Diggers Read Online Free PDF Page B

some teams had better go to the old barn. And it would be a good idea to see what people can carry. Just in case, you know.”
    Grimma was waiting for him outside. She didn’t look happy.
    â€œI know you,” she said. “I know the kind of expression you have when you’re getting people to do things they don’t want to do. What are you planning?”
    They strolled into the shadow of a rusting sheet of corrugated iron. Masklin occasionally squinted upward. This morning he’d thought the sky was just a blue thing with clouds. Now it was something that was full of words and invisible pictures and machines whizzing around. Why was it that the more you found out, the less you really knew ?
    Eventually he said, “I can’t tell you. I’m not quite sure myself.”
    â€œIt’s to do with the Thing, isn’t it?”
    â€œYes. Look, if I’m away for, er, a little bit longer than—”
    She stuck her hands on her hips. “I’m not stupid, you know,” she said. “Orange-colored juice indeed! I’ve read nearly every book we brought out of the Store. Florida is a, a place . Just like the quarry. Probably even bigger. And it’s a long way away. You have to go across a lot of water to get there.”
    â€œI think it might even be farther away than we came on the Long Drive,” said Masklin quietly. “I know, because one day when we went to look at the airport, I saw water on the other side, by the road. It looked as though it went on forever.”
    â€œI told you,” said Grimma smugly. “It was probably an ocean.”
    â€œThere was a sign by it,” said Masklin. “Can’t remember everything on it—I’m not as good at the reading as you. One of the words was res . . . er . . . voir, I think.”
    â€œThere you are, then.”
    â€œBut it must be worth a try.” Masklin scowled. “There’s only one place where we can ever be safe, and that’s where we belong,” he said. “Otherwise we’ll always have to keep running away.”
    â€œWell, I don’t like it,” said Grimma.
    â€œBut you said you didn’t like running away,” said Masklin. “There isn’t an alternative, is there? Let me just try something. If it doesn’t work, then we’ll come back.”
    â€œBut supposing something goes wrong? Supposing you don’t come back? I’ll . . .” Grimma hesitated.
    â€œYes?” said Masklin hopefully.
    â€œI’ll have a terrible time explaining things to people,” she said firmly. “It’s a silly idea. I don’t want to have anything to do with it.”
    â€œOh.” Masklin looked disappointed but defiant. “Well, I’m going to try anyway. Sorry.”

5
    V. And he said, What are these frogs of which you speak?
    VI. And she said, You wouldn’t understand.
    VII. And he said, You are right.
    From The Book of Nome,
Strange Frogs Chap. 1, v. V–VII
    T HERE WAS A busy night. . . .
    It would be a journey of several hours to the barn. Parties went on to mark the path and generally prepare the way, besides watching out for foxes. Not that they were often seen, these days; a fox might be quite happy to attack a solitary nome, but thirty well-armed, enthusiastic hunters were a different proposition, and it would be a very stupid fox indeed that even showed an interest. The few that did live near the quarry tended to wander off hurriedly in the opposite direction whenever they saw a nome. They’d learned that nomes meant trouble.
    It had been a hard lesson for some of them. Not long after the nomes moved into the quarry, a fox was surprised and delighted to come across a couple of unwary berry gatherers, which it ate. It was even more surprised that night when two hundred grim-faced nomes tracked it to its lair, lit a fire in the entrance, and speared it to death when it ran out, eyes streaming.
    There are