Read Online The Children of Hare Hill by Scott McKenzie - Free Book Online
Authors: Scott McKenzie
Ads: Link
hare. He remembered it was on the path that led to the bird-watching hut at the northeast corner of the park, and felt pleased with himself when he saw the wooden hare sitting in the grass as he approached. He had been thinking about the Guardian's riddle. He knew that Charlotte would be able to solve it, and maybe he would be able to help her, but he had to find her first. If he could complete whatever challenge was waiting for him here and free the fourth hare, he hoped it would lead him back to his sister.
They had bickered and fought so much over the past two years. Almost all of his living memories involved some kind of confrontation with his sister. Their mother kept telling them that they used to play so nicely together and, while he believed it, he couldn't remember it. He decided that when he found her again, he would try really hard to be nice to her. Somehow, he knew she was thinking the same thing about him.
The fourth hare offered no clues about the challenge that lay before him. The inanimate wooden hare sat in the grass, surrounded by a ring of his father's ashes. There were no marks in the path and no tools lying in wait for his arrival. He scanned his surroundings and saw only trees, bushes, and flowers in the moonlight that felt like it was going to last forever. Then he looked down the path to the bird-watching hut and saw through the crack in the door that the light inside had been turned on.
* * *
Charlotte spun round in shock.
"Charlotte!" the voice shouted again. It was the voice of a woman, but not her mother. She crept back along the path until she saw a hand waving to her from the other side of the bridge that had taken her and Ben to the fifth hare.
"Ah, there you are, Charlotte," said the woman. She was probably about the same age as their mother and she was dressed in a suit that made her look like she was a member of an official group—maybe the police—but there were no indications what that group might be. Her long black hair was tied back and she wore spectacles, giving her a trustworthy air of authority.
Charlotte stood firm and said, "Who are you?"
"I know where you brother is," the woman said. "Come with me."
Ben! Charlotte thought. She knows where Ben is! She was about to set foot on the bridge to run over to the stranger when she realised that's exactly what this person was— a stranger .
"Wait a minute," Charlotte said, "you didn't answer my question. Who are you?"
"I'm just someone who can help you get your brother back. How did you get stuck in the park like this? It's the middle of the night!"
Charlotte didn't know how to explain her situation. The sudden appearance of a stranger—another real person—made the whole experience feel like a dream, like the search for the hares to break them out of their spell hadn't really happened. How could she even begin to explain that to this woman? She would think Charlotte was crazy!
"I don't know," Charlotte said. "We fell asleep in the day and woke up here in the night time. We're trying to find our mother."
"Your mother? Alison?" Charlotte nodded at the woman's question. "I know where she is as well. Quick, come with me and I'll take you to both of them."
Charlotte hesitated. Something in her soul told her to slow down and think about things before going anywhere with this woman, but the stranger was persistent. The tone of her voice was becoming more and more urgent.
"Come on, Charlotte. We need to go now or you'll never see them again."
Chapter 16
The door of the bird-watching hut creaked as Ben edged it open. Peeking inside brought back a long-forgotten memory of an Easter egg hunt around Hare Hill. On the Easter Sunday before their father died, they were given a map upon their arrival at Hare Hill—much like the maps their father made for them—with the instruction that if they found all the hares and noted down the names that had been pinned to each one, the Easter Bunny would be waiting in the
They had bickered and fought so much over the past two years. Almost all of his living memories involved some kind of confrontation with his sister. Their mother kept telling them that they used to play so nicely together and, while he believed it, he couldn't remember it. He decided that when he found her again, he would try really hard to be nice to her. Somehow, he knew she was thinking the same thing about him.
The fourth hare offered no clues about the challenge that lay before him. The inanimate wooden hare sat in the grass, surrounded by a ring of his father's ashes. There were no marks in the path and no tools lying in wait for his arrival. He scanned his surroundings and saw only trees, bushes, and flowers in the moonlight that felt like it was going to last forever. Then he looked down the path to the bird-watching hut and saw through the crack in the door that the light inside had been turned on.
* * *
Charlotte spun round in shock.
"Charlotte!" the voice shouted again. It was the voice of a woman, but not her mother. She crept back along the path until she saw a hand waving to her from the other side of the bridge that had taken her and Ben to the fifth hare.
"Ah, there you are, Charlotte," said the woman. She was probably about the same age as their mother and she was dressed in a suit that made her look like she was a member of an official group—maybe the police—but there were no indications what that group might be. Her long black hair was tied back and she wore spectacles, giving her a trustworthy air of authority.
Charlotte stood firm and said, "Who are you?"
"I know where you brother is," the woman said. "Come with me."
Ben! Charlotte thought. She knows where Ben is! She was about to set foot on the bridge to run over to the stranger when she realised that's exactly what this person was— a stranger .
"Wait a minute," Charlotte said, "you didn't answer my question. Who are you?"
"I'm just someone who can help you get your brother back. How did you get stuck in the park like this? It's the middle of the night!"
Charlotte didn't know how to explain her situation. The sudden appearance of a stranger—another real person—made the whole experience feel like a dream, like the search for the hares to break them out of their spell hadn't really happened. How could she even begin to explain that to this woman? She would think Charlotte was crazy!
"I don't know," Charlotte said. "We fell asleep in the day and woke up here in the night time. We're trying to find our mother."
"Your mother? Alison?" Charlotte nodded at the woman's question. "I know where she is as well. Quick, come with me and I'll take you to both of them."
Charlotte hesitated. Something in her soul told her to slow down and think about things before going anywhere with this woman, but the stranger was persistent. The tone of her voice was becoming more and more urgent.
"Come on, Charlotte. We need to go now or you'll never see them again."
Chapter 16
The door of the bird-watching hut creaked as Ben edged it open. Peeking inside brought back a long-forgotten memory of an Easter egg hunt around Hare Hill. On the Easter Sunday before their father died, they were given a map upon their arrival at Hare Hill—much like the maps their father made for them—with the instruction that if they found all the hares and noted down the names that had been pinned to each one, the Easter Bunny would be waiting in the
Similar Books
