Babes In WENNLand, Part 12

She gasped as they tip-toed across the room. It opened into an enormous conveyor belt that rolled into a round, pot-bellied furnace the size of an ocean liner. The room was dark...but there was enough light to see trolls loading boxes and crates of toys onto the belt, including most of the big toy soldiers!

Scott lay among the masses of toys. He was bound tightly with heavy twine and gagged with an old rag. He struggled and snarled, trying to get free. The conveyor belt moved closer and closer to the hot, smoldering flames. It was already consuming massive amounts of trash.

Betty was trying to kick at Barnaby, ignoring her shoe flying off. “Let him go! Let him and the toys go free!”

“Oh, I will.” Barnaby turned to her and grinned wickedly. “If you marry me.”

“I...” Betty looked out to Scott, who watched with wide, horrified brown eyes. “I can't...”

“Would you rather your beloved thief was burnt to a crisp, not to mention most of your inventory?” Barnaby smirked. “There's the issue of your mother's mortgage, too. I could still throw you all into the streets.”

Betty finally looked at her one bare foot. “I have no choice. I'll marry you.”

“No!” Lisa and Alan burst into the room, with Maple and Mackie close behind.

Barnaby just made a face. “What in Toyland are all of you doing here?”

“We'd like to ask you the same thing!” Maple put her hands on her hips. “Why are you so interested in Betty n' Scotty, anyway?”

“Haven't you figured that out yet, foolish shepherdess?” He grabbed Betty's arm. “Miss Blue here is a very attractive woman with many...assets.” He ran his fingers over her arm, gazing at her like a cat about to eat a canary.

Betty tried to pull her arm away as Scott yelled under the gag. “Stop that! You're scaring me.”

The trolls who were tying Scott to the conveyor belt were already gathering around Mackie and Maple. Alan ducked under the troll's arms. Lisa followed him.

“Lisa,” Alan said, rushing over to the conveyor belt, “do you remember what happened the last time I used my slingshot at home?”

“Yeah.” Lisa ducked under two trolls who were leaping for her at the same time. They ended up running into each other and knocking themselves out. “You hit Mr. Warkowski's second-story window and broke his favorite vase. Which, I may remind you, you're still paying for out of your allowance.”

“Geez sis, I didn't know he had that ol' thing in the window!” Alan was digging through the piles of toys on the belt. “I'm gonna keep Mr. Barnaby busy. You get Scott.”

“But Alan...”

She heard Betty scream. Barnaby had her over his shoulder. “Take care of them, my pets! I have to get to the Festival!”

Maple was swatting trolls away with her cane. “Hey! Barnaby never told me where my sheep are!”

Lisa wasn't very good with knots, but with Mackie Winkie's help, she did manage to get Scott untied. “Thanks, folks,” Scott said as they helped him roll off. “Now we've just got to get the toys off of there, before...”

Even as he landed feet-first on the ground, they heard the sound of a “ping” against metal. The conveyor belt came to a grinding, rusty halt. Alan stood under what looked like a grimy old lever, grinning.

“Nice work, little brother!” Lisa gave him a little hug.

“What are we going to do about these guys?” Maple indicated the unconscious trolls on the ground, thanks to Maple's crook.

Scott grabbed the twine. “I don't think this will last for very long, but it should work long enough for us to get out of here.”

“Allow me.” Lisa's eyes widened when the ropes suddenly went around the trolls by themselves! Mr. Eldridge stood behind them, smiling. “Well, at least I got them all on this time. The last time I tied rope, it ended up on my hand. It was a strange place for rope, but if that's where it wanted to be...”

“Grandpa!” Alan ran over to him first. “Are you all right? Did those trolls hurt you?”

“The trolls?” Mr. Eldridge looked confused for a minute. Then a light almost seemed to go on in his eyes. “Oh, those things.” He shrugged. “I don't think they ever saw me. I disappeared from there, and reappeared here. It's just a matter of making things go from one place to another.”

“We've got to get out to the Christmas Festival.” Scott was already taking a sword from one of the toy soldiers. “Barnaby has Betty, and he's got something up his sleeve for Santa.”

“But if we go out there, we'll just get caught by Barnaby and his boys.” Mackie gulped. “They already tried to get rid of Scott. What if they hurt the rest of us?”

Alan bit his lip. “It would take a whole army to take on those guys!”

That was when Lisa looked at one of the soldiers laying on the conveyor belt. “We do have an army!” She started to tug at the soldier's arm. “We have the tin soldiers! Remember how they threw Barnaby out yesterday?”

“Yeah!” Alan tried to help her. Scott, Maple, and Mackie pushed off toys and dragged out more. Mr. Eldridge made the rest appear on the floor. They were battered and dented, but most of them seemed to be largely intact.

“Well, what are you all waiting for?” Maple grabbed the key on the back of the soldier closest to her. “Wind them up as fast as you can!”

Lisa and Alan wound the one nearest to them together. They ducked aside as the soldier slowly and stiffly rose to his feet. Lisa was surprised to see that her grandfather just needed to touch them to bring them to life.

Lisa and Alan's eyes widened. “How did you do that?” Lisa asked, surprised.

“Oh, I can do a lot of things you wouldn't believe.” Mr. Eldridge smiled. “That's why it's called 'magic.'”

Scott was winding up the last one. “We have to get out to the Christmas Festival.”

Alan climbed onto a soldier's shoulders. “Hey, this is great!” He grinned. “Come on, sis! This is fun! I can see everyone up here!”

Lisa smiled. “Well...why not?” She managed to climb onto a soldier's shoulders. He adjusted her, pulling her legs around his neck. She was surprised when he actually looked up and grinned at her.

Scott had snared one of the toy soldiers' tall red and gold-trimmed hats and shiny swords. “Ok everyone, let's move 'em out!” He grabbed Mackie by his collar and set off first, followed by Maple and her crook, then the soldiers and the planes, with Mr. Eldridge bringing up the rear.

“How are we going to get out of here?” Lisa wondered as they clattered across the stone floor of the basement.

“This way.” Scott turned to the largest tin soldier. “Oh officer, would you open that door for us?” The tin soldier did so...punching a hole in the door and reaching in to open the knob!

Maple raised an eyebrow. “Uh...remind me not to ever upset you boys.”

Mackie gulped and ducked behind her. “I kind of like my face. I'd rather you boys twisted the trolls like that.”

Lisa had never been a part of such a parade! Drummers rolls their sticks. Cymbals crashed. The music coming from Toyland Town square seemed to augment the clip-clatter of the toy soldiers. Mr. Eldridge made even more appear, seemingly made from the iron posts around the fences at the factory. One minute, they were just long poles...the next, human-like soldiers.

“But Grandpa...how?” Lisa asked as they marched along the rock candy road. “How can you do that? You can't do it at home! There's no way!”

Mr. Eldridge took the child's hand. “Lisa, magic is something that can't be explained. Sometimes, you just have to believe. I know I do, and I'm far older than you or your mother.”