Chapter 27
Then inspiration struck. “We’re visiting a friend of ours. His place is hidden in the woods. Actually, it’s so well hidden it’s. . .”
“Invisible,” Sean finished.
The boys stopped shaking their heads, but the frowns remained followed by slowly rising eyebrows.
They’d gone too far and were now going to have to walk some of it back. Reece, being older, felt this overwhelming duty fell to her. “What we mean is that you can be standing ten feet away and not even see it.” There, that was positively the truth on every level.
Samuel scratched his head for a few seconds. “Well, that’s hidden all right. What do you think, Nathan?”
“Our camp is no place for kids. I think we’d better help them get back to their friend’s house.”
With that said, the older boys decided that while Samuel cleared the barrier away from the cart, Nathan would take the kids back on Scottie and their dog would follow behind. After he’d safely delivered the kids home, he’d stop at the barn and put the harness on the horse. If he made good time, he’d be back in half an hour.
Scottie’s back was bare, and there was only a halter on his head, so there was no guidance system whatsoever attached to him. The children wondered just how all this riding on his back and getting them home was going to work. They’d seen enough horses on TV and at the fair to know that a bridle and reins were used to tell a horse where to go. And, a saddle was needed for comfort and so the rider didn’t fall off as easily.
Samuel stood on the left side of Scottie while Nathan walked to the horse’s head speaking softly to him. Then, Nathan joined his brother placing his boot in the middle of Samuel’s cupped hands. Samuel lifted up slightly with his hands and Nathan hopped onto the horse’s back.
Reece and Sean tilted their heads all the way back. It was a long way up there. And, there didn’t seem to be any room left for them, so they hung back a bit. Maybe they’d luck out and end up walking behind the horse with Bear.
Samuel turned to Reece. “Okay, you first.”
“Uh, ‘me first’ what?”
“You’re going to sit behind Nathan.”
“I am? But, there’s no room, is there?” Reece asked, and three seconds later she grabbed Nathan around his waist as if her life depended on it.
Sean stepped back. “I’m not next am I? Because, now there is absolutely no room left.”
“Yep, plenty of room,” said Samuel and swung Sean on top of Scottie in front of Nathan.
Bear was in a total state of panic. He trotted back and forth then circled the horse looking for a way up. The children had no words of comfort for him, because their inner voices were on overload trying unsuccessfully to comfort themselves.
It looked a long way up there from the ground. But, now that Sean was seated on the horse, it looked a whole lot farther to the ground. “There’s nothing to hold onto up here!” he said trying not to sound shrill.
Nathan laughed and put his arm around the young boy’s chest. “Don’t worry; I’ve got you,” he said as the brothers shared an amused look.
Then another thought occurred to Sean. “How are you going to drive this horse?”
“I’ll use my legs,” said Nathan.
“Your legs?” said Sean. “Have you done that before? I mean does Scottie know how to turn and stuff just using your legs?”
“Guided Scottie with my legs a thousand times,” said Nathan. This time, the brothers exchanged a mystified look wondering how these children knew so little about horses.
This, the children would have to see. They could only hope he wasn’t exaggerating about having ‘guided Scottie with my legs a thousand times’. But, within five minutes, they were back riding along the field where they’d met Nathan with Bear tagging dutifully behind. In another two minutes, they stood were they’d left the woods in the first place.
“Okay, we can go the rest of the way by ourselves,” said Reece.
So much time had been wasted already, and they seemed so confident that they could get back on their own. Nathan grabbed Sean just above the wrists and lowered him to the ground. Then reached around and took Reece’s left arm and helped her dismount as well. The three looked at each other. “Well,” Nathan began then chuckled. “Nine and seven aren’t that young after all.”
The children didn’t know what to say, so silence fell for a few seconds. Then, Reece said softly. “Thanks for bringing us back.”
“Yes, thanks.”
Nathan looked at the ground and shook his head. “You’re thanking me,” he said equally softly. “Well, it looks like I need to thank you, too.” He bit his lip then added. “You’re sure you’ll be all right?”
They both nodded several times.
“Oh!” said Sean reaching inside his pocket. “I almost forgot to give this back.” He stood on his tiptoes and returned the medal Nathan’s grandfather had given him.”
Nathan looked down at the medal then allowed his fingers to close around it. “Thanks,” he said softly. He turned around and looked at the field then down at the children. “Well, I’ve got to get back now,” he hesitated before adding. “I hope you’ll be all right.”
“We’ll be all right,” said Reece.
Nathan nodded his head as his sandy colored eyes looked from one child to the other. Finally, he lifted his hand in a short wave then guided Scottie back to the barn.
The children watched Nathan leave then turned their attention to the woods.
“Is this where we came out of the woods?” asked Sean.
Reece’s eyes traveled up and down the line of trees then she shifted her gaze to the farmhouse in the distance. “It’s farther away.” She walked backwards keeping the farmhouse in view then stopped. “This is it.”
“How do you know?”
“See how that big tree stands in the middle of the door?”
Sean followed his sister’s pointing finger then nodded.
“That’s where we came out of the woods.”
Calling Bear to follow, the children stepped inside the woods setting a rapid pace towards the hut. They were lost again.
“Reece!”
Reece turned sharply. Misery was written all over her brother’s face. “What’s the matter?”
“Our house isn’t there anymore is it?”
Sean stated what Reece had worried about for some time, and she took a moment to think through a response. For the first time in her nine-year-old life, she thought it must be hard to be her parents having to tell your children the truth without scaring them. “Just because we’re having trouble finding our house right now doesn’t mean it’s not still there.” She checked her brother’s reaction then relaxed a bit when he nodded his head. Well, he sort of nodded his head.
They walked in silence for a couple of minutes before he spoke again. “But, if the Professor’s hut is invisible, how are we going to find it?”
Reece had thought of that, too, but realized that even her parents couldn’t answer that one.
The Door Into Time Page 27
