We Were Only Strawberry Picking Read Online Free PDF Page B

was dying. As it shone up towards the ceiling of the tunnel, he thought he saw something shimmering, but he had just shone the torch in his eyes so assumed he had been blinded by this which had distorted his vision. For a fleeting moment, he thought of the diamonds until his name was called:
    â€˜Come on, Jack, I think you should go first, seeing as you have the torch and the fact that we know you have the best hearing.’
    â€˜Sure thing, but let me just get my catapult out.’
    â€˜Er – what for?’
    â€˜What do you think for – these creatures could be dangerous and I need to be ready to fight back.’
    â€˜And a catapult is going to save us?’ retaliated Henratty.
    â€˜Well, have you got any better ideas?’
    â€˜Yes, shut up and let’s get a move on. The best thing we can do is try to remain out of sight and not get caught. By the way give me the other catapult, I’ll give it to Oscar just in case! Now let’s turn right here,’ ordered Henratty.
    â€˜Are you sure, why not left?’ demanded Jack.
    â€˜I definitely know he turned right, as I heard the creature say so, he constantly says everything out loud and he definitely said “right”. So, be quiet and start listening, as we need to keep up with this creature so he can show us the way out, at least.’ Everyone was on tiptoe as they moved along the tunnel, again in single file, desperately trying to keep out of Enoch’s sight.
    * * *
    By now Nora could tell that something was wrong, everything was just too quiet, she could no longer hear the meerkats talking and where was Enoch?
    â€˜ The bumbling buffoon, I gave him one simple task to complete and he could not even do that, the others should have been here at least twenty minutes ago!’ she whinged.
    Nora decided that she was going to have to fly back to base. She had not flown in ages and her joints were a little stiff, but she hoped and prayed that her wings would still enable her to fly. She had not used them in years, there was no real need to. She slowly opened her wings as her bones creaked. It’s all or nothing, and with one big flap, she flew off. She could feel the strain as she gathered more strength to fully spread her wings and at last she was truly flying. She started to wobble, as she was losing momentum and speed. She was descending and could no longer soar as high but she was nearly there as she made a bumpy landing and slid on the ground as she flew in. She folded her wings. Her hair was a little mangled from the flight but she would fix it later.
    As she entered camp, Cooper, Alfonso, Poppy and Escargot were all seated at the meeting table, anxiously awaiting her return.
    â€˜Has anybody seen Enoch?’ screamed Nora.
    â€˜No, we thought he was with you. Is everything all right, Nora?’ asked Cooper.
    â€˜Do I look all right? Nancy, can you please fix my hair, it’s an absolute mess? I have just flown in and my wings are so rusty, I don’t even know how I landed in one piece, luckily the only damage was to my hair!’ Nancy was a whiz when it came to hair. She was a hedgehog and was very domesticated, indeed, and was responsible for keeping the dormitories spick and span; she just loved cleaning, cooking, etc and was a dab hand at these chores. She never complained at all. She ended up in the mine when she and her brother, Jasper, were captured by a family who wanted a pair of hedgehogs, but they managed to escape when the father got blind drunk and he forgot to lock their cage. They managed to trek from town to town, never staying in one place for too long until just by luck, and their love for strawberries, they stumbled upon Meerville Strawberry Fields. Also, they actually felt at home in Meerville, for some reason it was less threatening, but they could never work out why!
    â€˜I’m aching all over, I haven’t flown in years and did not expect to ever fly again. Just wait