Xinder Rises Read online

  ‘Shut up! Please,’ Anika said, sharply. ‘Stop it.’

  Coach was running over towards them. He went straight to Danny, spending some time checking him over.

  ‘WOW-ee,’ he whistled. ‘That is one lucky escape, young man. I thought you were brown bread. It looks like the Gods spared you. You may feel a little groggy for a while, but, amazingly, I think you’re gonna be alright. Try standing if you can.’

  Danny smiled and, with the support of a person on each side, he stood up.

  ‘How do you feel?’

  He couldn’t quite hear or see them. He tried smiling.

  ‘That’s the match ball in the net, isn’t it, Coach?’ Olivia asked. ‘I’ve taken a picture of it on my phone, for safekeeping.’

  Coach clapped his hands. ‘You know what, you’re right! Looks like we ruddy well won. We’re only the bleedin’ champions!’ He slapped Anika on the back, almost knocking her over. ‘Quite amazing...’ He stopped mid-sentence and looked up, his tone serious once again. ‘Listen, if you think you can make it, Dan, you’d better get off now, up that funny track to your cottage. Otherwise, I’ll give you a lift back, via the school.’

  ‘Thanks, but don’t worry, Coach,’ Olivia said. ‘We’ll get him back in one piece, I promise. It’s not so far. Anyway, you’re not that bad, are you, Danny?’

  Coach eyed them. ‘You sure? You’d better get going then. Best scarper before another of them thunderbolts zaps us.’ He patted them on their backs. ‘As fast as you can! I reckon it’s going to bloody piss down.’

  Coach skipped off towards the car park singing loudly. Then he yelled back at them. ‘Great goals, Anika, and bloody brilliant hairdo, Dan. You’re all legends!’

  Anika

  ‘Is anyone else finding this boomingly loud?’ Anika asked. ‘I’ve had to put tissues in my ears. Look!’ She pulled out her makeshift ear defenders. Suddenly, Anika’s face drained.

  Olivia spotted it. ‘Ani, what is it?’

  ‘I think there’s another incoming thunderbolt.’

  ‘What?’ Olivia said.

  ‘RUN! NOW!’

  Draping Danny’s arms around their shoulders, they set off.

  ‘What did you hear?’

  ‘It’s like a build-up of collisions.’ Anika froze. ‘DIVE!’

  A moment later, a massive crack tore across the sky and unleashed a lightning bolt that smashed into the exact spot where, moments earlier, they had been huddled together.

  ‘Bloody hell,’ Olivia whispered, her knees buckling. ‘That was close. It’s like it’s after us.’

  They huddled together, trembling.

  ‘It is,’ Danny eventually mumbled. He closed his eyes and tried to work more saliva into his mouth. ‘Survive ... dusk, cave.’

  ‘That’s exactly what Sas said,’ Olivia said. ‘Survive until sunset.’

  ‘Where do you get that from?’ Anika said. She twitched.

  Olivia noticed. ‘What is it, Anika?’

  ‘Another one, same kind of noise!’

  They reached the tree and slipped under the branches.

  ‘We should be safer here.’

  Anika held her hands over her ears as a couple of tears rolled down her cheeks. ‘Oh shit! Here it comes!’

  A lightning bolt smashed into the branches.

  The children screamed as a huge branch sheared off and crashed a couple of feet away.

  Olivia and Anika held each other, paralysed with fear, shaking.

  Danny gurgled a few words. It snapped them out of it.

  ‘Home. We’ve got to get home now. Hurry!’ Olivia eventually said, hauling Danny to his feet. ‘COME ON!’

  Wynn-Garry

  Wynn-Garry felt a sharp pain in his chest. He looked at the schoolchildren and the adults streaming in from the pitch.

  In an instant, he knew what to do.

  He ran to the Newton coach. ‘Go, directly,’ he ordered. ‘Please don’t argue, get in your bus and drive as fast as you can away from this place. I believe this fearsome cloud is about to break.’

  He didn’t wait around. He ran on, sweat breaking out.

  ‘Children,’ he boomed to the nearby crowd ‘All those staying till later, do not go back to your classrooms. Go directly to the library in the tower. Hurry, there’s not a moment to lose. Grab anyone you see on the way.’

  Wynn-Garry rushed towards the buildings and ran panting into the classrooms.

  ‘Get to the tower, now,’ he roared, rushing in. ‘Leave your things, just go!’

  A terrible realisation filled him. Children were scattered around the school. The noise overhead, like heavy artillery fire, made his eyes water.

  He bumbled into the gymnasium, where a last rehearsal was underway.

  ‘Stop what you’re doing,’ he ordered, climbing on to the stage while trying to catch his breath. ‘Get to the library. Immediately.’ He hoped his firm tone would not go unnoticed.

  Children poured out of the entrance. ‘Good. Hurry,’ he called out after them. ‘You too, Mrs. Rose.’

  He rushed back into the yard and shot into the canteen.

  He gasped for breath. ‘Chef!’ he called out, as an idea popped into his head. ‘Take as many provisions as you can to the library, this instant. Bread, milk, anything.’

  ‘Are you alright, boss?’ said the chef.

  ‘Pile the contents of the fridge, the store cupboards, the larder into containers this very instant and head directly to the tower. NOW.’

  The chef stared at him in disbelief and stole a glance towards his assistants.

  ‘Everything?’

  ‘Yes, chef. Trust me. There’s not a moment to lose. And remember milk and orange juice. Do it now - all of you,’ he roared.

  They hesitated.

  ‘Now! GO! There’s no time!’

  Wynn-Garry sped out of the kitchen then, as fast as he could, outside across the yard and into the art department. He struggled to breathe. ‘Skinner, Moloney, run to the tower this instant,’ he gasped, falling into a chair.

  He wiped his specs. Who else?

  The building splintered, the sound rattling the windows.

  Good Lord. The changing rooms!

  Then he heard the whooshes of wind, no doubt whipped up by oncoming rain.

  No time!

  Out he shuttled, his body screaming at him to stop.

  Three boys sat on the benches, staring out of the window.

  ‘Don’t just sit there,’ he cried. ‘Come with me.’

  ‘Where to?’

  ‘Safety,’ he gasped, collapsing onto the wood.

  ‘Sir, are you alright?’

  Wynn-Garry clenched his eyes. ‘Yes, yes. Now run along! Go to the library. I’ll follow.’

  ‘But, Sir?’

  ‘NOW!’

  The headmaster took several deep breaths. He’d rounded up as many as he could.

  Where were the Delauxs, he wondered. Then it struck him. They would be heading home across the playing fields. A twenty-minute walk at the very least.

  He summoned his energy and threw himself through the door, rushing out into the corridor and then down the stairs.

  As he ran outside, he saw far off in the distance three figures huddling together, heading slowly towards the bridge.

  Oh my God, he thought, a feeling of utter despair gripping him. They haven’t got a chance.

  But as he sucked in a lungful of air to call out to them, his fears were realised, and the first drops of rain smashed into him.

  Ryan

  Within moments, water edged through the cracks of the boat house and stole down the sides, drumming like a carnival on the barn’s tin roof.

  Ryan stared in disbelief at the rain. Holy moly, he thought, she’s right.

  Quickly, Ryan stretched the canopy, which in truth was a thick, heavy-duty plastic sheet covering the length of the boat from bow to stern. It would fit perfectly. Then, he formed a tent frame over the boat, hammering in nails as fast as he could go.


  He stepped back. Uneven, Ryan thought, but it would do, so long as the nails held.

  Ryan listened to the downpour. It needed to be a super strong boat. He’d take more wood and prop up the mid-section if he had time later, once they were underway.

  Next, he nailed two rough planks on both the port and starboard sides, leaving a gap in the middle for the oars. As fast as he could, he nailed batons over the canopy on the outside of the boat. He repeated this on the other side. In no time, the boat was covered in a tight tent. Better still, if it worked, water would run off the canopy and out of the boat, not into it.

  Sas looked on in awe. She tried where she could to help, amazed at his dexterity and speed. Ryan didn’t come across as the brightest spark in school, but my goodness he was practical.

  She ran around the boat pulling bits of the canopy tight while Ryan hammered, sawed and stretched the plastic sheeting. So immersed in their project were they, that they hardly noticed water seeping in, up and over the floor.

  Anika

  ‘OH, NO!’ Anika cried.

  ‘What is it with you?’

  ‘It’s like a power shower ... RUN.’

  A warm gust of wind blew in, nearly blowing them off their feet. The first few large rain drops, more like mini water balloons, began to plummet.

  ‘Move, NOW!’ Olivia cried. ‘It’s the storm we predicted—’

  ‘Predicted?’ Anika yelled.

  ‘Yeah, Sas and I...’ Olivia’s voice trailed off. ‘We’ve got about five minutes before this playing field becomes a river.’

  ‘Terrific!’ Anika yelled.

  Olivia and Anika put their hands under Danny’s armpits, and folded his arms across their shoulders so he was properly supported.

  ‘Move your legs, Dan. HURRY!’ Anika screamed, forcing the pace. The rain intensified as the wind blew in several directions at once. In no time, a wall of water sluiced out of the heavens, pounding them from all sides, beating their heads, shoulders, and backs.

  Olivia removed her coat and draped it over their heads.

  ‘Where’s the bridge?’ Anika shouted, above the din of the rain. ‘I can’t see ANYTHING!’

  Olivia slowed and stared at the ground. Without knowing why, she pointed her free arm ahead of her, closed her eyes and allowed her arm to guide her.

  Soon, the soft wet turf underfoot made way for hard gravel. They followed it, but every step was tricky and they couldn’t be sure exactly where they were going. Olivia rubbed the ground with her foot every so often in order to feel the stone underneath. By the time they reached the bridge, the children were cold, soaked through, and exhausted. More worryingly, water was spilling out of the river at an alarming rate. It was up to their ankles and rising fast.

  ‘Bind – tighter – scrum!’ Olivia yelled. ‘Move together, in time. I’ll count.’ She realised they couldn’t hear her so she signed with her fingers: ONE, TWO, THREE and then she flicked out her thumb.

  ‘Where’s the bridge?’ Anika yelled, before suddenly losing her footing. Danny hauled her to her feet.

  Olivia shook her head, imploring her to keep going. ‘DON’T FALL OVER.’

  They nodded.

  Olivia counted each step, the force of the water gaining by the second, pushing hard at their legs. Every breath was a struggle, and their heads bowed from the pressure bearing down upon them.

  Olivia had no choice but to trust her hands and, as if by a miracle, they arrived at the handrail. She breathed a deep sigh of relief. The children shuffled on, still huddled together, their feet searching for the wooden boards.

  Anika suddenly went stiff, holding the others back. She turned to the others, her eyes bulging.

  ‘GO!’

  They scampered up to the brow of the bridge, Anika leading the way and holding Danny’s hand on one side. Suddenly she dived, hauling Danny forward with all her might.

  Bits of wood splintered around them, the noise deafening.

  Anika pulled herself out of the water, her feet grateful for the feeling of land, and found Danny next to her. He was fine, but where the hell was Olivia?

  She grappled about. ‘Olivia,’ she screamed.

  Anika called out but it was hopeless; she wouldn’t be heard over the din. As she listened, the only thing she could hear was the roar of the rain and the rush of the water flushing everything downstream.

  Ryan

  ‘Almost time to batten down the hatches,’ Ryan yelled, smiling.

  Sas ran up and hugged him. ‘I couldn’t have done this without you,’ she said, and she genuinely meant it. Sas climbed into the boat and sat under the canopy as a deep sense of foreboding filled her. She desperately hoped they were doing the right thing. She hoped like anything that Olivia and the twins had got away safely.

  Ryan slipped a few remaining planks into the boat and a couple more of the two by four inch sections. He grabbed the remaining nails, the hammer, a saw, a small axe, a hand-drill and a chisel, and threw them all in the box. Just before the water covered the whole floor, he scanned the shed looking for anything else. Sas’s umbrella, for starters, and a couple of old empty paint pots with lids. More rope, string, a whole reel of strimmer cord, and another large dust sheet, this one already neatly folded. He rummaged through the cupboards like a man possessed, and found an untouched bag of barbecue briquettes. He threw them in; maybe they’d need fire.

  Sas packed them away. Then with a few last-minute alterations, as the water reached the upper limits of his boots, Ryan clambered in to the boat. He hoped like mad that, with the weight of the fresh water and timber and the two of them, they wouldn’t all simply disappear through the bottom.

  The boat creaked as it rose. No holes nor rotten timbers so far.

  Sas shook, holding her hands against her ears as thunder and lightning blazed outside. It felt as if they were waiting in the depths of the Colosseum before being fed to the lions in front of an angry, baying crowd. The boat continued to rise, finding its buoyancy. Then it started to drift.

  ‘Here we go,’ Ryan yelled. ‘Hold on tight.’

  A moment later, the boat clunked into something.

  Ryan squeezed past Sas to the bow. He looked out and muttered something under his breath.

  ‘What is it?’ Sas cried. ‘Is there a problem?’

  ‘Technical difficulty,’ he said, scratching his chin. ‘Pass me that hand axe.’

  Sas scrabbled around in the box and handed it over.

  Ryan disappeared, and set about trying to smash the weatherboards. A short while later, his banging stopped. ‘It appears,’ Ryan said, popping his head back under the canopy, ‘that the water has risen higher than the gap the boat was meant to go through.’

  ‘What does that mean?’

  ‘It means we’re stuck!’ he said, smiling his huge grin again.

  ‘For crying out loud,’ Sas howled. ‘Can’t you get the boards off?’

  ‘What do you think I’ve been doing? Knitting?’

  She rolled her eyes. ‘So how are we going to get out? I was hoping we might be able to save Danny and the others.’

  Ryan raised his eyebrows. ‘There’s a window directly above, so panic ye not. I’ve got an idea,’ he said. ‘Pass me the saw, and move to the other end, please.’

  Ryan took the saw and stood on the seat right at the prow of the boat. He began sawing as fast as he could through the timbers surrounding the window. The boat sloshing from side to side.

  After several minutes of sawing and hacking, Ryan put his drenched head back under the canopy. ‘Don’t think that’s going to work, either.’ He smiled again. ‘Rain’s quite warm.’

  Sas looked appalled. ‘What are we going to do?’

  Ryan stretched out his legs, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. ‘We wait.’

  ‘Wait!’ Sas roared. ‘You must be joking. We’ll drown if we stay in here. Can’t you see that?’

  Ryan ignored her and smiled toothily again. It seemed to act as an anger-deflecting shield. ‘You
know what we haven’t done?’ he said, his large eyes sparkling.

  ‘What?’ Sas snapped.

  ‘Named our vessel.’

  Sas eyed him warily. ‘Seriously, Ryan, before we start thinking up names, do you actually think we’ll get out of here?’

  He raised his eyebrows.

  ‘How?’ Sas said, raising her eyebrows back at him. Getting a straight answer out of Ryan was proving to be a bit of a nightmare.

  Ryan jabbed a finger upwards.

  ‘God?’ she yelled, sarcastically.

  Ryan’s whole body galloped up and down with laughter.

  He moved close to her so they could hear each other without yelling. ‘No, you banana-cake, through the roof. So long as the water continues to rise,’ he peered out of the end of the boat, ‘ - and it is rising, just as you said it would, - then up we go.’

  Sas grimaced. ‘Really? You sure it’ll work?’

  ‘Oh yeah. Far easier this way. There’s corrugated iron sheeting up there, they’ll lift off and then, whoosh, into the river.’

  Sas couldn’t help but admire his confidence, although she wasn’t convinced. Wasn’t corrugated sheeting heavy, especially with water beating onto it? ‘So, what do we do now?’

  ‘Well, let’s see. We could start by naming our boat. It’s definitely good luck before a maiden voyage. You got any ideas?’

  ‘Not really. You?’

  ‘Yeah,’ and he smiled his big smile again.

  ‘Well, what is it?’

  Ryan opened his eyes wide. ‘I think we should call it the ‘The Joan of’.’

  ‘That’s it?’ Sas said. She looked mystified. ‘The Joan of ... what? What does that mean? It doesn’t make any sense. That’s not a name for a boat.’

  Ryan feigned a look of shock. ‘Now, come along, brain-box. This little teaser shouldn’t be difficult for super-smart Sas Smith.’

  13

  Sola, Thursday