The latest release is out! Rod and Tod is being serialised here on Nocterna Books. See what the two mischievous clouds are up to as they put other worlds in peril by creating and mutating new creatures.

Download the second part right here: Chapter 1 Part II Rod and Tod

The first, and all the other parts are available by clicking here.

 

Alternatively you can read it below:

Rod and Tod Chapter 1 – Crude Creations (Part II)

Rod was now beaming with delight. Obscure but regular would be fine – a breeze even, but he must not get complacent with it.

Rod closed his eyes and Tod drifted back away from the golden rock to allow his friend the space to carry out the activity. The expression on Rod’s face did not alter and the same broad smile remained.

The rock jiggled a bit, then shot through the white shade of colour beneath them. Silence enveloped the area the two clouds occupied. Rod looked longingly at Tod, desperately seeking approval.

Tod gave him a menacing stare at first, which made Rod feel uneasy.

“Just kidding, you did great. I believe that is an earthling expression. Now let’s enjoy the ride.”

Rod laughed aloud and both clouds began to circle each other in what resembled some form of ritual dance. Both hollered, screamed, cackled and generally made as much noise as they possibly could. Undeniably the operation had already been deemed a solid success.

The rain continued to pour down over Central London. It was of course a typical summer’s day in the capital and whilst the temperature was not low, the rain was doing its best to saturate everything it could. It seemed to possess a mind of its own and was purposely harassing those who were dry. People scrambled with waterproofs, coats and hats, desperately seeking cover.

Oxford Street itself was still well populated and business was thriving. Stretching further into Soho left a little more to be desired. It had become a proverbial ghost town. There was not a soul in sight.

Tucked away down a small alley off Wardour Street lay a toppled-over wheelie bin, with its contents strewn around the confined area. A trail of ants was attempting to brave the hurricane like weather and to make its way inside a white pizza box searching for the treasure within.

Just beside this lay an encyclopaedia. The page was open on a definition of the mainland of the United Kingdom. Adjacent to the encyclopaedia and resting against it, was a pile of what could only be described as green sludge. It was not a clear or bright green, but rather a mishmash of various colours that had all been mixed together. It was not unlike the appearance of plasticine after everyone has had a turn and all the colours have gone and merged into one dark, murky-green colour.

One ant moved towards a small gap in the pizza box but was quickly blown away by a voice. “These ants are ruining my rest. I don’t have any slices left. Go away.”

“Sssshhhhh. The last lot of people who heard you sprinted away from us. You need to be quiet,” said the encyclopaedia.

The sludge was fast to comment on this, “Calm down. It’s not as if those people didn’t have a choice. They could have carried on about their business as normal. What’s with the ants? They are attracted to you, or to your interior I should say.”

The pizza box sighed and blew away a couple of ants that had become far too intrusive. “It’s not me they want, it’s what’s inside me.”

“Old pizza I assume?” said the encyclopaedia.

“No it is not pizza scraps. It’s some old apple crumble. My guess is that the people who ordered me could not finish their dessert and simply dumped it on me.”

The group was fine with this perfectly logical explanation, but only momentarily. The sludge was the first to speak and one could easily sense the scepticism in his voice.

“Wait a minute, what do you mean by guess? Why don’t you know?”

The pizza box pondered on this and if he possessed a hand he would surely have clutched his chin to portray his train of thought. He did not have a clue of course, which naturally led to the next line of enquiry, this time coming from the encyclopaedia.

“You don’t know do you? Come to think of it, I’m not entirely sure how I got here either?”

“You’re out of date,” said the sludge, “It says so on the cover that is flapping at me. You’re a 2014 encyclopaedia, hence your now former owner probably purchased a new one and threw you away. It’s a simple deduction really.”

Both the pizza box and downtrodden book now focussed on the murky sludge.

“Okay then, that would make sense regarding our knowledgeable friend over here, so I suppose there is only one important question left. How did you get here?”