The Aeroplane of Adventure

©2009 David Marlor

This novel is based on the characters created by Enid Bylton in the Adventure Series. In this regard, it is the ninth adventure and follows The River of Adventure.

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Chapter 2: Bill's Idea

Aunt Allie was taken by ambulance to the nearest hospital, against her protests. The children decided to wait for the next train and then they were to go to a hotel not far from the hospital.

That evening the children had a nice surprise. They were sitting on the hotel lawn, feeling a bit glum, when they heard a loud voice hail them. "Hi there!"

Lucy-Ann knew that voice, she jumped up and ran over to the small gate in the wall. "Bill, Bill! Is that really you?" It really was. There was Bill, his strong ruddy face smiling at them from the gate. Jack and Dinah joined Lucy-Ann in running towards the gate.

"Bill!" said Jack, thumping him on the back. "Oh, Bill, it's so good to see you!"

"Pay the Bill, Police, Police!" yelled Kiki at the top of her voice as she flew over to Bill. She landed on his shoulder and started to peck at his ear.

"Bill, we've got so much to tell you. Mother's in the hospital." Bill held up a hand. "All right, all right. Yes, Dinah, I know your mother's in hospital, I just came from there. She called me, you see."

"Come on, let's go and have an ice cream and catch up." Lucy-Ann put her arm through Bill's as they set off down the road to the village ice cream shop. "Bill, how did you get here so fast?" asked Lucy-Ann as they walked down the lane towards the ice cream shop.

"I flew here. As soon as I got the message, I left immediately in my new plane and flew straight here. I landed at an aerodrome not far from here. Just over that hill over there." Bill pointed to the west at a small bare hill with sheep grazing peacefully.

Between them, over ice creams and ginger beer, the children told Bill of their adventure rescuing their mother from the burning building. Bill listened in amazement. "You're great kids," he said. "I'm lucky to know you. You never tum a hair when in danger. I'm proud of you. Your mother is too. All of you. Kiki too. From what I hear, she told you where your mother was."

"Oh, Bill," said Lucy-Ann, thrilled to hear such praise from her hero. "lt's so good to see you again. Please stay with us for the whole holiday."

Bill looked at his watch. "Come on, we should be getting back to the hotel. I'd like to go over to Eagle Grange and have a look at it tomorrow."

"l don't want to," said Lucy-Ann, shuddering at the thought of seeing that burnt-out ruin, still smoldering from the flames. Dinah said she didn't want to go either.

The next morning, Bill brought a newspaper with him to breakfast. Philip borrowed it and scanned the headlines for news of the tire at Eagle Grange. He found it on page two next to a story about the life of the brilliant scientist Peter Wilson who died in a plane crash two years ago to the day. Philip read out the Eagle Grange story to the others:

A fire broke out at the remote Eagle Grange manor house yesterday. The house was being let to a vacationing family at the time. One person was taken to hospital suffering from shock. Police are keeping quiet as to the cause of the fire and an investigation is underway.

There was a picture of the burnt-out house. The children looked at it in silence. After their breakfast, Bill and the boys caught the morning train to Eagle Grange. The poor pony was still at the station. The station master had taken pity on it and put it in the station stables for the night.

"Don't worry, Mr. Cunningham," he'd said to Bill, "I'll look after it until the owners get back from the south of France. I've already put a call through to them." Bill, Jack, and Philip walked up the steep lane to Eagle Grange. Bill let out a low whistle at the sight of the old house. Jack and Philip stopped in amazement at the devastation. The fire had died out over night, but there were still some smoldering beams as they clambered over the ruin. It looked much worse than in the picture in the newspaper.

"The girls and your mother are going to need a new wardrobe," said Bill as he picked up a tarnished brooch. "I can't tell what's theirs and what belongs to the Eagle Grange owners. Bill poked around the rubble in the kitchen with a charred stick.

Philip went upstairs and found Jack crouching in what used to be the library. "What's up, Freckles?"

Jack looked up and Philip saw him holding something in his hands. "Philip," said Jack, slowly. "What do you make of this?"

Philip looked at what Jack was holding. It looked like a fragment of some kind of dull metal. There was a faded red mark on it that looked like a capital T with a line through it.

"I don't know, Jack. It looks like some kind of metal. Maybe it's part of a picture frame or vase or something."

"No," said Jack in a voice that made Philip aware that Jack was on to something. "No, I don't think it is. Look Tufty, how did this fire start? I mean, it was a hot summer afternoon, yesterday. Right?"

Philip nodded,. not sure where Jack was going. He unconsciously touched the tuft of hair on his forehead that never seemed to lie down. Jack had first called him Tufty on the day they met at Mr. Roy's summer school. Philip had called Jack freckles in return owing to the large number of freckles all over his face.

"Well," Jack continued, "surely Aunt Ally wouldn't have a fire on. There's no electricity, so it couldn't have started by an electrical short. It was daytime so I doubt if Aunt Allie would have lit any candles."

"What about the stove?" said Philip considering. "It's wood burning. Maybe mother was getting dinner ready."

Jack considered this. "It's possible. But it doesn't feel right. The whole house was on fire when we saw it. So whatever started it spread really fast. And besides, I don't think it started in the kitchen. This room seems to have the most damage. And there's something else." Jack paused.

Philip prompted him "Go on, you have an idea, haven't you?"

"Well, yesterday, when we were going down to the station in the trap, I saw something glinting in the sun on the hill opposite the house. Philip, I've seen that glint before. Somebody was watching us through field glasses."

"Golly," exclaimed Philip. He shuddered. Somehow it seemed creepy to think somebody was watching them. Whatever did they see? And why were they watching? "We'd better tell Bill," said Philip worried. "Come on."

They found Bill in the kitchen, examining the wood burning stove. He listened carefully to Jack's story. He took the fragment from Jack and examined it. When Jack had finished he asked Jack to point out where he saw the glint on the hill. Jack pointed to a spot to the right of a large rocky outcrop.

"Right," said Bill. "When we get back, I'll send this fragment to the police lab to see what they can make of it. Are you game for a spot of hiking? We've got a few hours before the train back to the town. You are? Good, I'd like to take a look at that spot where you saw the glint, Jack."

Bill, Jack and Philip, and Kiki, of course, set off in the hot summer sun. They left the lane and cut across a field and then started the steep climb up the opposite hill. It really was too hot and they had to stop and rest a couple of times. A breeze blew up and that helped to cool them off. It took them over an hour to climb up , but they made it at last. In the distance they could see a good way over the countryside. A stream trickled down the side of the rocks. Bill tasted it. "Spring water," he said, so they all took a drink.

They looked around the little clearing they had come to, next to the rocks. It was quite sheltered. There was nobody there now, but ashes from a fire and some footmarks and flattened grass showed that somebody had been there – and recently too. There really was nothing to be seen. Bill took a few notes and then said they ought to be getting back.

On their way back down, they stopped at Eagle Grange and picked up Philip and Jack's duffel bags from the yard where they had left them the day before. On the way to the station, Jack swept the hillside with his field glasses, but there was nothing to be seen. They arrived at the station in plenty of time for the afternoon train and were back in town again before dinner time.

Bill left them at the hotel, saying he wanted to check on a few things. Jack and Philip told Dinah and Lucy-Ann all they had discovered, but left out Jack's feeling of being watched. They went to the hotel dining room and had a feast of roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. Treacle tart and custard followed.

Over dinner, Dinah and Lucy-Arm told Jack and Philip about their day. They had visited mother in the hospital and she was feeling much better. They wanted to keep her in for a few more days for observation. She had suffered some smoke inhalation, a slight concussion and mild shock.

"Mother's upset that our holiday plans are ruined," said Dinah. "She said she was going to ask Bill if he could take us away for a real holiday and that she would join us in a few days when she's better."

"Good old Aunt Allie," said Jack. "She would think of us first. I think it's a jolly good idea. Let's ask Bill if he'll take us up in his new aeroplane at night. Remember, we were supposed to do that a couple of years ago, but we got in the wrong plane and ended up in that valley, don't you remember?"

"Dizzy Lizzie, Dizzy Lizzie," said Kiki, "Dizzy Lizzie, Dizzy Lizzie. Pay the Bill."

"What's she on about, silly old bird! Hey Kiki, you're losing your mind," said Jack.

"No she's not," said Dinah, suddenly. "She's remembered Philip's lizard. She used to call it Dizzy Lizzie, don't you remember? It was when we were in that valley – the Valley of Adventure as Lucy-Ann called it. I wouldn't want that to happen again." The others all agreed with her. No flying off to any hidden valleys full of thieves and priceless treasures this time!

Continues tomorrow...

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