The Christmas of Adventure

©2015 June E.

Philip, Dinah, Jack and Lucy-Ann are excited at the prospect of spending their first Christmas together, but by Christmas Eve all their plans lie in ruins. Things get even worse when a severe snowstorm brings the country to a standstill and leaves Bill snowbound, hundreds of miles away. Forced to fend for themselves in Bill's remote moorland cottage, rumours abound of a strange and terrifying creature lurking in the woods nearby... and with a ruthless thief on the loose, striking at night and stealing birds from the local Sanctuary, the scene is set for a frightening and perilous adventure. Can they stop the thief before it's too late? Or will Kiki be the robber's next victim?

Chapter 7: 'Nobody can ring us, and we can't ring anybody else...'

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It really was most perplexing. Bill was expecting them to stay for Christmas, and was supposed to have met them at the station. Instead, he was nowhere to be found. Even worse, his cottage was in darkness. Jack felt for the hall light switch and clicked it. Nothing happened.

'That fallen tree must have affected Bill's power lines too,' said Jack. 'I expect the whole of Moorland village is without power.'

'Well I do hope they fix it soon,' said Lucy-Ann in an anxious voice, for she didn't like the dark. 'Come on Philip, you have the torch – see if you can lead us into Bill's sitting room. I know it feels a bit awkward to make ourselves at home without Bill being here, but I really don't see what else we can do.'

'Agreed,' said Jack. 'Let's take off our wet things and hang them on these hooks by the door.'

Struggling because of cold-numbed fingers, the children pulled off their snowy coats, unwound damp scarves from around their necks and peeled off sodden gloves. Finally, they took off their snow laden boots. Pools of snowmelt water started to appear on the hall floor, around their pile of outdoor things.

Philip's powerful torch illuminated the hallway, at the end of which were two doors and a staircase. They chose the right hand door and it led them into a sitting room, warmed by the dying embers of a log fire. Beside the fire they could make out a pile of kindling and a good stack of logs.

'Quick, Jack,' said Philip. 'Stoke up the fire and put some logs on – it will help to light the room, warm us up and dry us out. Why, my fingers are so numb I can hardly hold the torch.'

Jack set to work, Philip shining the torch so that he could see what he was doing. Soon the fire was roaring, and the room seemed cosier.

The rest of the sitting room was now clearly visible; it was a homely room, with a window over-looking the front garden. It was furnished with a comfortable dark blue sofa, lots of cushions in shades of blue and brown, a tall bookcase crammed full of books, an untidy oak desk piled high with papers and a radio in a polished wooden case. But best of all, much to the children's delight, there was a table laid with a sumptuous tea.

'Oh how lovely; a plate of sandwiches, lots of sausage rolls, a dish of boiled eggs and a huge apple pie!' exclaimed Dinah.

'Shouldn't we wait for Bill to get here before we tuck in?' asked Jack. 'It seems rather rude to walk into someone's house and just start eating their food.'

'Hey, what's that?' asked Philip, pointing to the other side of the table where Jack was standing. 'Just there, Jack, by that delicious-looking chocolate cake – a piece of paper.'

'It seems to be a note,' said Jack, picking it up and reading it. 'Oh, it's from Mrs Grouch.'

The note was in a neat, old-fashioned handwriting and this is what it said:

Dear Mr Cunningham,

I have left tea ready for you and the children, as you asked. It's late and you're not here as I expected and I can't wait any longer. I have to go home to my Burt, he'll be waiting for his tea. I got the bedrooms ready as you instructed and there is plenty of food in the larder. I will be back the day after Boxing Day.

Season's greetings to you,
Hilda Grouch

'That settles it,' said Dinah, in a decisive tone. 'This food is meant for us and I really think we should tuck in rather than wait for Bill. After all, we have absolutely no idea when he will turn up and it's already nearly eight o'clock.'

The other three children agreed readily, for they were famished.

'Philip, will you shine your torch for me while I go into the kitchen and find some mugs?' asked Lucy-Ann. 'Hot cocoa everyone? I think we need it to warm us up.'

Soon everyone was sitting around the tea table, tucking in to the scrumptious food. There was a steaming jug of cocoa in the middle of the table.

'Oh, this is so nice,' said Dinah, wrapping both hands round her cocoa mug and taking little sips of the hot liquid. 'I can nearly feel my fingers again.'

'Yes,' said Lucy-Ann. 'And it's actually quite fun to have tea in the dark – I mean, just by the light of the fire. It feels so cosy!'

'Pass the ham, Dinah,' asked Philip. 'It's so delicious, I can't resist another slice.'

'Ok,' mumbled Dinah, her mouth now full of chocolate cake.

'Gosh, Mrs Grouch certainly is a good cook,' said Jack appreciatively. 'Here, Kiki, you can finish that bit of sandwich.'

'Put the kettle on!' squawked Kiki.

'I already did,' laughed Lucy-Ann. 'That's how I made the cocoa!'

Eating tea by the glow of the fire was such fun that for a few minutes the children almost forgot that they were alone in a strange house, with no electricity and no idea where Bill was.

'You do realise, I suppose,' said Philip, draining the last drops of cocoa from his mug, 'that Bill must be delayed somewhere on his journey home from Paris. The question is: where is he?'

'Presumably stuck in his car somewhere on the drive up from London,' said Jack. 'He might decide to sleep at an inn or something, and finish the drive in the morning.'

'But he wouldn't leave us here alone overnight, would he?' asked Lucy-Ann, hoping for reassurance. 'Anyway, he would telephone if he intended to do that, and he hasn't phoned so he must be on his way – he's just late, that's all.'

'But our power and telephone lines are down,' Philip reminded her. 'Bill might try to ring us, but he won't be able to get through. Nobody can ring us, and we can't ring anybody else – not until the electricity company fixes the power lines – and I doubt they can do that until the worst of the storm passes.'

Lucy-Ann did not welcome this news, and heartily wished they had stayed safely at home.

'Adventures are all very well,' she thought to herself, 'but sometimes it would be nice to just have a quiet, safe, cosy, uneventful time!'

Warmed by the fire and cheered by a good meal, the children's spirits started to rise.

'Even if Bill doesn't arrive until tomorrow, we'll be fine,' said Jack. 'Philip, let's you and I go and search out some candles and some more torches; you girls stay by the fire and get yourselves thoroughly dried out.'

Dinah and Lucy-Ann were more than happy to obey this instruction! Dinah still felt very damp and chilled, and Lucy-Ann didn't like the thought of exploring the cottage in the dark! She felt much warmer and safer sitting in the firelight, and for the moment that is where she wanted to stay. Kiki had the same idea, for she detested cold or wet weather. She found a nice warm perch on the back of a fireside chair and fell into a little doze.

Jack and Philip went off exploring, and the girls listened to the fun as the boys bumped their way around the dark house.

'Ouch, watch out, that's my nose you're twisting!' protested Philip.

'Gosh, sorry Philip, I thought it was a cupboard doorknob,' said Jack apologetically.

'Hey, don't swing that torch about so wildly, you nearly knocked my head off!' shouted Jack.

'Oh crumbs, sorry!' answered Philip.

'Crumbs indeed, you clumsy oaf, you've just knocked a packet of biscuits off the table!'

And so it went on, much to the girls' amusement.

When Philip and Jack returned they were carrying very little despite all their efforts.

'Just one torch, one candle and a box of matches,' said Philip, disappointed. 'That's a pretty poor show, especially as they have to last us all night. Next time I see Bill I am going to have a word with him – he should be more prepared for emergencies. He should have at least a full box of candles, and several boxes of matches.'

'Yes, he is a policeman after all!' said Dinah. 'He, of all people, should be prepared for emergencies.'

Philip thought for a moment. Then his face lit up as an idea dawned on him.

'Here's what we'll do,' he said. 'It's already nearly ten o'clock and we're exhausted. And seeing as we are so short on torches and candles, it's going to be jolly difficult to unpack and find our way about the place. So let's collect some rugs and pillows off our beds and bring them downstairs. Then we'll set up camp in the sitting room, at a safe distance from the fire. We can keep the fire going all night, giving us light and heat.'

A particularly ferocious gust of wind rattled the windows and made a roaring noise high in the chimney.

'And the girls might all feel more comfortable if we are in one room together,' he added.

'Well if that means we won't have to be in a strange bedroom, without proper light, and with this storm raging overhead ... then I'm all for it!' said Lucy-Ann. 'And then instead of it being rather scary, it might be quite fun.'

An hour later, with a good fire roaring in the grate, a fire guard firmly in place, and a makeshift camp of pillows, cushions and woollen blankets, the children, still in their day clothes, settled down to sleep. The storm raged on overhead and the wind roared and moaned. Snow continued to fall relentlessly, each soft flake descending silently to the ground until deep layers of snow covered every path and doorstep, and windows were half hidden by thick, white drifts piled up on their sills. In this snowy landscape not a creature stirred. But inside, by flickering firelight, four children whispered and yawned for a while in their cosy camp, before finally falling fast asleep.

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