by Drew Herdman
CHAPTER 5
FRIDAY EVENING.
STRANGERS IN THE HOUSE.
The twins walked slowly away down the hill, each thinking about the gaily coloured hang gliders they had seen.
"I wonder if Rhes will be coming back soon". said Robina. "I'd like to tell him what we have seen".
"Yes", replied Robin, "I bet he hasn't got anything like that on his home planet".
They collected their bikes, cycled home, and found that tea was ready. Later that evening, just as the sun was setting and the soft shadows were growing longer across the garden, the twins heard a car engine on the road outside. It stopped by the front gate, and the doors slammed shut.
The front gate squeaked open, and footsteps scrunched on the gravel
Tap.Tap. went the knocker.
"Go and see who's there". said Auntie Amy. "Your mother and I are doing the washing up."
Robin rushed to the door, closely followed by Robina. When they opened it, there were two men standing on the step. One tall and thin, with a dark moustache, the other shorter, with a large fair beard. Strangely, they were both wearing dark glasses, even though the light was fading fast.
"Good evening". said Robin, who was always polite to everyone. "What can I do for you?"
The tall man said. "We have been looking for a hotel or boarding house, but there doesn't seem to be one near here that can put us up. We saw your sign, and hoped that there might be a room for us".
Just then Auntie Amy came up behind the twins, and having heard the last part of the conversation, said.
"I didn't know that all the hotels in town are full up".
"I'm sure we would be no trouble" said the tall man. "We are looking for somewhere quiet. You see, we are bird watchers, and we don't like noisy places".
As the talk went on between Auntie Amy and the strangers, the twins heads kept turning from one to the other as if they were at a tennis match, watching the ball being hit from one side of the net to the other.
At last, Auntie Amy, thinking of her Christmas Holidays agreed to let the strangers stay for the weekend. As they watched, the guests carried their cases up to the spare room, which had twin beds in it.
After they were settled in, they said that they were going for a walk, to see if there were any good places to watch from.
The twins watched them go, but being keen on bird watching at home, and also being curious, slipped out grabbed their mountain bikes, and followed them, some way behind, so as not to be seen. Down the road the two men went, but suddenly turned off across the fields, bordered by thick hedges, and on to the high cliffs that overlooked the sea
"I'm sure there are no special birds there or we'd have seen them", Robin laughed. "Just seagulls, seabirds, and the usual sorts of land birds".
"It's all very suspicious. " Robina hinted. "First we see strange hang gliders on the mountain, and now this. Two strangers, who come from nowhere, to look at birds you can see in any harbour without hiding. And I know from my own book on birds, there are no special ones on this Island."
As they watched they saw the strangers start walking back across the fields.
"Time for us to go". exclaimed Robin. "We don't want them to see that we have been watching them".
By the time the strangers had returned to the house, the twins were sitting comfortably in front of the television, as if they had been there all the time.
"Did you find any good places?" asked Robin innocently.
"Yes", replied the short man. "We found a lovely place down by the river, and there are sure to be lots of birds to see".
"Will you be going out again?" asked Amy, "Because I'll be making a bit of supper in an hour or so".
"Just time for us to go for a drink at the pub we passed on the way here" joked the tall man.
After they had gone, the twins went up stairs and found the spare room opens just a bit. They peeped in, and saw a telescope lying on the nearer bed.
"Look at that". whispered Robina, "What would they want a telescope for. Surely they would use small binoculars if they were just bird watching. And look how untidy they are".
Without thinking, she stepped into the room, and bent down to hang up a jacket that was lying on the bed. As she did, she saw that underneath was a small walkie-talkie radio set, and next to it, where it had fallen out of a pocket, lay a black shiny gun.
Robin, who had followed her into the room, also saw the radio and the gun.
Put the jacket back, quickly, and leave things exactly as they were". He whispered, turning to go. Robina did so, but as they stepped toward the door, they heard heavy footsteps coming up the stairs.
The twins' eyes met across the room, wide eyed with fright. They looked helplessly about for somewhere to hide. What would the strangers say if they found the twins searching through their things? What indeed would Mother say?
There was nowhere to go. With a sigh and drooping heads, they waited for the moment the door would open and the strangers would appear.
Footsteps sounded softly on the carpet.
Robin saw one chance to hide and slid onto his hands and knees and vanished under a bed.
Robina, seeing what Robin was doing, dived under the same bed, but from the other side. Their heads met with an awful bump, but they managed not to cry out. The bedspread hanging almost to the floor, swung for a few seconds, and then was still.
The door handle rattled, and the hinges squealed slightly, then the door opened. The two strangers came in. The tall one walked quickly to the far bed, and with a sigh, sat down and unlaced his shoes. The twins could see his feet, which were only centimetres away. More footsteps and the other bed sagged heavily above them.
"Well, that's part one of the plan complete." said Lofty with a sigh. "My feet are aching with all that walking".
"Never mind your feet". exclaimed Shorty, "Get on the radio, and report to Number 1".
They heard the click as the radio was switched on, and a few seconds after, Lofty's voice saying softly.
"Come in Number 1.Come in Number 1."
"Number 1 answering" came the immediate reply, as though the other person had been waiting for the call.
"Good news, Boss. Everything is going to plan, We have found a place to watch from, and we're bound to see the boat from a long way off".
"Right. You have done well. Call me again tomorrow. Remember the ship comes past about noon. Good Night".
Just as the strangers had finished the message, Auntie Amy called from downstairs, saying that supper was ready. The strangers rose from the beds, with a creak of springs, and walked out of the room. As their steps sounded on the stairs, the twins crawled out from under the bed, and dashed for the door. When they saw the way was clear, they banged their bedroom doors, as though they had been there all the time, and then crashed down stairs as though they hadn't a care in the world.
After supper they read for a while, until it was time for bed.
Off they went, and while they were cleaning their teeth, Robin said
"What a pair of liars. Now we'll have to keep a very sharp eye on them"
"You're right". replied Robina quietly.
As they walked silently across the landing, in their slippers, they heard Shorty say
"Do you think anyone suspects anything?"
And the reply was.
"No chance! There's only those two kids, and they both look rather dumb".
As the twins parted at their bedroom doors, Robin whispered
"We'll see who’s dumb!"
The only answer from Robina was a gentle chuckle as she shut her door. Soon the house was still. Only in the forest the night animals moved, and owls and bats winged their silent way between the trees in search of prey