‘That doesn’t sound very welcoming.’
‘Take a look at the valley,’ Felicity said. ‘I’d say that’s a place where the sun
doesn’t shine.’
Ruby scanned the horizon. ‘We better get moving,’ she said. ‘Those clouds look like
snow. We’ll need to find somewhere sheltered to put up the tent.’
Sam suddenly squeaked. Ruby turned to her brother; his face had gone as drab as the
landscape around them.
‘What’s the matter?’ Ruby asked.
Sam’s eyelids peeled back to the point where his eyeballs looked like they were about
to be ejected from his head. He wrestled his pack to the ground and tore open the
top.
‘What is it?’ Felicity asked as Sam ripped out a flurry of shirts and socks. He stared
down into the belly of the pack then up to his three friends.
‘The tent,’ he managed to say. ‘I’ve forgotten the tent.’
A band of crows scattered from the trees around them as Ruby informed her brother,
in abbreviated terms, of her exact feelings regarding his revelation about the tent.
The caws and cries of the fleeing birds spread across the countryside.
Ruby scooped up her pack, threw another disgusted look at her brother and set off
into the valley. Gerald stumbled after her. ‘What are we going to do if we don’t
have a tent?’ he asked.
‘We’ll have to find a barn or a tree to sleep under,’ she said, muttering more furious
thoughts under her breath.
‘Don’t be too hard on Sam,’ Gerald said. ‘I’ve got the tent poles in my pack. That’s
something,’ he said.
Ruby grunted. ‘True enough,’ she said. ‘At least I’ll have something to beat him
with.’
Gerald swallowed. He wasn’t sure that Ruby was entirely joking. And then, just to
ensure Ruby’s mood could sink no lower, it started to snow.
Heavily.
Chapter 6
Snow flew into their faces in thick, unrelenting bursts. The wind whipped across
the frozen ground as if running late for a funeral.
Padded parkas and gloves held out some of the cold, but the line of four hikers cut
a forlorn path across the open countryside as they trudged towards the wooded glen
below them.
Gerald’s teeth chattered staccato as he wiped the slush from his face. His head was
down and his eyes were trained on the back of Sam’s pack bobbing along in front of
him. Felicity followed behind Gerald, and Ruby brought up the rear. No one had said
anything, but it seemed to be decided naturally that keeping Sam and Ruby as far
apart from each other as possible was probably a good idea.
A shiver ran down Gerald’s spine. He glanced past Sam’s head. The trees leading into
the dark valley seemed no closer, and the day’s light was fast expiring. He reached
out and tugged on Sam’s pack. ‘We need to figure out what we’re doing tonight,’ Gerald
said. ‘We can’t just keep walking in the dark.’
‘Hey, I’ve got an idea,’ Ruby said, drilling a glare in her brother’s direction.
‘Let’s set up the tent and get nice and cosy warm inside.’
Sam stared at the ground. ‘I said I was sorry,’ he mumbled.
‘And yet that brings us precisely no closer to finding shelter for the night,’ Ruby
said.
‘And neither does all your complaining,’ Felicity snapped. ‘How about you give it
a rest?’ Ruby’s lips froze shut. ‘I’m cold, I’m tired and I’m hungry,’ Felicity said.
‘We’ve got about ten minutes of light left and I’ve had it with both you Valentines.’
She turned to Gerald. ‘I can’t imagine what you see in her.’
The wind whipped down from the hilltop, flapping the hood on Gerald’s jacket about
his ears. He couldn’t see the expression on Ruby’s face, but he had the feeling it
was not all warmth and sunshine.
‘Let’s get down into the valley,’ Gerald said. ‘Maybe we can find some shelter there.’
There was no debate. There was no other choice.
This time Gerald took the lead. He agreed with Felicity. Sam and Ruby could tear
each other apart—all he wanted was to get out of the
‘Take a look at the valley,’ Felicity said. ‘I’d say that’s a place where the sun
doesn’t shine.’
Ruby scanned the horizon. ‘We better get moving,’ she said. ‘Those clouds look like
snow. We’ll need to find somewhere sheltered to put up the tent.’
Sam suddenly squeaked. Ruby turned to her brother; his face had gone as drab as the
landscape around them.
‘What’s the matter?’ Ruby asked.
Sam’s eyelids peeled back to the point where his eyeballs looked like they were about
to be ejected from his head. He wrestled his pack to the ground and tore open the
top.
‘What is it?’ Felicity asked as Sam ripped out a flurry of shirts and socks. He stared
down into the belly of the pack then up to his three friends.
‘The tent,’ he managed to say. ‘I’ve forgotten the tent.’
A band of crows scattered from the trees around them as Ruby informed her brother,
in abbreviated terms, of her exact feelings regarding his revelation about the tent.
The caws and cries of the fleeing birds spread across the countryside.
Ruby scooped up her pack, threw another disgusted look at her brother and set off
into the valley. Gerald stumbled after her. ‘What are we going to do if we don’t
have a tent?’ he asked.
‘We’ll have to find a barn or a tree to sleep under,’ she said, muttering more furious
thoughts under her breath.
‘Don’t be too hard on Sam,’ Gerald said. ‘I’ve got the tent poles in my pack. That’s
something,’ he said.
Ruby grunted. ‘True enough,’ she said. ‘At least I’ll have something to beat him
with.’
Gerald swallowed. He wasn’t sure that Ruby was entirely joking. And then, just to
ensure Ruby’s mood could sink no lower, it started to snow.
Heavily.
Chapter 6
Snow flew into their faces in thick, unrelenting bursts. The wind whipped across
the frozen ground as if running late for a funeral.
Padded parkas and gloves held out some of the cold, but the line of four hikers cut
a forlorn path across the open countryside as they trudged towards the wooded glen
below them.
Gerald’s teeth chattered staccato as he wiped the slush from his face. His head was
down and his eyes were trained on the back of Sam’s pack bobbing along in front of
him. Felicity followed behind Gerald, and Ruby brought up the rear. No one had said
anything, but it seemed to be decided naturally that keeping Sam and Ruby as far
apart from each other as possible was probably a good idea.
A shiver ran down Gerald’s spine. He glanced past Sam’s head. The trees leading into
the dark valley seemed no closer, and the day’s light was fast expiring. He reached
out and tugged on Sam’s pack. ‘We need to figure out what we’re doing tonight,’ Gerald
said. ‘We can’t just keep walking in the dark.’
‘Hey, I’ve got an idea,’ Ruby said, drilling a glare in her brother’s direction.
‘Let’s set up the tent and get nice and cosy warm inside.’
Sam stared at the ground. ‘I said I was sorry,’ he mumbled.
‘And yet that brings us precisely no closer to finding shelter for the night,’ Ruby
said.
‘And neither does all your complaining,’ Felicity snapped. ‘How about you give it
a rest?’ Ruby’s lips froze shut. ‘I’m cold, I’m tired and I’m hungry,’ Felicity said.
‘We’ve got about ten minutes of light left and I’ve had it with both you Valentines.’
She turned to Gerald. ‘I can’t imagine what you see in her.’
The wind whipped down from the hilltop, flapping the hood on Gerald’s jacket about
his ears. He couldn’t see the expression on Ruby’s face, but he had the feeling it
was not all warmth and sunshine.
‘Let’s get down into the valley,’ Gerald said. ‘Maybe we can find some shelter there.’
There was no debate. There was no other choice.
This time Gerald took the lead. He agreed with Felicity. Sam and Ruby could tear
each other apart—all he wanted was to get out of the
Similar Books
