18 Dad's Story

18 Dad's Story 'It all began the night before my eighteenth birthday,' said Dad. 'I remember my mother sitting me down at the dining-room table and telling me that there was something I needed to know. A family secret.' Mum was still staring at Woodhouse, open-mouthed. The rat, slightly disconcerted by her reaction, had climbed up onto the control panel and was trying to avoid eye contact with her. 'It was all very odd,' continued Dad. 'She said that just before he died, my father had told her that we were distantly related to a famous Frenchman called Nicolas-Jacques Conté. Apparently, he was the inventor of the pencil. Not only that, but the prototype he made, the first ever pencil, had been passed

down through the generations of my father's family. Now that my father was gone and I was about to turn eighteen, it was time for me to inherit it. Then she pulled out a small wooden box and opened the lid. Inside I saw... that.' He pointed to Little Tail. Peanut pulled it from her bandolier and held it up to show Mum. ' She said it was known as Pencil Number One,' continued Dad. 'I thought it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. My mother said that not only was this a very famous and legendary artefact, but that my dad had told her it also held a myriad of strange and wonderful powers. She said it was far too delicate and precious to use, so I was to keep it hidden away in its special box. Er, Tracey, are you listening?'

Mum blinked several times and then jumped slightly as she woke from her talking-rat-induced trance. She turned to face her husband. ' Er, y-yes,' she said, her crossness slowly starting to return. 'You were saying something about your mum giving you a pencil. Big deal!' 'That's not all,' Dad said. 'She also told me about a hidden city. A place called Chroma.' 'Chroma?' said Mum. 'Little-Bit, didn't you just mention Chroma?' The little girl nodded. 'Now, this is the part that is going to be hard to get your head around, Tracey, but please try to be open-minded. Chroma is a place that exists entirely in another dimension. Only a few people ever get to visit. And it is a completely illustrated city.' 'Illustrated?' asked Mum. 'What on earth do you mean by that?' 'The city has been created by artists for artists. Literally. Drawn and painted and sculpted and sketched. And, what's more, Chroma is the creative hub of the entire world. Every single one of the great artists throughout history has visited the city, swum in its Rainbow Lake, and, as a result, become imbued with a wonderous sense of creativity. They've

then returned to the real world and created their incredible works of art.' The colour was beginning to return to Mum's cheeks now. 'OK, Well, you won't be surprised to hear that I have questions,' she said. 'Of course you do, but please let me finish first,' said Dad. 'I promise I'll answer everything when I'm done.' 'Go ahead,' Mum said. 'So, my mother told me that once I turned eighteen, I could visit Chroma whenever I wanted. She even told me how to get there. Apparently, there was a secret doorway at the National Portrait Gallery. A portal to the city, she said. It was years before I actually used it, mind you.' 'Really? Why didn't you go straight there?' asked Peanut. 'I would have.' 'I don't really know,' replied Dad. 'I guess I was a bit sceptical. I'm not sure I believed Gran, to be honest. It is a pretty wild story after all.' 'You can say that again,' said Mum, sarcastically. 'Instead, I put the box away and forgot all about it.' 'So when did you visit Chroma for the first time, Daddy?' asked Little-Bit. 'It was years before I thought about the illustrated city again. Just after your gran passed away, actually. When she died, everything she had told me came flooding back. I suddenly felt

a huge sense of responsibility to her and my father, and to the generations of Joneses that had gone before. I felt that it was my duty to learn more about the city, about my heritage. So I decided to go to the National Portrait Gallery. I found the portal, right behind the bust of Queen Victoria, just like Gran had said, and off I went to Chroma.'

'Gary, why didn't you tell me about all this back then?' asked Mum. Her voice was still angry, but starting to soften. I couldn't, Tracey,' he replied. 'You see, when I got to Chroma, I realised that there was, er, a dangerous element there, and I couldn't risk getting you and the kids caught up in it.' A dangerous element?' said Rockwell. ' Ah. So, that's when you learned about Mr White's plan to destroy the city and rid the world of all its creativity?' 'Yes,' said Dad. 'It's also when I joined the Resistance.' And soon after that, you told me about Chroma,' said Leo. 'You said certain forces were at play and you were worried that something might happen to you.' 'That's right,' agreed Dad. 'During my time with the Resistance, we learned that Mr White had heard that Conté's heir— that was me, of course— had surfaced. That made me the number one target. I knew that being taken prisoner or worse— was now a distinct possibility. I also knew how important it was that the pencil was kept safe. So I decided I had to tell Leo about it and give him instructions for what to do should anything happen to me.' 'Leo, you knew?' gasped Mum. Her son blushed and nodded. ' Mum, at first I was cross about that too,' said Peanut.