Ringo turned round.
The leaves ahead of him were rustling, and he could just hear a sort of snuffling breathing mixed in with the growling he'd heard. What was happening?! The Beast of Bodmin Moor wasn't supposed to be here! The Orb of Protection was! But Ringo could tell the Beast was there.
Ringo didn't stop to think. He turned and ran, trying to push his way through the thick trees. Behind him, he could hear the menacing growl of a Beast ready to pounce. He tried to move faster, but it was difficult to see his way, and his drums slowed him down even more.
Wait - his drums....
It was his only chance. Ducking sideways into a little thicket, Ringo stopped running and bent down to get out his drum kit. As he did, he felt something rush over to the left, as if the Beast had tried to pounce on him without realizing that Ringo had moved. Shaking with relief, and hoping the Beast wasn't going to pounce again just yet, Ringo threw himself at his drums and began to play.
The drums were loud, but not quite loud enough to block out the deep growls coming from just a little ways in the distance. How long would it take before the Beast came back to where Ringo was? Would his mates hear him before the Beast found him?
Ringo decided that he'd better sing, too. Given the circumstances, it was no surprise which song came to mind:
"Help!
I need somebody,
Help!
Not just anybody,
Help!
You know I need someone,
He-e-elp!"
When George heard the growl, he tensed, gripping his guitar harder. Okay, he told himself. Maybe the Beast couldn't smell him. Maybe he could get away....
But what if his mates were there? He couldn't let the Beast get them. But he didn't know where his mates were, and he should probably get away from the Beast first if he was going to find them.
Mind made up, George had just turned to head in the other direction when he heard a gentle thump coming from the place where he'd heard the growl. Slowly, George turned. There, poking through the leaves, a large black nose sniffed the air. Long white points were visible underneath, and even calm, collected George shuddered at the thought of how those fangs would feel if they pierced his skin. The Beast growled, scenting his quarry, and lifted a paw, with razor-sharp claws on the toes, to pad closer. George was frozen, but had the presence of mind to cover his nose and mouth with his hands to try and stop his soul from escaping. How close did the Beast have to get to suck out his soul? George didn't know, although the other people who'd had their souls sucked out probably hadn't been much closer to the Beast at the time than George was now. Actually, George couldn't think why he hadn't lost his soul already, unless the Beast saw him as a real enemy and wanted to make him suffer a little first.
And then George heard it.
"Help!
I need somebody,
Help!"
Ringo! Ringo was here. If George could only signal to him....
It was a big risk, but George took his hands away from his face to pull out his guitar. Strumming the chords expertly, his hands moving effortlessly up and down the fretboard, he joined in with the first verse:
"When I was younger, so much younger than today,
I never needed anybody's help in any way...."
Some distance away, John and Paul were searching, calling their friends' names, when they heard the song.
"Listen!" cried Paul.
Without needing to stop and think about it, John pulled out his guitar. Although he was used to singing lead on this particular song, now he and Paul provided George with the backups:
"(But now) But now these days are gone, I'm not so self-assured
(And now I find) Now I find, I've changed my mind, and opened up the...."
But the last word of the verse was cut off abruptly, as the sound of George's guitar disappeared in a long growl.
"GEORGE!" cried Paul. John might have cried it at the same time as Paul did, though he would never admit it. In the distance, Ringo's playing had stopped, too. But it didn't matter. John and Paul knew where they were going now.
Following the place where the music had been coming from, Paul and John dashed into a clearing, where a terrible sight met their eyes.
Ringo had gotten to George first, and now he was holding onto the back of a huge, hideous beast, trying to pull him away from George. The Beast was a little like a cougar, only this horrible creature was no wildcat. His menacing brown body was crouched on top of George, his talon-like claws pinning George's shoulders into the ground. George had his eyes squeezed shut, trying to turn his head away from the Beast's deadly face, unsure whether the Beast preferred to suck his soul out or just rip his head off, but hoping he wouldn't have to find out. The Beast was lowering his head down towards George's, but kept lifting it to growl at Ringo, who had got hold of his hide and kept trying to pull him off of his friend. Still, Ringo was a lot smaller than the Beast, and he couldn't hold him off forever - not to mention that if he annoyed the Beast too much, he could easily just suck out Ringo's soul right now, which he probably hadn't done yet only because he wanted to subject him to whatever he was trying to do to George next.
John and Paul needed to do something, and fast. But what? The Beast was attacking them now, and they were still short one special object.
The leaves ahead of him were rustling, and he could just hear a sort of snuffling breathing mixed in with the growling he'd heard. What was happening?! The Beast of Bodmin Moor wasn't supposed to be here! The Orb of Protection was! But Ringo could tell the Beast was there.
Ringo didn't stop to think. He turned and ran, trying to push his way through the thick trees. Behind him, he could hear the menacing growl of a Beast ready to pounce. He tried to move faster, but it was difficult to see his way, and his drums slowed him down even more.
Wait - his drums....
It was his only chance. Ducking sideways into a little thicket, Ringo stopped running and bent down to get out his drum kit. As he did, he felt something rush over to the left, as if the Beast had tried to pounce on him without realizing that Ringo had moved. Shaking with relief, and hoping the Beast wasn't going to pounce again just yet, Ringo threw himself at his drums and began to play.
The drums were loud, but not quite loud enough to block out the deep growls coming from just a little ways in the distance. How long would it take before the Beast came back to where Ringo was? Would his mates hear him before the Beast found him?
Ringo decided that he'd better sing, too. Given the circumstances, it was no surprise which song came to mind:
"Help!
I need somebody,
Help!
Not just anybody,
Help!
You know I need someone,
He-e-elp!"
When George heard the growl, he tensed, gripping his guitar harder. Okay, he told himself. Maybe the Beast couldn't smell him. Maybe he could get away....
But what if his mates were there? He couldn't let the Beast get them. But he didn't know where his mates were, and he should probably get away from the Beast first if he was going to find them.
Mind made up, George had just turned to head in the other direction when he heard a gentle thump coming from the place where he'd heard the growl. Slowly, George turned. There, poking through the leaves, a large black nose sniffed the air. Long white points were visible underneath, and even calm, collected George shuddered at the thought of how those fangs would feel if they pierced his skin. The Beast growled, scenting his quarry, and lifted a paw, with razor-sharp claws on the toes, to pad closer. George was frozen, but had the presence of mind to cover his nose and mouth with his hands to try and stop his soul from escaping. How close did the Beast have to get to suck out his soul? George didn't know, although the other people who'd had their souls sucked out probably hadn't been much closer to the Beast at the time than George was now. Actually, George couldn't think why he hadn't lost his soul already, unless the Beast saw him as a real enemy and wanted to make him suffer a little first.
And then George heard it.
"Help!
I need somebody,
Help!"
Ringo! Ringo was here. If George could only signal to him....
It was a big risk, but George took his hands away from his face to pull out his guitar. Strumming the chords expertly, his hands moving effortlessly up and down the fretboard, he joined in with the first verse:
"When I was younger, so much younger than today,
I never needed anybody's help in any way...."
Some distance away, John and Paul were searching, calling their friends' names, when they heard the song.
"Listen!" cried Paul.
Without needing to stop and think about it, John pulled out his guitar. Although he was used to singing lead on this particular song, now he and Paul provided George with the backups:
"(But now) But now these days are gone, I'm not so self-assured
(And now I find) Now I find, I've changed my mind, and opened up the...."
But the last word of the verse was cut off abruptly, as the sound of George's guitar disappeared in a long growl.
"GEORGE!" cried Paul. John might have cried it at the same time as Paul did, though he would never admit it. In the distance, Ringo's playing had stopped, too. But it didn't matter. John and Paul knew where they were going now.
Following the place where the music had been coming from, Paul and John dashed into a clearing, where a terrible sight met their eyes.
Ringo had gotten to George first, and now he was holding onto the back of a huge, hideous beast, trying to pull him away from George. The Beast was a little like a cougar, only this horrible creature was no wildcat. His menacing brown body was crouched on top of George, his talon-like claws pinning George's shoulders into the ground. George had his eyes squeezed shut, trying to turn his head away from the Beast's deadly face, unsure whether the Beast preferred to suck his soul out or just rip his head off, but hoping he wouldn't have to find out. The Beast was lowering his head down towards George's, but kept lifting it to growl at Ringo, who had got hold of his hide and kept trying to pull him off of his friend. Still, Ringo was a lot smaller than the Beast, and he couldn't hold him off forever - not to mention that if he annoyed the Beast too much, he could easily just suck out Ringo's soul right now, which he probably hadn't done yet only because he wanted to subject him to whatever he was trying to do to George next.
John and Paul needed to do something, and fast. But what? The Beast was attacking them now, and they were still short one special object.
