Aunt Effie's Ark Read Online Free PDF Page A

air. We ran a rope through the block, hoisted Peter and Marie in their heavy suits of armour, and lowered them on to Hubert’s back
    Peter shouted and shook his halberd, a very convenient  weapon that ended in a spear with an axe-head underneath. If you missed your enemy with the spear you could still chop off his head. Marie shouted and brandished the blunderbuss. Their armour clanked as Hubert neighed inside his helmet and galloped into the snowstorm. We hoped the little ones would hear them coming and call out.
    In Aunt Effie’s enormous kitchen, the maire backlog glowed red against the back of the chimney. Although it was still only lunchtime, the day was very dark. We didn’t like to go inside while the little ones were missing , and Peter and Marie and Hubert were risking their lives to rescue them. We lit lengths of resinous rimu heartwood from the fire and stood on the steps, holding the torches above our heads. Burning resin dripped, hissed, and melted black holes in the snow like notes of music.

    â€œI’m hungry!” whimpered David and Victor.
    â€œYou can’t be hungry, not while your dear little cousins are almost certainly being eaten by a wild beast!” Daisy told them. She wiped her hand across her mouth, and we realised she had been into the bread bin while she was having hysterics.
    â€œCome on,” said Jane, and she took David and Victor who were now the youngest and gave them some bread and cheese and an apple each, and a glass of milk. The rest of us felt hungry, too, but we didn’t like to say because we felt guilty about losing the little ones. When our empty tummies rumbled, Daisy said, “Manners!” Our bare feet were red and blue with cold.
    Jazz shuffled and said, “I wouldn’t mind a nice fresh hot cow plop to stand in.”
    â€œDo you mind?” sniffed Daisy, and Hubert gallopedout of the snowstorm with Casey, Lizzie, Jared , and Jessie on his back. He hurdled us, and landed in the middle of the kitchen. We leapt inside after him, slammed the door against the snow, and pushed the bars across just as somebody hammered on it and yelled, “Let me in!”
    We pulled out the bars, opened the door, and Marie fell through with a heap of snow. We slammed the door, and pushed the bars across just as somebody hammered on it and yelled, “Let me in!”
    We pulled out the bars, opened the door, and Peter fell through with more snow. We slammed the door, and pushed the bars across just as something hammered on it and howled, “Ooowhooooo, Euphemia! Let me in!”
    Peter and Marie grabbed our rimu brands, ran upstairs , threw up a window, and flung the blazing torches at something which howled, “Ooowhooooo!” and ran away into the dark. The air stank of singed hair.
    Back in the kitchen, we lit candles and counted each other. “Daisy-Peter-Marie-Colleen-Alwyn-Bryce- Jack-Ann -Jazz-Beck-Jane-Isaac-David-Victor-Casey- Lizzie-Jared -Jess!” we all said. “You’re back!” we told Casey, Lizzie, Jared and Jessie.
    We tossed the little ones up to the rafters to show them how delighted we were to see them safe and sound. We tickled them, we teased them, we rubbed and polished them. We dressed and undressed them, and bathed and towelled them dry, and threw them up in the air again, and pretended we weren’t going to catch them. We filled them up with cakes and lollies and cream and soft drinks till they were all sick and crying, and after we’d handed them around several more times, we asked, “Where were they?”
    â€œWe found their tracks in the snow where they’d fallen off Hubert’s tail,” said Peter. “They’d started running as they came down and hit the ground. Unfortunately they landed facing the wrong way, so they headed back to the school.”
    â€œRemember Mr Jones said he’d leave the door unlocked, just in case anyone wanted to come in and get