suggested.
‘We’re not following him.’
‘You got off the bus fast enough. Were you planning to watch him from afar?’ She stopped in front of the barbed-wire fence and turned to him. ‘You coming or not?’ She tossed her bag over the fence, got down onto her stomach, and crawled underneath the wire. Rising to her feet, she brushed dirt off her clothes and turned to him. ‘Maybe he’s up to something. Or, maybe he’s an alien.’
‘Yeah, that’s it, he’s an alien.’
‘We won’t know unless we follow him. Look, you got off the bus for whatever reason. It’s a long walk home for nothing. We’re here, so we might as well do something.’
‘I know, but –’
‘But nothing. You’re not afraid, are you?’
An image of Candra flashed in his mind. ‘No.’
‘Well, come on, then.’
Charlie glanced in the direction the bus had headed and looked at his watch. It was nearing four in the afternoon. He deliberated for a moment and then handed her his bag before climbing under the fence. ‘Thirty minutes tops.’
Alex smiled, and they took off.
It took them a couple of minutes to get to the forest. They would have been quicker were it not for the wild grass of the meadow round their knees. Tall trees guarded the dense forest, blocking out most of the sunlight. They saw the boy with a bag on his back and followed him.
They walked for fifteen minutes until they came across a small, shabby, wooden shack in the old growth Douglas-fir forest. Hiding behind a tree, they watched as the boy went inside the shack.
‘Shall we knock?’ Alex whispered in Charlie’s ear, and he flinched. ‘What’s with you? You’re so jumpy.’
‘No I’m not,’ he snapped. ‘And no, we’re not knocking.’
‘We didn’t come all this way for nothing.’
‘What are we supposed to say? Sorry, just thought we’d follow you.’
‘It is the truth.’
‘Let’s just wait until he comes out.’
‘Then what?’
‘I don’t know. This was your idea.’
Alex crossed her arms. ‘Well, I say we knock –’
A loud scream cut her off. She and Charlie poked their heads out from behind the tree and saw the boy running towards them. As the boy drew nearer to them, they came out of their hiding spot, and he came to a sharp halt in front of them. His blue eyes studied Charlie, as if searching for a missing piece to a puzzle, and as though he found it, he looked stunned. Charlie knew what he was thinking, but before he could assure him he wasn’t there to recover the stolen goods, Alex spoke.
‘Why are you screaming?’ she asked the boy.
Suddenly, as if he had just remembered something, his eyes widened, and he glanced back in the direction he had come from. Charlie looked at Alex, and his own confusion mirrored back at him.
‘What is it?’ Alex asked.
The boy pointed at the shack. ‘So-so-something’s in there.’
His soft voice trembled.
‘Something like what?’ Charlie asked.
The boy turned to him. He seemed to freeze for a moment, his expression distant. Finally, he shrugged and said, ‘I don’t know.’
‘You don’t live in the shack, do you?’ Alex asked. The boy’s expression became nervous, and he turned away from them.
Alex looked at Charlie and gestured towards the boy. When Charlie didn’t budge, she rolled her eyes and gave him a nudge. ‘Where are your parents?’ Charlie asked. The boy kept his back to him. Glancing back towards the run down shack, Charlie realised he didn’t have it half as bad as the kid. ‘So how big is this thing?’
The boy turned to him. ‘Big,’ he replied with raised eyebrows.
‘But it didn’t attack you, right?’
The boy shook his head.
‘Charlie,’ Alex said. ‘You’re not thinking what I think your thinking, are you?’
‘We’ll just have a peek,’ Charlie replied.
‘No way. Let’s just leave.’
‘I wanna see what’s inside,’ the boy said.
‘Weren’t you the one screaming a minute ago –?’
‘We’re not following him.’
‘You got off the bus fast enough. Were you planning to watch him from afar?’ She stopped in front of the barbed-wire fence and turned to him. ‘You coming or not?’ She tossed her bag over the fence, got down onto her stomach, and crawled underneath the wire. Rising to her feet, she brushed dirt off her clothes and turned to him. ‘Maybe he’s up to something. Or, maybe he’s an alien.’
‘Yeah, that’s it, he’s an alien.’
‘We won’t know unless we follow him. Look, you got off the bus for whatever reason. It’s a long walk home for nothing. We’re here, so we might as well do something.’
‘I know, but –’
‘But nothing. You’re not afraid, are you?’
An image of Candra flashed in his mind. ‘No.’
‘Well, come on, then.’
Charlie glanced in the direction the bus had headed and looked at his watch. It was nearing four in the afternoon. He deliberated for a moment and then handed her his bag before climbing under the fence. ‘Thirty minutes tops.’
Alex smiled, and they took off.
It took them a couple of minutes to get to the forest. They would have been quicker were it not for the wild grass of the meadow round their knees. Tall trees guarded the dense forest, blocking out most of the sunlight. They saw the boy with a bag on his back and followed him.
They walked for fifteen minutes until they came across a small, shabby, wooden shack in the old growth Douglas-fir forest. Hiding behind a tree, they watched as the boy went inside the shack.
‘Shall we knock?’ Alex whispered in Charlie’s ear, and he flinched. ‘What’s with you? You’re so jumpy.’
‘No I’m not,’ he snapped. ‘And no, we’re not knocking.’
‘We didn’t come all this way for nothing.’
‘What are we supposed to say? Sorry, just thought we’d follow you.’
‘It is the truth.’
‘Let’s just wait until he comes out.’
‘Then what?’
‘I don’t know. This was your idea.’
Alex crossed her arms. ‘Well, I say we knock –’
A loud scream cut her off. She and Charlie poked their heads out from behind the tree and saw the boy running towards them. As the boy drew nearer to them, they came out of their hiding spot, and he came to a sharp halt in front of them. His blue eyes studied Charlie, as if searching for a missing piece to a puzzle, and as though he found it, he looked stunned. Charlie knew what he was thinking, but before he could assure him he wasn’t there to recover the stolen goods, Alex spoke.
‘Why are you screaming?’ she asked the boy.
Suddenly, as if he had just remembered something, his eyes widened, and he glanced back in the direction he had come from. Charlie looked at Alex, and his own confusion mirrored back at him.
‘What is it?’ Alex asked.
The boy pointed at the shack. ‘So-so-something’s in there.’
His soft voice trembled.
‘Something like what?’ Charlie asked.
The boy turned to him. He seemed to freeze for a moment, his expression distant. Finally, he shrugged and said, ‘I don’t know.’
‘You don’t live in the shack, do you?’ Alex asked. The boy’s expression became nervous, and he turned away from them.
Alex looked at Charlie and gestured towards the boy. When Charlie didn’t budge, she rolled her eyes and gave him a nudge. ‘Where are your parents?’ Charlie asked. The boy kept his back to him. Glancing back towards the run down shack, Charlie realised he didn’t have it half as bad as the kid. ‘So how big is this thing?’
The boy turned to him. ‘Big,’ he replied with raised eyebrows.
‘But it didn’t attack you, right?’
The boy shook his head.
‘Charlie,’ Alex said. ‘You’re not thinking what I think your thinking, are you?’
‘We’ll just have a peek,’ Charlie replied.
‘No way. Let’s just leave.’
‘I wanna see what’s inside,’ the boy said.
‘Weren’t you the one screaming a minute ago –?’
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