Postby KP Presents » Sat Jul 12, 2014 8:21 am
Not that the next day led us to the answer either. Cassie and I slipped out after lunch, and hid as we watched Charlie go down the dirt path again. This time we let him get just far enough in front of us that we could see him, and followed him into the trees, watching as he turned right at the fork we turned left at yesterday, and then go on through the trees. We moved as fast as we could, but he was quicker and soon disappeared out of sight.
Eventually we came to another choice in the path. Cassie looked at me and said “Right?”
“Right,” I said, so we turned right – and walked in a great big circle until we found ourselves back in the field we had entered the trees from!
“He did it to us again, didn’t he,” I said as we walked back to my house.
“Never fear,” Cassie said, “tomorrow, you come over to my place, and we set off earlier – I think we might solve this then.”
So day three of operation “Follow Charlie” dawned, and I went round to Cassie’s house, wearing an olive green sweatshirt and dark grey joggers. Cassie had put on a brown hoodie and jeans, so we both felt we were ready for the task that lay ahead – especially after the bacon sandwich that Cassie’s mum made for us!
So it was that we found ourselves, at about twelve, hiding in the bushes near the second fork in the road.
“Are you sure he’s going to come this way,” Cassie whispered to me as we looked round.
“We are talking about Charlie here,” I said quietly, “Mister Dependable. The only thing that might stop him is if Dad needed his help with something – and when I asked Dad what he was doing today, he said he would be working all day at his office.”
“Well, if that’s the case, we’d better – duck and cover!”
She pushed me down as we saw Charlie walking along the path, whistling to himself as he kicked some stones along the path. He was in a checked shirt and shorts, and not paying much attention to anything – otherwise, I’m sure he would have seen us again as he passed, and then turned left in the fork in the road,
“Let’s go,” Cassie said as we climbed out from behind the bush, and walked down the path, as quietly as we could. Charlie didn’t turn round once, as he left the forest and climbed over a fence.
We hung back a little and then went to the gap in the trees, stopping as we both looked round.
“Where are we,” I said as we looked left and right.
“I think we’re on the other side of Holderness,” Cassie eventually said, “that looks like Louise’s house over there – I was with Patty when she drove there with her mother one day – and I’m fairly sure that is Fiona’s place on the hill over there.”
I guess that was possible – Holderness is actually not that big a town, and it is in the country, with quite a lot of farms around the perimeter.
“If that is Louise’s place,” Cassie went on, “then that is one heck of a short cut – going by road you have to go round the ring road.”
“There he is,” I said as I looked directly in front of us. There was a large farmhouse on the other side of the fence, with a field that had cows and a couple of horses roaming around between the yard and us. There was a barn there as well, and between the house and barn Charlie was playing with a boy who looked as if he was the same age as him. He had short dark hair, and was wearing a pair of denim dungarees with a red t-shirt underneath.
“So he’s found a new friend,” I said as I looked over, “but why on earth did he want to keep it a secret?”
“Gee, I don’t know – perhaps we should ask him.”
We both spun round at the sound of the voice, to see two boys standing behind us. One of them I recognised – Brian Hampton, Colin’s cousin, with his light brown hair wearing a blue polo shirt and grey shorts.
I’d never seen the other boy before, so I looked carefully at him. He seemed to be about twelve as well, and was wearing a grey t-shirt and brown trousers. He had light brown hair that went down to his neck, the most clear blue eyes, and a smile that seemed to draw me in to him…
“Fancy meeting you two here,” Brian said as I suddenly noticed the toy gun he was pointing at both of us. “Any particular reason you were snooping round here?”
“I could ask you the same question, Brian Hampton,” Cassie said with her arms folded, “what are you doing here?”
“Walking with my friend,” Brian said with a smile. “But I’m forgetting my manners – Eric, this is Lisa Williamson and Cassie Craig. Lisa, Cassie, this is Eric Cottrell, a friend of mine from school.”
“Pleased to meet you,” he said in a West Country accent that sent a little tingle down me.
“Eric, do you have a clean handkerchief I could borrow?”
“Sure,” he said as he took one out of his pocket, “why?”
“Thanks,” Brian said as he took one from his own pocket, and then handed Eric the toy pistol, “I need to take these two trespassers prisoner.”
“Great,” Cassie said as she rolled her eyes, but she allowed Brian to use one of the hankies to bind her wrists behind her back, and then he used the second one on me.
“What are you doing,” Eric said as he stood and watched.
“Don’t worry, they’re used to this,” he said as he made us walk in front of him, through a gate and across the field before we came into the farmyard. As we got closer to the other two, Eric called out “hey – look who we found spying on you.”
The other boy took one look at Cassie and me, and bolted into the house, closing the door behind him. Charlie looked at us, shook his head and said “Honestly – I try to keep a promise to a friend, and then you find out...”
“Don’t worry about it,” Eric said quietly, “Frank is incredibly shy, and he really hates when strangers appear unannounced.”
“Frank?”
“My younger brother – I think Charlie’s the first real friend he’s made around here.”
“He asked me not to tell anyone else we were friends, because he didn’t want them coming round and scaring him,” Charlie said as he looked at us. “Kinda like what you just saw. Congrats, sis.”
“Sis – so this is your big sister Charlie,” Eric said as he looked at me. I giggled, and Cassie just stared at me for a moment.
“Come on,” he said as he walked to the door, “you might as well meet him now.” He opened the door and showed us in, our hands still tied behind our backs, Charlie and Brian coming behind us.”
“Frank,” he called out, and then looked in the front room. “Come on in,” he said, and as we all walked in we saw Frank sitting on the couch, staring at me and Cassie.
“Frank, this is Lisa Williamson and Cassie Craig. Lisa is Charlie’s big sister.”
“Pleased to meet you,” he said in a voice little more than a whisper.
“Hey,” Cassie said, “it’s all right, we don’t bite. How come we haven’t seen you around town?”
“I don’t like going out,” Frank said, but at least he stood up and came over to join us.
“Honestly, they’re not that bad,” Charlie said with a laugh as Frank walked round and looked at us. “Why have you got your hands tied together behind your back,” he finally said as he looked at us.
“IT’s a game – one Charlie likes to play a lot,” I said as I glanced at brother dearest. “Isn’t that right, Charlie?”
“Yeah – yeah that’s right,” Charlie said as he rubbed the back of his neck.
“You play a game where you tie each other up?”
“Yeah – you see…”
“Frank, Eric – who’s in there with you?”
The woman had a Northern accent, as Brian quickly untied our wrists and gave Eric back his hankie. She then came in, a friendly faced woman with long black hair covered by a scarf, wearing a set of dungarees and an old blouse underneath.
“And who do we have here,” she said as she looked at them, “Apart from Charlie and Brian that is?”
“This is Charlie’s sister, Lisa, and Brian’s friend Cassie,” Eric said quickly, “they were passing by and we asked them to come in.”
“Well it’s nice to meet you both,” she said, “have a seat and I’ll bring some snacks and drinks in.”
“Eric’s in my class at school,” Brian said as we sat down in the leather seats, “I’ve got to know him since they arrived in town last September.”
“This used to be my Grandpa’s farm,” Eric said, “but when he died, Dad came back to help run the place.”
“OH so you’re a farming family?”
“Yes, and no,” he said as he looked at me. “Dad actually works for a financial firm, but we run the farm as well.”
“Here we go,” Eric’s mum said as she carried in a tray of drinks and cookies, “so where do you know Brian from, girls?”
“His cousin goes out with my sister,” Cassie said, “and we have some other mutual friends as well.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re here – with the chores, the boys don’t get out too often, so friends coming round is something I’d encourage.”
So we sat and told her about our families, and the friends we had, as we drank and ate. Apparently they had lived in the north until last year, when their dad inherited the farm, so he had come home.
“So he grew up here? Maybe he knows your dad Cassie?”
“Your father?”
“My dad grew up here with my aunts Cassie and Connie.”
“I’ll have to ask him when he gets home,” their mum said.
A little while later, we were about to go when we saw a familiar face passing in front of the front of the farmhouse.
“Louise? What brings you down here,” I called out. She seemed surprised to see us, as we came down to her.
“What are you two doing here,” she said as she greeted us.
“Long story – do you know the family?”
“No, no – I was just passing by,” she said as she looked past us. You’d almost think she was looking for someone.
“Can I help you girls?”
We suddenly turned to see a tall, sandy brown haired boy standing behind us, pushing a bike in his hands. A boy all three of us recognised.
“Hang on – I saw you three at Alicia’s party didn’t I?”
“Hi Mark,” Eric said as he came out with Brian and Charlie, “the girls just dropped in to meet Frank.”
“Oh – well, that must have been interesting,” he said, as he pushed his bike to the door. “Come on then – we’ve got the chickens to clean out before dinner.”
“Work calls,” Eric said with a smile. “Nice to meet you girls.”
“Come on,” Charlie said, “I’ll walk you back.”