Todd Frogley and the Camelot Knigtmare Read online

  ‘Hey, Bertha,’ the man called over his shoulder to someone inside. ‘You should see this. There’s a kid out here wearing clothes.’

  The squeal of disgust from Bertha told Todd there was no help from that quarter. Every village has its idiot, he told himself. Trust me to land in one with more than its share. He sped on in the direction of the church. A naked woman pushing a pram screamed as he passed her.

  ‘Don’t worry, love,’ the man chasing Todd panted. ‘I’ll soon have those clothes off him.’

  Todd dodged into the churchyard. Surely the priest or vicar would help him. But the dozen or so people at the church porch were all naked. The man wearing the cross on a chain and nothing else must be the priest. There were gasps and squeals as the parishioners caught sight of the clothed boy. Todd spun around. His pursuers were only yards away. He swerved aside only to find one of the churchgoing men heading him off. Others joined the chase. Todd dodged between gravestones as his eyes searched in desperation for an escape route. The churchyard was surrounded by high walls. The way to the gate was manned. He was trapped. Soon he’d be as naked as the rest of them.

  The tree! That was his last hope. It dominated a corner of the churchyard, an old oak with handy low branches. He feinted his way past the nearest pursuer and lunged for the bottom branch. As he made it to the next branch a hand grabbed his shoe. Todd shook his foot violently and the man let go. Seconds later he was high enough in the branches to feel safe. He took the colliderscope from his belt and prepared to make his escape that way. When he looked down there were at least a dozen naked people looking up at him. The man who had first pursued him was climbing the tree, agile as a monkey.

  ‘Get down here this minute, young man, and get those clothes off!’

  Todd climbed higher but it was difficult while holding the colliderscope. Below he heard a woman make tut–tutting noises.

  ‘Can you believe this? What’s the world coming to when young people behave so indecently?’

  ‘Aye,’ an old man with skin like a saggy baggy elephant said. ‘Way thing are going these days next thing you know we’ll all be murdered in our beds.’

  ‘I blame his parents.’ A skinny middle–aged woman said. ‘What kind of parents would allow their child to go around wearing clothes.’

  Todd paused for breath and looked down. The man was still climbing after him. How ridiculous is this? Todd thought. I’m the only one with clothes on but it’s me that’s indecent? He reached for the next branch. And missed it.

  In his panic he let go off the colliderscope. As it dropped it lodged in a fork of the tree and stayed there. Todd didn’t. He kept falling. Below him the nudies waited.

  The End

  Will Todd Frogley escape Nudie World with his clothing and dignity intact. You’ll need to read Book 2 of Colliderscope to find out.

  (End of Book 1. word count 14,000)

  Contact the author

  info@willbrileycom

  www.willbriley.com

  fb.com/willbrileywriting

  Reviews

  Reviews are welcomed

  Acknowledgements

  The author wishes to thank Gabriel Riley for his inspiration

  Other books by Will B Riley

  Todd Frogley and The Nudie World Book 2 of Colliderscope

  Todd Frogleyand The Upside Down World Book 3 of Colliderscope

  Todd Frogley and The 20,000 foot fall Book 4 of Colliderscope

  Todd Frogley and The Haunted Chair Book 5 of Colliderscope

  Short Scary Stuff. Short Stories

  Short Funny Stuff Short Stories

  All You Who Enter Here. A haunted house story (Adult)

  Whitecastle. Fantasy. Book 1 of Adela’s Quest

  Ghast Henom. Fantasy. Book 2 of Adela’s Quest

  A Battle of Giants. Fantasy. Book 3 of Adela’s Quest

  The Stranger in my Head. A young adult thriller