Young Writers Society

I'm still stuck for a title but I'm still writing until I can think of one. I hope you like Chapter 4 which is longer than the other three by quite a bit. I hope you enjoy it and if you think of a title I could us please tell me.

Chapter 4-Into the Village

After the five of them had had enough to eat, Simon finishing his breakfast, they asked Gina if she any good ideas for what they could do.

“Why don’t you walk into the village? It’s not that far and the walk would be good for you,” she said as she began washing the dishes (no dish washer obviously).

“That sounds good but how far is it since Lisa is only little she might not make it,” Sam said looking at her little sister, who was doing up her trainers by the door.

“Not far like I said before but I’d say about half a mile, maybe a little bit more, maybe a little bit less.”

“Okay. What time do you want us back?” Sam asked putting on her jumper and helping Lisa with her zip.

“Get back before it gets dark, if anything happens to you your Mum will eat me. When you’re in the village don’t talk to any of the old men, they can be a bit weird,” Gina said sitting down and picking up her book.

“How do you mean weird Gina?” Sam asked.

“It doesn’t matter how I mean just don’t talk to them.”

“Okay.”

Before the children left the house Gina gave some money to Sam, “Get yourselves some sweets or something.”

“Thanks Gina. See you later.”

“Bye.”

After the children had left the house they went down the drive, past the Land Rover that they had driven up in, and onto the road where they turned left and headed up the hill.

By the time they had got in sight of the top of the hill and the village that had built there, Lisa was on Elliot’s shoulders and Simon was yet again kicking at the path in front of him.

“Come on you lot, we’re almost there,” Pierce said looking behind him at the others (he walked a lot quicker than the rest of the children, so was further up the road than them) “I can see a sweet shop and a cafe and a...”

“Shut up Pierce we can see what there is for ourselves,” Simon snapped.

“What is your problem Si,” Sam said, “You’ve grumpy since we left home and there is no need for you to take it out on Pierce.”

“Shut up Sam, you’re not the boss of me.”

“If you remember Mum told you to listen to me.”

“I am listening but I don’t have to do what you say.”

“Pierce and Elliot will you go ahead please and take Lisa with you, I want to talk to Simon quickly,” Sam said looking from Pierce to Simon.

“Okay Sam. We’ll meet you just outside the village,” Pierce said as he led Elliot and Lisa up the hill.

“Thanks guys,” Sam called after them.

After the others had walked out of ear shot Sam turned to Simon and said “Okay, what’s really up with you?”

“I’m worried about Mum,” he replied, looking at his feet.

“I am too, but you don’t see me taking it out on the others do you. Try to be nicer to Pierce and the others, they don’t know Mum is in hospital so they don’t understand why you’re being so mean all of a sudden. At home you’re happy and always telling jokes,” Sam said, kicking at the dust at their feet.

“I know Sam. I know I shouldn’t take it out on them but I don’t want to be here, I want to be at home with Mum,” Simon said. Sam looked at him sharply, he sounded like he was about to burst into tears.

“I know Si, I do too, but Mum said we had to come to Gina’s so we might as well have fun while we’re here. Come on that’s catch up with the others; you know what they’re like. Let’s catch up with them before they get into trouble.” Sam said, “Just try to be nicer to them, try to be like your old self again,” to close the subject.

When Sam had finished she walked on up the hill, with Simon following along behind her, mulling over what Sam had said. When they reached the top they saw Pierce, Elliot and Lisa all standing together just beyond the boundary of the wood, taking in the village that was before them.

“Come on you two. We’ve been waiting for ages,” Pierce shouted to them when he saw them, “Sam, can we go and get some sweets or something.”

Sam did not answer the question until she had reached Pierce and the others, “I don’t think we should get sweets,” she said “I think we should get some powerful torches so we can explore what’s behind the door.”

“We would only need one torch. We brought some with us.”

“I know we do Elliot, but they’re not that bright are they. We never really needed strong torches in the city since there was always light outside.”

“I agree with Elliot, Sam. We do have torches already, okay they’re not that strong but they give out light. Besides, I think after that walk, everyone deserves some sweets,” a finally smiling Simon said.

“Fine, but we buy the torch first.”

“Cool. Which shop do you think sells torches?” Simon asked looking around.

“I don’t know. Why don’t we try that one on the corner, it looks like the village shop and they should sell things like that.”

As they walked across the village to where the village shop stood, Sam noticed that the village was very quiet and that they hadn’t heard any sounds of children since leaving the trees.

“It’s quiet,” Elliot said “to quiet.”

“Come on Elliot, you sound like such an idiot.”

“Cheers Pierce. Love you to bro.”

“Come on you two, grow up and stop bickering will you,” Sam said before Pierce had a chance to reply, “come on the shops just ahead.”

Simon was already at the shop and as the others got closer he stood up from the bench he had been sitting on and said “You took your time.”

“I know, but Pierce and Elliot started sounding like an old married couple,” Sam replied smiling.

“We did not,” Pierce and Elliot said looking offended, then unable to keep a straight face at what they had said starting laughing, and before long all of the children had joined in.

“Come on you lot,” Sam said “Let’s get a torch and some sweets so we can head back.”

The children stopped laughing, but Elliot and Pierce still had the giggles when they walked into the shop.

“How can I help you,” a thin voice said from behind them, the children turned around quickly and saw the oldest man any of them had ever seen.

“Um, we’re looking for a torch,” Sam said as she looked the man up and down. He was shorter than her, about five foot in all and he had long grey beard that was tucked into his belt with long grey hair that was tied in a loose pony tail running down his back. He was wearing quite ordinary jeans but his jumper was what caught eye, it was made of a material that Sam did not recognise and it was a deep green colour, but the colour was not what held Sam’s attention, what held her attention was the pattern. A pattern that looked like it was changing and moving every second. One moment it looked like it was pinstriped and them the next it looked like it was covered in tiny circles.

“The torches are over there,” he said, breaking Sam out of her thoughts, pointing to the aisle on the left of the store, “Next to the backpacks.”

“Thanks,” Sam said as the others walked over to where the man had pointed. When Sam got there they were looking at the display of torches. There where big torches and small torches, torches that didn’t take batteries but where wound up. Then Sam saw the perfect torch, it was silver and quite large and according to the label it was the brightest torch on display, “I think this one would be good,” she said picking it up and turning to show the others.

“Cool,” Simon said “But who much is it?”

Sam looked at the label,”£5” she said looking at Simon.

“How much did Gina give us?”

“£5,” Sam said after looking at the money Gina had given her.

“Sam, I don’t think we need a torch that big, we’ve got plenty of little ones.”

“I guess you’re right.”

“I know I am. How about that one,” he said pointing at a smaller torch that was silver like the one Sam was holding but not as bright, “It’s £3 and it’s still quite a good torch and should be quite bright.”

“Okay Si, we’ll get that one. Oi, you three get some sweets if you want but you’ve got 50p, max, okay.”

“Okay Sam.”

“Go and get some sweets Si.”

“What about you, don’t you want any?”

“I might have some, it depends how much those three spend.”

“We’ve picked what we want Sam,” Pierce said.

“Okay, give them here and I’ll go and pay.”

When Sam went up to the till the old man said, “What do you want such a big torch for?”

“Exploring,” Sam replied, unwilling to give out too much information.

When Sam had finished paying, she and the others began the walk back to Gina’s house in the wood with Sam carrying the torch and the others eating their sweets.

When they got in they had a tea of sausage and mash that gave them back some of the energy that they had used on the walk to the village and then after hot drinks all round with, Simon telling some of his jokes they went up to bed.