Uncle Lorne was so big heâd probably just fall through. And the way Uncle Lorne was asking the question, standing there so tall with his eyes so wild, made it all seem foolish anyway.
Swimming on the snow? It had been warm just a few minutes ago when they were on their backs looking at the universe. But now it felt like they were locked in a freezer without any clothes.
On that march home the cold slipped inside the boysâ snowsuits and drained away all their heat like a plug had been pulled from the bathtub. Leonard began crying and couldnât stop, not even when Uncle Lorne picked him up and held him inside his own jacket and carried him along. Owen began to shake and shiver, and even Andy started tripping over chunks of ice and odd dips in the path.
They rested for a bit near the bottom of the hill. But a cruel wind had started up, and the longer they waited the colder they got. Even Uncle Lorne looked cold. Heâd hurried out of the house without a hat and mitts.
Finally he said, âMarch with me. This is something I learned in the war.â And he sang a little song for them:
Down in the bucket, up on the hill
They were after you then and theyâre after you
still â
Hey nonny hey nonny
Hey nonny hey!
âThatâs the song that got me through the war,â Uncle Lorne said. âI never sang it to anybody else before. This is your getting-home song. All right?â
Uncle Lorne sang it again. His voice started low and weak, like he really was used to just singing it to himself, but as he got going it became stronger. And when the boys sang, it helped with the walking, and soon they were within sight of the farmhouse.
When they walked in, the house was empty. Uncle Lorne ran them a hot bath, then tucked them in bed and went out again to ï¬nd Margaret and Horace.
The boys were pretty well asleep by the time their parents got back from their searching. Margaret raced into the bedroom to wake them up and hug them within an inch of their lives. Even though Owen was sleepy, he still heard most of Horaceâs cursing as if from far away.
In the morning Horace talked to the boys for an hour. He paced back and forth while he talked, and the boys had to stand still and straight and listen to every word. They werenât allowed to ask questions or make a noise. Mostly Horace talked about how upset their mother was and how there would be hell to pay if they ever did anything as stupid and foolish and reckless as this ever again in their entire lives. After awhile he ran out of new things to say so he took to repeating phrases:
If you ever!⦠What in tarnation?⦠Tried my best Lord knows I have⦠Cold month in hell before youâre ever allowed againâ¦
Margaret stayed in bed late, like she did when she had a bad headache. When she came out and saw her boys, she broke down and wept. It seemed like perhaps the end of the world was coming, and Owen was glad they hadnât told their parents about meeting the Bog Manâs wife in the haunted house on Halloween. Margaret thanked Uncle Lorne again and again for bringing them back safe. Then she made sure the boys marched up to Uncle Lorne and kissed his rough cheek and thanked him themselves. Uncle Lorne got embarrassed and said it wasnât anything and they werenât to think about it anymore.
Then Uncle Lorne turned on the radio and they heard the news. Last night a ï¬ying saucer had been spotted above the ï¬elds outside of town, and Eliot Brinks saw weird lights about one oâclock in the morning when he was sleep-walking and now was missing a cow!
Andy and Leonard nearly erupted at the news, but Owen somehow kept them quiet, and after that it was only the kids who really knew what a narrow escape it had been after all.
The Rail Bridge
âWHAT WOULD THE aliens want with Eliot Brinksâ cow?â Owen wondered. It was late at night and he couldnât seem to forget about the invasion of
Swimming on the snow? It had been warm just a few minutes ago when they were on their backs looking at the universe. But now it felt like they were locked in a freezer without any clothes.
On that march home the cold slipped inside the boysâ snowsuits and drained away all their heat like a plug had been pulled from the bathtub. Leonard began crying and couldnât stop, not even when Uncle Lorne picked him up and held him inside his own jacket and carried him along. Owen began to shake and shiver, and even Andy started tripping over chunks of ice and odd dips in the path.
They rested for a bit near the bottom of the hill. But a cruel wind had started up, and the longer they waited the colder they got. Even Uncle Lorne looked cold. Heâd hurried out of the house without a hat and mitts.
Finally he said, âMarch with me. This is something I learned in the war.â And he sang a little song for them:
Down in the bucket, up on the hill
They were after you then and theyâre after you
still â
Hey nonny hey nonny
Hey nonny hey!
âThatâs the song that got me through the war,â Uncle Lorne said. âI never sang it to anybody else before. This is your getting-home song. All right?â
Uncle Lorne sang it again. His voice started low and weak, like he really was used to just singing it to himself, but as he got going it became stronger. And when the boys sang, it helped with the walking, and soon they were within sight of the farmhouse.
When they walked in, the house was empty. Uncle Lorne ran them a hot bath, then tucked them in bed and went out again to ï¬nd Margaret and Horace.
The boys were pretty well asleep by the time their parents got back from their searching. Margaret raced into the bedroom to wake them up and hug them within an inch of their lives. Even though Owen was sleepy, he still heard most of Horaceâs cursing as if from far away.
In the morning Horace talked to the boys for an hour. He paced back and forth while he talked, and the boys had to stand still and straight and listen to every word. They werenât allowed to ask questions or make a noise. Mostly Horace talked about how upset their mother was and how there would be hell to pay if they ever did anything as stupid and foolish and reckless as this ever again in their entire lives. After awhile he ran out of new things to say so he took to repeating phrases:
If you ever!⦠What in tarnation?⦠Tried my best Lord knows I have⦠Cold month in hell before youâre ever allowed againâ¦
Margaret stayed in bed late, like she did when she had a bad headache. When she came out and saw her boys, she broke down and wept. It seemed like perhaps the end of the world was coming, and Owen was glad they hadnât told their parents about meeting the Bog Manâs wife in the haunted house on Halloween. Margaret thanked Uncle Lorne again and again for bringing them back safe. Then she made sure the boys marched up to Uncle Lorne and kissed his rough cheek and thanked him themselves. Uncle Lorne got embarrassed and said it wasnât anything and they werenât to think about it anymore.
Then Uncle Lorne turned on the radio and they heard the news. Last night a ï¬ying saucer had been spotted above the ï¬elds outside of town, and Eliot Brinks saw weird lights about one oâclock in the morning when he was sleep-walking and now was missing a cow!
Andy and Leonard nearly erupted at the news, but Owen somehow kept them quiet, and after that it was only the kids who really knew what a narrow escape it had been after all.
The Rail Bridge
âWHAT WOULD THE aliens want with Eliot Brinksâ cow?â Owen wondered. It was late at night and he couldnât seem to forget about the invasion of
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