I’m going to tell you how a dirty old key I found in a gutter changed my life …

Chapter 1
School
I was poor, and had been wishing my whole life to become a spy. The children at my school thought I was weird and so told all the new kids not to be my friend. I had moved school five times but it was always the same.
One day when I was walking home from school I heard a “Ting!” from the gutter next to me. I looked down when suddenly a slimy arm shot up, a hand grabbed my ankle, and started pulling me down underground!

Chapter 2
The Key
I hit the floor with a splash into the mouldy old water. But there was one thing that made the drains shimmer. It was coming from the water... I reached down and searched along the bottom of the floor. My hand hit something – it felt weird, all cold and rusty, but I just had to have a look at it. So, I pulled my hand up slightly and a sort of loop was showing. I pulled it up a bit more to discover a big golden key!!!
Then I remembered that slimy hand that took me down here. If only I could remember which way that thing went! I sat there thinking: which tunnel should I take?
I should have brought my dog Scruff. Scruff would have sensed The Thing!

Chapter 3
Scruff To The Rescue
Then I knew. I would take the middle tunnel. I remembered my Grandma always telling me:”Left and Right bring a fright!” So I waded through the middle tunnel hoping to go back up into my world.
Then in front of me I saw light coming from a manhole. There was something poking down from the manhole. It sort of looked like a snout with three whiskers, a nose like a dog and exactly the same smile as – SCRUFF!
Oh, I was so pleased! I was full of joy and everything good. My own pet had come to rescue me! I ran towards him and grabbed his paws to pull me up. But then I had a familiar sensation on my leg that I had already experienced today.
It felt like a slimy hand! Suddenly it tripped me over, pulling me and Scruff to the floor.
I couldn’t believe it! My only chance of escaping had just flown down the drain.

Chapter 4
The Thing
Just in the nick of time, I saw The Thing (the slimy hand) slipping around the corner. I could tell Scruff had seen it as well, for he was racing after it.
I followed too. It was almost as if The Thing wanted us to follow it. Then suddenly The Thing grabbed Scruff and whipped round another corner.
I was scared! All alone in the dark, with no lantern. I yawned. I turned a corner into a dead end. I wouldn’t have been down here in the first place if it wasn’t for ...YES! The key! I searched the door-shaped dead end for a keyhole.
And ... I found it! Carefully, I put the key in the keyhole and turned it, and to my amazement - the door opened!

Chapter 5
The Challenge
There in front of me was a completely black-painted room, just like rooms in the books I’d read about spies!
Then I heard a little squeaky voice say: “Followed me, eh? Well, I bet you can’t get through
this ...”
“Who are you?” I said.
“Well, do you want your dog back?”
“Yes, yes,” I answered.
“Well then, follow me.” The Voice echoed away, followed by a ‘splat, splat’ sound.
Then suddenly The Voice said:
“Now STOP!” In front of me, a strip of light shone along a corridor. I took one step and a laser puzzle suddenly flowed out of the sides.
Then The Voice spoke again.
“If you can get through this, you can get to your dog ...” but then it spoke faintly. I couldn’t hear very well, but I got ‘Life ... better ...’ and ‘... save ...’ Anyway, the only thing that gave me courage at that moment was the thought of poor old Scruff.
The first laser was quite easy, all I had to do was step over it. The next one was a bit higher and had another laser crossing it. I bent very low but it was still quite tricky.
Then something happened, something I really didn’t expect. I found myself doing backflips and diving through the corridor!

Chapter 6
Boff
I landed with a thump in front of a big black door. A scratching sound was coming from the other side.
I got the key out of my pocket and slid it in, but I didn’t need to turn it this time. The door swung open and a small figure jumped on me, licking me to death and wagging its tail like a helicopter.
There was a dark voice.
“Welcome!” he said.
I answered: “Wh...wh...who are you?”
“I am Boff,” he said. I giggled in my head.
“And,” he carried on, “I have realised you have been bullied for your dream of becoming a spy.”
“Yes, yes,” I said.
“Do you ...”
“Wait, wait,” I interrupted. “First tell me why you brought Scruff here.”
So he told me the story of how he knew I loved Scruff and so, if he took him, I would go after him and he would bring me to the challenge.
He said “If you could make it through the Laser Challenge, you’d be on your way to becoming a spy! And you did.”

Chapter 7
Anything?
“What about the key?” I asked.
“Well, that key is a very special key given to me by my great ancestor Alexandre.”
“And what does it unlock?”
“ANYTHING secret! I mean, there could be a secret world out there just waiting to be found ...”
“ANYTHING?” I said.
“Anything,” he replied.

Chapter 8
Dinner!
“Uh ...!”
“What is it,” said Boff.
“My dinner! My Mum! My family! I’ve got to get home.”
Well then, it’s time for your first ride on the ... Axy!”
There was a great big hovering board in front of me. He pointed to the controls, told me how to start it and how to change gear.
“But I’ll get lost,” I said.
“Not with this map,” he boasted. “You just say the address or place and it will take you there – oh, and if your ear starts to ring come back here as soon as possible.”
“O.K.!” I said, and whizzed off.
(Five minutes later)
I opened the door and there was Mum sitting in the chair and staring into the fire. By my side, Scruff jumped over my foot and curled up by the fire. My Mum noticed and turned around to look at me, her eyes beginning to water.
“Eat your dinner,” she gulped, and pointed to the table, where there was a bowl of steaming soup in my place.
Of course, we only ever had soup because we were poor.

Chapter 9
A Mission
The next morning I woke with a ringing in my ear. I looked at the clock – it was twenty past one in the morning! But I had to go, so after getting changed I ran downstairs, made a quick breakfast, grabbed Scruff and ran to the Axy.
We arrived at H.Q. where Boff was sitting in his chair.
“What is it now?” I asked.
“We have a case of rats taking over the world! And there’s a sort of door just appeared in Elizabeth Park in London. We want YOU to try The Key in the door. And at least get Scruff to kill some of those rats!”

Chapter 10
The Secret World
Finally I found the door, and set Scruff on the rats. I fitted The Key in the door and it opened! I found myself in what was basically a mirror of OUR world, except there were no rats or people there, just buildings.
Suddenly I heard a rumble behind me and a whole herd of people charged into the new world and started to find their houses.
I even saw my Mum! Sooner or later, everyone was in the Mirror World, safe from the rats, settling in and farming.
Then I felt a hand on my shoulder.
A gold badge was given to me that said SPY (I saved the world!).
My dream of being a spy had finally come true, and my life had changed forever.

The End