House of Memories by Taylor Alice;

Author:Taylor, Alice; [Alice Taylor]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 1275152
Publisher: The O'Brien Press
Published: 2013-07-26T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER ELEVEN

WHEN PETER AND Shiner arrived at the stalls and there was no Jack and no cows, they were instantly alarmed. Shiner, with the memory of the previous night still fresh in his mind, was galvanised into action.

“Run in and tell them inside and I’ll go up to the cottage,” he yelled. As he ran he called back, “Send someone down to the river, because he came up there late last night.”

Sensing that Shiner knew more than he had time to explain, Peter ran into the kitchen where Nora was getting ready to go to school. When she saw his face she froze.

“What’s wrong?” she demanded in a frightened voice.

“Something’s happened. Jack, he’s not down,” he gasped. “Norry, run down to the river, because he came up that way last night, and I’ll go up to see if he’s above with the cows. I’ll send Mom up the other way in case he’s with the cow that was going to calve.”

Peter’s panic shot her into action, and with her heart thumping and her mouth dry with fright, she ran up past the stalls and along the path over to the gate leading down to the river. Oh dear God, she prayed, don’t let anything happen to Jack. I can’t bear it if anything happens to Jack. Nothing can happen to Jack. Oh please, please, God, let nothing be wrong with Jack. She ran down through the Horses’ Field, and they galloped off in fright at her sudden appearance, but she kept running. She was over the ditch and down the next field, and then through the gap into Clover Meadow. Bran and Toby were down there, and when Bran saw her he came loping across the high grass, but Toby stayed below barking and running around in circles.

“Oh Bran, Bran,” she gasped as they ran together towards Toby, “is Jack all right?” Jack had to be down there because the two dogs would not be here otherwise. She had to get to him and ran faster but dreaded arriving. Coming closer she could hear Toby whining as he circled a sunken patch in the high grass. Then she could see the toes of Jack’s boots. Maybe he is only asleep, she thought desperately. Maybe he was down the fields and felt tired and is just resting. She gasped with lack of breath and terror. Then she was looking down at him. The frozen realisation that he was dead struck her with blinding force. She felt her head go light and thought that she was going to faint. Her heart was thumping so hard that she could hardly breathe. She fell on her knees and put her arms around him. His cold face sent shivers of horror through her.

“Oh, Jack, Jack,” she sobbed, “you can’t be dead … you can’t be gone like Dad.”

She rubbed his face and hands as if she could rub life back into him, and Toby ran between the two of them, licking their faces and whimpering in distress.

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