Читать книгу The Ice Monster - David Walliams, Quentin Blake, Tony Ross - Страница 21

Sitting on a grand chair that made her look even smaller than her actual size (and she already looked extremely small) was . Gathered behind her was a sea of old men with white beards, spectacles and stern expressions. They looked like learned men: scientists, explorers and politicians.

Mr Clout circled the room like a hungry shark, ready to attack anyone who made a lunge for Her Majesty. Commissioner Barker was doing the exact same thing. The pair kept on bumping into each other.

“OOF!”

“OUT OF THE WAY, YOU FOOL!” growled Barker.

Masked by a red velvet curtain, something the size of a house was standing in front of the tiny queen.

A portly man stepped forward and addressed the gathering. He was the director of the Natural History Museum, Sir Ray Lankester.

“Your Majesty, my lords, gentlemen…” he began.

“SPEAK UP!” shouted .

Elsie put her hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle. She wouldn’t have had Her Majesty down as a heckler.

Poor Lankester looked aghast, as you might if the most powerful person in the world was barracking you. The man tried to carry on as best he could.

“YOUR MAJESTY, MY LORDS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,” he began again, his voice cracking with nerves. “As director of the Natural History Museum, it is a huge honour to house what I am sure you will all agree is the greatest find of the century. When a group of explorers set off across the Arctic…”

“GET ON WITH IT!” shouted the Queen.

“Yes, yes, of course, Your Majesty. I am very sorry. I know you have an empire to run. Will you please do us all the honour of unveiling this creature dubbed the ‘Ice Monster’, which has been perfectly preserved in the ice for thousands of years?”

With some difficulty, the Queen stood up. Her handsome attendant Abdul Karim went to help her.

“I can do it, thank you very much, Munshi!”* she snapped.

“As you wish, Your Majesty,” he purred.

“Actually, can you help me?” she asked, looking a little wobbly.

Abdul gracefully took her arm, and she shuffled over to the exhibit.

“It gives one great pleasure,” began the Queen, “to declare this woolly mammoth open.”

With that, she tugged on the cord, and the velvet curtain slipped to the floor.

S I L E N C E.

There it was.

In all its glory.

Housed in a huge glass tank.

Suspended in ice.

The mammoth.

Perfectly preserved.

It was impossible to believe it had been dead for ten thousand years. To all appearances, it could have died yesterday.

The creature looked like a cross between an elephant and a teddy bear. The tusks were long and curled, like the moustaches of many of the fusty old men gathered in the museum. Between the tusks hung a long, furry trunk. The mammoth’s body was covered in coarse brown hair, with a thicker and darker tuft on its head like a wig. Its legs were as wide as tree trunks, leading down to four clumpy feet. Its eyes were open. They were small and black, and shaped like tears.

For Elsie, it was love at first sight. This was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Her heart soared, and her mind began dancing with pictures.

Here she was stroking the animal’s fur. There she was riding on its back. Then she was being held by its long, furry trunk.

Just as she was flying off into a land of make-believe, Elsie sensed someone standing right behind her. The girl was frozen in fear. She couldn’t even turn her head to look round. Then she felt a hand come to rest on her shoulder. Elsie gasped for air to let out a cry…

“HUH!”

…but she couldn’t.

A hand was covering her mouth.