realized with sudden alarm that the dog had backed her into a corner. On one side was a sheer drop down the cliff face and on the other was the river. Lying on the floor a short distance away was a tree limb, worn smooth from its passage through the water. Charlie started to inch her way towards it. If she could just get her hands on it, she could use it to keep the dog at bay, maybe even scare it off.
The dog, with canny foresight, moved between Charlie and her goal.
‘Oh, for crying out –’
The dog suddenly leaped at her. Teeth snapping, it shot through the air. Charlie fell backwards in an attempt to get out of its way, but abruptly found herself submerged in icy-cold water. The realization that she was in the water and nearing a plummeting waterfall sent adrenalin pumping through her body. Kicking out in a frenzied front crawl, she tried to reach the riverbank, but it was too late. The rushing water dragged her under. Spinning and tumbling,