Читать книгу A Threefold Cord - Howard Goldenberg - Страница 8

Chapter Three

Jennifer looked over the fence. She saw the creature that screamed and hissed. She jumped off Snoth’s shoulders and back onto the ground. She pulled Nystagmus and Snoth to her side. Jennifer put her lips to the ears of each boy in turn and whispered. The boys’ faces went pale, then they nodded.

Jennifer stood up. She reached high to the top of the fence and started to climb. Snoth held her hips and boosted her. He did the same for Nystagmus. Now Snoth raised his arms and grabbed the topmost timber of the fence and his friends grabbed him and pulled him up. Without a word the three leapt from the fence into the garden and faced the creature.

A small boy looked up, surprised. He held the tail of a tiger-striped cat in his hands. He was swinging the cat by the tail, swinging it in a circle, swinging it as the cat screamed and hissed.

When the boy saw the three children, older and bigger than he, his face turned white. He looked terrified. Jennifer noticed the front of the boy’s trousers darken. She saw the dark patch growing as the little fellow wet himself. The child let go of the cat, turned suddenly and ran, his short legs scampering away from his visitors, away from the creature that he had tortured. The child headed for the back door of the house.

Nystagmus spoke. His voice was urgent: “We’ve got to get out of here before that boy’s parents come outside. And we have to take the cat with us so he can never torment it again.”

Jennifer and Snoth nodded. They looked at the cat. It arched its back and showed its sharp teeth. In between the hissing and screaming they heard soft, fast mewing sounds. The children felt their hearts beating even harder than before.

Snoth took off his jumper and tiptoed towards the weeping animal from behind, holding his jumper in front of him. Suddenly he dropped the jumper over the cat’s head. He wrapped it firmly so the animal could not see or bite. He lifted the cat and nodded towards the fence, urgently signalling his friends to climb. Jennifer and Nystagmus helped each other to the top then looked around. The back door of the house opened as they watched and an adult emerged.

“Run, Snoth! Run!”

Snoth was trapped. He could climb and escape with his friends but he would have to leave the cat in the garden without any protection.

The taste of onion still fresh in his throat reminded him: he knew he would not leave the cat behind. He called in the direction of the fence: Go without me! Go!

Snoth turned to face the person hurrying in his direction. He saw a tall, tall person. He had never seen such a tall person before. Or such a scary face: sunglasses like blue mirrors hid the tall person’s eyes. The person did not speak. Snoth heard Nystagmus’ voice from the fence: “Pass the cat to us!”

Snoth was a good runner, the school champion. He set a new school record as he ran to the fence. He lifted the cat and four arms reached down and took it from him.

He could feel the adult’s footsteps shaking the ground behind him.

Then he had an inspiration: he shouted loudly, as loudly as he could: “Go! Go, get the police!”

(This is a good place to end this chapter. In Chapter Four, I might tell you a little about the Onion of Weeping.)

Snoth, Jennifer and Nystagmus