Campion's Choice

If the Nomas security cameras hadn’t been interfered with they would have filmed two naked children, eyes pinched shut, walking hand in hand out of the Night Wood forest and heading towards the river. Ten feet from the water’s edge they would have captured pictures of two children sinking gracefully into the ground.

‘Are we there yet?’

Jack’s skin felt prickly and the world outside seemed to have turned very dark. What had happened to Night Wood now?

‘What’s happening?’

‘Shhhh! I need to concentrate,’ Tia barked, her voice strangely muffled.

Jack sensed light coming back, even behind his closed eyes, and the wind began to whip against his bare skin. Just as Tia let go of his hand something wispy scratched at his face. He took one last step, opened his eyes and stood with wheat stalks up to his armpits. Tia was nowhere to be seen.

‘I’m stuck!’ he wailed.

He bent forward and parted corn stalks. His body was half in and half out of the earth. A few feet away Tia’s head bobbed above ears of corn.

‘What kind of an escape plan is this?’ he seethed.

Tia ignored his protest and waited for him to simply step free from the soil. That done, Jack looked around in bewilderment. They had somehow managed to change banks. They were off the island. They were free from Night Wood.

‘How did we get here?’

‘We walked under the riverbed. I didn’t tell you in case you panicked,’ Tia explained, averting her eyes from the rustling wheat crop.

‘Good call. I hate being underground. It’s like being buried alive. Where did our parents go?’

Tia shrugged.

‘I think they only turn up when there’s danger. We must be safe,’ she suggested.

‘So, where next?’

‘To the waste tips. You know, where Petra’s dad works? There will be old clothes there. Er … I meant to ask you this before. Why do you have red lines on your face?’

‘War paint.’

Jack stopped and turned to face the girl, his chin was barely above the highest wheat stalk. She grinned.

‘War paint? Cool. And, speaking of clothes, before we go any further I really think we should get dressed. I found these,’ she said, holding up two sheets of yellow plastic and two frayed lengths of bailing twine. Jack took a piece of sheet and twine, turned his back politely and, with difficulty, began to tie himself up like a parcel.

They arrived at the refuse tip looking like tramps. A plastic sheet tied around Jack’s middle looked like a skirt. Tia had fastened her piece of plastic in two places and waddled along in a tube.

In no time they reached the security fence that surrounded the tip and, keeping a look out for workers, they walked straight through it. There were no cameras here. The only man they saw didn’t see them and drove off in the opposite direction in a noisy JCB.

It was easy to find clothes and blankets and, after rummaging, no problem to pick out two large and battered old rucksacks from a container on the edge of the site.

‘Make sure you only take things that button up. No zips! When we help to dress the kids it will be hard enough without zips. Zips get stuck. I should know. I’ve had years of practise with my brother!’

Tia threw aside some of Jack’s first choices and made him climb back into the jumble. She had more problems when it came to choosing her own outfit.

‘Ugh! Eeeewh!’ she squealed, dropping a pale pink shirt that was covered in maggots.

‘You’re not appearing on a catwalk! We have to get back!’ Jack grumbled. Tia reluctantly settled for a white and blue striped top with a rather shiny black cotton skirt. She had just fastened the last hook when the sound of dogs barking got louder and louder.

‘Guard dogs. We have to get out quick,’ Jack warned.

‘No. It’s okay. This is the next part of the plan,’ Tia answered. She seemed not to have a care in the world.

The pack of angry dogs came hurtling around the corner of a low building and then they spread out in a snarling, yapping, growling line.

‘Oh stop making a noise!’ Tia commanded. As with the bear, the dogs instantly obeyed. One or two even began to go down pathetically on their knees and inch towards the girl for a pat on the head.

‘Perfect,’ she said.

‘Now can we go?’ Jack asked as he watched Tia reach out absentmindedly to stroke the back of a huge Alsatian that rolled its eyes with pleasure. What was it with her and animals? And organising people? And coming up with plans to save the day?

‘We can all go now,’ she said nodding towards the dogs and adding, ‘they’re coming with us. They’re part of the plan. Liam said there might be guards. If there are, we need the dogs.’

As they left the waste site she explained to Jack why they needed the dogs and then spoke happily to the ecstatic pack of animals.

‘Did you hear that you naughty things? We’re all going for a walk together. Won’t that be nice? And remember, no barking.’

The silent, dutiful dogs jumped and whirled in a frenzy of pleasure, fighting to get a touch from the wonderful girl’s outstretched hand.

On the way back Jack got more and more excited.

‘This is so brilliant. We’ll go back, save the kids, and then go home! Anax will be sick! He’s such a bully.’

Tia was silent as she carefully picked her way over the rock hard ground. The sun was heading towards noon and it was really hot. The dogs were all around them, invisible in the rustling cornfield.

‘I can’t wait to get out of Hanston. I never thought I’d hear myself say it but I can’t wait to get back to an ordinary school,’ Jack laughed.

Tia stopped in the corn and turned to him.

‘I’m not going home,’ she said.

‘What?’

‘No.’

The heavy rucksack on Jack’s back slipped off and he almost fell over in the field.

‘You can’t be serious? What about your mum? And your brother? What about the other day when you were crying?’

‘My mum thinks I should stay in Hanston with the Nomas.’

‘What?’ Jack’s voice squeaked. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

‘Yeah. I was just talking to her about it in Night Wood. She said it was great to see me happy. She said that things at home were fine and that they could manage and I deserved a break. My whole life shouldn’t be about taking care of others and, if it was okay with the people in Hanston, then she wanted me to stay. Apparently my double is doing a very good job and has much more patience with my brother than I do! She’s the world’s most perfect babysitter.’

They began walking again. This time Jack was silent for a while.

‘Was it really bad for you? At home? Before we came here?’ he finally plucked up the courage to ask.

‘Yeah,’ she muttered. She avoided any more questions by speeding up and pulling ahead.

When Night Wood finally loomed up in front of them they both stopped to stare.

‘What’s happened?’ Tia whispered.

‘Weird!’ Jack answered quietly.

One of the dogs, a Scottie, jumped up and barked, its head appearing for a second above the corn before disappearing back into the sea of stalks. Tia shushed the naughty animal.

Night Wood looked like it had broken into bloom, a white bloom that covered every tree, every bush, every branch, every bud.

‘What is it?’ Jack asked as they crept closer.

‘Frost?’

In the middle of the hottest day of the year Night Wood sparkled with tiny diamond lights, like a freezing winter day.

They circled the forest, staying silent and out of sight, until they finally arrived at another really shallow part of the river. Liam was right. Two guards were there patrolling the river bank.

‘Ready?’ Tia asked

‘Ready,’ Jack said.

Tia knelt down to gather the dogs close. She whispered her instructions and patted each one in turn before sending them to do their work.

The dogs broke cover, racing like a mad stampede towards the two Nomas guards. One man stumbled, bowled over by three dogs and fell into the river. The other man turned to try and control five or six animals but they soon had him spinning sideways, staggering backwards and disappearing out if sight into a muddy ditch. Up on their poles the CCTV cameras twitched and swivelled in the direction of the commotion, eager to capture pictures of the chaos.

‘It’s clear now. Go,’ Tia hissed.

Whilst the guards and the cameras were distracted Jack and Tia raced to the waters edge. Their first steps were an unexpected shock. The river was frozen. They hit the ice hard, slipping and shooting across the gap like contestants in a strange new winter sport.

In one way, it couldn’t have been better. They crossed the space in seconds. In another way it couldn’t have been worse as they both crashed into the rock hard bank on the opposite side of the river. They were thrown together in a jumble of arms, legs, bags, clothes and bruises.

‘Ouch,’ Jack groaned. He stared up into the bright blue sky, stunned by the force of the blow.

‘Come on, quick, before the cameras turn back to the forest and the guards spot us!’ Tia warned, dragging him and the bags off the bank and into the undergrowth.

The guards finally managed to chase off the dogs and return to their posts. The cameras swung back and trained their beady eyes onto Night Wood. Everything looked good. Everything seemed to be perfectly normal.

If Jack thought that his earlier dip in the river was as cold as things could possibly get he was wrong. The air in Night Wood was absolutely freezing. The journey back to the clearing felt like a polar expedition. By the time the two of them reached the other children it felt like their blood was beginning to freeze.

‘Must make a fire!’ Jack mumbled as he stumbled into the forest clearing.

‘No time. Leave your coin here. You can’t touch them otherwise. I’ll help dress the girls, you help the boys.’

Tia threw down her coin and staggered across to the other side of the clearing.

Jack dropped his ban liang beside her gold necklace and staggered into the bushes. The first boy he found was lying face down, on the ground, with his arms and legs bent out at unnatural angles. He recognised the boy from class, a kid called Tyrel. He was hardly breathing, his face was pinched and hollow, his skin a dirty grey, lifeless colour.

‘We’re too late!’ Jack shouted.

The noise of his voice seemed to rouse the boy on the ground who began to twitch and twist.

‘It’s okay, Ty. You’re going to be fine. Hang in there.’

Jack bent down and tried to force clothes onto Tyrel’s body.

‘Tia? This is impossible!’ he shouted. Tyrel shuddered and kicked helplessly.

‘One arm at a time. Take it slowly,’ Tia called back.

She kept talking for ages, quietly encouraging Jack. Finally he managed to find the last boy and kit him out with a pair of jeans, a thick shirt, a woolly jumper and a large padded ski coat.

The effect was almost miraculous. Once covered all the Nomas kids sat up. Colour flushed back in to their faces. Their limbs returned to familiar angles and their bodies returned to normal shapes. In no time the seven Nomas Crow children were all out in the clearing looking around, blinking up at the sky and smiling broadly.

Petra broke free from the girls’ gang and ran over to Jack. She hugged him and kissed him full on the lips.

‘Thank you, thank you, thank you!’ she cooed. She squeezed him to the point where he felt faint. When she finally let go of him he sank to his knees.

‘I’mmmm soooo cold!’ he said, his teeth chattering. He felt like his whole body was turning into an oddly shaped ice cube. Across the sunlit clearing Tia crouched on the floor. She grabbed at a blanket and swayed from side to side. She was also, clearly, suffering.

‘Fire!’ Petra ordered. Within seconds the Hanston kids were breaking off wood, piling it high and turning the mound into a blaze of red flames.

Somehow Jack found himself next to the fire. Relaxing he lay back and let the warmth begin to wash over him.

It seemed like hours later when he opened his eyes and looked through the fire’s shimmering heat. Beyond the flames Tia was warming her hands, smiling, and looking happily into the grinning face of Liam. Jack wondered, for a moment, if he were having a weird dream. No. It was all real.

Liam finished his conversation and then came over to sit by his side.

‘I came for your coins. I have to put them back.’ He held open his hands to show that he already had the two ban liangs.

‘How did you …’ Jack muttered, his teeth clenched together. He was still cold but at least the ice on his nose had melted.

‘No time for explanations. This is my only chance to put the coins back,’ Liam said urgently.

‘But ..’

‘You’ve been brilliant. But remember one thing. Just before the sun starts to fall below the tops of the trees make a really big fire and then, when the flames are high, throw on loads of leaves. You need to make lots of smoke. Okay?’

‘O.. o…o.. kay,’ Jack managed to say between chattering teeth,

‘Then, wait for the cheer,’ Liam said enigmatically before jumping up and running away into the trees.

Wait for the cheer? What did that mean? Jack’s head felt woozy. And he was very hungry. All around him Crow kids busied themselves setting up camp.

‘I’m really ..’ Jack began and was about to say starving’ when a roar filled the air. That animal’s call was answered by a nearby howl.

Jack moved his head from side to side. On his left the bear had returned to the campsite. It rose up on two legs and waved its arm. Its mouth hung open in a wide snarl. On his right side the wolf had reappeared. Its huge triangle shaped head stuck out through a thicket. Its eyes blazed, reflecting the light of the fire and its lips curled back in a nasty smile.

‘Stop it!’ Tia shouted. The animals ignored her.

‘I said ..’ Tia began, but Jack interrupted.

‘They won’t listen to you now! Liam has the coins.’

They were defenceless.

He was about to panic when Petra’s small round, pretty face appeared at his shoulder.

‘Don’t worry. I’ll protect you,’ she whispered happily and, for good measure, she gently ruffled his hair.

Jack watched as the petite Nomas girl stepped towards the giant animal. It swayed from side to side, its huge fists pawed menacingly at the air. When it roared, Petra stamped her foot. A ripple, like someone shaking a carpet, swept along the ground. The wave hit the bear and it staggered. It quivered. It stayed upright for a second before crashing backwards into the forest. On the other side of the fire Karin, a tall slim girl, did exactly same thing: stamping the ground like an angry two year old. The wolf leapt like a burnt cat. It whimpered pitifully. Its shoulders slumped. It skulked away into the nearest clump of bushes, head down, like a scolded puppy. Jack laughed out loud.

‘How’s that?’ Petra beamed.

‘Great.’ He managed a weak smile.

‘Is there anything else I can do for you?’ Crouching down her dark eyes sparkled.

‘Well … I’m sort of hungry,’ he admitted.

‘No problem.’

Petra turned to gather up three of the other children and, after a brief discussion, the quartet headed off into the woods. The remaining Crow bustled about the campsite and collected a mountain of firewood for the night ahead. Out of the corner of his eye Jack watched Tia edging around the fire. He relaxed for the first time in hours. Every single muscle in his body ached.

He must have dozed because the next thing he knew Tia bumped against him and said quietly, ‘I thought Petra was very mean to those poor animals!’

Jack leant back against a tree and pretended to be exhausted but listened happily as Tia harrumphed and grumbled, complaining that Petra ‘wasn’t even that pretty’.

It seemed like no time before the Petra and the Crow foragers came back to the camp laden with food. They carried mushrooms, some roots and arms full of fish. They also had a large basket, which was tightly lined with leaves and filled, to the brim, with water.

Petra explained that they could simply turn all of this into a meal but Jack, now warmed through by the fire, felt like making the most of the occasion.

‘We’ll have a barbecue party. Like a holiday. We’ll cook food on the fire. Sing songs and do stupid things,’ he said. The Crow kids all looked at him as if he were a genius. What a perfect way to enjoy a midsummer’s night.

Jack looked up. The frost had started to melt from the trees. Buds were coming back on the boughs. Night Wood was returning to normal. Up above, in the heavens, the new and so far unexplained Purple Rose Star, seemed sparkled like gems falling from a broken necklace.