Chris Blake - Mohican Brave

“Er, rabbits?” said Tom, gulping down his last bite of apple with an innocent shrug. “Moles, maybe?”

“Maybe we should call in an exterminator,” Mum said.

Chilli stopped digging and let out a nervous yelp.

Tom gave Chilli a stern look. “I’ll fill in the holes and I’m sure there won’t be any more,” he assured his mother.

“Let’s hope not,” Mum said, wandering back to the house.

Tom picked the biggest apple he could find, then swung down from the tree and tossed it to Zuma with a grin. “Try one of these!” he said.

Zuma bit into the apple and closed her eyes. “Mmmmm,” she said, sighing happily. “Eating fruit is a lot more fun than harvesting it. Now that I’m free, I just want to relax.”

“ Almost free,” Tom corrected, making his way towards Mum’s vegetable patch. “We still have two more coins to find before you can go back to Aztec times.”

Zuma finished her apple and tossed the core on to the compost pile.

“Have you ever seen one of these before?” Tom asked, pointing to a pumpkin.

Zuma nodded. “We grew them in my master’s garden. The seeds are tasty when they’re roasted. Sometimes we’d carve out the shells and use them for containers.”

“We make jack-o’-lanterns with them,” Tom said, grinning.

“What are they?” said Zuma.

“First you carve out a scary face,” said Tom. “Then you put a candle inside, and they glow. We use them as decorations for Halloween. That’s the last day in October. It’s a special night when kids go from door to door asking for sweets!”

“In Aztec times we called that begging,” said Zuma.

“This is different,” Tom explained. “It’s called trick-or-treating. Part of the fun is that we get dressed up in silly, scary costumes.” Zuma looked at her blue painted skin, feathery headdress and distinctive black stone pendant. “I bet nobody has a costume as good as mine.”

Tom laughed. “Yes, you’d have the best Halloween costume ever.”

“I can think of an even better costume,” said Zuma. “You could go trick-or-treating as someone really scary – Tlaloc!” Zuma picked up Mum’s rake and thumped the handle against the pumpkin like it was a drum. “I am the god of thunder!” she boomed in a deep voice. “I’m a great big bully who sacrifices little kids!”

Tom and Zuma burst out laughing. But their laughter was suddenly drowned out by the sound of thunder rumbling through the sky. Suddenly the Aztec god appeared in front of them. His eyes were practically goggling out of his blue face in rage.

“How dare you mock me, slave girl!” Tlaloc bellowed, stomping his enormous feet and scattering leaves all over the grass. “You forget that you have not purchased your freedom yet!” He crossed the garden, squashing flowers and vegetables as he went. “You must find two more coins first.” He bared his sharp fangs as he let out a nasty chuckle. “Though I doubt you will be brave enough to succeed!”

A shining mist swirled up from the ground. Zuma dropped the rake and grabbed Tom’s hand. The wind howled, spinning the mist faster and faster around them.

“Here we go!” said Tom.

“Chilli!” cried Zuma.

The little dog leaped into her arms just as Tlaloc’s magic whisked them into the hazy darkness of space and time.

They landed with a bump in a wood. When the mist cleared, the autumn air was fresh and crisp, with a pleasant earthy smell. Tom looked around and saw that the trees blazed with colour. The leaves were different shades of red, orange and gold. The undergrowth was thick with green ferns, and in the distance Tom caught sight of a sparkling blue river.

“Wow! It’s so pretty,” Zuma said in a hushed voice. “Where do you think we are?”

Tom hoped what they were wearing would give them a clue. Zuma was no longer painted blue and feathered. Her dark hair was now twisted into two long plaits. The black necklace was the only thing that remained of her Aztec clothing. Both she and Tom were dressed in soft leather breeches and tunic-style shirts. Leather fringes dangled from their sleeves and the front was decorated with beaded patterns. On their feet they wore beaded leather moccasins. Tom had seen similar ones in the North American section at his father’s museum.

“We’re dressed like Native Americans,” he said. “But North America is a really big continent so I’m not sure exactly where we are.”

Zuma hugged her arms round her and shivered. “Brr!” she said. “It’s certainly colder than where I come from. The sooner we find that coin the better!”

“Then let’s see what your pendant has to say,” Tom suggested.

Zuma took the black disc in her hand and held it up to the light to recite the familiar incantation:

“Mirror, mirror, on a chain.

Can you help us? Please explain!

We are lost and must be told

How to find the coins of gold.”

There was a shimmer of silver across the gleaming stone as words rose to the surface:

On the banks of the water

You’ll find a sun, then seek a daughter;

With the bravest of braves you’ll use your wiles

To find the pretty stream that smiles.

Weather’s mysteries you shall know:

You’ll shiver with your quiver in an early snow,

But October storms are soon to melt.

The treasure lies within a belt.

Zuma sighed. “Why can’t it ever just say, ‘the coin is hidden under the third tree on the right’?”

Tom was about to reply that it wouldn’t be much of a riddle if it did, but before he could open his mouth, Chilli caught the scent of something. The dog let out an excited bark and dashed deeper into the woods.

“Let’s go!” cried Zuma, taking off after him.

Tom followed, kicking up dried leaves as he ran. Chilli was in hot pursuit of a small brown and white rabbit. The rabbit disappeared down a hole and Chilli would have followed if Zuma hadn’t reached out and caught him.

“Where are you going, silly?” she asked. “We need you to help us find the coin.”

As he tried to catch his breath, Tom caught a glimpse of gold glittering between some bushes. Could it be the coin? he wondered. Tlaloc never usually made their tasks so easy. He grabbed Zuma’s sleeve and pointed.

Then from within the undergrowth, a creature stepped forward, two shining gold eyes staring out from its face.

“Hello, little doggie!” cried Zuma in delight.

Chilli began to wag his tail and wriggle in Zuma’s arms.

“Chilli wants to make friends,” said Zuma.

The creature swished its bushy orange tail. Zuma was about to set Chilli back down on the ground, but Tom stopped her just in time.

“That’s not a dog,” Tom said. “It’s a fox.” He patted Chilli on the head. “Better keep your distance, boy. Foxes can be dangerous. Their teeth and claws are very sharp.”

Chilli let out a whimper of disappointment and they carried on exploring the forest. Aside from the rustling of leaves and the chirping of birds, the woods were silent. There didn’t seem to be any paths, and there was no sign of a town or city anywhere.