Thud in Trouble Read online

  Contents

  Title Page

  Also By Jim Eldridge

  Thud In Trouble

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Veto’s Revenge

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Reviews

  Copyright

  Also By Jim Eldridge

  WRESTLING TROLLS series:

  Match 1: Big Rock and the Masked Avenger

  Match 2: Hunk and Thud

  Match 3: The Giant Rumble

  Disgusting Dave series

  And many more …

  THUD IN TROUBLE

  CHAPTER 1

  The ancient, battered caravan with the letters WWT (Waldo’s Wrestling Trolls) on the side trundled along the country road through the long valley, pulled by the old horse, Robin. It was a beautiful sunny day, not a cloud in the sky. To one side of the road a gentle stream flowed, and now and then there was a plop! as a fish leapt to catch a fly, and then disappeared beneath the surface of the water again. The sound of crickets and other small insects in the short grass could be heard, chattering and buzzing. Above all these sounds came that of Milo and Jack, singing cheerfully in time to the clip-clop of the old horse’s hooves.

  ‘Wrestling Trolls.

  Tum-di-dum!

  Wrestling Trolls.

  Tum-di-dum!’

  Big Rock, the Wrestling Troll, ran beside the caravan as it rolled along, every now and then doing a little hop into the air. Above them flew Blaze the Phoenix, making patterns in the sky as he flew, and every now and then changing shape into different flying creatures – a dragon, a butterfly, an eagle – before turning back into a phoenix.

  ‘Wrestling Trolls.

  Tum-di-dum –’

  ‘Do you have to keep singing that song?’ complained Robin. ‘It’s just the same words over and over again and it’s driving me mad!’

  ‘All right, how about this one?’ said Milo. And he broke into:

  ‘Wrestling Trolls.

  Toot-a-toot!

  Wrestling Trolls.

  Toot-a-toot!’

  ‘Yes, I like that one!’ said Jack, and he joined in:

  ‘Wrestling Trolls.

  Toot-a-toot!’

  The caravan jolted to a halt.

  ‘Stop!’ Robin said. ‘That’s the same song!’

  ‘Nearly,’ admitted Milo. ‘But it’s got “Toot-a-toot” in it instead of “Tum-di-dum”.’

  ‘Well, I’m not moving another hoof until you agree to stop singing.’

  ‘Actually, we don’t need to go any further,’ said Milo. ‘We’re here.’

  ‘Where?’ asked Big Rock, running to join them.

  Milo pointed towards a cluster of houses and other buildings, which they could just see through the trees.

  ‘That’s the town of Rampot where the Wrestling Challenge is taking place.’ He smiled. ‘Twelve gold coins to the winners! And you, Big Rock, will collect that money on our behalf when you beat Buster Gutt, the Rampot Heavyweight Champion! This is a good place to park the caravan.’

  ‘All right, but no more singing,’ grumbled Robin.

  ‘We only sing because we’re happy,’ said Jack. ‘Why don’t you join in?’

  ‘Because I’m out of breath from pulling this heavy caravan.’

  ‘Don’t worry, you can rest now,’ said Milo, unhitching him.

  ‘I ought to go into town and get some food and stuff,’ said Jack. ‘We’re running low.’

  ‘Good idea,’ said Milo. ‘You can check out Big Rock’s opposition while you’re there, this Buster Gutt. I’ve never seen him wrestle, but I hear he’s good.’

  ‘I’ll go with Jack,’ said Blaze, spreading his wings. ‘I can turn into a dragon and give him a lift back with the shopping.’

  ‘Toilet rolls,’ said Big Rock. ‘Need toilet rolls.’

  ‘Leave it to me,’ said Jack.

  While Milo, Big Rock and Robin made camp, Jack set off for the town, with Blaze flying just above him.

  Rampot was a very old town with narrow streets packed with old houses. Most of the buildings looked to be made of wood, but a few were half wood and half bricks. Jack and Blaze stood and surveyed the town. It was busy, packed with shoppers hurrying to and fro, loaded down with bags and baskets.

  ‘I’m glad we parked the caravan where we did,’ said Jack, looking at the narrow streets that twisted and turned in a maze. ‘We’d never have got it through the town. We’d have got stuck.’

  ‘That never seems to bother Robin,’ commented Blaze. ‘He just plods on regardless.’

  ‘Yes, then we have to get us out of the trouble afterwards,’ said Jack.

  ‘I think I see a general store down there,’ said Blaze, gesturing at one of the streets. ‘Hopefully, that’ll have everything we want.’

  ‘That depends on the prices,’ said Jack ruefully.

  He hoped things would be cheap here because – as always seemed to be the case with the gang – they were very short of money. That was why they’d come to Rampot – for Big Rock to win enough money by taking on Buster Gutt for them to be able to eat and make necessary repairs to the caravan, including fixing its roof, which let in the rain.

  They walked down the street to the store. Jack was just about to walk in when he found his way blocked by a large man. No, more than large – this man was enormous: tall, with a large belly and huge muscular arms.

  ‘What are you doing standing in my way?’ growled the man.

  ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t realise I was in your way,’ said Jack, and he went to go round the man.

  The man scowled and moved to block Jack from going into the shop, but as he did so he trod on a little puppy, which squealed with pain.

  ‘Careful! You hurt Bobby!’ cried a little girl, and she snatched up the puppy and began to cuddle and stroke it.

  ‘Don’t you dare tell me to be careful!’ shouted the man. ‘I’ll show you what I think of your stupid little dog!’

  And with that he snatched the puppy from the little girl and drew back his arm as if he was about to throw it.

  ‘No!’ appealed the little girl desperately.

  Anger welled up in Jack as he saw the big bully squeeze the little puppy in his huge fist, making it whimper.

  Before Jack knew what was happening he felt the change come over him as rage poured through his body; a glassy film formed over his eyes and he felt himself growing outwards and upwards, getting massive … becoming Thud the Giant Wrestling Troll.

  ‘GRAAARRR!’

  The roar that came out of his mouth made the enormous man turn and look at him in surprise. Before the bewildered bully could react, Thud had taken the puppy from the bully’s grasp with one hand and gently passed it back to the little girl, while his other hand had bunched into a fist and thudded forward, thumping the bully so hard it sent him flying backwards, crashing into the door behind him with such force that it was torn off its hinges. There was the sound of pots and pans falling down inside the shop, and then a shopkeeper ran out, a look of shock on his face.

  He pointed his finger accusingly at Thud and shouted, ‘You! You did that!’

  The dazed figure of the bully staggered out of the shop, a large dented saucepan crunched down on his head. One of his eyes was already swelling up in
to a large purple bruise, and as he opened his mouth one of his teeth fell out.

  ‘You broke my door and wrecked my shop!’ carried on the shopkeeper.

  ‘He saved my puppy, Mr Brown,’ the little girl appealed to him.

  ‘That may be, but it’ll cost a lot of money to get my door mended! Money I can’t afford!’

  At that moment, the bully, still stumbling around in a dazed state, fell over, crashing to the ground with a dull thud.

  ‘Ow,’ he groaned.

  ‘Guards!’ shouted the shopkeeper. ‘Guards!’

  CHAPTER 2

  Milo was lighting a fire so that they could cook a meal once Jack arrived back with the ingredients. Big Rock was munching on a few pebbles he’d found, and Robin was grazing on the grass. Milo looked at the others eating, and his stomach rumbled. It seemed like a long time since he’d had a hot meal.

  ‘Jack and Blaze are taking their time,’ he said.

  ‘I expect he’s haggling with the shop owner,’ said Robin. ‘After all, you didn’t give him very much money.’

  ‘We haven’t got very much money,’ pointed out Milo.

  The sound of wings flapping made them look up.

  ‘Jack’s been arrested!’ said Blaze, landing beside them.

  ‘What! Why?’ demanded the shocked Milo.

  ‘He turned into Thud and punched a bully who was threatening a little girl and her puppy.’

  ‘Good Jack,’ nodded Big Rock approvingly. ‘Help weak people.’

  ‘It’s not good when he gets arrested!’ retorted Milo.

  ‘Trouble, always trouble!’ complained Robin. ‘Every time that boy turns into his troll side –’

  ‘He usually does something good,’ countered Milo. ‘Although it doesn’t sound like it this time,’ he added unhappily. He turned to Blaze. ‘Where is he now?’

  ‘The guards took him to the cells in the guard station. He’s going to appear in court today.’

  ‘Right, we’d better get over there and save him,’ said Milo. ‘Robin, can you stay here and look after the caravan while we go in?’

  ‘I always get the hard jobs,’ grumbled Robin.

  Jack sat on the hard wooden bench in the cell. He felt bad. Milo had been telling him for ages that he ought to learn to control when and where he turned into Thud, and he’d tried but failed. Now here he was, locked in a cell.

  A heavy metal door connected the cell block with the guard station. The cell itself was bare. It had three walls of brick and stone, with a tiny barred window, set high up in one of the walls, that looked out onto the street. The window was too high off the ground for Jack to be able to see out of it, but he could hear noises coming from outside: people muttering in low voices.

  The fourth wall of the cell was made of metal bars, with a barred door in it. To Jack it seemed to be more of a cage than a cell.

  It was very secure. Even Thud wouldn’t be able to punch his way through those metal bars, thought Jack.

  There was the sound of a key turning in the lock of the connecting door, then it swung open and a guard came into the cell block, with two more behind him, armed with spears and swords.

  ‘Right! You … ’ began the first guard. Then he stopped. He looked around the cell, bafflement on his face. He turned back to Jack and said, ‘Where is he? The big troll?’

  ‘He … er … he’s not here,’ said Jack.

  It was a difficult situation. Jack turning into Thud was a secret. They’d all agreed that it would be best to keep it quiet until Jack was able to control his transformations better.

  The guard looked even more baffled. He walked over to the outside wall, looking up at the high barred window. Then he turned back to Jack again.

  ‘How did he get out?’ he asked. Then, even more puzzled, he demanded, ‘How did you get in here?’

  ‘He must be a friend of that big troll,’ said one of the other guards. ‘I bet he snuck in to help him escape, and somehow the troll got out and left this one behind.’

  ‘Is that what happened?’ snapped the guard at Jack. ‘Are you and that troll friends?’

  ‘Yes,’ admitted Jack.

  ‘Right,’ said the guard grimly. ‘Well, the Judge isn’t going to like this! You are in big trouble!’

  CHAPTER 3

  Jack stood in the dock at the court, where the prisoners on trial were put. Immediately behind Jack stood a guard, with two more standing on either side of the small boy to make sure he didn’t escape. They were obviously treating Jack as a very dangerous criminal.

  The story about how the bully had been bashed and knocked into the shop must have spread all over town, because the courtroom was packed with people eager to see more of this person with the devastating punch. Every seat was taken and there were loads of people standing, crammed into every available space in the courtroom.

  The building itself was very old – dark wooden panels covered the walls and ceiling. On the wall behind the large gold chair where the Judge sat was a huge shield with a coat of arms: a pair of crossed swords and above them a very large ram with giant horns coming out of its head, standing with its four hooves on top of what looked like a big flowerpot. The word RAMPOT was painted in gold letters on the shield.

  Jack was so small that he could barely see over the edge of the dock. He wondered where Milo was. He hoped he’d be here to try and save him.

  ‘What is your name?’ demanded the Judge.

  ‘Jack, sir.’

  ‘And what is this person, Jack, charged with?’ the Judge asked the guard.

  ‘Er … that’s a difficult one, your Judgeship. The charge was assault, and causing damage to a shop.’

  ‘Assault?’ echoed the Judge. ‘Who was assaulted?’

  ‘Buster Gutt, your Judgeship.’

  The Judge’s mouth dropped open in astonishment.

  ‘Buster Gutt, the Champion Wrestler?’ He stared at Jack in bewilderment. ‘Are you telling me that this … puny little boy … assaulted Buster Gutt?’

  ‘Well … not exactly, sir … ’ said the guard awkwardly.

  ‘Is Buster Gutt here?’ barked the Judge.

  ‘He’s outside, sir, waiting to give evidence.’

  ‘Bring him in!’

  A court usher went out, and returned a moment later with Buster Gutt. So this was the wrestler Big Rock came to battle, thought Jack.

  The big bully had a black eye and looked very unhappy. The Judge ordered Gutt into the witness stand, and then said, ‘Were you assaulted recently?’

  ‘I was, your Judgeship,’ said Buster Gutt. ‘I was punched and knocked through the door of a shop.’

  ‘It was my shop!’ called a voice from the back of the court, as the shopkeeper stood up. ‘It’s going to cost me a lot of money. There’s a new door to replace the broken one, and lots of pots and pans and things were dented and broken.’

  ‘Thank you,’ nodded the Judge. ‘You may sit down.’ He turned back to Buster Gutt. ‘Who punched you?’

  ‘A big troll.’ Gutt scowled. ‘He caught me off-guard with a sneaky punch, otherwise I would have beaten him easily.’

  The Judge pointed at the frail figure of Jack in the dock.

  ‘Is that the person who assaulted you?’

  ‘No!’ said Gutt indignantly. ‘I could eat him for breakfast. Like I said, it was this huge and sneaky troll!’

  The Judge turned to the guard.

  ‘Then why is this troll not here in court instead of this … small boy?’ he demanded.

  ‘Because this boy helped the troll escape from the cell,’ replied the guard. ‘He’s an accomplice.’

  ‘Very well.’ The Judge glared at Jack, and then announced, ‘I hereby fine you two gold pieces for assault, and order you to pay a further eight gold pieces for the repairs to the door and the shop.’

  ‘But I haven’t got any money, your Judgeship!’ protested Jack.

  ‘In that case you will stay in the cell in the guard station until someone else pays your fine for you
.’ Turning to the court, he asked, ‘Does anyone here know this boy?’

  ‘Yes, your Judgeship!’

  Jack turned and saw that Milo and Big Rock had just entered the court.

  ‘Who are you?’ asked the Judge.

  ‘My name is Milo and I am the manager of Waldo’s Wrestling Trolls. This is Big Rock, one of my wrestlers.’

  ‘Hello,’ smiled Big Rock.

  ‘Jack there is our assistant trainer.’

  ‘Do I take it that this mysterious troll who assaulted Buster Gutt is also one of your Wrestling Trolls?’

  ‘He didn’t actually assault him, your Judgeship. Buster Gutt was threatening a little girl and her puppy, and Thud – that’s his name – intervened to try and save the puppy from being hurt.’

  ‘He hit Buster Gutt?’

  ‘Yes, your Judgeship,’ admitted Milo.

  ‘Then he’s guilty. Right, if you hand over ten gold pieces –’

  ‘Actually, your Judgeship, we haven’t got any money. That’s the reason we came here, to enter the Wrestling Challenge and win the prize money. It’s twelve gold coins if someone beats Buster Gutt.’ Milo grinned. ‘And, as Thud did beat Buster Gutt, we ought to get the twelve gold coins now, and then we can pay you.’

  ‘He didn’t beat me!’ protested Gutt. ‘It was a sneaky punch when I wasn’t looking!’