his head in the shape of the kitchen at home. He could see the table where he ate with Mum and did his homework, and the telly in the corner, perched up on a small table with a pile of videos below. He had a vision ofseveral of his mates choosing what to play. The sooner he got out of this one the better.
‘I think I’ll be going home,’ he said quietly.
He helped Aidan push the sawn branches and twigs into a pile and pack away his tools into the big, hemp haversack that was already bulging with different objects.
‘You never know what you might need,’ said Aidan, pulling out binoculars, string, note books, pencils and a bag of sandwiches. He re-arranged them round the tools, carefully secured the haversack and swung it up and over his left shoulder.
‘At least you can stay around for today. I’ve a little more work.’
‘Okay then.’ Sam followed Aidan into the undergrowth.
‘I have to notch the next tree.’
They scrambled through shrubs and brambles and, from time to time, Aidan looked up and back to the patch of light. They must have moved nearer the pit because Sam caught the stench of decay and his stomach turned over.
‘Too near,’ said Aidan, moving back and round. He pushed through a plantation of new firs and stood staring up at a tall sycamore. Its leaves patterned the sky so thickly, only small fingers of blue showed through its layers of green and shadow. ‘This one!’
He took out his axe and made a notch in the bark.
Just then there was a loud rush of leaves high above and birds shot up, invisible save for their cries. Sam thought he saw the shadow of the great bird behind the leaves but he wasn’t sure.
‘Do you have eagles round here?’ he asked nonchalantly. He never had been very good at birds.
‘Buzzards,’ said Aidan flatly. ‘That bird up there’s a buzzard. It’s a bird of prey, like the eagle.’
‘Like Chloe,’ Sam joked. ‘She’s a bird of prey. Yesterday she went off without telling me, and I never saw her for the rest ofthe day. Today she’s in hiding again. You know, Aidan, there’s no point being here if Chloe’s not going to be around. Not that I don’t like your company but you have to face it, everything here’s a bit strange. At home I’ve only got car fumes to make me ill! But Chloe – the thing is, I can’t come to grips with what’s happening here.’
Aidan smiled.
‘It isn’t funny,’ said Sam angrily. ‘I mean I come while Mum’s away, mainly because she wants me to. My aunt beats a hasty retreat, my uncle’s not around as usual and Chloe’s turned into a freak. There’s a limit to my interest.’
‘What’s the limit?’ asked Aidan evenly.
‘How she’s carrying on,’ he said carelessly, and then to cover his tracks. ‘Not that I care.’
He was silent for a while, surprised at the way he was talking to Aidan. But he couldn’t seem to stop, as if this tall, grave man would take anything he said, anything at all. So he went on, ‘This fear thing, I’d hate to get like Chloe and her weirdo. You must see it’s enough to make me want to clear off. I really don’t understand what’s going on.’
Aidan looked down at him, his expression serious. ‘Nimbus may have captured Chloe already,’ he said.
He put his axe into his haversack and started to walk away from the tree. ‘Come with me and I’ll show you.’
Sam followed closely behind. Near the edge of the wood Aidan took out his binoculars and adjusted them. ‘Take a look at that field, over there, sloping up behind the trees. Can you see the stone cottage – it looks as if it’ll tumble down any minute. The pest house it’s called.’
‘Aptly named from the sound of it,’ said Sam. At first the lens were blurred and he fiddled with the knob. Leaves took on hard, big shapes, a bird looked at him with a sharp eye. He lifted the binoculars until he found the sloping field and the stone cottage. Then he focused on a girl with red hair.
‘That’s Tammy all
‘I think I’ll be going home,’ he said quietly.
He helped Aidan push the sawn branches and twigs into a pile and pack away his tools into the big, hemp haversack that was already bulging with different objects.
‘You never know what you might need,’ said Aidan, pulling out binoculars, string, note books, pencils and a bag of sandwiches. He re-arranged them round the tools, carefully secured the haversack and swung it up and over his left shoulder.
‘At least you can stay around for today. I’ve a little more work.’
‘Okay then.’ Sam followed Aidan into the undergrowth.
‘I have to notch the next tree.’
They scrambled through shrubs and brambles and, from time to time, Aidan looked up and back to the patch of light. They must have moved nearer the pit because Sam caught the stench of decay and his stomach turned over.
‘Too near,’ said Aidan, moving back and round. He pushed through a plantation of new firs and stood staring up at a tall sycamore. Its leaves patterned the sky so thickly, only small fingers of blue showed through its layers of green and shadow. ‘This one!’
He took out his axe and made a notch in the bark.
Just then there was a loud rush of leaves high above and birds shot up, invisible save for their cries. Sam thought he saw the shadow of the great bird behind the leaves but he wasn’t sure.
‘Do you have eagles round here?’ he asked nonchalantly. He never had been very good at birds.
‘Buzzards,’ said Aidan flatly. ‘That bird up there’s a buzzard. It’s a bird of prey, like the eagle.’
‘Like Chloe,’ Sam joked. ‘She’s a bird of prey. Yesterday she went off without telling me, and I never saw her for the rest ofthe day. Today she’s in hiding again. You know, Aidan, there’s no point being here if Chloe’s not going to be around. Not that I don’t like your company but you have to face it, everything here’s a bit strange. At home I’ve only got car fumes to make me ill! But Chloe – the thing is, I can’t come to grips with what’s happening here.’
Aidan smiled.
‘It isn’t funny,’ said Sam angrily. ‘I mean I come while Mum’s away, mainly because she wants me to. My aunt beats a hasty retreat, my uncle’s not around as usual and Chloe’s turned into a freak. There’s a limit to my interest.’
‘What’s the limit?’ asked Aidan evenly.
‘How she’s carrying on,’ he said carelessly, and then to cover his tracks. ‘Not that I care.’
He was silent for a while, surprised at the way he was talking to Aidan. But he couldn’t seem to stop, as if this tall, grave man would take anything he said, anything at all. So he went on, ‘This fear thing, I’d hate to get like Chloe and her weirdo. You must see it’s enough to make me want to clear off. I really don’t understand what’s going on.’
Aidan looked down at him, his expression serious. ‘Nimbus may have captured Chloe already,’ he said.
He put his axe into his haversack and started to walk away from the tree. ‘Come with me and I’ll show you.’
Sam followed closely behind. Near the edge of the wood Aidan took out his binoculars and adjusted them. ‘Take a look at that field, over there, sloping up behind the trees. Can you see the stone cottage – it looks as if it’ll tumble down any minute. The pest house it’s called.’
‘Aptly named from the sound of it,’ said Sam. At first the lens were blurred and he fiddled with the knob. Leaves took on hard, big shapes, a bird looked at him with a sharp eye. He lifted the binoculars until he found the sloping field and the stone cottage. Then he focused on a girl with red hair.
‘That’s Tammy all
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