Story v2.1

Various changes to the story.

Phillip and Clyde

This is Phillip.
He is a boy.
Not the smartest of boys.
But certainly one of the most imaginative.
And one of the most energetic.

This is Clyde.
He is a dinosaur.
And not just any dinosaur, he is a Tyrannosaurus Rex.
However, he is not as scary as his fearsome appearance might indicate.
He is really quite timid, and friendly.

Clyde is his dinosaur, his friend, and he loved him.

They have many adventures together:
Battling outlaws in the Wild West…
Fighting strange aliens on distant planets…
Exploring deep in undiscovered jungles…
Climbing mountain peaks…
Descending deep to the bottom of the ocean…

But none of these was the greatest adventure they had had.
That one started, with a ring…

Phillip’s mother couldn’t find her ring, so Phillip and Clyde had volunteered to look in the attic for it.
There was lots of stuff in the attic, boxes full of stuff, and looking was hard work.
“Can we get some food, Phillip?” Clyde (rumble)
“Yeah okay let’s go.”
They climbed down, and went to the kitchen.
They stopped.
On the table, nibbling some cheese, they saw a mouse. And in its tiny paws, it was holding a ring.
Phillip was stared at it for a moment.
“Hey mouse! Gimme that ring” shouted Phillip.
The mouse, as is to be expected, ran.
“Quick, Clyde!” yelled Phillip as he began off after his quarry.

They chased it down the hallway…
And down the stairs…
Down into the basement.
“We’ve got him now Clyde,” whispered Phillip triumphantly. “There’s no way out of the basement.”
Phillip turned o the lights and jumped out.
But there was no mouse.
“Where did he go?” wondered Phillip.
“Maybe he’s hiding,” said Clyde.
They looked around the basement.
There was not much down there. A pile of old magazines, a bike, a bookcase…
“The bookcase!” yelled Phillip.
Clyde grabbed the bookcase, and PUSHED.

Behind the bookcase, they could see a small, dark hole.
“That must be where he went!” Phillip exclaimed.
“I don’t know Phillip, it’s very small, and very dark…” said Clyde.
Phillip grabbed a torch and shone in down the hole.
In the glare of the light, he saw a flash of gold, and two tiny eyes staring at him.
Then they were gone.
“I saw it! Let’s go we gotta get that ring back.”

So into the hole they went.
They crawled for a long time, going further and further into the earth.
Eventually the tunnel become wider, and they could stand up.
They crossed deep ravines.
And raging rivers.
All the time chasing the mouse.

After a long time, they came to the end of the tunnel.
They entered into huge room, dimly lit my torches attached to think stone pillars that when so high up they disappeared into darkness.
“Look at this place, it’s so big,” said Phillip, in awe.
At the very end of the room, they could just make out a dim blocky object.
“What is that?” Phillip.
“I don’t know, but it can’t be good.” Clyde.
As they down the chamber, the dim object gradually became clearer.

It was a huge pile of treasure and trinkets, of every kind of object and thing they had ever seen.
There were gold and silver, jewels and gems,
And on top of the pile was a throne.
And on the throne, sat an enormous rat.

His hooked nose, his crooked teeth, his fat, hairy body, his dark, beady eyes, his grasping claws, his slithering tail.

The rat glared down at them.
“Who dares enter the domain of the Rat King?” - RK
“I’m Phillip, and this is Clyde. What is all this stuff? Where did you get it?” - P
“These are my treasures, the spoils I have collected from all over the world.”
“Isn’t that stealing?” – C
“Why no, it’s like borrowing… With no intention of ever giving it back!” - RK
The Rat King burst out laughing, and when he did Phillip saw something on his paw.
“Hey, that’s my mother’s ring! Give it back!” - P
The Rat King looked at the ring, then covered it up.
“This? No no, this is my ring. I found it.” - RK
“No it’s not, it’s my mother’s! Give it back you thief!” - P
“Why should I do that?” - RK

()

“Yes, I won!” said Phillip. “Now give me the ring.”
The Rat King looks at it, then pulls his hand away and laughs.
“No, I don’t think I will.” – RK
“But I won! You’re nothing but a big bully!” - P
“Just leave it Phillip, let’s go home.” – C
The Rat King pauses for a moment.
“Fine, take your stupid ring.” – RK
“Yes! Let’s go Clyde.” - P
As they turned to leave and started to walk, they heard a strange sound.
The Rat King was crying.
“Hey, why are you crying?” Phillip
“All I w-wanted were some n-nice things. It’s so lonely down here and I have no one to play with.”
Phillip and Clyde look at each other. Clyde nods.
“We’ll be your friends.” - P
“R-really? You mean it? Even after I took your ring, and was mean to you?” - RK
“Yes. No one should have to be alone.”
The Rat King was silent. Then he smiled and laughed out loud and danced around.
Then he hugged Phillip and Clyde.
“Thank you Phillip and Clyde. I won’t forget you.”
Phillip and Clyde walked off, waving.
“Goodbye!”

As they came out of the tunnel, they heard Phillip’s mum calling for them.
“Oh Phillip there you are. I’ve been looking for you for ages, where have you been?”
“Mum it was amazing! There was this mouse and it took your ring, so we chased it and it went into this hole so we followed it and it went underground, and we ran for ages and ages and then we came out into this big room where there was this rat with huge piles of treasure so we fought him and got back his ring, but then he started crying it turned out he just wanted friends and then we came back here!”
“Oh yes Phillip, that’s a nice story.” - M
“It’s not a story mum, it really happened! Look at the hole over there!” – P
Phillip’s mum looks at the small crack in the wall and smiles a little.
“Phillip, that hole is tiny; there is no way you could get through that.” - M
“But mum it really did…” - P
“Don’t worry about that Phillip, look how messy you are! Let’s go clean you up.”
As they were about to walk up the stairs, something brushed his foot.
He looked down and saw a small piece of paper.
“Huh? What’s this…”
He looked at it.
And smiled.
Phillip,
Thank you,
(paw mark)