glance, really.”
“A glimpse?”
“Less than a glimpse, a peep.”
“A peek?”
“Exactly!” replied Elsie.
Dotty sighed heavily. “All right, then. Let’s have a peek at this manmoth.”
“I think it’s ‘mammoth’,” corrected Elsie.
“Yes, ‘manmoth’! That’s what I said.”
Elsie smiled, and pulled the lady along by her sleeve. “Dotty, come on…”
“I am not sliding down the banister!” protested Dotty.
“But it’s the fastest way down!” replied Elsie.
Dotty was right to be reluctant. It was an awfully long way from the topmost floor of the museum to the bottommost.
“In the time we’ve been arguing, we could already be at the bottom,” reasoned Elsie.
The girl clambered on to the banister. Dotty sighed, then hitched up her skirt and joined her.
“This is a very extremely bad idea,” said the lady.
It was too late.
WHOOSH!
“Ouch. Me bottom cheeks are ablaze!” complained Dotty.
“HOLD ON!” called out Elsie.
Soon they ran out of banister.
The girl landed on the floor.
THUD!
Dotty landed on top of her.
THUDDER!
Mesmerised, Elsie approached the Ice Monster. All that was separating the girl from a species that had become extinct thousands of years ago were a few inches of glass and ice.
“Funny-looking thing,” muttered Dotty.
“I think it’s beautiful,” whispered the girl. “It’s like the biggest cuddly toy in the whole wide world.”
Dotty chuckled. “I’m not sure it would be all that cuddly if it was alive. Now come on. We need to get out of here before Mr Clout comes back.”
The girl stood still.
“Elsie? ELSIE?”
The lady tugged at the little girl’s arm. “We need to go.”
“I don’t want to leave it alone here,” replied Elsie.
“You what?” Dotty couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“It looks sad.”
“You’d look sad if you’d been dead for ten thousand years!”
“Let me climb on your shoulders.”
“You what?”
“I need to take a closer look.”
“Young lady, we need to get out of here now, before the Queen Her Majesty comes back.”
“Quicker than a peek,” implored Elsie. “A peek-a-boo! I promise.”
“No! Now come on!” With that, Dotty tried to drag the girl out of the hall.
However, Elsie was far too quick for her. Before Dotty knew it, Elsie had climbed up her back.
“What the…?”
“Hold on to my ankles!” she ordered.
Elsie stood on the lady’s shoulders as a reluctant Dotty dutifully held on to her. The girl was now at head height with the mammoth. She pressed her nose up against the cold glass, and stared deep into one of its little black eyes.
“What are you doing up there?” called Dotty.
The truth was Elsie didn’t exactly know what she was doing up there. All she did know was that she was transfixed. She didn’t move. It was as if she were frozen solid too.
“We need to go!” implored Dotty.
Still Elsie stared. Then the most magical thing happened. It was a moment that changed everything. A bead of water formed in the creature’s eye.
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