The Magic Campervan, Book 3
Moroccan Blue
Chapter 1
A MEETING IN SEVILLE
‘Mama! Why don’t you listen?’ Irina shouted, buzzing in circles around the hotel room, looking for something, her phone most likely. 'We need to go to the car park in the Isla Magica to get the campervan. I saw it on the way from the airport.’ Irina pushed past Ben and grabbed the iPhone from her mother. ‘You are all so bleeping stupid!’
Ben looked sadly at Irina. She was brilliant but completely out of control. His mother told him he needed to be patient with her. She had ADHD/ODD and a bunch of other stuff beginning with A. Attitude. Anger. Anxiety. Ben thought, mainly, she was Annoying.
‘Irina, that was someone’s campervan. How you know it is for rent?’ Ruslana, her mother, asked calmly.
‘I know. You are all stupid.’
‘Irina, that is not nice way to talk,’ Ruslana said.
‘You think I care?’
Ben blocked his ears while they argued and got out his Kindle from his bag. They had arrived in Seville yesterday and were staying for a few days, and then they were supposed to be taking a boat over to Morocco in a campervan. Ruslana and his mother, Zadie, had always wanted to go. Irina wanted to go to a blue city – he forgot what it was called – but not Marrakesh. No one knew why. Ben didn’t really care. He just wanted to read in peace. Fortunately, he and his mum had their own room – although Irina and Ruslana seemed to be in it a lot. Ben was not looking forward to travelling in a campervan with Irina.
Ben and his mum lived in Tel Aviv, in Israel, in a three-bedroom apartment. His mother had met Ruslana in Moscow and Ruslana had moved to Israel as she said Russia was too cold and unfriendly. They lived in the same block so Ben saw Irina far too often for his liking. His mother and Ruslana wanted to move to Spain or Portugal although Ruslana was concerned that the schools wouldn’t be able to offer the best support for Irina but his mother argued having to run to air-raid shelters also wasn’t supportive.
Ben decided he would rather air-raid shelters than Irina.
‘Okay, why don’t we have a swim…’ his mum suggested.
‘The pool doesn’t open until midday,’ Irina snapped. ‘We can go now.’
‘There is no rush, sweetie,’ Ruslana said, her Russian vowels spilling out into the words. ‘Let’s go explore the hotel more.’
They were staying at a hotel in the old Jewish part of Seville. It was made up of twenty-seven old houses connected by lots of passageways and secret doors. Orangey-yellow patios with decorated arches formed a square, and the floors had lines of blue and white shiny tiles and zig-zagging orange and cream ones. A fountain with seven sides bubbled in the middle of one of the patios. A heptagon. Ben liked shapes. And he liked order. He liked that everything was balanced.
‘We can spend the day at Isla Magica and then tomorrow we take the campervan to Chefchaoen, the blue city,’ Irina announced. She took out her phone and flicked around on it. In micro-seconds, she had found the page with the sailing times from Algeciras to Tangier.
Irina wasn’t balanced.
‘Irina, honey,’ Zadie began. ‘We make the decisions, okay?’
‘You don’t. You’re not my mother,’ she said.
‘Irina, we need to relax,’ Ruslana said. She spoke in Russian to Irina. Ben spoke Hebrew, English and some Arabic but not much Russian. Irina spoke all four languages. They tended to speak English together.
‘Xorosho? (Ha-ra-show). You and Ben run and explore hotel while we have coffee in piano room.’
Ben’s heart sank. He grabbed hold of his mother’s hand and squeezed it. This meant that he needed her. In his other hand, he held the Kindle. He was reading, Letters from Rifka. It was a novel about a young Russian Jewish girl escaping from Russia to America. She must leave her family behind, and in the new world, she is bullied and alone. She decides to write a letter to her cousin. He had only read the first page but he already wished Irina was more like Rifka.
Irina stared at him as if he were a piece of poo covered in big shiny flies. She had dark frizzy hair and brown eyes. She wore her red fleece T-shirt and black shorts. She would only wear soft clothes. Anything else irritated her. Even more.
‘Thirty minutes,’ said his mum, taking his Kindle off him, then turning to Irina. ‘And then Ben wants to read his book for thirty minutes. Find something fun you can show us later. And we will talk about what to do. Come on. Let me lock the room.’
Ruslana started going down the dark staircase.
Ben thought he heard a scratching sound coming from the other side of the landing. He stopped to listen but Irina grabbed his arm and pulled him away. ‘Come on then, fly sheet.’
He nearly tripped over his own feet as he bumped down the stairs after her.
‘Ostaroshna, Irina!’ his mother called.
Careful wasn’t a word Irina seemed to understand. She hurtled around a corner, holding onto his arm, and continued down-down until they came to a small patio. She ran under the arches and then left again to a small staircase, her own arm stuck out behind her as she pulled him along
‘I’m not sure this is a good idea,’ Ben said, trying to shake her off, but she clung on like a crab. The stone staircase was dark, narrow and uninviting.
‘Come! Prickle pepper,’ Irina replied.
Ben had no choice but to stumble after her. She was always calling him names. They found themselves in a dark passageway underground. The ceiling and walls were like the sea bed – crumpled up rock. Low lights created more shadows than light. Irina slowed down. Ben yanked his arm free, making her stop.
‘We really shouldn’t be here.’
‘Why not?’
Irina walked on her own but more slowly this time. Ben turned to go back the way he had come but knew he couldn’t leave her on her own. Just then he heard a strange clicking noise coming from the other end of the passage.
‘What’s that?’ he hissed.
Pitter-patter. Pitter-patter. Pitter-patter. Pitter-patter.
‘I don’t know,’ said Irina, frozen momentarily.
Ben stopped. Whatever it was that was coming towards them also stopped. And grunted. Ben turned to run but Irina grabbed him again and held him.
Another grunt, almost a squeal. Then a black shadow came towards them.
Ben screamed. The shadow froze. Ben looked down. The shadow was big but the origin of the shadow was not much bigger than a Yorkshire terrier dog. It sniffed the air. It snorted. It wasn’t a dog.
It was a pig.
Chapter 2
THE PIG
‘A pig!’ said Irina. ‘What the singing bell’s a pig doing down here?!’ Irina said.
Ben had no idea.
‘Here piggy-piggy,’ said Irina, bending down.
‘It might bite,’ said Ben, stepping away. Pigs had all sorts of diseases, didn’t they? At the very least, they were dirty. Jewish law prohibited the eating of pigs. Not that they really followed Jewish laws. But even his mother said that it just wasn’t right to eat pigs – or any other animal for that matter. As for keeping one as a pet, Ben shivered.
Irina paid no attention anyway. Within seconds she’d picked it up and was stroking it.
‘What’s your name then?’ she asked.
Oink.
‘Oink? That’s a nice name.’
Irina was nicer to the pig than she was to him. The pig nuzzled into her neck.
‘He’s cute. Let’s take him to the room. We can keep him.’
Ben was about to protest but then he thought that at least they could get out of the tunnel. Ruslana would discover a pig in the bedroom and that would be the end of that. Only he didn’t want to get into trouble as well.
‘We could go to Reception?’ he attempted.
‘No. I want it.’ She looked at him. ‘Don’t worry, I’m not going to make him into bacon.’
With that, she turned and started to walk back the way they had come. Ben followed her reluctantly. Only she turned left instead of right and they ended up in another dark corridor, this one with a lit roof but still a tunnel. Then they came to a small open space with nothing in it except a few lights and pots. Ben had not been here before.
‘It’s this way,’ Irina said and marched forward, pig in arms.
But they came to more corridors and stairways. They went up and found another patio. Ben began to panic. How big was this place? Why couldn’t they find the way out? Then he noticed an arrow painted on the wall. He pointed it out to Irina.
‘I know,’ she said. They followed it and, after several more staircases and courtyards, came to one they recognised. Their mothers were drinking coffee in the bright green and orange patio and looking at their phones. Ben felt the darkness of the tunnels evaporate.
‘Tell them I’m going to my room,’ hissed Irina. ‘If you don’t, I’ll make sure I hurt you. Or kill you.’
Ben felt his chest climb steps as he inhaled. He didn’t like it when Irina hurt him.
‘Oh there you are,’ said his mother. ‘Did you get lost? Here’s your Kindle.’
Ben felt tears coming to his eyes. He wasn’t sure why.
‘Where you go, Irina?’ Ruslana called to her.
‘Toilet!’ she shouted, without turning round.
‘You need key!’
Ruslana gave the key to Ben who pretended not to see it. If her mother got up, then she would see what Irina was up to. He sat down and opened his Kindle.
‘Ben! Don’t be rude! Go and give the key to Irina.’
He shook his head but his mother gave him That Look. Ben took it reluctantly and walked slowly over to Irina who snatched it off him and ran up the stairs, the pig still in her arms. Ben went back to their mothers and, defeated, sat down with them. His mother asked him if everything was all right. Ben shrugged and opened his Kindle. He wanted to tell her but Irina would hurt him. He started to read and was soon engrossed in Letters from Rifka. He was vaguely aware that Ruslana and his mother were talking about Irina. They were always talking about her. He managed to shut them out until Ruslana announced that it was strange she hadn’t come back and stood up to go to look for her. Good, thought Ben.
‘I’ll come up with you,’ his mother said. ‘Do you want to stay here, Ben?’
Ben nodded. He did not want to be around when they found the pig. She would say that he had told them. His mother kissed him on the forehead and disappeared after Ruslana.
‘Peggy! PEGGY! Peggy!’ Children’s voices cried out. Then a dark boy and a pale girl appeared, looking anxious. They ran over to Ben.
‘Hello,’ said the blonde girl in a very English voice. ‘You haven’t seen a pig, have you? A black and white pet pig?’
‘Her name’s Peggy,’ the boy added. He sounded more American. He sniffed loudly.
Ben didn’t know what to say. The pig was clearly theirs. The boy wiped tears away from his large nose. But then there was Irina. He shook his head. Then had an idea.
‘I think I heard something near our room in the corridor. Through this patio and then outside over the courtyard and then up the stairs. First floor.’
The boy with the big wet nose looked relieved.
Oh, thank you!’ said the girl. ‘The hotel doesn’t allow pets. They said she could stay during the day as long as she behaved. We’ve only been here half an hour and we’ve lost her.’
They ran off in the direction Ben had told them.
Ben tried to read but couldn’t concentrate as he was imagining all that was going on in Irina’s room. Had her mum found the pig? Had the pig been reunited with the boy? He could imagine many scenarios, all angry. He was expecting to hear loud voices. So he was totally taken aback when he saw Irina coming slowly walking back with the two children. And no pig. She stared at him. He was in trouble.
‘Have you seen a pig, Ben?’ she demanded.
‘No,’ said Ben.
‘They said you’d heard one near our room?’
Oh no. His words stumbled out of his throat. ‘I … I thought I heard something.’
‘Well, it’s not there but we can help you look, can’t we, Ben?’
‘Yes.’
‘What does it look like?’
‘She’s black with wiry hair with a white bolt of lightning down the sides.’ The girl spoke. The boy’s dark eyes were looking everywhere but at him. His large nose dripped with tears.
‘Weird.’
‘Special.’
‘We need to find her,’ the boy spluttered. ‘I am taking her home to California.’
‘We will, don’t worry,’ the girl said. ‘Maybe you two go one way and we’ll go the other?’
Ben didn’t think this was a good idea. Once on his own with Irina, she would punish him.
‘Okay,’ Irina said. ‘We meet back here in fifteen minutes. Come on, Ben.’
She tried to lead him back in the direction of their room but the other two decided they would do that area. Irina decided that they would go up to the roof. Ben doubted the pig was there, and unfortunately, they needed to go up a dark staircase first. As soon as they entered, Irina hit him in the back and then pinched his arm. He screamed and raised his arm to protect himself. His Kindle fell to the floor.
‘You seeping idiot,’ she hissed. ‘You promised you wouldn’t tell them.’
‘I didn’t,’ said Ben. ‘I didn’t say anything. When we left the room, I heard some strange noises in the cupboard. That’s all I said to those kids.’
‘Liar.’
‘I’m not a liar!’ Ben cried. ‘I am going to tell Mummy what you did.’ He tried to run away but she held onto his T-shirt.
‘No, you’re not.’ She shoved him into the dark wall. He almost stumbled and fell. She seemed to have superhuman strength when she was angry. And she was angry. She would not let him go. He tried to wriggle free and fight her off but she just kept grabbing him, like a giant octopus. His mind raced. He needed to get away before she pushed him down the dark stairs.
‘Please, Irina. Let me get my Kindle and then we'll go up to the swimming pool.’
‘No, stupid worm. Your Kindle is history.’ She jumped on it.
Ben felt the tears burst from his eyes.
‘Ben?’ It was his mother.
‘Here!’ he called.
Irina gave him a final pinch and let him go.
‘We’re here, Zadie,’ Irina called out sweetly.
His mother appeared in the dark staircase. Ben wiped his eyes and breathed slowly.
‘What are you doing?’ his mother asked them, looking first at Irina, then Ben.
Ben looked down. His Kindle lay on the ground, cracked.
‘Oh, we were looking for the other kids’ pig,’ said Irina, all smiles. ‘Ben dropped his Kindle, didn’t you, Ben?’
‘PIG? What pig? Oh dear, Ben. We can’t afford another.’
Tears ran down his face. His mother went to hug him. Ben swooped up his broken Kindle, pushed his mother away, and ran back to the cafe patio they had been in earlier. Irina chased after him. ‘Go away!’ he turned round and shouted. ‘You’re a horrible girl.’
‘It’s your fault, stupid. You told on me. What did you expect?’
‘No. I. Didn’t.’ Her feet pounded behind him. He vaguely heard his mother call after him. Ben didn’t know where he was going. He headed for their room, hoping he would bump into Ruslana.
But as he ran outside into the courtyard, he saw the other two kids coming out of their entrance. The boy had the pig in his arms. Ben stopped. So did Irina.
‘Oh, you found it,’ she said, not quite happily.
‘Yes,’ the boy said quietly, stroking the little pig as tenderly as a little puppy. It licked his big nose. 'She was tied up in a cupboard. Near your room. Poor Peggy.’
‘Did you do that?’ the girl asked Irina.
‘No, why would I do that?’ Irina hissed.
‘I don’t know,’ the blonde girl said thoughtfully. ‘Maybe you wanted her for yourself. I think, Alfie, we have found the kids Merida sent us to get. I’m Lilly, by the way.’
Chapter 3
THE KIDS WITH THE PIG
‘Who’s Merida?’ Irina asked.
‘Merida is amazing. You’ll love her,’ said Lilly. ‘My mum and I travelled with her from Portugal to England, and Alfie and his dads travelled from England to Portugal and Spain.’
Ben had no idea what they were talking about. His arm hurt and he wanted to lie down. He suddenly felt tired. They were standing in the back courtyard surrounded by the orange-yellow walls. The sun had risen high enough to reach the ground. It was hot. He stepped back into the shadows. The other boy nuzzled the pig, talking softly to it. Ben thought it very possible that Irina had locked it in a cupboard. That would explain why their mothers hadn’t discovered it. It didn’t explain the noise he heard earlier, but maybe that was a coincidence.
‘Ah, Merida is the campervan, isn’t she?’ Irina said.
Ben and the other two looked at her in surprise.
‘I saw her when we came from the airport. She’s parked up near Isla Magica.’
‘Yes. How did you know?’ asked Lilly.
Irina shrugged. ‘We drove past.’
