a harsh whisper. “You’ve got to get me loose.”
“But how, Henry?”
“Maybe you can pry me free. Get that long branch there.”
Rowena got the branch.
“Now bring it over here.”
Rowena did as she was told.
“Can’t you move any faster, Rowena?” Henry wheezed. “Now slide the end of it under my foot. No, you ninny, not that end! The other one. Goldurn you, Rowena, stop being so infernally dumb!”
Could this be the same Henry Piper she’d thought was so marvelous only yesterday? “I’m doing the best I can,” she said.
“Well, your best isn’t all that good. Now get a piece of wood—not that one, dad-blast it, that one! Stick it underneath the pole. Take it easy there. It feels like you’re tickling my foot.”
Rowena was too upset by all the orders Henry was spouting at her to wonder how he could feel tickling right through the sole of his shoe. “Now push down on the pole,” Henry went on. “Push harder, you silly…oww! What are you trying to do, cripple me?”
“You told me to pry, Henry. I’m prying. I can’t keep things straight when you’re giving me all those orders at the same time.”
“You’re just like all the rest. Not enough sense to boil water.”
All the rest? All what rest? Rowena wondered. But before she could ask Henry, she heard another voice behind her.
“Rowena, I thought I seen you in here, and…what the dickens!”
Sam! With a guilty start Rowena turned to face him.
Sam scowled at Rowena. “Have you and Henry been sneaking—”
“No! It’s not like that at all.” Suddenly it was important to Rowena that Sam understand what she and Henry were doing in the grove. “Henry’s feet got stuck to the ground somehow, and—”
“Yeah, I’ll bet they did,” muttered Sam. “Well, I’ll pry him loose in a hurry.”
Sam put his whole weight on the lever. Henry’s cries of pain were oddly muffled, as if they came from a distant valley.
“Hush up, Henry,” said Sam. “D’you want to get loose or not?”
Finally Sam had to give up. “I guess you’re right, Rowena,” he said. “Henry’s stuck fast. It’s eerie. I never saw the like before…. Do your folks know about this?”
“No, and you ain’t gonna tell ’em, either,” said Henry.
“Don’t you be giving me orders, Henry,” Sam said. “Now, if we’re going to get you loose, wefirst have to see what’s holding you down.”
Sam took out his jackknife and knelt at Henry’s feet.
“Sam, you be careful,” Henry said. “It’s scary enough, just being stuck here. I don’t want to get cut, too.”
“Hmmm. That’s odd,” said Sam.
“What’s odd?” asked Henry.
“Your shoes. Leather’s all cracked. It looks for all the world like bark on a tree. And the bark goes clear up to your ankles. Well, I’ll soon cut you loose.”
Sam thrust the knife blade under Henry’s right shoe.
“Aaarrghhh!” Henry’s scream wasn’t very loud, sounding like he had a blanket wrapped about his head. But Rowena gasped in alarm.
“You hurt me, Sam,” Henry whimpered. “You cut my foot with your knife.”
Sam looked up. “Henry, I swear I was digging way down below the sole of your shoe and—”
“Sam, look at that!” cried Rowena, pointing. “That red stuff on the blade of your knife. It looks like blood.”
“Blood!” shrieked Henry as loud as he could. “My blood!”
“But how could…?” Sam began. Then he started digging below Henry’s shoes with his fingers. It was slow going, but finally the earth beneath Henry’s right heel had been scraped away.
“Look there, Rowena,” said Sam. From the bottom of Henry’s foot were growing…
“Roots?” Rowena asked, astonished.
“Roots,” Sam replied.
“You mean Henry is rooted to the ground like a…a tree ?”
“It seems so. And if we cut those roots, it’d be like stabbing a knife into Henry’s body. It might even kill him.”
“Don’t do it, then!” moaned Henry. “I don’t want to die!”
“But
“But how, Henry?”
“Maybe you can pry me free. Get that long branch there.”
Rowena got the branch.
“Now bring it over here.”
Rowena did as she was told.
“Can’t you move any faster, Rowena?” Henry wheezed. “Now slide the end of it under my foot. No, you ninny, not that end! The other one. Goldurn you, Rowena, stop being so infernally dumb!”
Could this be the same Henry Piper she’d thought was so marvelous only yesterday? “I’m doing the best I can,” she said.
“Well, your best isn’t all that good. Now get a piece of wood—not that one, dad-blast it, that one! Stick it underneath the pole. Take it easy there. It feels like you’re tickling my foot.”
Rowena was too upset by all the orders Henry was spouting at her to wonder how he could feel tickling right through the sole of his shoe. “Now push down on the pole,” Henry went on. “Push harder, you silly…oww! What are you trying to do, cripple me?”
“You told me to pry, Henry. I’m prying. I can’t keep things straight when you’re giving me all those orders at the same time.”
“You’re just like all the rest. Not enough sense to boil water.”
All the rest? All what rest? Rowena wondered. But before she could ask Henry, she heard another voice behind her.
“Rowena, I thought I seen you in here, and…what the dickens!”
Sam! With a guilty start Rowena turned to face him.
Sam scowled at Rowena. “Have you and Henry been sneaking—”
“No! It’s not like that at all.” Suddenly it was important to Rowena that Sam understand what she and Henry were doing in the grove. “Henry’s feet got stuck to the ground somehow, and—”
“Yeah, I’ll bet they did,” muttered Sam. “Well, I’ll pry him loose in a hurry.”
Sam put his whole weight on the lever. Henry’s cries of pain were oddly muffled, as if they came from a distant valley.
“Hush up, Henry,” said Sam. “D’you want to get loose or not?”
Finally Sam had to give up. “I guess you’re right, Rowena,” he said. “Henry’s stuck fast. It’s eerie. I never saw the like before…. Do your folks know about this?”
“No, and you ain’t gonna tell ’em, either,” said Henry.
“Don’t you be giving me orders, Henry,” Sam said. “Now, if we’re going to get you loose, wefirst have to see what’s holding you down.”
Sam took out his jackknife and knelt at Henry’s feet.
“Sam, you be careful,” Henry said. “It’s scary enough, just being stuck here. I don’t want to get cut, too.”
“Hmmm. That’s odd,” said Sam.
“What’s odd?” asked Henry.
“Your shoes. Leather’s all cracked. It looks for all the world like bark on a tree. And the bark goes clear up to your ankles. Well, I’ll soon cut you loose.”
Sam thrust the knife blade under Henry’s right shoe.
“Aaarrghhh!” Henry’s scream wasn’t very loud, sounding like he had a blanket wrapped about his head. But Rowena gasped in alarm.
“You hurt me, Sam,” Henry whimpered. “You cut my foot with your knife.”
Sam looked up. “Henry, I swear I was digging way down below the sole of your shoe and—”
“Sam, look at that!” cried Rowena, pointing. “That red stuff on the blade of your knife. It looks like blood.”
“Blood!” shrieked Henry as loud as he could. “My blood!”
“But how could…?” Sam began. Then he started digging below Henry’s shoes with his fingers. It was slow going, but finally the earth beneath Henry’s right heel had been scraped away.
“Look there, Rowena,” said Sam. From the bottom of Henry’s foot were growing…
“Roots?” Rowena asked, astonished.
“Roots,” Sam replied.
“You mean Henry is rooted to the ground like a…a tree ?”
“It seems so. And if we cut those roots, it’d be like stabbing a knife into Henry’s body. It might even kill him.”
“Don’t do it, then!” moaned Henry. “I don’t want to die!”
“But
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