freeline-104 - Flipbook - Page 206
PETER LUCK
h e thought – no odd jobs fo r m e to g e t lu m b e re d w i th to d ay.
S h e’ll not be back until mi d af te rn o o n a t l ea s t .
The time passed quickly to d ay, a n d B i ll s o o n fo u n d i t t i m e
to get his old bike out of t he sh e d a n d s ta r t h i s j o u rn ey to t h e
o l d house on the estate. I t wa s a l ove ly d ay, b r i ght b l u e s k y,
n o wind, with a lovely warm s u n b e at i n g d ow n . G re a t , t h e f i s h
w i ll be on top, he thought to h i m se l f . It to o k h i m j u s t f i f te e n
m i nutes to cover the thre e an d h a lf mi le s to t h e e nt ra nc e to
t h e estate. Bill had given hi m s el f h al f a n h o u r to c ove r t h e
d i stance, so as not to be la te . B i ll g o t o f f h i s b i ke a n d d e c i d e d
to push it the last four hun d re d ya rd s to t h e h o u s e d ow n t h e
l e afy driveway. It didn’t ta ke lo n g to c ove r th e q u a rte r m i l e o r
s o to the house, and Bill wa s j u st le av i ng h i s b i ke a ga i ns t a n
o l d oak tree when he heard a s ho ut .
Walking out from under th e l e af y ca n o py, B i l l l o o ked a b o u t
b u t could see no one. “Hell o , B i l l, up h ere ! ” s h o u te d t h e vo i c e .
B i ll looked up and immediate ly re co gn i s e d h i s n ew fo u n d f ri e n d
Pe te sitting astride the ro o f o f th e o l d h o u s e . “ He l l o , Pe te . I
t h ought it was ghosts for a mi n u te ,” c hu c k le d B i l l . “ Wo n’ t b e
a s ec… I’ll come down.” Pe te d i s a p p e are d d ow n th e oth e r s i d e
o f the roof out of Bill’s sigh t . H e m u s t h ave h i s la d d e r ro u n d
t h e back, he thought to hi m s el f . B i l l wa lke d a ro u n d t h e b ac k
o f the house to meet Pete , b ut h e , o r t h e l a d d e r was n owh e re
to be found. Blimey, he go t dow n f ro m t he re q u i c k ly, th o u gh t
B i ll – he must have walked a ro u n d to t he f ro n t t h e o t h e r way.
B i ll walked back to the fro n t o f t he b u i ld i n g , a n d o n arriv i n g
t h ere, he looked about him, b u t s t i ll Pe te wa s n owhe re to b e
s e en. He was just about to ca l l o ut wh en he fe l t s ome o n e t ap
h i m on the shoulder.
He turned around, and the re s to o d Pe te w i t h a b i g g r i n a c ro s s
FREELINE 76
