Read Online The If Game by Catherine Storr - Free Book Online Page A

immediately returned, that the two dads got on surprisingly well. And Mike’s dad was better than his word. He not only lent them his tent, but he added most of the equipment they would need. A ground sheet, two sleeping bags, a camping stove, insect-proof boxes to keep food in, a roof rack, canvas bags for extra clothes.
    â€˜It’s chilly in the night. You’d better take all the sweaters you’ve got. And take something to keep the bugs off you while you sleep. First time I went camping, the mosquitoes or something like them made a meal of me.My face swelled right up so that Dolly said she wouldn’t have known me.’ Dolly was Mike’s mum.
    â€˜He’s all right, isn’t he?’ Stephen asked his dad as they drove home.
    â€˜Talks too much,’ his dad replied.
    â€˜But it was good he’s let us have all this.’
    â€˜It’s a bit much.’
    â€˜But we’ll need all the things he’s given us. Won’t we?’
    â€˜We’ll see. Anyway, it’s lent, not given.’
    â€˜I meant lent. So where’ll we go, Dad?’
    â€˜Have to think. Not too far.’
    â€˜The sea?’ Stephen prompted.
    â€˜We’ll see about that.’
    Unsatisfactory. But at least he had got past the first step.
    The long school term ended. At first it was wonderful enough not to have to get up in the mornings, not to have homework every evening. Then it became less wonderful. Mike was off on his package holiday, Dan was sometimes free, but more often not. He had cousins staying who took up most of his time. Stephen did not know how to fill up the day. He hung around his dad’s garage until Ray and Sandy who worked there got fed up with him and told him to go off. Even when he offered to help, they didn’t want him there.
    He tried cooking, thinking that his dad might be pleased to come home and find a meal ready waiting. But after he had burned one saucepan beyond repair and wasted three eggs and nearly half a pound of butter in a cake that didn’t rise in the oven and wouldn’t stay together when taken out of its tin, he decided to give up experiments in the kitchen, except for the fry-up which he knew couldn’t go wrong. He looked at the garden and meant to have a real go at it and make it as flowery andscented as Mrs Nelson’s, where her son-in-law came every weekend and worked for hours at a time. But Stephen got discouraged after half an hour of pulling up weeds. The sweet peas he had sown months ago had come up all right, but for want of watering had not flowered successfully and had produced only a few small, unsatisfactory pods.
    He went to the High Street and bought enough milk chocolate to make himself feel uncomfortably sick. He walked round the shop that hired out videos and had computer games and longed for them. But he hadn’t got a computer and with Mike away there was no chance of seeing a video or playing any of the games. He almost wished it was term time again.
    That Saturday, his dad suddenly said, I’m taking a few days off next week. You’d better get packed.’
    Unexpected. Stephen said, ‘Dad! When are we going?’
    â€˜Could go tomorrow if you’re ready.’
    â€˜I’ll be ready.’
    â€˜We’ll start early. Less traffic.’
    â€˜What time?’
    â€˜Seven. Got your alarm?’
    He had. ‘Where’ll we go, Dad?’
    â€˜Somewhere on the coast. We’ll have to look around to find where we’re allowed to put the tent.’
    â€˜Cornwall? Wales?’ He had seen pictures of long beaches and high cliffs.
    â€˜Too far. We’ll try the south coast.’
    He spent that day in a fever of excitement and indecision. Packed the kitbag lent by Mike’s father twenty times and twenty times took everything out and re-packed. Couldn’t decide what book to take in case there’d be time to read, which pullover would be warmest, whether it