‘So let’s begin: Why were you in the prohibited strawberry fields, when the sign clearly stated, “Danger and no trespassing”?’
‘It was my idea, the strawberries looked much bigger and juicier there and I thought what harm would there be to pick a few – no one noticed the first time,’ admitted Henratty.
‘Yes, I heard you and one other marching around the field. You both had a lucky escape that day, but then you came back with your tubby friend and his little brother,’ as she glared at Jack suspiciously.
‘Yes, only because we needed more strawberries for Mama Katie, Jack and Oscar’s mother, so she could make her special strawberry tart and I promised I would show them the special place where we found the extra delicious strawberries in return for Mama Katie’s recipe – it’s really good,’ Henratty answered exuberantly.
‘Um – I see! Was there any other reason for you all being in that field?’ Nora further demanded.
‘What other reason could we possibly have, we were only interested in the strawberries … isn’t that why … how you all ended up in this tunnel or were you all looking for something else?’ enquired Henratty.
Enoch was the first to speak: ‘Well, I got completely lost and did not see the sign in the dark. As you’ve probably gathered my memory is not the greatest and I’m constantly forgetting things.’
‘Yeah, we’ve noticed,’ declared Jack.
‘I was grabbed by some kind of bird of prey who lost its grip and dropped me in the field and on landing, I rolled down a hole in the strawberry fields and ended up in the mineshaft, be it a little wounded but Nora nursed me back to health. All I have is a tiny scar from the claw of that creature,’ uttered Poppy.
‘And Jasper and I were captured by a family looking for pet hedgehogs. Luckily we managed to escape when he fell asleep in his truck, after pulling over at the side of the strawberry fields, and again we tumbled down the mineshaft and what a blessing in disguise that was. This is our home and we would like to keep it that way,’ pronounced Nancy.
The meerkats then turned to Alfonso naturally expecting him to explain how he had ended up in the mine, but he merely gave them a stone-faced stare. From Alfonso’s frosty reception, the meerkats immediately knew that he would be the one to watch closely, as he had definitely made them feel much more uneasy than the other inhabitants.
At that point, Escargot popped out of his shell, still half asleep which made the meerkats jump back in astonishment.
‘It’s only Escargot the snail,’ said Poppy sweetly.
‘What’s all the commotion now, I never seem to be able to sleep of late. And who do we have here?’ as he turned his weary face towards the meerkats.
‘These are the little creatures that I heard in the strawberry fields the other day. As I suspected, it was only a matter of time before they ended up down here and here they are,’ announced Nora.
‘Bonjour mes petits amis,’ said Escargot.
‘What’s he saying?’ asked Jack.
‘He said, “Hello my little friends”,’ explained Lyndi Lou.
‘Why can’t he just speak normally – it’ll be much easier?’ insisted Jack.
‘I love speaking my beautiful language, so you better get used to it, petit garçon!’
‘And what’s with the “boy” all the time?’ asked Jack.
‘So you are not as dumb as you look, I see you understand my beautiful language.’
‘Not really, I just know garçon means boy!’
Escargot then began to whinge about how stupid Jack was but no one could really understand what he was saying.
‘Oh, be quiet Escargot! Not everyone has to speak French like you; there is just no need for it here … so stop your ranting and if you have something to say make it constructive instead of that babble,’ remarked Cooper.
Feeling insulted, Escargot looked at Cooper with an evil glint in his eye. He then sighed as he went back into his shell resentfully.
Apart from his last comment, Cooper, like Nora, had remained quiet throughout the recent discussion, not without Henratty and Jack noticing their constant eye to eye contact. They smelt a “rat” and were not just referring to Cooper! There was a lot more to their interrogation than meets the eye, but for now they needed to focus on getting out of this mine.
‘So, how long have you all been down here?’ asked Henratty bravely.
‘Did I say you could ask any questions – I have not finished yet? What do you know of this mine?’ demanded Nora.
‘Nothing,’ retorted Henratty, as she continued: ‘I vaguely remember papa giving us a history lesson on Meerville Town but he only mentioned something in relation to the mine being shut down some thirty years or so ago, and that was it. He never mentioned its location and no one had ever talked about it since.’
Again, Nora glanced at Cooper, who had now moved over to his rocking chair; he always found the seats at the table very uncomfortable and much preferred his rocking chair!
‘I think that is enough questioning for today. Jasper and Alfonso will show you to your sleeping quarters and we will continue this discussion tomorrow. Now take them away, they can stay in the spare dormitory until we decide what to do with them. If you all want to stay alive I suggest you follow Jasper and Alfonso and we’ll resume this meeting tomorrow,’ informed Nora.
As the meerkats entered the small, dingy and barely lit room, there were two wooden beds with a small table separating them. The lighting in here was even worse than the main dormitory but they could just about see each other, thankfully because of the fairly wide gap under the doorway which allowed much needed light into the dormitory. How they yearned for the cool fresh air and sunlight they so often took for granted.
‘What was that all about? Those creatures are freaky, especially Cooper and Nora? Why were they questioning us like that? It definitely felt like they thought we knew something more about this mine – what could it be I wonder?’ questioned Henratty.
‘I definitely agree with you,’ said Jack. I can’t put my finger on it, but Nora and Cooper are hiding something and I don’t even think the other inhabitants realise, as most of them call this mine their home and seem to be quite content living here and to a degree, I can almost understand why after they explained their ordeals. I guess here they feel safe from predators. Even though in theory one would have expected them to turn on each other, they seem to have lost their killer instinct and live together (it would appear in harmony) to survive. Enoch being forgetful does not even realise most of the time that he is a mole and should have eaten Poppy a long time ago, but you can see they really get on. Again, Nancy and Jasper should have gone for Poppy and Escargot as well, but they seem very domesticated.’
‘Perhaps they have enough of a food source so never need to turn on each other,’ noted Lyndi Lou.
‘I could kiss you,’ gleamed Jack.
‘Oh, Jack, please. No thank you!’
‘I don’t mean kiss you literally, Lyndi Lou, I’ll leave that to Oscar …’
‘You promised, JACK!’ howled Oscar.
‘Oh, get over it, we all know you have a crush on Lyndi Lou and I bet she knows it too,’ Jack said amusingly.
‘Jack, let’s just get back to what you were trying to say,’ interrupted Henratty.
‘I think Lyndi Lou hit the nail on the head. It’s way too dark down here for anyone to survive and bearing in mind how healthy they all look, I would say they have a pretty well maintained diet, so where is their food source? I say above ground and if it’s above ground then there’s a way out of here and I intend on finding it,’ Jack beamed smugly.
‘Jack, I don’t know how you do it, but what you’ve just said makes sense. I think everyone is so exhausted, so it’s best we sleep on your notion and try to come up with a plan of action tomorrow. Like you said, if they wanted us dead, they would have done something by now,’ concluded Henratty.
CHAPTER EIGHT
The Search
Back in Meerville T
own, the Brians and Mortimers had just left the sheriff’s office to report that their meerkats were missing following a visit to the strawberry fields. They had also paid a visit to the attendant but he could not shed any light on where they may have gone, as he was adamant there was no one left in those fields before he locked up.
The sheriff decided that it was really too dark to commence a search and would utilise the rest of the day to hand out posters and resume a serious search tomorrow, beginning with the strawberry fields.
They had all decided to head back to the Mortimers’ house, being nearer to the fields, still hopeful that Henratty, Lyndi Lou together with Jack and Oscar had made their way home, but as Papa Mortimer opened the door they were met with total darkness and silence.
Mama Mortimer began to cry as he consoled her whilst Mama Katie went to put the kettle on. Mama Katie was a very strong individual indeed, she always remained positive and refused to get too upset until she knew the facts for definite, unlike Mama Mortimer who was more emotional and could not hide her feelings of distress so easily.
Mama Mortimer had now joined Mama Katie in the kitchen whilst Papa Brian and Papa Mortimer were in the sitting room discussing an action plan for tomorrow. They had decided that they would get up at the crack of dawn and head down towards the strawberry fields to meet the attendant who would let them in, extra early, so they could search the fields thoroughly and see if Jack had left any clues. They knew how adventurous he was and if in danger, the only thing on his mind would be plotting to escape and leaving clues so they could be rescued.
* * *
At the first sign of light the next morning, Papa Brian and Papa Mortimer met the sheriff and the rest of the force along with the attendant who let them into Meerville Strawberry Fields. Not a sound could be heard at all. Each group of meerkats were given a specific area to cover ensuring that the whole field would be searched thoroughly, but their search was in vain.
‘What about over there?’ stated Papa Brian, as he pointed to the prohibited area with the trespassing sign.
‘I think it is highly unlikely they would venture there, especially after seeing that warning sign – Henratty was very sensible and would never endanger anyone’s life,’ assured Papa Mortimer.
‘Nor Jack for that matter,’ commented Papa Brian.
‘That field is above the old mine that was shut down thirty years or so ago. I don’t know if you remember it, as you two would have been little then, but the ground became very unstable from all the mining and I’m afraid my force would be lost if they went in there,’ said the sheriff.
‘We do understand,’ affirmed Papa Brian. ‘We’re just going to take a closer peek to see if we can find anything that might indicate they could have gone into that field.’
‘If you must, but please be careful and stay on this side of the fence,’ warned the sheriff.
Both parents approached the field with exceptional caution, holding onto each other in fear of the unstable ground giving way but they were still on the safe side of the fields, so there was no danger really. They scanned the area several times, however, nothing looked disturbed or out of the ordinary.
‘There’s no way they would have gone into that field, look there’s no strawberries to pick anyway. One look at this field and you would definitely not even bother contemplating going in there especially with a sign like that. I guess because of the mining, nothing good grows here anyway!’ presumed Papa Mortimer. It never dawned on them that perhaps there were no strawberries because, firstly, Jack had eaten most of them and, secondly, they had picked all the strawberries as there were so few in this field to begin with.
‘You’re right, nothing but wasteland,’ agreed Papa Brian.’
* * *
It was just after two o’clock in the afternoon and so far no one in Meerville Town had come forward with any information that could lead to the possible whereabouts of Henratty, Jack, Oscar and Lyndi Lou. They had been missing for one whole day and something like this had not happened in a very long time and was virtually unheard of in Meerville. Papa Brian gave Mama Katie a worried glance; she knew what he was thinking when he looked at her solemnly. Was history about to repeat itself – they both believed in The Meerville Myth. Had Dustmist arisen once more to wreak havoc on the Mortimers and Brians, as it was their very meerkats that had broken the spell and brought the Mortimers’ eldest daughter, Misha, back safely? All they knew was that Dustmist had disappeared, which they had hoped was for good, but no one really knew.
Papa Mortimer had picked up on Papa Brian’s and Mama Katie’s thoughts as he uttered, ‘I bet I know what you were both thinking?’
‘Was it that obvious?’ asked Papa Brian.
‘Yes, I’m afraid so, to tell the truth I was thinking the same thing, it’s Dustmist isn’t it? You both think Dustmist has come back for revenge starting with our little ones?’
‘At this stage, we can’t rule him out, it’s the only thing that would make sense. At least Misha was safe. I think it was a good idea that you sent her away to stay with friends, but for now I don’t think we can say anything to the sheriff. He would just laugh at us and say, ‘Don’t be so ridiculous – it’s only a myth!’ remarked Papa Brian.
‘Yes, at least that’s one thing we are all in agreement with,’ affirmed Papa Mortimer as he and Papa Brian looked at their respective partners.
‘I don’t think there is much more we can do in Meerville Town now. Something tells me that we should go back to the strawberry fields and take another look without the sheriff. If it were left to me I would have already taken a closer peek at the field above the mine; there is something that has been niggling me. I can’t put my finger on it but when we go back there it will come to me,’ said Papa Brian.
‘Do you two think that is really a good idea?’ sniffled Mama Mortimer, as she just about held back her tears. ‘You heard what the sheriff said, it really wasn’t safe, and what if the ground gives way?’
‘Honey, I think it’s a risk we have to take. At least if we go missing, you will definitely know where we are and can get help if need be, but I promise it won’t come to that,’ reassured Papa Mortimer.
‘You promise?’ repeated Mama Mortimer as she hugged Papa Mortimer lovingly.
‘A promise is a promise,’ chirped Papa Mortimer, but deep down he knew their suggestion could have serious consequences.
‘Papa Brian does know what he is doing,’ reassured Mama Katie confidently, although she did not feel as confident inside but if there was a slim chance that their little meerkats had ignored the trespassing sign, which in all probability was possible, then they had no choice but to try and find them.
They decided that as it was quite late in the afternoon, by the time they got to the fields, it would be too dark and they needed the best light possible when treading on such dangerous grounds to minimise any serious accident. They would take Papa Mortimer’s pick-up truck from which one of them would be attached to a rope which was tied to the back of the truck, so that if the ground caved in, they could be hoisted back up to safety. Papa Brian volunteered to go into the fields, as he had some climbing experience whilst Papa Mortimer would operate the truck hoist, if need be.
So for tonight, they would go home and rest. They had been on their feet for most of the day and there really was nothing more that they could do physically.
CHAPTER NINE
Call My Bluff
Jack was the first to stir, he started to wriggle his nose as the sweet aroma of strawberries wafted up his nostrils and the smell of warm bread followed soon after. It was just about visible in the dark room thankfully due to the gap in the doorway. He could see a tray brimming with bread, an open jar of strawberry jam and a saucer with some butter. They were left one very blunt knife and in another tray were four plates, four empty glasses and a jug filled with strawberry juice. He quietly got out of bed as he checked the time on his watch. He had just remembered that the face of his watch would illuminate wh
en it was tapped on twice, again another brilliant purchase by Papa Brian. He could not believe the time, it was three thirty in the afternoon and surely they had not been sleeping that long but then yesterday was no ordinary day, after all they had spent most of the day in those tunnels trying to find a way out and that was quite exhausting in itself!
No longer perturbed by the passage of time, Jack now glanced at the tray of food.
‘Wake up everybody, we have food and it sure does smell good,’ Jack cried.
Henratty was the first to rise after hearing what she called Jack’s annoying voice. She quickly jumped up, as he felt a tap on his shoulder just before he was about to tuck into the food.
‘Not so fast, Jack, we need to divide the food fairly.’
‘Oh, come on, don’t be like that, as if I would scoff the whole lot without a second thought for my friends and not to mention my younger brother. Do you honestly think I would do such a thing?’
‘Frankly, at this moment in time I’m not sure, we are all in a very vulnerable state and our ultimate goal is survival.’ Jack thought there was no point arguing with Henratty as she could be right. He knew what he was like once he started eating and sometimes he just could not stop himself, not because he was selfish but food was food and if it tasted good, he would be there chomping away.
‘I guess you could be right, but we’ll never know,’ as Jack shrugged his shoulders and walked back and sat on the edge of the bed that he was sharing with Oscar. Henratty then proceeded to divide the bread equally. In actual fact there were exactly enough slices for everyone to have two each. She buttered each slice and then smothered them with the delicious homemade strawberry jam and handed everyone an equal portion of the soft bread.
We Were Only Strawberry Picking Page 6