Hat Trick! Read Online Free PDF Page B

we turned into the MCG car park. Probably smiling at Jay’s comment. Then again, it’s just as likely that he was thinking about something else.
    As for me, I was getting a bit nervous about seeing Jim again, especially having Dad and the others with me.
    But as it happened, I was in for a big disappointment. Or maybe it was relief. After we’d shown the little card to the lady at the desk, we were taken up to the old part of the stand. On the walls of the passageways were the old photographs and massive paintings. Cricket bats stood in a glass cabinet. Some of the old ones looked like paddles for a little rowing boat. When we walked into the library, there was no one sitting at the oval table. There was no pile of books lying scattered across it. The glass doors of the bookshelves were shut. They looked as if they hadn’t been opened in years.
    The only person in the room was a man sitting in a green chair over to the left of the room. His glasses were pushed up on his forehead and a closed book lay in his lap. He appeared to be asleep.
    Jay looked at me and smiled.
    ‘Just as well he’s not here, I reckon. Let’s forget it ever happened, eh?’
    For a moment I was about to agree. But then I noticed the rows of brown and yellow Wisden Almanacks lined up across the top shelves. I walked over to them, reached up and tried to open the cabinet door. It was locked.
    ‘Found something interesting, mate?’ Dad asked me.
    ‘ Wisden s, Dad. There’s one for every year since way back, with all the scores and stuff from every game played in that year.’ Dad was nodding his head and sighing.
    ‘Well, not quite every game, my boy, but all the important ones.’
    My heart stopped. I wheeled around and found myself staring at a smiling Jim. I smiled too. The secret door in the wall had opened and closed. Dad was looking confused, though I felt safe with him standing next to me.
    Dad held out his hand and introduced himself.
    ‘Good to meet you, Peter,’ Jim said, nodding his head as Dad introduced the others to him.
    ‘The kids are all doing cricket projects at school. They probably told you.’ Dad was prattling on. ‘That was a very kind invitation of yours, Jim. And what a treasury of old books.’
    ‘And some not so old either, Peter.’
    Dad was nodding enthusiastically.
    ‘Right then, everyone. What are you all studying again?’ asked Dad. There was something tense and unsure about the moment, and I think Dad was picking up the vibes.
    ‘Well, I’m doing women in cricket. I’m really interested in what I’ve read about women inventing over-arm bowling.’
    Georgie had spoken up, of course, and Jim moved over to a small table, grabbed a set of keys from a drawer and limped off to a distant bookcase.
    ‘Excellent, excellent!’ Dad was excited. He led us over to the table and we took out our folders to get stuck into a bit of serious research. It looked as if time travel was off the agenda—for that day, at least.
    When everyone had settled down to a bit of study,I sneaked a look at Jim. He was smiling at me. It was a gentle smile.
    ‘Peter, did you ever play cricket?’ Jim was still looking at me.
    Dad looked up from where he was sitting on the floor with a huge book open on his knees.
    ‘Yes, I played a bit.’
    Dad had never spoken much about his cricket-playing days. Well, to me he had, but the others didn’t really know that he used to play at a pretty high level. ‘At school,’ he added.
    ‘And what about after school?’ said Jim.
    Dad looked at me. He shrugged.
    ‘Yes, and after school.’
    ‘Where, Mr Jones?’ Rahul asked. ‘Who for?’
    ‘You don’t want to hear…’
    ‘Toby’s dad here played for Victoria,’ Jim chimed in, his eyebrows raised.
    I sensed the others looking up from their books.
    ‘They don’t want to know about that,’ said Dad, staring at Jim.
    There was an uneasy silence.
    ‘Wow, Mr Jones, that is so cool! Did you play here, at the “G”?’ Georgie asked
    Dad