deposited in an urn and then used as the trophy Australia and England played for. That was why Test matches between the two countries were called Ashes Tests. Holding the Ashes was the most important prize in world cricket; except maybe the World Cup.
Ally and I watched as Marcus held the charred end of the stump over the flame in one of the lanterns. The smell of burning wood filled the air. It was sweet and rich.
‘Ally.’ Marcus motioned her closer. ‘I want you to shut your eyes and very gently breathe in the smoke that drifts over to you, is that clear?’
Ally nodded. Jim took my arm and we moved back a few paces. Marcus swung the lantern gently backwards and forwards, causing the smoke to drift towards Ally. I watched her carefully as the dark smoke wafted over her.
‘That’s very good,’ Marcus said in a soothing voice. ‘Keep your eyes closed.’ Then he glanced at Jim, a look of anguish on his face.
Jim lay down on the bed and closed his eyes. ‘Keep going, Marcus,’ he said. ‘We may not be able to return here again.’
As I watched, Jim’s face turned an ashy grey colour and his mouth began to twitch.
‘Jim, what’s happening?’ I cried, frightened by his sudden change. I saw Marcus look desperately from Jim to Ally. Why was he looking so frightened? Ally,her eyes still closed, seemed blissfully unaware of the events going on around her.
‘Jim…’ Marcus said tentatively.
‘Keep going.’ Jim was struggling to talk.
After one more swing Marcus slid a panel in the lantern closed and it stopped smoking. He smothered the burning end of the stump in a cloth he’d pulled out of his pocket, then rushed over to Jim.
‘Go to Ally,’ he told me. ‘Talk to her.’
Flecks of spit had formed around Jim’s mouth and his breathing was raspy. His chest rose in short, quick bursts. Whatever Marcus had done to Ally had in turn hurt Jim.
‘What’s wrong with him?’ I yelled.
‘Guys?’ Ally said.
I turned around. She looked browner, healthier all of a sudden.
‘Is that it?’ she asked. ‘Am I fixed?’
‘You’re on the road to recovery, certainly,’ Marcus said, then turned back to Jim.
‘Is that all it took?’ she said, staring at me. ‘Just a bit of smoke from some old stump, and now I’m okay?’
‘Shut up, Ally,’ I snapped. ‘What about Jim? Look what you’ve done to him.’
‘What do you mean what I’ve done to him? What’s wrong—’
‘Shhhh, both of you,’ Marcus ordered. ‘Listen to me. That was not “some old stump”; that was the stump that gave your friend Jim here the power to be a Cricket Lord. And it’s helped Ally like nomedicine could.’ Marcus sounded angry now. ‘You have no idea—’
‘Marcus.’ Jim’s voice sounding tired. ‘Don’t.’
‘Don’t what?’ I said, looking at Marcus.
Marcus shook his head. ‘It’s time for you to take Ally home,’ he said.
‘But what’s happened to Jim? Will he be okay?’
Ally’s bounciness had quickly disappeared. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t realise what was going on.’
Jim’s mouth moved gently, as if he was trying to say something, but his eyes remained closed.
Instantly I realised why Jim had been working on his strength over the past months. He’d known all along what was going to happen, that the only way for Ally to get her strength back was for him to give it to her—from himself via the stump. As Ally got stronger, Jim got weaker. There was no risk or worry for me at all—it was Jim who was in danger with this trip. And he hadn’t told me.
‘I fear Jim should have taken more time to build up his power,’ Marcus said softly. He glanced at Ally. ‘How do you feel?’
‘Totally fine. Like I’ve just woken up from the longest sleep of my life and now I want to make up for a wasted half-year.’
Jim opened his eyes. He looked dazed; as though he wasn’t quite all there.
‘Well, in a sense that is exactly what’s happened,’ Marcus said. ‘But remember this. For the
Ally and I watched as Marcus held the charred end of the stump over the flame in one of the lanterns. The smell of burning wood filled the air. It was sweet and rich.
‘Ally.’ Marcus motioned her closer. ‘I want you to shut your eyes and very gently breathe in the smoke that drifts over to you, is that clear?’
Ally nodded. Jim took my arm and we moved back a few paces. Marcus swung the lantern gently backwards and forwards, causing the smoke to drift towards Ally. I watched her carefully as the dark smoke wafted over her.
‘That’s very good,’ Marcus said in a soothing voice. ‘Keep your eyes closed.’ Then he glanced at Jim, a look of anguish on his face.
Jim lay down on the bed and closed his eyes. ‘Keep going, Marcus,’ he said. ‘We may not be able to return here again.’
As I watched, Jim’s face turned an ashy grey colour and his mouth began to twitch.
‘Jim, what’s happening?’ I cried, frightened by his sudden change. I saw Marcus look desperately from Jim to Ally. Why was he looking so frightened? Ally,her eyes still closed, seemed blissfully unaware of the events going on around her.
‘Jim…’ Marcus said tentatively.
‘Keep going.’ Jim was struggling to talk.
After one more swing Marcus slid a panel in the lantern closed and it stopped smoking. He smothered the burning end of the stump in a cloth he’d pulled out of his pocket, then rushed over to Jim.
‘Go to Ally,’ he told me. ‘Talk to her.’
Flecks of spit had formed around Jim’s mouth and his breathing was raspy. His chest rose in short, quick bursts. Whatever Marcus had done to Ally had in turn hurt Jim.
‘What’s wrong with him?’ I yelled.
‘Guys?’ Ally said.
I turned around. She looked browner, healthier all of a sudden.
‘Is that it?’ she asked. ‘Am I fixed?’
‘You’re on the road to recovery, certainly,’ Marcus said, then turned back to Jim.
‘Is that all it took?’ she said, staring at me. ‘Just a bit of smoke from some old stump, and now I’m okay?’
‘Shut up, Ally,’ I snapped. ‘What about Jim? Look what you’ve done to him.’
‘What do you mean what I’ve done to him? What’s wrong—’
‘Shhhh, both of you,’ Marcus ordered. ‘Listen to me. That was not “some old stump”; that was the stump that gave your friend Jim here the power to be a Cricket Lord. And it’s helped Ally like nomedicine could.’ Marcus sounded angry now. ‘You have no idea—’
‘Marcus.’ Jim’s voice sounding tired. ‘Don’t.’
‘Don’t what?’ I said, looking at Marcus.
Marcus shook his head. ‘It’s time for you to take Ally home,’ he said.
‘But what’s happened to Jim? Will he be okay?’
Ally’s bounciness had quickly disappeared. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t realise what was going on.’
Jim’s mouth moved gently, as if he was trying to say something, but his eyes remained closed.
Instantly I realised why Jim had been working on his strength over the past months. He’d known all along what was going to happen, that the only way for Ally to get her strength back was for him to give it to her—from himself via the stump. As Ally got stronger, Jim got weaker. There was no risk or worry for me at all—it was Jim who was in danger with this trip. And he hadn’t told me.
‘I fear Jim should have taken more time to build up his power,’ Marcus said softly. He glanced at Ally. ‘How do you feel?’
‘Totally fine. Like I’ve just woken up from the longest sleep of my life and now I want to make up for a wasted half-year.’
Jim opened his eyes. He looked dazed; as though he wasn’t quite all there.
‘Well, in a sense that is exactly what’s happened,’ Marcus said. ‘But remember this. For the
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