Chapter 2
Don’t you love that euphemism. ‘Problematic’. It explains nothing, and leaves me with a really deep sense of uneasiness.
‘I’ve never had this problem before when I’ve taken my dog for a walk. How come today everything changes? And there is also the ‘Who are you?’ question to answer.’ I feel safer with one hand on Jasper’s coat, so I stay close to the ground.
‘Hamish McKenzie. School captain at Seaport. Next year anyway. Who are you?’
The Dodger pushes his way into the eye contact thing that I’ve got going with Hamish. ‘Doesn’t matter. Just get us home.’
Jasper can look after himself for a bit. I have so got to be a part of whatever is going on between these two. I stand up as Hamish replies: ‘I told you. It’s problematic. You can’t just go back. You have to go around.’
‘So take us around.’ I say. I would really like to get going. I’d like to know more about the Seaport captain too, but that can wait until I’m reunited with my clothes. I look down the hill where Hamish came from hoping to see some mode of transport, like a bus or a car or a …. Well, it doesn’t matter, because there’s nothing, just more grass. ‘How did you get here?’
‘I traversed,’ he says. This, no doubt, is in answer to my last question. ‘but I can’t take passengers back. We’ll have to go to an exit gateway. The nearest one is about 10 kilometres down that valley.’ It doesn’t really matter where he is point because I'm not looking. I am getting a nasty feeling about this place and the: ‘can’t bring anything through’ business. ‘If we get started now we should make it by Lights Out.’
The Dodger asks the obvious question: ‘Why should we go with you?’
‘Well, Douglass, there are dangers here that you know nothing about, and the first step to avoiding those dangers is to get off this hill top before much more time passes. This is not a safe place. The Clan use this entry point too. And,’ he added as we both open our mouths, ‘I’ll fill you in on the Clan and where and why as we go, but go we must.’
Jasper is already on his way down the hill. Afterwards I wonder how come he knows which way to go, but at this moment I am still in shock at the thought of walking 10 kilometres in bare feet and a borrowed bathrobe. Hamish follows Jasper, and I , in shock, follow Hamish. The Dodger takes a little bit longer, but then he too starts the walk down the hill. He catches up with me and whispers, ‘Have you noticed his feet?’
I look at the back in front of me, and lower to his feet. They’re bare, like ours. I look further up. He’s wearing a sad-looking pair of corduroys and a colourless cotton shirt. ‘So, if you can’t bring anything with you, where did the clothes come from?’
Hamish looks back over his shoulder at me, smiles and answers, ‘I got them at the Market. You like them? I store them here when I go back. You’ll have to do the same with anything you get here.’ A market. So there’s an economy here.
‘Where are we? I mean really. You did say you’d tell us.’ Maybe if he talks he’ll slow down, because he’s keeping up a cracking good pace that is taxing my short little legs. Jasper’s black and whiteness is still keeping ahead of us though, and the Dodger is quiet behind me. He’s not even breathing fast.
Hamish looks back at where we came from, and then back at me. ‘If we can make it to the tree line before anybody else arrives I’ll tell you then.’ Tree line. Okay, I can see trees up ahead. And I don’t like the look of fear on his face as he looked behind me. I’d look back too, but, one foot in front of the other is all I can manage at the moment.
I do breathing, and trying not to slow the Dodger down and pretending that I am used to walking a distance that has got to be farther than my place to school, for which trip I take a bus, thank you. Almost at the first tree, I have to stop for a breather. I turn back to look where we have come from, and see a sudden light on the hilltop.
‘Get down and don’t move.’ shouts Hamish, showing us how. His head is close to mine. ‘If we stay still, they may not notice us.’ I look where he is looking. There was no-one, and now there are at least three, possibly five naked men on the hill. They confer and then move off in the opposite direction from us. ‘Moss men.’ Hamish spits out. At least, that’s what I think I hear. ‘They’re off to their cache. We’ll have to pick up the pace. They’ll be headed this way once they have their clothes and weapons.’
I feel the need for a non sequitur. ‘Do you know, my feet aren’t sore. Even though I’ve been walking in bare feet for over an hour, my feet aren’t even aching.’
‘Yeah, that’s the land. No need for shoes here. And it’s been 20 minutes at the most. Let’s go.’
We get back onto our marvellously restored feet and I look back at the Dodger. Then I pull my robe closed.
‘I’ve never had this problem before when I’ve taken my dog for a walk. How come today everything changes? And there is also the ‘Who are you?’ question to answer.’ I feel safer with one hand on Jasper’s coat, so I stay close to the ground.
‘Hamish McKenzie. School captain at Seaport. Next year anyway. Who are you?’
The Dodger pushes his way into the eye contact thing that I’ve got going with Hamish. ‘Doesn’t matter. Just get us home.’
Jasper can look after himself for a bit. I have so got to be a part of whatever is going on between these two. I stand up as Hamish replies: ‘I told you. It’s problematic. You can’t just go back. You have to go around.’
‘So take us around.’ I say. I would really like to get going. I’d like to know more about the Seaport captain too, but that can wait until I’m reunited with my clothes. I look down the hill where Hamish came from hoping to see some mode of transport, like a bus or a car or a …. Well, it doesn’t matter, because there’s nothing, just more grass. ‘How did you get here?’
‘I traversed,’ he says. This, no doubt, is in answer to my last question. ‘but I can’t take passengers back. We’ll have to go to an exit gateway. The nearest one is about 10 kilometres down that valley.’ It doesn’t really matter where he is point because I'm not looking. I am getting a nasty feeling about this place and the: ‘can’t bring anything through’ business. ‘If we get started now we should make it by Lights Out.’
The Dodger asks the obvious question: ‘Why should we go with you?’
‘Well, Douglass, there are dangers here that you know nothing about, and the first step to avoiding those dangers is to get off this hill top before much more time passes. This is not a safe place. The Clan use this entry point too. And,’ he added as we both open our mouths, ‘I’ll fill you in on the Clan and where and why as we go, but go we must.’
Jasper is already on his way down the hill. Afterwards I wonder how come he knows which way to go, but at this moment I am still in shock at the thought of walking 10 kilometres in bare feet and a borrowed bathrobe. Hamish follows Jasper, and I , in shock, follow Hamish. The Dodger takes a little bit longer, but then he too starts the walk down the hill. He catches up with me and whispers, ‘Have you noticed his feet?’
I look at the back in front of me, and lower to his feet. They’re bare, like ours. I look further up. He’s wearing a sad-looking pair of corduroys and a colourless cotton shirt. ‘So, if you can’t bring anything with you, where did the clothes come from?’
Hamish looks back over his shoulder at me, smiles and answers, ‘I got them at the Market. You like them? I store them here when I go back. You’ll have to do the same with anything you get here.’ A market. So there’s an economy here.
‘Where are we? I mean really. You did say you’d tell us.’ Maybe if he talks he’ll slow down, because he’s keeping up a cracking good pace that is taxing my short little legs. Jasper’s black and whiteness is still keeping ahead of us though, and the Dodger is quiet behind me. He’s not even breathing fast.
Hamish looks back at where we came from, and then back at me. ‘If we can make it to the tree line before anybody else arrives I’ll tell you then.’ Tree line. Okay, I can see trees up ahead. And I don’t like the look of fear on his face as he looked behind me. I’d look back too, but, one foot in front of the other is all I can manage at the moment.
I do breathing, and trying not to slow the Dodger down and pretending that I am used to walking a distance that has got to be farther than my place to school, for which trip I take a bus, thank you. Almost at the first tree, I have to stop for a breather. I turn back to look where we have come from, and see a sudden light on the hilltop.
‘Get down and don’t move.’ shouts Hamish, showing us how. His head is close to mine. ‘If we stay still, they may not notice us.’ I look where he is looking. There was no-one, and now there are at least three, possibly five naked men on the hill. They confer and then move off in the opposite direction from us. ‘Moss men.’ Hamish spits out. At least, that’s what I think I hear. ‘They’re off to their cache. We’ll have to pick up the pace. They’ll be headed this way once they have their clothes and weapons.’
I feel the need for a non sequitur. ‘Do you know, my feet aren’t sore. Even though I’ve been walking in bare feet for over an hour, my feet aren’t even aching.’
‘Yeah, that’s the land. No need for shoes here. And it’s been 20 minutes at the most. Let’s go.’
We get back onto our marvellously restored feet and I look back at the Dodger. Then I pull my robe closed.
posted by Ennis @ 11:29 pm
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