The Golden Acorn - Catherine Cooper [5]
He was about to turn and run when he saw a gleam of light. Something underneath the hedge glinted in the sunlight. He bent down and pulled the grass apart. A small shiny object lay on the ground. Where had it come from? Jack looked around before he picked it up and examined it more closely. It was a golden acorn, not quite like any acorn he’d ever seen before. It was beautifully carved, big and heavy and warm in his hand. Jack put it in his pocket then searched around to see if he could find any more.
INTRODUCTIONS
Jack wasn’t a morning person. He lay in the strange bed hoping the last few weeks of his life had been a bad dream. He desperately wished he were back in Greece in his own bedroom. His hopes faded when he heard Grandad making breakfast downstairs.
The first thing he saw when he eventually opened his eyes were the contents of his pockets on the bedside table. Two bandages with their middles stained green lay in a crumpled heap and there on top was the shiny object he’d found. He groaned. So the events of the previous afternoon had really happened. Whatever Nora had put on his palms had worked.
Would today be better than yesterday? He turned over and pulled the sheet back over his head. His meeting with Nora was still on his mind. He hadn’t told Grandad about it, he hadn’t wanted to. He decided she was just a batty old woman and best avoided. He could see why the boys from the field called her Nutty Nora.
His thoughts were interrupted when Grandad called from downstairs.
‘Hurry up Jack. Breakfast’s ready and you’ve got a visitor.’
He groaned again and reluctantly got out of bed. He wasn’t sure he liked the sound of a visitor and would rather have known who it was before he went downstairs. He’d no idea who it could be or how long they would want to stay. He went over to the window and pulled the curtain open a fraction. Sunlight streamed in through the crack making him squint. Trees surrounded Grandad’s garden, Nora’s trees. The chimneys he could see beyond them belonged to her house too. Avoiding Nora wasn’t going to be easy. Before going down he looked in the mirror and tried to comb his dark unruly hair but it just sprang back into its own chosen style. He sighed as he put the bandages in the bin and stuffed the acorn in his pocket.
When he entered the kitchen he saw a girl with long chestnut hair sitting at the table chatting with Grandad. She had an olive complexion like his own and freckles on her nose and cheeks. She looked towards Jack and smiled.
‘Jack, this is Elan, Nora’s niece.’
‘Oh… er… hello,’ was all he could manage.
He could feel his cheeks burning. He had no idea what to say to her.
‘I’m staying with my aunt for a while and she wondered if you’d like to come round and have tea with us this afternoon?’
Jack gave his Grandad a pleading look. This wasn’t the sort of thing he was used to. Girls didn’t invite him for tea, especially not the kind of tea he imagined this was going to be, with real china cups and small neatly cut sandwiches. The thought of going back into Nora’s house again sent a shiver down his spine.
‘I won’t be able to come. I’m going to the Cricket Club with Grandad this afternoon.’
Jack felt pleased he had a good excuse.
‘Nonsense!’ Grandad exclaimed, ‘we’ve only got to set out a few chairs for the match. We’ll be finished in no time.’
Jack felt his cheeks burning again.
‘When do you want him to come round?’
‘As soon as you’ve finished,’ Elan replied giving Jack an especially big smile, ‘Nora has something she wants you to see.’
‘I… I… I… er…don’t…er…’ but before he had time to think of another excuse Elan was already out of the kitchen door. She turned when she reached the bottom of the garden