Chapter 7
The next morning Meredith told Cory to keep Maggie occupied while she put some tea in a thermos and made a pack of sandwiches for Joshua. Cory felt guilty. Maggie seemed so pleased he was actually having a conversation with her and at any other time Cory would have enjoyed it. Now he felt like a hardened criminal as he asked Maggie about how she met Brian and how long they’d lived in the country.
“Oh we’re both townies! At least we were, but we’ve lived here since not long after Meredith was born. Brian was just a salesman then. He’s done very well and now manages a whole franchise business. Mostly they tick over without any problems but this is a new partnership he is helping down in Wellington. I was teaching at a kindergarten. I still do relief teaching from time to time, but I give Brian a hand with his accounts at the office a couple of days a week. We both love living here and I’m sure the country is a good place to bring up children.”
“It’s a nice house. Sort of old and not too tidy. I mean, it’s very tidy but not too much,” added Cory in confusion, hoping he hadn’t offended Maggie.
She laughed. “We like things to be comfortable, and I know what you mean. Some places are so tidy they have a sterile atmosphere like a hospital. Talking of hospitals, do you want to go and visit your grandmother at all Cory? I’d be happy to take you.”
“No thanks,” said Cory. “Gran doesn’t even know who I am and she’s pretty old and sick. I’ve never really known her much. She was in a home before I was born even.”
“That’s fine,” said Maggie. “But if there’s anywhere you want to go or something you want to do, be sure and tell me. After all, we want you to be happy here.” She looked at him hopefully but Cory could see Meredith waving her arms and making ‘hurry up’ motions behind Maggie’s back so he muttered something about having to go and left the table.
Maggie sighed. She’d hoped for a minute there that Cory was starting to unbend a little but it was impossible to tell what he was thinking. At least he seemed to be getting on with Meredith at last.
Meredith led the way to the shed and pulled back the boat canopy.
“He’s not there,” she said in dismay.
Cory looked over her shoulder. She was right. A crumpled plastic bag that had held sandwiches lay in a heap with the towels and lifejackets.
“Where on earth can he be?” she said, tossing down the gumboots and socks she had brought. “They’re Dad’s old ones and they look about the right size,” she explained as Cory lifted an enquiring eyebrow.
They heard a faint groan coming from behind the stack of cartons by the wall and Joshua put his head out tentatively.
“Beware, danger,” he croaked.
“What danger?” asked Cory, looking round wildly to see if the pirates had suddenly arrived.
“A dragon!” said Joshua dramatically.
“There aren’t any dragons here,” said Meredith scathingly, “only calves, and cows next door.”
“It was a dragon,” insisted Joshua, crawling out and beginning to devour the sandwiches hungrily. “I left the vessel at dawn to attend to a call of nature outside and it was when I was coming back that the beast attacked me. Eyes like flames it had, and it roared at me as it approached.”
Meredith looked bewildered for a minute then her face cleared.
“You must have seen the milk tanker,” she said in relief. “It always comes past at about half past six to the farm next door. It’s okay,” she reassured Joshua. “There’s no need to be afraid. It won’t be back until tomorrow at the same time.”
“I was not afraid for myself,” lied Joshua. “I was prudently hiding so I could warn you of the danger.”
Cory suppressed a smile, then watched as Meredith showed Joshua the socks and boots. He was a bit doubtful about the socks.
“These hose are very short. They hardly cover the shanks at all.”
He was delighted with the gumboots and stamped around making pleased noises, particularly when Meredith told him they were waterproof.
“Now,” said Joshua, “I wish to be taken back to the pirate ship. I intend to challenge Black Harry to a duel. The winner will take the ship.”
“Do you think that’s wise?” asked Cory cautiously. “He’s very strong and he has a whole crew to back him up.”
“Do you doubt my courage?” bristled Joshua, turning to Cory aggressively.
“No, No, of course he doesn’t,” soothed Meredith as Cory reached across and pushed the silver button. They braced themselves for the jolt but nothing happened. Meredith looked at Cory expectantly.
“Push it again,” she suggested. “Perhaps you didn’t do it hard enough.”
Cory pushed the button again more firmly then turned to Meredith in dismay.
“This is what happened before. It really must only work once a day.”
“Bother. What are we going to do now?”
They looked across at Joshua who was eyeing them suspiciously.
“This is a very strange vessel,” he said. “I know not what moves it when there are no sails and the wind is not blowing.”
“Er, it’s a magic vessel, I mean boat,” said Cory.
“Yes,” agreed Meredith. “It is such strong magic that it only works once a day. That means you will have to remain in hiding until tomorrow.”
Joshua looked unimpressed by this.
“I’ll bring you more sandwiches,” offered Meredith. Joshua reluctantly agreed to this.
“I will not remain on this vessel,” he declared, scratching his unshaven chin. “It is too small and I need to stretch my legs after my confinement on Black Harry’s ship.”
“We’ll have to take turns to come out and look after him,” Meredith whispered to Cory. “Otherwise he could do anything.”
While Joshua was inspecting the garden tools and evaluating their effectiveness as weapons, Cory and Meredith decided to fetch some books and take turns to read to him to help pass the time. They felt it would be too hard to explain his presence to Maggie and Meredith said she would take the opportunity to make more sandwiches. Cory went towards his room to choose some books while Meredith headed for the kitchen.
“Is that you, Cory? Oh good. Come here, will you? I need to pin these on. Meredith, you can give me a hand by passing the pins.“
Cory rolled his eyes at Meredith and stood in the dining room impatiently as Maggie started to pin pieces of fabric around him.
“Keep still. This is the first one so I have to get it right. Then I can do all the others without too much trouble.” Maggie eyed Cory critically as she adjusted the pins.
“Can I go now, Mum? You don’t need me.”
Maggie frowned.
“I want you to tidy your bedroom before you go off with Cory again. It’s a disgrace. There are clothes all over the floor and your bed looks as if it hasn’t been made for a month.”
Meredith scowled and flounced into her bedroom where she could be heard muttering as she slammed drawers shut and hurled shoes into her wardrobe.
Cory was eventually allowed to climb out of the carefully pinned jacket. He asked Maggie if he could make a sandwich, figuring he would make enough to keep Joshua fed for the day.
“Oh you poor boy, you’re still hungry. I can do better than that.”
Despite Cory’s protests, Maggie insisted on heating him a bowl of soup and toasting half a packet of muffins. Cory felt obliged to eat this under her approving gaze, feeling guilty about Joshua languishing in the cold shed outside. He forced down the last mouthful with a sickly smile as Meredith bounced in and glared at him accusingly.
“What are you doing stuffing your face? We have to make sandwiches for Joshua,” she hissed.
Cory pointed despairingly at Maggie who had gone back to her sewing machine. Meredith gave him an exasperated look then dragged him out the back door.
“We’ll make some sandwiches later when Mum’s not looking,”
“I don’t think I can walk,” Cory groaned. “I’m so ful
l of food.”
“Serves you right for eating it then.”
“I had to eat it. Your mother made it for me when I was going to do the sandwiches.”
Meredith sniffed at this but made no reply.
They discovered Joshua sharpening a metal blade from an old pair of scissors against a grindstone.
“This will make a handy dagger,” he grunted. He refused to be interrupted and the children watched him until he was at last satisfied with what he had done. He gave it a final polish on his sleeve then thrust it in his belt for safe keeping. Cory and Meredith persuaded him to sit down on a pile of sacks while they read to him but they quickly discovered he was not an ideal listener. He objected to Meredith’s choice of story – The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
“Who are these children? Where is this place? “
Meredith became cross as she tried to explain the story while Cory, who had read the book already when he was younger, helpfully pointed out that she was reading it too fast.
“You’re gabbling it so quickly so it’s no wonder Joshua can hardly understand it. You need to make the voices different for each person as well.”
“You do it then if you’re so smart,” yelled Meredith and threw the book in his direction.”
“May the Saints preserve me from the quarrels of infants. I am going outside,” stated Joshua, getting to his feet.
“You can’t,” began Meredith at the same time as Cory said, “What a good idea.”
At that moment Maggie opened the shed door and there was an instant of appalled silence.