The Christmas of Adventure

©2015 June E.

Philip, Dinah, Jack and Lucy-Ann are excited at the prospect of spending their first Christmas together, but by Christmas Eve all their plans lie in ruins. Things get even worse when a severe snowstorm brings the country to a standstill and leaves Bill snowbound, hundreds of miles away. Forced to fend for themselves in Bill's remote moorland cottage, rumours abound of a strange and terrifying creature lurking in the woods nearby... and with a ruthless thief on the loose, striking at night and stealing birds from the local Sanctuary, the scene is set for a frightening and perilous adventure. Can they stop the thief before it's too late? Or will Kiki be the robber's next victim?

Chapter 11: 'Not someone, something!'

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The snow was falling faster and faster, and the footpath was now completely blanketed in thick, fresh snow. They were deep in the woods, with trees on all sides. The children stood huddled together, straining their eyes to find some clue that would show them the right direction. Their hats, and the shoulders of their coats, were soon caked in an inch of snow.

'I can't see any sign of the footpath, the snow is just too thick,' said Philip anxiously.

'Yes, and we can't even follow our own footprints back through the woods, because they have been covered up now,' said Dinah, wishing she had somehow prevented Jack from striding off so quickly.

'I'm f-f-freezing,' said Lucy-Ann, her teeth chattering. 'I really want to get out of here. And what if that creature comes – the one F-F-Fred told us about?' She started to cry.

'Don't worry Lucy-Ann,' said Jack gently. 'Listen everyone, I'm sorry I got you all into this mess. I was just so preoccupied about the bird sanctuary. I should never have strode off like that.'

Jack looked so sorry and worried that everyone forgave him on the spot.

'I'm sure we'll find our way back somehow,' said Philip, trying to sound confident. But he didn't feel it!

Everyone agreed that it was better to walk than to stand still, even if they weren't sure of the right direction.

'We'll get nowhere if we stand here, and we'll just get colder and colder,' said Philip.

'Yes, and it will be going dark soon,' said Lucy-Ann, still frightened, but trying her best to stifle her tears.

'Look at that holly bush', said Dinah, pointing to a snow-covered bush a little distance away. 'I think I remember walking past that earlier – I remember thinking how pretty the berries looked. Shall we try that direction?'

No one had a better idea, so they all agreed to head off through the trees, past the holly bush.

They strode on, Jack leading the way, hoping that they were on the right pathway through the trees. The leaden sky started to turn a darker grey, and the weak sunlight was fading fast. There was no respite from the vicious howling wind, which whipped the snowflakes, stinging, into their faces.

'Which way now?' asked Jack, turning to face the others. His hat was covered with snow, his face was red with the cold, and even the tips of his eyelashes were fringed with icy flakes.

'Keep going in this direction,' said Philip, hoping against hope that his instincts were correct.

'Quiet!' hissed Dinah suddenly, in a desperate, urgent whisper, simultaneously clutching Philip's arm.

Everyone swung round to look at her, puzzled and alarmed – her voice sounded so scared, and Dinah was very rarely afraid of anything. They saw that her face was ashen white, her eyes were wide, and she looked the very picture of terror.

Instantly, the other three children moved closer to her, no one speaking a word – not even Lucy-Ann, though her teeth were now chattering with fright as well as with cold. Philip and Jack looked round to see what had frightened Dinah, but they could see nothing but the snow and the trees.

'Whatever is the matter?' whispered Philip. 'Dinah, there's nothing to be afraid of. And do stop gripping my arm, you're hurting me.'

Dinah spoke in a strangled whisper, her throat so tight that she could hardly get the words out.

'I saw something over there, between the trees,' she said, pointing.

'But there's no one there, Dinah,' said Jack gently. He had never seen Dinah in this kind of a fright before.

'Not someone, something!' she whispered hoarsely. 'It was too tall for a person... and brown all over. It was moving quickly between the trees.'

An ice-cold shiver ran down Jack's spine, and Philip went pale. They knew that whatever Dinah had seen had terrified her. Not a bear, surely – there were no bears in the wild in England. Lucy-Ann started to tremble all over. How she wished she had never set foot out of the house that day!

Dinah wouldn't say another word – she just started walking on quickly, her head down, dragging Philip with her. Jack grabbed Lucy-Ann and the pair of them followed closely. Philip and Jack kept a watch behind them, but there was nothing to be seen except the snow and the trees, and no sound except the howl of the gale and the crump, crump, crump of their boots on the snowy ground.

The walk felt endless, but there was nothing for it but to trudge grimly on in the hope of coming to a road or a cottage – preferably before nightfall. The prospect of a night in the snowy woods, with something out there lurking in the darkness... well, Philip didn't even want to think about it. Then, all of a sudden the wind died down for a moment and they heard the chiming of a church clock coming from somewhere ahead.

'That sounds like Moorland Village church clock, and it's somewhere up ahead!' whispered Jack with relief. 'Six chimes, so it's six o'clock. Goodness we've been out for hours! Not long now and we'll be out of these woods.'

Nobody needed telling twice, for they all desperately wanted to get out of the woods. It was now much too dark to see much, and there was no moon, but the snow eased off and then stopped altogether. The children continued ploughing on, stepping as carefully as they could in the darkness.

A sudden shout from Philip made everyone jump.

'Ahead, look! A stile!'

Dinah and Lucy-Ann scrambled forwards and reached the stile first. Philip said afterwards that he couldn't tell if Dinah climbed over or leapt over, such was her haste. The others followed hurriedly. Soon they found themselves on a lane, and this led them into the village. By now, darkness had fallen; they didn't meet a soul as they walked through the village, for everyone else was at home by their fireside on that wintry evening. The lights of Fred's cottage were soon visible, and within a few minutes the four cold, frightened and exhausted children tumbled into Bill's cottage and locked the door firmly behind them.

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