…’ He shook his head. He didn’t want to think about that.
‘Hmm. Maybe next time, you’ll be able to spend longer.’
‘Next time?’ Kip glared at Mr Lazarus. ‘What makes you think there’s going to be a “next time?”’
Mr Lazarus smiled.
‘Because you said it was cool. And it
is
amazing, you have to admit.’
Kip had to think about that one. Somehow, he couldn’t bring himself to lie about it.
‘It could be great,’ he admitted. ‘Maybe if the film had been safer, a comedy or whatever, where the worst thing that could be thrown at you is a custard pie.
That
might be worth a go.’
Mr Lazarus smiled triumphantly.
‘I
knew
you’d appreciate it,’ he said. ‘You’ve got cinema in your blood, Kip. The Lazarus Enigma was made for people like you. But we’ve got to make a deal, yes? The machine has to be our secret. You can’t tell anybody else about it. Agreed?’
Kip nodded. ‘There’s no way I’d mention it to anyone,’ he said. ‘They’d think I’d lost the plot. Besides, if other people found out about what you’ve got there, who knows what could happen? There’d be idiots queuing up around the block wanting to go into a movie. We could probably charge admission …’
He saw Mr Lazarus’s eyes widen as though this idea hadn’t occurred to him.
‘Oh no,’ said Kip. ‘No way! I want you to get a blanket and cover that thing up. If Dad ever found out about it, I don’t know what he’d say.’ The mention of his father made him look at his watch. ‘I’d better get home,’ he said. ‘Dad will be wondering where I am.’
‘You won’t mention what happened today?’
‘Are you kidding? I’m still not sure I believe it myself.’
He opened the door of the projection room and he and Mr Lazarus walked out into the empty auditorium.
‘Kip. Aren’t you forgetting something?’
‘Hmm?’
‘The Retriever. I need to put it somewhere safe.’
‘Oh yeah, right.’ Kip reached under his T-shirt and pulled out the device. He unhooked it from around his neck and looked at it for a moment, marvelling at how a piece of Perspex with a single button on it could have saved his life. Then he handed it to Mr Lazarus.
‘And the Communicator,’ Mr Lazarus reminded him.
Kip nodded. He unstrapped the leather holster and handed it over.
‘Thank you, Kip.’ Mr Lazarus slipped the Retriever into his waistcoat pocket and slung the holster across his shoulder. ‘I’ll make sure everything’s locked up before I leave,’ he said.
Kip studied him for a moment.
‘But you
don’t
leave, do you?’
‘Hmm?’ Mr Lazarus attempted an innocent look, but it didn’t quite come off.
‘You live in the projection room,’ said Kip. ‘That’s what the bed’s for.’
Mr Lazarus smiled sheepishly.
‘You are an observant boy,’ he said. ‘I would prefer it if you didn’t mention this to your father.’
‘Oh, I’ll add it to the list,’ said Kip. He unlocked the main doors and stepped out onto the street. He stood for a moment, blinking around in the unexpected sunlight. After his trip into
Public Enemy Number One
, even the ordinary looked somehow weird. He glanced up and down the road, half expecting to see a line of rickety black cars speeding towards him. But everything seemed normal. He shook his head and started walking back towards home. By the time he’d reached his street, his mind was whirring. He realised it was wrong, and probably crazy, but he was already putting together a list in his head; a list of the films he wouldn’t mind making a brief appearance in.
CHAPTER NINE
KIP COULDN’T STOP himself from thinking back to his brief visit into the movie. It had all flashed by so quickly, he’d hardly had time to register what was happening to him. Now he thought that if the opportunity came up to visit a gentler, less dangerous film, he might just ask Mr Lazarus to send him in. How brilliant would it be to visit a fantastic world of science fiction? Or to
‘Hmm. Maybe next time, you’ll be able to spend longer.’
‘Next time?’ Kip glared at Mr Lazarus. ‘What makes you think there’s going to be a “next time?”’
Mr Lazarus smiled.
‘Because you said it was cool. And it
is
amazing, you have to admit.’
Kip had to think about that one. Somehow, he couldn’t bring himself to lie about it.
‘It could be great,’ he admitted. ‘Maybe if the film had been safer, a comedy or whatever, where the worst thing that could be thrown at you is a custard pie.
That
might be worth a go.’
Mr Lazarus smiled triumphantly.
‘I
knew
you’d appreciate it,’ he said. ‘You’ve got cinema in your blood, Kip. The Lazarus Enigma was made for people like you. But we’ve got to make a deal, yes? The machine has to be our secret. You can’t tell anybody else about it. Agreed?’
Kip nodded. ‘There’s no way I’d mention it to anyone,’ he said. ‘They’d think I’d lost the plot. Besides, if other people found out about what you’ve got there, who knows what could happen? There’d be idiots queuing up around the block wanting to go into a movie. We could probably charge admission …’
He saw Mr Lazarus’s eyes widen as though this idea hadn’t occurred to him.
‘Oh no,’ said Kip. ‘No way! I want you to get a blanket and cover that thing up. If Dad ever found out about it, I don’t know what he’d say.’ The mention of his father made him look at his watch. ‘I’d better get home,’ he said. ‘Dad will be wondering where I am.’
‘You won’t mention what happened today?’
‘Are you kidding? I’m still not sure I believe it myself.’
He opened the door of the projection room and he and Mr Lazarus walked out into the empty auditorium.
‘Kip. Aren’t you forgetting something?’
‘Hmm?’
‘The Retriever. I need to put it somewhere safe.’
‘Oh yeah, right.’ Kip reached under his T-shirt and pulled out the device. He unhooked it from around his neck and looked at it for a moment, marvelling at how a piece of Perspex with a single button on it could have saved his life. Then he handed it to Mr Lazarus.
‘And the Communicator,’ Mr Lazarus reminded him.
Kip nodded. He unstrapped the leather holster and handed it over.
‘Thank you, Kip.’ Mr Lazarus slipped the Retriever into his waistcoat pocket and slung the holster across his shoulder. ‘I’ll make sure everything’s locked up before I leave,’ he said.
Kip studied him for a moment.
‘But you
don’t
leave, do you?’
‘Hmm?’ Mr Lazarus attempted an innocent look, but it didn’t quite come off.
‘You live in the projection room,’ said Kip. ‘That’s what the bed’s for.’
Mr Lazarus smiled sheepishly.
‘You are an observant boy,’ he said. ‘I would prefer it if you didn’t mention this to your father.’
‘Oh, I’ll add it to the list,’ said Kip. He unlocked the main doors and stepped out onto the street. He stood for a moment, blinking around in the unexpected sunlight. After his trip into
Public Enemy Number One
, even the ordinary looked somehow weird. He glanced up and down the road, half expecting to see a line of rickety black cars speeding towards him. But everything seemed normal. He shook his head and started walking back towards home. By the time he’d reached his street, his mind was whirring. He realised it was wrong, and probably crazy, but he was already putting together a list in his head; a list of the films he wouldn’t mind making a brief appearance in.
CHAPTER NINE
KIP COULDN’T STOP himself from thinking back to his brief visit into the movie. It had all flashed by so quickly, he’d hardly had time to register what was happening to him. Now he thought that if the opportunity came up to visit a gentler, less dangerous film, he might just ask Mr Lazarus to send him in. How brilliant would it be to visit a fantastic world of science fiction? Or to
Similar Books
