started with a huge roar.
‘Now run along out of here,’ he shouted. ‘Tree-cutting is a dangerous business, and we don’t want anyone getting hurt.’
I turned to look at Kate. She was standing still – almost like she’d been turned to stone.She was pale, and tears were streaming down her face.
I knew I had to do something.
But what on earth
could
I do?
Kate was too shocked to be any use, and there was no time for me to run and get Mum or Dad or anyone else.
I was on my own.
And how could one girl be a match for three men and a chainsaw?
‘Hey, what’s that?’ I said suddenly, pointing towards the sea.
As the three men turned to look, I ducked under the yellow tape, and ran over and stood with my back to Jeremy. After a second, Kate followed me, and we stood there, giving Jeremy a kind of backwards hug.
The man flicked a switch, and the chainsaw stopped its ferocious noise. He laid it on the grass and walked over to us. The other two men came and stood next to him, like he needed tobe protected from Kate and me.
The man with the chainsaw spoke. ‘I suppose you think you’re very clever,’ he said.
I didn’t answer, and Kate gave a sniffly sob.
‘Look kids,’ he said in a gentler voice. ‘I don’t know what’s going on here, but it’s time for you to stop this messing about. We’ve got a job to do, and you’re getting in the way. Now run along and play, and let us get on with what we’re paid to do.’
Suddenly Kate spoke. Her voice was quiet, but fierce.
‘I won’t allow you to hurt Jeremy.’
The man sighed. ‘Who’s Jeremy, when he’s at home?’
‘Jeremy is the tree,’ said Kate.
The man was foolish enough to laugh, but he didn’t laugh for long. Kate stepped forward and glared at him so hard that he actually took a step backwards. Then he recovered himself.
‘That’s enough nonsense, girls,’ he said. ‘Now run along. Please.’
We didn’t move.
For a few minutes nothing much happened.
The wind rustled the branches over our head.
A cow in the next field mooed loudly.
Kate and I stared at the men and they stared back at us.
One of the men took off his hard hat and scratched his head.
Another man yawned.
Finally Chainsaw Man gave a big sigh. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a phone. He dialled a number, and then spoke.
‘Hi, Jason, it’s me, Chris. We’ve run into a bit of a problem, I’m afraid. There’s these two crazy girls here, and they seem to be having some kind of love affair with your tree. They ……’
Then he walked away and I couldn’t hear any more of the conversation.
A few minutes later he was back. He spoketo the two men, without even looking at Kate and me.
‘Seems like there’s a change of plan,’ he said. ‘We’re to go on to do that job in Newtown. It’s going to take the rest of the day, so we’d better get a move on.’
Then, without another word, he packed the chainsaw into the jeep, the three men climbed aboard, and seconds later they were gone.
The field seemed strangely silent, with just Kate and me left behind.
‘You’re so brave, Eva,’ she said in the end. ‘You were clinging on to Jeremy like nothing would ever make you let go.’
I laughed. ‘That was just to keep my hands from shaking. I was really scared.’
It was the truth. Now that the men were gone, the seriousness of what I’d just done was beginning to hit me.
‘What are we going to do now?’ I asked, as I looked at the tyre-tracks on the grass, and theyellow fence that the men had left behind.
Kate sighed. ‘I don’t know. But we’ll have to think of something. Those men aren’t going to give up that easily. They’ll be back.’
‘But not today,’ I said. ‘Didn’t you hear them? They’re going to spend the rest of the day in Newtown. That means we’ve got at least until tomorrow to come up with a plan.’
Kate nodded slowly. Then she turned around and patted the tree. ‘Don’t you worry, Jeremy,’ she said.
‘Now run along out of here,’ he shouted. ‘Tree-cutting is a dangerous business, and we don’t want anyone getting hurt.’
I turned to look at Kate. She was standing still – almost like she’d been turned to stone.She was pale, and tears were streaming down her face.
I knew I had to do something.
But what on earth
could
I do?
Kate was too shocked to be any use, and there was no time for me to run and get Mum or Dad or anyone else.
I was on my own.
And how could one girl be a match for three men and a chainsaw?
‘Hey, what’s that?’ I said suddenly, pointing towards the sea.
As the three men turned to look, I ducked under the yellow tape, and ran over and stood with my back to Jeremy. After a second, Kate followed me, and we stood there, giving Jeremy a kind of backwards hug.
The man flicked a switch, and the chainsaw stopped its ferocious noise. He laid it on the grass and walked over to us. The other two men came and stood next to him, like he needed tobe protected from Kate and me.
The man with the chainsaw spoke. ‘I suppose you think you’re very clever,’ he said.
I didn’t answer, and Kate gave a sniffly sob.
‘Look kids,’ he said in a gentler voice. ‘I don’t know what’s going on here, but it’s time for you to stop this messing about. We’ve got a job to do, and you’re getting in the way. Now run along and play, and let us get on with what we’re paid to do.’
Suddenly Kate spoke. Her voice was quiet, but fierce.
‘I won’t allow you to hurt Jeremy.’
The man sighed. ‘Who’s Jeremy, when he’s at home?’
‘Jeremy is the tree,’ said Kate.
The man was foolish enough to laugh, but he didn’t laugh for long. Kate stepped forward and glared at him so hard that he actually took a step backwards. Then he recovered himself.
‘That’s enough nonsense, girls,’ he said. ‘Now run along. Please.’
We didn’t move.
For a few minutes nothing much happened.
The wind rustled the branches over our head.
A cow in the next field mooed loudly.
Kate and I stared at the men and they stared back at us.
One of the men took off his hard hat and scratched his head.
Another man yawned.
Finally Chainsaw Man gave a big sigh. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a phone. He dialled a number, and then spoke.
‘Hi, Jason, it’s me, Chris. We’ve run into a bit of a problem, I’m afraid. There’s these two crazy girls here, and they seem to be having some kind of love affair with your tree. They ……’
Then he walked away and I couldn’t hear any more of the conversation.
A few minutes later he was back. He spoketo the two men, without even looking at Kate and me.
‘Seems like there’s a change of plan,’ he said. ‘We’re to go on to do that job in Newtown. It’s going to take the rest of the day, so we’d better get a move on.’
Then, without another word, he packed the chainsaw into the jeep, the three men climbed aboard, and seconds later they were gone.
The field seemed strangely silent, with just Kate and me left behind.
‘You’re so brave, Eva,’ she said in the end. ‘You were clinging on to Jeremy like nothing would ever make you let go.’
I laughed. ‘That was just to keep my hands from shaking. I was really scared.’
It was the truth. Now that the men were gone, the seriousness of what I’d just done was beginning to hit me.
‘What are we going to do now?’ I asked, as I looked at the tyre-tracks on the grass, and theyellow fence that the men had left behind.
Kate sighed. ‘I don’t know. But we’ll have to think of something. Those men aren’t going to give up that easily. They’ll be back.’
‘But not today,’ I said. ‘Didn’t you hear them? They’re going to spend the rest of the day in Newtown. That means we’ve got at least until tomorrow to come up with a plan.’
Kate nodded slowly. Then she turned around and patted the tree. ‘Don’t you worry, Jeremy,’ she said.
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