We Were Only Strawberry Picking

by Henrietta Defreitas

  The unmistakable Enoch had returned!

  ‘Well, Enoch, did you give the others the message as instructed?’

  ‘Yes, Nora! Word for word!’

  ‘I want you to go back and give them another message: tell everyone that I want them to assemble here. It’s going to take Escargot a lifetime to get here, so he can stay at base, so too can Poppy and Nancy, but Cooper, Alfonso and Jasper can accompany you back here.’

  ‘Cooper won’t make it,’ said a concerned Enoch.

  ‘Of course he will, he’s been cooped up in his little habitat for far too long, a change of scenery will do him good. The intruders won’t be here for an hour or so, which will give him plenty of time to get here, half an hour at the most.’ Have you got that, Enoch?’

  ‘I think so!’

  ‘Tell them it is crucial that they all come and that I have managed to work out we have four very young, and I’m pretty sure, very harmless creatures. The only thing I don’t know is what type of species they are.’

  ‘Will do, I can’t wait to meet them!’ and off he trundled once more to fetch the others. However, Enoch had not noticed that he had taken the wrong turning in the tunnel and was now heading towards the meerkats rather than base. That was the trouble with these tunnels they all looked alike and were so interlinked, once you lost your bearings, it could take you a very long while to get back to where you started and for Enoch even longer. He was thinking to himself, I wonder who they are? Nora said they were young, I hope some of them were my age, they could even be like me! Oh, wouldn’t it be just great to have another mole down here, real company at last – someone who truly understands me …

  * * *

  Jack shone the torch above them – they could see that they had fallen hundreds of feet underground. He then aimed the torch along the tunnel – visibility was still poor as they realised they were in one very long tunnel.

  ‘So what should we do?’ asked Henrattty.

  ‘Well, for a start, we need to get moving, as this torch has a short battery life and I really don’t know how long it is going to last, so the sooner we get going the sooner we’ll get out of here!’

  ‘Jack, you’re absolutely right and may I say thank goodness you wore that jacket. What did I call it last time? “A ridiculous outfit” I seem to remember. Well, I apologise, as it could well be our saving grace at the moment. What else have you got in those pockets?’ Henratty demanded.

  ‘Let me see – hold this, Oscar,’ as he passed over the torch. ‘I have my two catapults, lots of string, my binoculars, a watch with a compass, my tank of water, a tiny shovel, metal detector, bonbons – my favourite sweets, a whistle, pen and paper. Oh, and papa’s foghorn!’

  ‘I think we’ve heard enough. Dust yourself off everybody and let’s get moving. I suggest that we hold hands in a single file due to the poor visibility and that way we won’t get separated. So I’ll go first – Jack, pass me the torch,’ and on they marched as Henratty led the way.

  ‘Where do you think we are?’ asked Lyndi Lou as they came upon some old tracks.

  ‘I think we are in some sort of mine judging by these tracks. I do recall Papa Mortimer mentioning something a long time ago when he was giving us a history lesson on Meerville Town. However, I was not paying much attention but I think he said this mine had been closed some thirty years ago. I guess we’re the only ones down here now … there must be a way out. There must be a lift that would have taken the workers and cargo to the top of the mine, above ground, and I think that’s what we need to find,’ surmised Henratty. Jack had now got out his shovel and was scraping the side of the wall.

  ‘What exactly are you playing at?’ asked Henratty.

  ‘I’m looking for diamonds,’ Jack responded excitedly.

  ‘Don’t be so silly, if there were diamonds down here, don’t you think the whole of Meerville would know about it?’ deduced Henratty.

  ‘Maybe they do, but they just couldn’t find the right area to dig, as look, we have come to the end of this tunnel and there are four other tunnels to choose from. It’s like a maze down here. I know there is treasure down here and I’m going to find it,’ Jack proclaimed confidently.

  ‘Will you please pay attention, Jack, and stop thinking that everything is an adventure.’

  ‘Oh, Henratty, do you remember our last conversation regarding “adventure” at Oscar’s birthday?’

  ‘Please don’t remind me, besides that’s different, this is for real and we need to be responsible as we have Lyndi Lou and Oscar to think of.’

  ‘I know that but we can still have fun!’

  ‘Jack, this is no picnic, we could be in serious danger – who knows what’s lurking down one of these tunnels? For all we know there could be other creatures down here, and nasty ones at that.’ Lyndi Lou began to cry again.

  ‘Look, what you’ve gone and done,’ fumed Henratty.

  ‘Don’t blame me, Henratty – I’m not the one that mentioned monsters and nasty stuff,’ refuted Jack.

  ‘Lyndi Lou, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to scare you; I was just trying to make Jack realise how serious our predicament was, because if we don’t get out of here, we could be in serious danger and this torch is our only hope. Now let’s press on,’ commanded Henratty.

  ‘Okay, sis, you’re right. I’ll try not to get too upset and instead focus on being positive about getting out of here,’ Lyndi Lou said reassuringly.

  ‘Have you got that, Jack … FOCUS!’ Henratty said sternly.

  ‘Yeah, yeah, but I tell you there’s treasure to be found here, I know it,’ Jack responded defiantly.

  ‘Let’s go left here and tread carefully,’ instructed Henratty.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Where’s Enoch

  Nora had listened with intent to their conversation:

  So they think they’re on a treasure hunt, well I think I better let Cooper know that they could possibly know about the hidden diamonds. How could they know about that I wonder? It is only Cooper and I that know about the diamonds and their whereabouts. It looks like they may not be so innocent after all. We’ll definitely have to interrogate them to ensure they suspect nothing and dispel any idea of this mine being a treasure trove.

  We have kept this place safe for thirty years and safe it must remain. These diamonds can only bring evil upon the land and if those evil birds of prey, the Larkans, in Skylark, get hold of them, it spells the end of this world as we know it. For the moment, there was no danger of that happening, as Nora with Cooper’s help would ensure that these creatures never got out of this tunnel to tell the tale but for now, she would just observe to see what unfolds and what they truly know!

  With those thoughts of Skylark buried once more, Nora began to wonder what was taking Enoch so long, it’s never taken him this long to deliver a message before and Cooper and the others should have arrived by now.

  * * *

  Meanwhile, Enoch had finally realised something was wrong, as it dawned on him that it usually took him fifteen minutes at the most to walk back to base but he felt like he had been walking for all eternity. He was sure that at least thirty minutes had passed and he had not caught sight of base. In fact, as he looked more closely at the intricacies of the tunnel, he realised that this tunnel was completely different to the usual tunnel that had taken him back to base. For starters, the lights were much higher up the walls than the usual tunnel and it was a lot more dusty.

  ‘Oh, no I must have taken the wrong turning; I told Nora that we should have marked the tunnels more clearly to define them, as she knows how easily I get confused. She is going to kill me or even worse she is going to insist that I eat Poppy to show that I am truly a mole, instead of the forgetful useless mole I know she thinks I am …’

  Poor Enoch wanted to shout “help” from the rooftops but that would only make things worse. Also he did not want to be the one that was to blame for alerting the visitors to the fact that they were no longer the only inhabitants in the min
e.

  Enoch continued to babble and revisit what he was going to do as he continued along the tunnel. Unbeknown to him the intruders were heading straight towards him.

  ‘Shush,’ Henratty commaned.

  ‘What’s wrong?

  ‘I thought I heard something, or more like someone talking.’

  ‘You must be hallucinating, surely there can’t be anyone else down here,’ remarked Jack.

  ‘OH, NO – WHAT AM I GOING TO DO – I’M IN BIG TROUBLE!’ uttered the voice – it was Enoch!

  ‘Did you all hear that?’ Everyone’s eyes were wide open as they shook their heads in approval.

  ‘Now be quiet,’ Henratty whispered and then she switched the torch off. All of the meerkats were now pressed against the side of the wall, as Enoch scurried around the corner towards them, still jabbering to himself.

  ‘Oh, no, I’m in so much trouble. Nora is going to string me up when she finds out that I have not gone back to base to warn the others.’

  If only he had turned to his right, he would have seen four pairs of eyes staring back at him from the darkest corner of the tunnel, but what he would not have realised was how petrified they were of him. Enoch continued along the path, he was so disorientated by now and decided to stop where he was and take stock and try to retrace his steps. He turned around and started to make his way back down the tunnel as the four meerkats shot back into the darkest crevice again, holding their breaths once more.

  ‘What was that?’ Enoch murmured. He could have sworn that he heard a shuffling sound, but was not sure but then thought perhaps it was an echo of his own movements as he scuttled along the tunnel trying to retrace his steps. He turned right into the tunnel which he was sure would lead him back to Nora. He knew it was at least half an hour back to her and he could then find base from there having got his bearings back.

  ‘What on earth was that?’ asked Oscar.

  ‘Whatever it was, it was bigger than us, but he sure did sound lost, and who was he talking about. He mentioned the name, Nora, so now we know there are at least two other animals down here besides us, which means we are not alone after all,’ noted Henratty.

  ‘I’m scared,’ murmured Lyndi Lou.

  ‘We’re all scared … I think that creature is our safest bet of getting out of here – we have to follow him,’ suggested Henratty.

  ‘But he could be dangerous,’ argued Oscar.

  ‘Unfortunately, we don’t have a choice, he is our only hope and we must follow him. I think he is a safe distance away now, so let’s get a move on.’ Henratty gave the torch to Jack which he switched back on, but he had to give it a good shake as the battery was dying. As it shone up towards the ceiling of the tunnel, he thought he saw something shimmering, but he had just shone the torch in his eyes so assumed he had been blinded by this which had distorted his vision. For a fleeting moment, he thought of the diamonds until his name was called:

  ‘Come on, Jack, I think you should go first, seeing as you have the torch and the fact that we know you have the best hearing.’

  ‘Sure thing, but let me just get my catapult out.’

  ‘Er – what for?’

  ‘What do you think for – these creatures could be dangerous and I need to be ready to fight back.’

  ‘And a catapult is going to save us?’ retaliated Henratty.

  ‘Well, have you got any better ideas?’

  ‘Yes, shut up and let’s get a move on. The best thing we can do is try to remain out of sight and not get caught. By the way give me the other catapult, I’ll give it to Oscar just in case! Now let’s turn right here,’ ordered Henratty.

  ‘Are you sure, why not left?’ demanded Jack.

  ‘I definitely know he turned right, as I heard the creature say so, he constantly says everything out loud and he definitely said “right”. So, be quiet and start listening, as we need to keep up with this creature so he can show us the way out, at least.’ Everyone was on tiptoe as they moved along the tunnel, again in single file, desperately trying to keep out of Enoch’s sight.

  * * *

  By now Nora could tell that something was wrong, everything was just too quiet, she could no longer hear the meerkats talking and where was Enoch?

  ‘The bumbling buffoon, I gave him one simple task to complete and he could not even do that, the others should have been here at least twenty minutes ago!’ she whinged.

  Nora decided that she was going to have to fly back to base. She had not flown in ages and her joints were a little stiff, but she hoped and prayed that her wings would still enable her to fly. She had not used them in years, there was no real need to. She slowly opened her wings as her bones creaked. It’s all or nothing, and with one big flap, she flew off. She could feel the strain as she gathered more strength to fully spread her wings and at last she was truly flying. She started to wobble, as she was losing momentum and speed. She was descending and could no longer soar as high but she was nearly there as she made a bumpy landing and slid on the ground as she flew in. She folded her wings. Her hair was a little mangled from the flight but she would fix it later.

  As she entered camp, Cooper, Alfonso, Poppy and Escargot were all seated at the meeting table, anxiously awaiting her return.

  ‘Has anybody seen Enoch?’ screamed Nora.

  ‘No, we thought he was with you. Is everything all right, Nora?’ asked Cooper.

  ‘Do I look all right? Nancy, can you please fix my hair, it’s an absolute mess? I have just flown in and my wings are so rusty, I don’t even know how I landed in one piece, luckily the only damage was to my hair!’ Nancy was a whiz when it came to hair. She was a hedgehog and was very domesticated, indeed, and was responsible for keeping the dormitories spick and span; she just loved cleaning, cooking, etc and was a dab hand at these chores. She never complained at all. She ended up in the mine when she and her brother, Jasper, were captured by a family who wanted a pair of hedgehogs, but they managed to escape when the father got blind drunk and he forgot to lock their cage. They managed to trek from town to town, never staying in one place for too long until just by luck, and their love for strawberries, they stumbled upon Meerville Strawberry Fields. Also, they actually felt at home in Meerville, for some reason it was less threatening, but they could never work out why!

  ‘I’m aching all over, I haven’t flown in years and did not expect to ever fly again. Just wait until I get my hands on Enoch …’

  ‘But what exactly has happened, Nora?’ asked Cooper.

  ‘Well, our little intruders have arrived, there are four of them, they sound pretty harmless but I think they are heading our way and that’s why I sent Enoch back more than an hour ago to ask him to bring some of you back – particularly you, Cooper, Alfonso and Jasper for back up.’

  ‘He must have taken the wrong turning,’ said Poppy. ‘You know how forgetful he is, or even worse could the beasts have perhaps captured him? If that’s the case he has probably blurted out everything including our plot to capture them.’

  ‘I think you could be right, especially on the first point, but I doubt if he has even remembered the plot and is probably still trying to show them a way to get back to base with great difficulty,’ advised Cooper.

  ‘Anyway, Cooper and I are going to use the one and only tramline that is still working to try and cut them off at the other side of the mineshaft. The last sound I received with my echolocation indicated that the little creatures were on that side of the shaft, so I am sure we can go round and cut them off.’

  ‘But, Nora, why me, you know I can barely walk – can’t Alfonso go?’

  ‘I would prefer it if you came, Cooper, and besides you don’t have to walk as we are taking the tram. Also you need the exercise, you can’t stay cooped up in this hole all the time, that’s probably why you’re so hunched and cranky these days.’

  ‘There’s no need to get personal.’

  Escargot had come out of his shell and was sniggering. As much as he tried to sleep, the increas
ed volume of voices were resounding in his shell and getting louder and louder in decibels so he could not sleep even if he wanted to. Also the conversation became interesting, especially as Cooper was being chastised by Nora and had been given his marching orders, something Cooper was not used to, and something that Escargot revelled in. That will teach the miserable coot, he thought.

  Under duress, Cooper gave in and off they went.

  ‘Just before we depart, Alfonso, I want you to take charge, be vigilant and look out for our intruders. I’m sure once they set their eyes on you, they’ll be wishing they were somewhere else.’

  ‘Will do, Nora … how exciting! Right folks you heard Nora, I’m in charge and therefore you all must do as I say.’ Escargot was already back asleep in his shell, whilst Nancy and Jasper were dusting and buffing the already shiny ornaments and Poppy was gazing at herself in the cracked mirror preparing for the visitors.

  ‘Did you hear what I said? I’m in charge so you must do as I say,’ repeated Alfonso.

  ‘But you have not asked us to do anything!’ quipped Poppy, as she began to gurgle …

  ‘Well, when I do, I expect you all to comply,’ commanded Alfonso.

  ‘Naturally,’ Jasper responded sarcastically.

  * * *

  Back in the tunnel, Enoch was still repeating himself and going on about how Nora was going to skin him alive when she found out he had not delivered the message.

  The meerkats were only a few yards behind him now.

  ‘What’s wrong with him, he constantly talks to himself and has repeated the same sentence at least fifteen times. He’s seriously barmy.’