Page 138 of Shroom for Improvement

Okay. I could do this. If Claude learned how to conjure lightning, I could drive a fucking car.

I stuck the key in the ignition and twisted it. The engine screamed into life.

But which was the go pedal, and which was the stop? Fuck fuck fuck. And why was there a third?

The clutch, was that the clutch?

Focus, Sonny, you can do this.

I took a punt and smashed my foot onto the right pedal. The car roared and bounded forwards.

Good, that was the right one.

I just needed to... I needed to put it in gear.

I needed to—

In the rear-view mirror I saw a bird-like creature zooming towards me with a wingspan of about ten feet. It blocked out all the light.

Holy fuck, Jasper was flying at me.

I slammed my foot onto the clutch, shoved the gear stick into the “one” position, and swapped it for the gas.

The truck lurched forward. And the engine cut out.

I’d stalled it.

I turned the ignition again, put my foot on the gas, and the car moved forward. It didn’t die.

I kept moving forward.

Pedal to the metal.

And now I was putting a gap between the truck and Jasper.

A wider gap.

The vehicle was screaming at me to change gears, but I didn’t want to risk stalling again.

A wider gap.

Wider still. Until Jasper stopped.

In the rear-view mirror, I watched his feet touch back down onto solid ground.

And he gave up the chase.

Once I could no longer see him, I attempted to change to second gear. I pressed my foot onto the clutch, slid the stick backwards into the number two position, and took my foot off the clutch. It was so much easier than I had expected it to be. The engine was still screaming, so I slid it into third, and then fourth. And I let my breath escape in one whoosh.

I still needed to figure out how to turn, and I wasn’t really sure what all the knobs and buttons and dials meant, but I didn’t care. So long as I stayed out of Jasper’s reach, and didn’t get pulled over by the police, I was sure I’d make it back to Stinkhorn Manor in time.

The Earth Bells

Claude

I checked Oggy’s vitals, made sure her airways were clear, and turned her on her side in case she threw up. Willow had regained enough sense to fetch another blanket and place it over Oggy’s tiny sleeping body. They put a cushion on the ground and sat cross-legged atop it.

“She’s in shock,” they said. “Sometimes this happens. When she wakes up, I’ll make her some hot chocolate.”

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