One of them poked me with the end of the stick again.
‘Stop that,’ I said, agitated. I sat up, blinking in the bright sunlight. Slowly, my eyes focused to reveal the two small children that stood in front of me; a young boy who looked no older than eight, who was holding a long stick, and a little girl of about six who held a rag doll in her hands. Both of the children had dark hair that was extremely disheveled. They both looked underfed.
‘Are you dangerous?’ asked the little girl.
I looked between them. ‘Um … no.’
Suddenly, I remembered Hawthorne sleeping only a few feet from me. Surely the children would have noticed him. Why weren’t they afraid? I jumped up and looked around for Hawthorne, only to discover that once again, he was gone.
‘What’s the matter?’ asked the boy.
‘Did … did you see an animal?’ I asked, peering around the large bundle of hay.
‘What? Like a dog?’ he asked.
‘Um … yes, a big, white dog.’
The kids shook their heads. ‘Just you.’
Perhaps Hawthorne had heard the children and found a place to hide . Good thing too, otherwise they would have gone running for their parents.
‘What are you doing in our barn?’ asked the little girl, cradling her rag doll.
‘Um … I needed somewhere to sleep … sorry.’
‘See, I told you she was homeless,’ said the boy.
‘I’m gonna get Daddy,’ said the little girl, taking a step towards the door.
‘No!’ I said quickly. ‘Please, don’t.’
The children looked at me skeptically. They weren’t idiots.
‘Uh … what are your names?’ I asked.
‘Dad said not to tell strangers our names-’
‘I’m Annie,’ the girl said quickly, ignoring her brother. ‘Can we be friends?’
‘You’re not meant to tell strangers your name!’ the boy scolded his little sister.
‘Shut up, Hamish! I can do what I like!’
‘Oh great, now she knows my name, too. You’re so stupid, Annie!’
‘All right, all right!’ I said loudly, breaking up the banter. ‘Annie, and Hamish, is it?’
They nodded, sheepishly.
‘Okay … You’ve got to promise not to tell your Mum and Dad that I was here okay?’
‘Our Mum is dead,’ said Hamish, crossing his arms over his chest. ‘And Dad doesn’t like strangers on his farm.’
‘I like her, Hamish. Leave her alone.’ Annie stood next to me and whispered, ‘You can stay if you like. We can be friends.’
‘Well … thank you.’
‘How long will you stay?’ Hamish asked.
‘Oh, I just needed somewhere to rest for the night. I’m … well … going on a journey, you see-’
‘Like an adventure?’ asked Annie.
‘Uh, kind of, I guess.’ I really wanted to get rid of these kids so I could find Hawthorne and get away from this farm. Hopefully their father didn’t come looking for them.
I rummaged around in the hay for my rucksack, slinging it over my shoulder.
‘You’re not going already, are you?’ asked Annie.
‘I have to,’ I said, pulling a piece of straw out of my hair.
Annie frowned. ‘On your adventure?’
‘Yeah, something like that,’ I muttered.
‘I wish I could go on an adventure. It’s boring on the farm.’ Hamish sighed dramatically.
‘You can go on an adventure when you’re older,’ I told him. ‘But maybe you guys should go back to your house while I leave. I’m sure your Dad is wondering where you are.’
Hamish scoffed. ‘Pfft. He doesn’t care.’
I cursed internally. I did not want to get involved with these kids’ issues. I had enough to worry about.
‘Hamish! Annie!’ a deep voice boomed in the distance. The children froze, wide-eyed and terrified.
‘We’re not supposed to be in the barn!’ Annie gasped. ‘Daddy won’t let us.’
The male voice called again, closer this time.
‘He’s coming!’ squeaked Annie, clinging to her brother.
These children seemed terrified of their father, which made me nervous, too. Hell, if he didn’t like his own children in the barn, he would not like a complete stranger sleeping there.
‘I’ve got to sneak out without your dad seeing me,’ I said urgently. ‘Is there a way?’
Annie nodded. ‘There’s a loose plank behind the hay. I usually crawl through there when Daddy comes. It backs onto the horse paddock, so I usually pretend I’ve been playing with Buttons.’
‘Buttons?’
‘My pony,’ Annie explained.
‘Show me the gap in the wall,’ I demanded.
Annie and Hamish led me to the back of the barn, where they lifted one of the wooden planks along the wall. It was a tiny hole that only a child could squeeze through. Hamish slid through easily and beckoned Annie forward.
Heavy boots could be heard crushing along dry grass. Their father was mere meters away.
‘Go,’ I urged Annie, who dropped to her knees and crawled through the gap.