#
Simon awoke again that night. I was sitting by his bed, having sneaked out of my own bedroom after my parents had retired, both a little drunk after an evening playing bridge over at a neighbour’s house. Father had earlier forbidden me to speak to Simon and locked his room. I, of course, had long ago located our house’s master key.
He was still too weak to talk for long, but when I told him about Jess his eyes lit up with relief. ‘Where is she hiding?’ he asked.
‘There is an old shed at the bottom of our garden that no one uses. She’s sleeping in there. I took her some food.’
Simon smiled. ‘Thank you, Carl.’ He shook his head. ‘She always was better at surviving than me.’
‘I tried to clear the fence,’ he said, and I noticed a little smile. ‘Thought it might be electrified. I must have caught the top of it.’
‘You were lucky.’
‘Maybe.’
‘Why did you jump?’ I asked, though thought I knew the answer.
‘A what?’
‘Shh! I hear someone outside.’
I ducked down under Simon’s bed as someone crossed the landing outside, floorboards creaking. I heard a groan and then the bathroom door opening.
‘I’d better get back to bed before someone catches me,’ I whispered, grinning conspiratorially, and slipped out, leaving Simon alone again.
They hadn’t been in the train; that was certain. Quite how they’d been riding it was a mystery, but I was sure it had something to do with the strange wooden thing I’d found in the woods. Jess had taken it off me, but I knew it was important to them, and I wanted to find out why.
#
Over the next few days Simon’s recovery continued well. The doctor visited again and said that his ribs were almost healed, but his leg would still take some time. My father seemed frustrated; I sensed that he wanted Simon gone. Having a stranger in the house, and one from the city, made him uneasy. He’d managed to keep word about it quiet, but in the GFAs, with nothing much to do but gossip and spread rumours, news spread quickly. It was only a matter of time.