Bomber Overhead, Page 2

  Chapter 2

  Jeffery had no idea how long he'd been asleep when the doorbell ringing woke him. This was shortly followed by a loud banging on the front door. He heard noises from the back room where the Burnetts slept during air raids. Soft footsteps sounded in the corridor as someone wearing slippers shuffled past. Then the front door opened and he heard a man's voice followed by Mr. Burnett laughing and saying. "Do I need my broomstick?" The man at the door laughed too as he answered. "No."

  The door closed and Mr. Burnett went back to his room. Shortly he came back again followed by Mrs. Burnett and he heard her say, "Here's your torch. Put your rain shoes on and wrap up warm. Be careful."

  The door opened and closed again. He knew Mrs. Burnett had gone from the door into the kitchen because, although her slippers had made no sound, he heard her fiddling around in there. He must have dozed again because the next thing he heard was Mr. Burnett's voice saying, "We caught them."

  Luckily, by then Gordon was no longer snoring. Jeffery leaned over and put his ear to the side of the cupboard. Mr. Burnett was telling his wife where he'd been and what had happened. The anti-aircraft guns on the railway tracks had damaged the bomber that dropped the bombs and searchlights had picked up two parachutes floating down. The Home Guard had been called out to help track the parachutists down. It hadn't taken them long to find the two cold and shivering German airmen hiding under trees in Marwell Woods. One of them was wounded and they'd surrendered without a struggle. Then he heard Mrs. Burnett tell Mr. Burnett to go into their room and she'd make a nice cup of tea and bring it to him. After that there was nothing more to hear so he lay down and went back to sleep.

  The next thing he knew, Gordon was jabbing him with a foot and telling him to get up and not be lazy. He obeyed and by the time he'd pulled on his clothes and exited the cupboard he heard the sizzle of bacon frying. It smelled delicious, but he knew he wouldn't get any. Even Gordon didn't get bacon for breakfast. Mrs. Burnett always said she gave everybody's bacon ration to Mr. Burnett because he was the working man. Jeffery suspected that she had her share after he and Gordon had left for school and Mr. Burnett had left to catch his train up to London and the printing firm where he worked. He wouldn't have said no to bread fried in the bacon fat, but Mrs. Burnett saved that for other purposes. Both Mr. Burnett and Gordon were also given large packages of sandwiches. Jeffery was told he didn't need any because his school provided a mid-day meal.