A Map of the Sky by Claire Wong

Author:Claire Wong
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781782642701
Publisher: Lion Hudson
Published: 2019-05-01T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWELVE

SKIMMING STONES

DAY TWENTY-FOUR

Mum let us get takeaway fish and chips for dinner AGAIN last night. That’s the third time in a week. She says it’s part of the adventure of moving house that you get to do things like that. I’m not sure she fully understands what an adventure is.

Catherine poured a dollop of Greek yoghurt over her cereal and selected the ripest blueberries from the punnet to scatter on top.

“I have to go into town today to run some boring errands. But you don’t have to come with me if you don’t want to. And no, Kit, I’m not going to Askfeld this time, if you were hoping for another visit there.”

“I’ve still got lots to get through on my reading list for next term.” Juliet did not look up from carefully dissecting a banana into bite-size pieces on the plate in front of her. Their dad would have told her she looked as though she was training to become a brain surgeon.

“You’ve been working all summer, love, and there’s weeks to go until school starts. Why don’t you take a break? Go out into Utterscar for a bit. Did you have a look at what’s listed in the local newsletter that got posted through our door?”

Juliet rolled her eyes. “Did you? It was so boring it was almost funny.”

The Utterscar News was an A5 black and white publication that looked to have been created and printed from someone’s home desktop shortly after they learned how to add borders and unusual fonts to a document. But alongside the Utterscar events diary, it contained personal stories from local residents that Kit had enjoyed. It was fun to imagine the authors behind the anecdotes, and to hope for a chance to meet them one day.

“There must be something that interested you.”

“Tragically I may have to miss the judging of the Utterscar Cauliflower Show this year. Maybe next year will be my turn to win a prize.”

Kit pictured a stage populated by tap-dancing cauliflowers in top hats and grinned to himself.

“Don’t you go laughing at her sarcasm,” Catherine chided him. “It’s bad enough having one child who answers back all the time. And you mock, but I honestly think some fresh air will do you good. If you won’t join in with anything organized, why don’t you and Kit go out for a walk today?”

Kit nearly dropped the cereal box he was emptying into his bowl. He had grown so used to his mother keeping him indoors and under her supervision ever since the day he went looking for the albatross that this was the last thing he had expected. Juliet must also have picked up on the surprise, because her next words were: “Seriously? I thought you wanted us cooped up safely in here, where nothing bad can ever happen.”

“There’s no need to take that tone with me, thank you. I don’t mind the two of you going out together, if you’re sensible. You’re old enough to keep an eye on Kit, and you can phone me if you run into any trouble.

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