Chapter 33 - Down the Ravine

Gammelnok heard the noise from uphill but did not know what it was. Being sheltered in the storm drain he had not heard the rain starting to fall and was just getting ready to go out and enjoy the sunrise.

The noise increased as the rain became heavier and soon the dry ground inside the drain turned to mud as the first water came down the hill.

Gammelnok grabbed his Haversack, told the Mayor's son to stand and turn around so his bound hands could be untied.

They had to get out now, was the only thought on Gammelnok's mind. There was no time to waste. The noise got even louder. They were nearly knee deep in watery mud. Then it happened. Without warning their feet were swept from under them and they shut out of the storm drain heading downhill carried along by the raging torrent.

They did not hear the girls scream above them, nor see the horror on their faces. They did not see the girls turn and run back into town to try and get help.

All Gammelnok could see was water all around him, over him, under him and quite a lot inside him as well. Spluttering and trying to stay above and face up in the fast flowing muddy water, he caught a glimpse of the Mayor's son looking like a balloon, his clothes filled with water and mud. He looked half drowned, pale and lifeless as he floated down stream.

It was a miracle they did not get knocked unconscious as they were thrown against the rocks in the narrow gully heading downwards.

Eventually the landscape flattened out and the flow of water became less fierce. The rain had stopped as suddenly as it had started. Gammelnok was able to make his way across the stream towards his companion in distress. Grabbing him by the scruff of the neck and dragging him towards the bank and onto dry land, he pushed him onto his back and started hammering his bloated chest to try and make him breathe.

It worked. The boy coughed up muddy water and started to cry. But at least they were both alive and unhurt. Now they needed help urgently, but how to let people know where they were? They could be miles away from town. Gammelnok could not see any houses, just trees and rocky hillsides.

"I am getting too old for this" Gammelnok thought and again dreamed of his garden pond where he intended to retire and end his long and eventful life in peace and quiet with his animal friends.

Absent-mindedly he dug into his Haversack, expecting it to be drenched and his few possessions ruined. But not so! To his surprise he found two rockets on sticks and a dry box of matches plus his carved Andalusian passport. Once again, his mother was there to help him out when he most needed it. Although he had to admit it seemed that he no longer had to rely so much on her help as he got further and further away from the top of the world where he had spent his early years. Maybe her powers of protection were wearing off as distance increased and time passed. What a sad thought.

Gammelnok lay back to rest and soon drifted off to sleep. The boy next to him was too exhausted to move and soon dropped off to sleep as well. The sun warmed them and dried their clothes.

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Meanwhile the two girls had made their way back into town and raised the alarm with the local police.