Waving, Not Drowning
The rest of the week was beautifully sunny and they filled their days walking, with Fabby, into the village to buy provisions and then there were the trips out to the countryside, in the car, when they’d always be able to find somewhere with a nice view where they would tuck into a scrumptious picnic. Once, they even went to the outdoor pool where the lifeguard mistook Moopah’s swimming style for that of a drowning man and tried to save him.
Chloé nearly choked on her drink, she was laughing so hard, Evan ran up and down cackling whilst shouting ‘Look! Look!’ and Fabby kept calling out ‘Don’t hit the lifeguard, dear, he’s trying to be helpful’. When he got out the water Moopah stood before them, disgruntled but unmoved. “I was waving, not drowning,” he said.
At the end of the week they were sat on the grass in the garden trying to find daisies to make a daisy chain. Chloé looked at Evan and said, “We’re not having much success here, it’ll be more of a bracelet than a necklace.”
Evan nodded. “It’s Moopah’s fault. He’s too fussy with the grass. The daisies don’t stand a chance.”
Chloé nudged him. “Fancy going up to the woods to see if we can see anybody up there?”
Evan smiled, “Not half! We can take some dog biscuits just in case.”
Francis chipped in. “I’m coming as well. It was my idea to go there in the first place.”
“Monkey? Are you coming or staying?” Chloé enquired.
Monkey shook his head. “I’m staying. I’ve just discovered a really interesting ants’ nest.”
“Elle? Elle?” There was no response from her, hidden away, as she was, behind the large pair of sunglasses, reclined on a ‘T’ towel, her version of the beach variety.
Chloé peeked under the shades, carefully. “She’s asleep. Best not to disturb her,” she whispered.
Rucksacks, water and dog biscuits later, Fabby waved them off with, “... and keep an eye on the time.”
Off they went, waving once more to the lady in her garden who was now mowing her lawn. Along the dirt track they met Whitey and Shrimpy, who were extremely pleased to see them, especially when they produced the dog biscuits.
All five of them started the climb up the shallow hill to the woods but halfway there the two dogs, distracted by something in the long grass, ran off and disappeared.
Stopping occasionally to peer through the fence into the trees they found themselves by a gate they hadn’t seen before.
Sitting on a pile of logs was a boy with dark, short hair. Fashionably cut, Chloé thought. He smiled at them and waved.
They waved back and then decided to introduce themselves.
“My name’s Sebastian, but, if you want, you can call me Sebi.” They all shook hands.
“What were you doing?” Chloé asked.
“Oh, I was just whittling some wood while I figured out how I was going to move all these logs up to the house by myself,” Sebi answered.
“Why do you have to do that?” Evan enquired.
Sebastian explained that his Grandfather had hurt his toe and couldn’t manage to walk as well as he used to. The doctor had told him to rest it for a whole week but they still needed the wood for their fire to heat the house, it got a bit chilly in there at night, even in the sunny weather. It was because they were in the shade of the tallest trees. “And anyway,” he added. “We need it so we can cook our dinner.”
They stood and contemplated the problem then Chloé said, “We’ll help you move them, won’t we Evan?”
Evan was ready for another adventure. “Yep, we’ll help. It’ll be great fun.”
So, they set about their task, carrying the smaller logs in their arms. Others they had to roll onto the back of a little cart they’d found at the house which they dragged up the remaining slope. Back and forth they went until all they had left were several big logs that were too heavy and awkward for them to move, even together.
“Maybe we should leave them here until Granpa’s foot is better,” Sebi thought out loud.
Evan jumped up and down. “Ooh! Ooh! I saw some blue rope at the house. We could use that and drag them, one at a time. I’ve seen a programme on the telly.”
Chloé, with a big smile, nodded her head. “Yes, I remember it. All they did was wrap it around a log once then tie some knots.”
It was hard work but, eventually, they managed it and sat, finally, outside the little house’s kitchen, drinking freshly made iced lemonade.
Evan drank his whilst talking to the chickens that ran freely around the garden, which had roses and a large vegetable patch in a clearing a short distance from the main building.
Chloé and Sebi sat on a homemade wooden seat and Granpa hobbled out on one leg and a crutch to refill their glasses.
She looked around at the rustic building and its surroundings. “I didn’t expect to have ice in our lemonade, I must admit.” She smiled at him.
Sebi smiled back.“Oh we’ve got electricity and an old fridge and freezer. We kept the old soba and wood burning cooker to keep the costs down.” he answered.
“What’s a soba?” she asked.
“Come on, I’ll show you.” He led her into the main room and showed her the ornate, tiled, wide, oblong box that had a metal chimney sticking out of the top which disappeared through the roof.
“You put the wood in here,” he said bending down, “then take the ashes out from underneath later. It heats the house and the hot water.”
“Isn’t it dangerous keeping a fire on all night?” She was sure it was.
He grinned. “That’s the best thing about it. We make sure the fire’s safely out before we go to bed but the tiles keep all the heat and release it overnight as we sleep, so it never gets too cold.” ‘Ingenious!’ she thought.