buzzards wheeling high in the sky, calling out in distant mewing cries.
‘The lane’s empty,’ said Connor. ‘Let’s run across before anyone comes.’
‘What about this Mrs. Megrim?’ asked Diane.
‘She can’t see us here,’ said Finn.
‘I’ll go first and make sure no-one’s around,’ said Connor. He loped off down the slope and into the wide, mouth-like opening of the barn. A few moments later they saw his arm thrust out through one of the slit-windows on the upper floor, waving to them to follow.
Diane looked at Finn. Finn smiled at her.
‘Come on,’ he said, and the two of them ran to the barn wall. The yellow stones were warm to the touch from the sun that had been on them all day. No-one called or shouted. They stepped into the darkness.
They scrambled up a rough staircase of straw bales that led to the upper floor. There were large cracks in the wooden floor up there, so that you could see right down to the ground, but the boards seemed solid enough.
‘We can cover the floor with straw for you to sleep on,’ said Connor. He held a rusting sickle blade, using it to hack open one of the bales. They soon had a thick layer of it in one corner. Diane pushed more of the bales together to form a low wall between the hatchway and her bed.
‘In case anyone looks in,’ she said.
Finally they sat together on the carpet of straw. Finn and Connor threw handfuls of it at each other, laughing, and soon Diane, smiling at least, joined in. They ate the last of the food together.
‘We’ll bring you more tomorrow,’ said Finn. ‘And some water from the river.’
‘Thanks,’ she said. ‘Thanks for everything.’ She lay down and closed her eyes. She looked exhausted.
‘We’d better go,’ said Finn. ‘We’ll cut back through the woods so no-one knows we’ve been.’
‘And don’t worry,’ said Connor. ‘No-one ever comes here.’
She nodded but said nothing else. Finn and Connor exchanged glances, then jumped back down to the ground floor to run back into the woods.
Ambling down the lane on his way home that evening, Finn met Matt. The lengthsman whistled as he walked. He had a mattock and a shovel slung over his shoulder. The skin of his arms and face was grey with a coating of dust from the lane he’d been working on. He smiled cracks in it as he spotted Finn.
‘Hello, young man. What mischief have you been up to today, then?’
‘Playing with Connor.’
‘Ah!’ said Matt, as if this was a great secret. ‘Any more sign of them Ironclads?’
Finn shrugged.
‘Well, let's hope we’ve seen the last of them, eh?’ said Matt. ‘Those contraptions of theirs make a real mess of my lanes.’
‘Yes.’
‘Mind you, they’re mighty powerful and no mistake. They say if you teamed ten horses together and put them in a tug-of-war with the engine, the machine would win. Imagine that! That would be some sight to see, eh?’
Finn nodded.
‘Well, tell your dad I’ll be round first thing tomorrow.’
‘I will.’
The lengthsman turned and, still whistling his tuneless tune, strode off.
That night, Finn’s mother tucked him into bed. Finn thought about Diane, out there alone in the barn with the darkness and the owls. Was she asleep yet? He thought about the Ironclads. His mother sat with her arm around him, stroking his hair. The hard stone walls of his room faded away into the shadows, leaving them alone in the bubble of light from the bulb. Occasionally the glow dimmed as the current from the water-wheel fluctuated, then snapped back to full brightness. His mother spoke quietly to him, whispering to the top of his head.
‘Is there anything wrong, Finn? You were very quiet at tea.’
‘I’m fine.’
‘Are you having the nightmares again?’
‘Sometimes.’
‘They’re just dreams, you know. They can’t harm you.’
‘I know.’
They sat in silence for a time. Finn traced the patterns on his blanket with his finger.
‘Mum, why don’t people destroy
‘The lane’s empty,’ said Connor. ‘Let’s run across before anyone comes.’
‘What about this Mrs. Megrim?’ asked Diane.
‘She can’t see us here,’ said Finn.
‘I’ll go first and make sure no-one’s around,’ said Connor. He loped off down the slope and into the wide, mouth-like opening of the barn. A few moments later they saw his arm thrust out through one of the slit-windows on the upper floor, waving to them to follow.
Diane looked at Finn. Finn smiled at her.
‘Come on,’ he said, and the two of them ran to the barn wall. The yellow stones were warm to the touch from the sun that had been on them all day. No-one called or shouted. They stepped into the darkness.
They scrambled up a rough staircase of straw bales that led to the upper floor. There were large cracks in the wooden floor up there, so that you could see right down to the ground, but the boards seemed solid enough.
‘We can cover the floor with straw for you to sleep on,’ said Connor. He held a rusting sickle blade, using it to hack open one of the bales. They soon had a thick layer of it in one corner. Diane pushed more of the bales together to form a low wall between the hatchway and her bed.
‘In case anyone looks in,’ she said.
Finally they sat together on the carpet of straw. Finn and Connor threw handfuls of it at each other, laughing, and soon Diane, smiling at least, joined in. They ate the last of the food together.
‘We’ll bring you more tomorrow,’ said Finn. ‘And some water from the river.’
‘Thanks,’ she said. ‘Thanks for everything.’ She lay down and closed her eyes. She looked exhausted.
‘We’d better go,’ said Finn. ‘We’ll cut back through the woods so no-one knows we’ve been.’
‘And don’t worry,’ said Connor. ‘No-one ever comes here.’
She nodded but said nothing else. Finn and Connor exchanged glances, then jumped back down to the ground floor to run back into the woods.
Ambling down the lane on his way home that evening, Finn met Matt. The lengthsman whistled as he walked. He had a mattock and a shovel slung over his shoulder. The skin of his arms and face was grey with a coating of dust from the lane he’d been working on. He smiled cracks in it as he spotted Finn.
‘Hello, young man. What mischief have you been up to today, then?’
‘Playing with Connor.’
‘Ah!’ said Matt, as if this was a great secret. ‘Any more sign of them Ironclads?’
Finn shrugged.
‘Well, let's hope we’ve seen the last of them, eh?’ said Matt. ‘Those contraptions of theirs make a real mess of my lanes.’
‘Yes.’
‘Mind you, they’re mighty powerful and no mistake. They say if you teamed ten horses together and put them in a tug-of-war with the engine, the machine would win. Imagine that! That would be some sight to see, eh?’
Finn nodded.
‘Well, tell your dad I’ll be round first thing tomorrow.’
‘I will.’
The lengthsman turned and, still whistling his tuneless tune, strode off.
That night, Finn’s mother tucked him into bed. Finn thought about Diane, out there alone in the barn with the darkness and the owls. Was she asleep yet? He thought about the Ironclads. His mother sat with her arm around him, stroking his hair. The hard stone walls of his room faded away into the shadows, leaving them alone in the bubble of light from the bulb. Occasionally the glow dimmed as the current from the water-wheel fluctuated, then snapped back to full brightness. His mother spoke quietly to him, whispering to the top of his head.
‘Is there anything wrong, Finn? You were very quiet at tea.’
‘I’m fine.’
‘Are you having the nightmares again?’
‘Sometimes.’
‘They’re just dreams, you know. They can’t harm you.’
‘I know.’
They sat in silence for a time. Finn traced the patterns on his blanket with his finger.
‘Mum, why don’t people destroy
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