back and allowing the boy to enter first, manners being crucial to him.
‘But the floor,’ gasped Noah. ‘If I walk in there, I’ll fall right through.’
‘Ah yes,’ said the old man. ‘I should have explained. I had to use some of the floorboards last year when I temporarily ran out of wood for the fire. They weren’t happy about it, I don’t mind admitting, and it wasn’t my finest moment. But anyway, the rest of them make up for the deficiency. Watch this.’
Noah opened his eyes wide as the old man walked into the kitchen without a care in the world,and as he did so, the floorboards all jumped into action, popping up and bouncing forward with each step so the gaps kept changing but the old man never fell through, for each floorboard slotted into position beneath his feet just in time for him to tread upon it.
‘How extraordinary,’ said Noah, shaking his head in surprise and deciding to try it for himself. This time, the floorboards did the same thing – jumped out of every place and landed under his feet before he could fall through to the darkness below – but they seemed noisier now, and Noah was sure he could hear the sounds of gasping breath.
‘They’re not used to two people,’ explained the old man. ‘They’ll probably tire more quickly. We should probably go easy on them. Now – food, I think!’
A range of different types of food was laid out on the counter and Noah walked carefully towards them, licking his lips and feeling his mouth begin to salivate already, thinking just how delighted the hungry donkey would have been if he had been invited in to share it with them.
‘Please,’ said the old man, indicating the spread. ‘Help yourself. Just take a plate and fill it with whatever you want. If there’s not enough here, I’m sure I can find some—’
‘No, no,’ said the boy quickly. ‘There’s more than enough. Thank you very much, sir.’ He felt a sudden rush of affection for his host, and a feelingof gratitude for his kindness. He filled a plate with cold meat, coleslaw, a bread roll, a chunk of Old Amsterdam cheese, a couple of hard-boiled eggs, some sausages, a strip of bacon, a little horseradish, and decided that would probably do for starters. A bunch of very juicy-looking oranges were squeezing themselves into a pitcher at the end of the counter and he waited for them to finish before pouring himself a glass.
‘Well, don’t say thank you, whatever you do,’ snapped one of the oranges, now pressed into an exhausted-looking, squashed rind and lying in a bundle on the counter as it glared at the boy.
‘Thank you,’ said Noah, stepping away nervously. A wooden teddy bear with white hair falling into his eyes was sitting on the window seat, wearing a bright red wooden bow tie, and Noah considered sitting next to him to eat his food, but the bear let loose a low growl as he walked towards him and Noah stopped in his tracks, unsure what he should do next.
‘Take a seat over here, my boy,’ said the old man, indicating one of the two chairs that stood on either side of the kitchen table. He hesitated for a moment before picking up a fresh piece of wood and a thicker chisel with a sharper edge to it than the one he had been using downstairs, and started to chip away, carefully at first and then with growing confidence. ‘Might as well have another go at this,’ he said with a smile.
‘What are you carving now?’ asked Noah. ‘Another rabbit?’
‘I hope not,’ he replied. ‘Although as it never turns out the way I planned, who knows what will appear out of the wood? But no harm in trying again.’ He settled into the other chair and put his hand to the base of his spine as he did so. ‘Bad back,’ he muttered when he saw the boy watching him. ‘One of the drawbacks of growing old. I’ve got no one to blame but myself though. Should have stayed as I was. I suppose you think everybody grows old and I have no right to complain.’
‘No,’ said Noah,
‘But the floor,’ gasped Noah. ‘If I walk in there, I’ll fall right through.’
‘Ah yes,’ said the old man. ‘I should have explained. I had to use some of the floorboards last year when I temporarily ran out of wood for the fire. They weren’t happy about it, I don’t mind admitting, and it wasn’t my finest moment. But anyway, the rest of them make up for the deficiency. Watch this.’
Noah opened his eyes wide as the old man walked into the kitchen without a care in the world,and as he did so, the floorboards all jumped into action, popping up and bouncing forward with each step so the gaps kept changing but the old man never fell through, for each floorboard slotted into position beneath his feet just in time for him to tread upon it.
‘How extraordinary,’ said Noah, shaking his head in surprise and deciding to try it for himself. This time, the floorboards did the same thing – jumped out of every place and landed under his feet before he could fall through to the darkness below – but they seemed noisier now, and Noah was sure he could hear the sounds of gasping breath.
‘They’re not used to two people,’ explained the old man. ‘They’ll probably tire more quickly. We should probably go easy on them. Now – food, I think!’
A range of different types of food was laid out on the counter and Noah walked carefully towards them, licking his lips and feeling his mouth begin to salivate already, thinking just how delighted the hungry donkey would have been if he had been invited in to share it with them.
‘Please,’ said the old man, indicating the spread. ‘Help yourself. Just take a plate and fill it with whatever you want. If there’s not enough here, I’m sure I can find some—’
‘No, no,’ said the boy quickly. ‘There’s more than enough. Thank you very much, sir.’ He felt a sudden rush of affection for his host, and a feelingof gratitude for his kindness. He filled a plate with cold meat, coleslaw, a bread roll, a chunk of Old Amsterdam cheese, a couple of hard-boiled eggs, some sausages, a strip of bacon, a little horseradish, and decided that would probably do for starters. A bunch of very juicy-looking oranges were squeezing themselves into a pitcher at the end of the counter and he waited for them to finish before pouring himself a glass.
‘Well, don’t say thank you, whatever you do,’ snapped one of the oranges, now pressed into an exhausted-looking, squashed rind and lying in a bundle on the counter as it glared at the boy.
‘Thank you,’ said Noah, stepping away nervously. A wooden teddy bear with white hair falling into his eyes was sitting on the window seat, wearing a bright red wooden bow tie, and Noah considered sitting next to him to eat his food, but the bear let loose a low growl as he walked towards him and Noah stopped in his tracks, unsure what he should do next.
‘Take a seat over here, my boy,’ said the old man, indicating one of the two chairs that stood on either side of the kitchen table. He hesitated for a moment before picking up a fresh piece of wood and a thicker chisel with a sharper edge to it than the one he had been using downstairs, and started to chip away, carefully at first and then with growing confidence. ‘Might as well have another go at this,’ he said with a smile.
‘What are you carving now?’ asked Noah. ‘Another rabbit?’
‘I hope not,’ he replied. ‘Although as it never turns out the way I planned, who knows what will appear out of the wood? But no harm in trying again.’ He settled into the other chair and put his hand to the base of his spine as he did so. ‘Bad back,’ he muttered when he saw the boy watching him. ‘One of the drawbacks of growing old. I’ve got no one to blame but myself though. Should have stayed as I was. I suppose you think everybody grows old and I have no right to complain.’
‘No,’ said Noah,
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