to fetch you.” lied Kelvin. “Thist, we need to talk.”
Tayah waved to Thist and ran to her house without another word.
“What’s happening?” said Thist.
“Run back to your house and fetch the goods,” urged Jem. “We’re leaving for Fineburg.”
“When? Now?” asked Thist.
“Yes, now. Meet us at the old sawmill.” said Jem “We’ll get the other stuff.”
Thist ran back to his house to fetch the hum. As he passed Tayah’s house, Tayah came out, fuming, “My mother’s not even home.”
Thist just turned and shouted, “She’s in the tavern.”
Tayah’s mother would never go into the tavern. He was just lying to buy more time.
Jem almost knocked Tayah over as he came careening past toward his own house.
Moments later Jem and Thist emerged from their houses each carrying a knapsack. “I snagged three loaves of bread and four jars of pickled mushrooms. My mother is going to kill me.” said Jem. “What about you?”
“All the food I own, and two sets of clean clothes.”
As the boys crossed the bridge they slowed to a walk, “Did you tell Kelvin about our stuff, and our plan?” asked Thist.
“No.” said Jem. “It’s the strangest thing. He just started asking me about the stuff as if he had known all along.”
Thist put his hand up to his face and rubbed his meagre moustache, “He is a strange fellow. What do you think?”
“I think we need him, to figure out things that he shouldn’t.”
Thist smiled, “I like the way you think.”
Jem scratched his head as they walked. He couldn’t help wondering what Kelvin had in store for them as a means of transport. He didn’t know much about him. He had only met him this morning. “Kelvin seems a quiet chap?”
“Snap out of it Jem.” said Thist. “You’re talking to yourself again.”
Jem looked up. “Oh here he comes now.”
Kelvin was driving a flatbed horse-drawn wagon. He had a strange looking hat on, and the horses looked like they were retired years back. The wagon creaked to a halt.
“Are you guys going to stand there all day, or are we going to Fineburg in a wagon?”
“Rickety old wobble wagon.” corrected Thist. “Where did you get it?”
“Does it matter? Whoever it belonged to didn’t care for it, or the animals.”
“You stole it?” asked Jem.
“More like doing the animals a favour, I was thinking. The owner is dead.”
Thist seemed undisturbed by the answer, as he rummaged through the back of the wagon to see what came with it. The town had been shrinking in population for years and there were a lot of excess items around that were free to commandeer.
“How do you know the owner is dead?” asked Thist
Kelvin looked over his shoulder to where they had just come from. “I don’t know exactly how I know. I just know.”
Jem exchanged glances with Thist, who shrugged his shoulders. The wagon creaked as the horses pulled at their burden. Jem rubbed his head as if he had a sudden headache and looked up, alarmed, with one hand in the air, palm facing out. “Whoa! What are we doing, Kelvin? This is crazy. Who’s going to look after my mother, and Thist’s birds, and... Oh.” said Jem as he put his hand over his face. “Kaylah and Tayah! Turn around Kelvin. We can’t just leave like this! If we leave like this without greeting or at least planning properly we might never be able to return here and be welcome.”
Kelvin flicked the reigns to speed up the horses, but said nothing. Instead he just looked Jem in the eye without looking at the road. After a long silence between them, Thist said, “He’s right, Jem. We’ll be fine. Just let it go.”
“I never thought you would just leave Tayah like that, run away from the first person who really loved you the way Tayah does.” said Jem.
“If she really loves me, then she still will when we get home.” said Thist.
Kelvin said nothing as he drove the wagon over the hill. As they dropped down the other side, Jem and Thist looked back as
Tayah waved to Thist and ran to her house without another word.
“What’s happening?” said Thist.
“Run back to your house and fetch the goods,” urged Jem. “We’re leaving for Fineburg.”
“When? Now?” asked Thist.
“Yes, now. Meet us at the old sawmill.” said Jem “We’ll get the other stuff.”
Thist ran back to his house to fetch the hum. As he passed Tayah’s house, Tayah came out, fuming, “My mother’s not even home.”
Thist just turned and shouted, “She’s in the tavern.”
Tayah’s mother would never go into the tavern. He was just lying to buy more time.
Jem almost knocked Tayah over as he came careening past toward his own house.
Moments later Jem and Thist emerged from their houses each carrying a knapsack. “I snagged three loaves of bread and four jars of pickled mushrooms. My mother is going to kill me.” said Jem. “What about you?”
“All the food I own, and two sets of clean clothes.”
As the boys crossed the bridge they slowed to a walk, “Did you tell Kelvin about our stuff, and our plan?” asked Thist.
“No.” said Jem. “It’s the strangest thing. He just started asking me about the stuff as if he had known all along.”
Thist put his hand up to his face and rubbed his meagre moustache, “He is a strange fellow. What do you think?”
“I think we need him, to figure out things that he shouldn’t.”
Thist smiled, “I like the way you think.”
Jem scratched his head as they walked. He couldn’t help wondering what Kelvin had in store for them as a means of transport. He didn’t know much about him. He had only met him this morning. “Kelvin seems a quiet chap?”
“Snap out of it Jem.” said Thist. “You’re talking to yourself again.”
Jem looked up. “Oh here he comes now.”
Kelvin was driving a flatbed horse-drawn wagon. He had a strange looking hat on, and the horses looked like they were retired years back. The wagon creaked to a halt.
“Are you guys going to stand there all day, or are we going to Fineburg in a wagon?”
“Rickety old wobble wagon.” corrected Thist. “Where did you get it?”
“Does it matter? Whoever it belonged to didn’t care for it, or the animals.”
“You stole it?” asked Jem.
“More like doing the animals a favour, I was thinking. The owner is dead.”
Thist seemed undisturbed by the answer, as he rummaged through the back of the wagon to see what came with it. The town had been shrinking in population for years and there were a lot of excess items around that were free to commandeer.
“How do you know the owner is dead?” asked Thist
Kelvin looked over his shoulder to where they had just come from. “I don’t know exactly how I know. I just know.”
Jem exchanged glances with Thist, who shrugged his shoulders. The wagon creaked as the horses pulled at their burden. Jem rubbed his head as if he had a sudden headache and looked up, alarmed, with one hand in the air, palm facing out. “Whoa! What are we doing, Kelvin? This is crazy. Who’s going to look after my mother, and Thist’s birds, and... Oh.” said Jem as he put his hand over his face. “Kaylah and Tayah! Turn around Kelvin. We can’t just leave like this! If we leave like this without greeting or at least planning properly we might never be able to return here and be welcome.”
Kelvin flicked the reigns to speed up the horses, but said nothing. Instead he just looked Jem in the eye without looking at the road. After a long silence between them, Thist said, “He’s right, Jem. We’ll be fine. Just let it go.”
“I never thought you would just leave Tayah like that, run away from the first person who really loved you the way Tayah does.” said Jem.
“If she really loves me, then she still will when we get home.” said Thist.
Kelvin said nothing as he drove the wagon over the hill. As they dropped down the other side, Jem and Thist looked back as
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