Harklights

by Tim Tilley

  She throws the stick down the Well.

  We watch it in silence—

  Spinning through the air—

  Shrinking as it falls—

  Till it’s swallowed by darkness.

  Afterwards, we sit with Papa Herne and talk about what we are going to do about the other Timber Goliaths.

  “Old Ma Bogey may be gone,” I say, “but the drivers don’t know that. Not yet. They’re still out there, cutting down trees.”

  “They’ll be easy to stop,” says Papa Herne. “Now we know they’re not monsters.”

  “How?” I ask.

  “Well, if ivy vine can stop a rampaging stag in its tracks, I’m sure it can pull a driver away from the controls of a machine.”

  “Then what will you do?” asks Petal.

  “We’ll scare them away with tree-stags or tree-somethings.” Papa Herne rubs his chin. “Maybe we could even dream a bit bigger.”

  As the sun lowers in the sky, the wall’s shadow stretches across the garden.

  Papa Herne calls to Half Crown. “We’d better be getting back.”

  “But you can stay in the doll’s house,” calls out a small voice.

  “Thanks,” says Papa Herne, “but we got some forest animals that we need to take care of.”

  “We’ve…er…been talking,” says Petal, “about your offer—”

  Papa Herne raises his hand. “You got time enough to decide.”

  Petal smiles. “We’re going to stay here, for now. It’s the only place most of us have ever known.”

  The rest of the orphans nod their heads.

  “I wanted to escape with Wick before, but I never wanted to leave the others… We can grow vegetables and fruit for ourselves. The sprites said they’d help us.”

  “What about adults?” I say.

  “We don’t need them. Old Ma Bogey didn’t exactly look after us,” replies Bottletop.

  “And if anyone comes asking questions?”

  “We’ll tell them Miss Boggett is sick in bed,” says Petal, “and send them away. Don’t worry – we’ll be fine. I don’t think Padlock will ever come back. He said he was going to London to make his fortune.”

  “Well, the offer is always there. An’ yer welcome to visit us any time,” says Papa Herne. “What about you, Wick? Are you staying?”

  Petal and Bottletop’s longing glances tell me they’d like me to stay. I pinch my lip. Part of me wants to. The orphans were my family for so long.

  “No,” I say finally, “I want to finish my Forest Keeper training and replant all the lost trees.” I glance over to Petal. “But I’ll come back and see you all the time. Harklights isn’t far.”

  A smile lurks at the corner of Petal’s mouth. “You’d better. We’ll keep you a chalked-out space on the floor.”

  “Thanks. What are you going to do with the Machine?”

  “I’ll think of something,” says Petal, leaning close to Bottletop. “And let me know if you ever need any Everstrikes, I’m sure we could spare you a few boxes.”

  “I will,” I say.

  The Hob bird-riders take to the air and circle the garden before flying away over the wall.

  I climb up onto the back of Half Crown, running my hand down his rough bark. Nox and Nissa stand in his rack of antlers. There are wax-paper parcels strapped to their backs.

  “Chocolate,” says Nox before I say anything.

  Nissa eyes the crossbow that Wingnut cradles in his arms. “I’m definitely making a bow an’ arrow when we get back.”

  Papa Herne adjusts his hat. “We’ll have to see.”

  Nissa presses her mouth into a thin line. Then she smiles.

  As we ride off, I turn round and wave at the orphans crowded around Petal. The garden gathers around them in a green hug. Above the garden, the tall chimney points at the sky. Smokeless.

  “They’re gonna be alright,” says Papa Herne, still smiling.

  “I think you’re right,” I say. Then I look ahead across the wild meadow to the wall of trees.

  Home.

  Every creature needs somewhere safe to call home.

  Here are a few habitats that Forest Keepers look after.

  Bed: The place on the ground where a deer sleeps. Beds are made of flattened bracken, grass or leaves.

  Burrow: A tunnel or hole dug out for habitation. Frogs, foxes, badgers, rabbits, lizards and some birds, such as kingfishers, burrow into the ground.

  Den: Foxes make their homes by burrowing underground. Dens have a tunnel with a chamber or chambers for raising their young and storing food. Sometimes foxes live in unused setts or warrens.

  Drey: Squirrels make their ball-shaped nests in trees using twigs and leaves. They are lined with soft moss and feathers.

  Eyrie: The nest of an eagle, hawk, or other bird of prey. Eyries are perched high up, in tall trees, or on rocky ledges. They are made using branches and sticks, and lined with heather and grasses.

  Form: Hare homes are made by flattening grass on the ground.

  Hive: Bees make their homes by eating honey and turning it into beeswax, which they produce from their abdomen. Hives consist of sheets of hexagonal cells with evenly set spaces in between for the bees to walk on.

  Nest: Birds make cup-shaped structures to shelter their eggs and raise their young. Nests are made using mud and twigs, and lined with moss, feathers, grasses and leaves. Tawny owls like to nest in hollow trees, but sometimes they use crows’ nests or dreys.

  Roost: Birds, like most bats, rest in the high branches of trees. Most owls live alone, roosting in a tree hollow or tree hole.

  Sett: Badgers make their homes underground and keep them very clean. Setts are a maze of tunnels and chambers for sleep and raising their cubs.

  Warren: Rabbits make their own homes underground too, in a series of interconnecting tunnels and chambers for sleeping and nesting. Warrens have different entrances so rabbits can make a quick escape.

  Number One

  Look for signs of seasonal change – birch buds and primroses in spring, foxgloves and poppies in summer. Broadleaved trees change colour in autumn, and lose their leaves in winter.

  Number Two

  Listen to forest sounds. Take a family walk during dawn chorus.

  Number Three

  Learn names; of birds, animals, flowers, insects, plants and trees. We care more for what we know.

  Number Four

  List your local wildlife and let others know. This important information can help conservationists protect wild spaces. Small actions can make a difference.

  Number Five

  Love nature and share this with others – we look after what we love.

  TIM TILLEY studied illustration at Anglia Ruskin University and now teaches the children’s book illustration course at City Lit in London. He is always watchful of the world around him and loves collecting and drawing beautiful snapshots of nature, relishing the small things people often miss.

  @timbertilley @Usborne #Harklights

  Oaks are known to be slow-growing trees, and like an oak, Harklights has taken many years to reach maturity. There are many people along the way who are part of its story, and to all I would like to offer heart-felt thanks:

  Rachel Lubinski and Jacqui Wakefield, who were there when the story-acorn was first planted, and to Supuck Ruckitan, who inspired me to move the story-sapling to a much-needed bigger pot.

  My amazing agent, Julia Churchill for her unwavering support, wisdom and owls. And to Lizza Aiken for founding The Joan Aiken Future Classics Prize. Winning this has changed my world.

  My editors Rebecca Hill and Stephanie King for helping Harklights grow taller, raising its branches to the stars, and making every sentence shine. Will Steele and Sarah Cronin, for helping me shape the landscape of the book. Sarah Stewart for copy-editing magic, Alice Moloney for proofreading and new insights. Jacob Dow and Katarina Jovanovic for standout publicity and marketing. Everyone at Usborne, for your kindness, support and believing in Wic
k. He couldn’t have found a better home.

  The wonderful forest of fellow authors, especially Kiran Millwood Hargrave, Michelle Harrison, MG Leonard, Sophie Anderson, Peter Bunzl, PG Bell, SF Said, Sam Copeland, Darren Simpson, Nizrana Farook and Sophie Kirtley.

  My constellation of writer friends and readers for your encouragement and love – Clare Golding, Kat Guenioui, Joanna Barnard, Venetia Maltby, Rosemary Cass Beggs, Sam Lewis, Sara Booth, Rachel Burns, Philippa Neville, Mary Ellen Foley, Richard Fuller, Sally Dickson, Dee Shulman, David Bruce, Col Baird, Sallyanne Sweeney, Duncan McKenzie, Jen Murray, Adebayo Toye, Alan Findlay, Alison Moulden, Gwen Webber, Lucie Llewellyn, Mark Easton, Miriam Craig, Jez Evans, Jean Owen, Josie McDowell, Kia Mackie, Kate Poels, Hanne Larsson, Janine Yiannakis, Jack Lawrence, Samantha Stacey, Wendy Murphy, Lou Kuenzler, Lorraine Carey, and most especially Chris Williams.

  Mum and Dad for support, encouragement and showing me the wonder of nature and stories. The places you took me growing up – the Scottish Highlands, Yosemite, Pembrokeshire and Norfolk – are buried in the corners of my heart. Ben, Andrea and Arlo, for your evergreen love and shining support. Romeo and Anna for everything always, and finding me a night of fireflies to make a childhood wish come true. Andrea, Giulia and Sophia, for summer retreats and days by the lake. Robin Harwood and Jamel Guenioui, for foraging, leaf-hunting and Forest Keeper training.

  My grandmother, Joyce Tilley, who lived a life full of courage, and always found friendship in books. Brendan Chase was her favourite, and its wild wonder is woven into the roots of Harklights. My grandparents, Eric and Vivian Gethyn Jones, and Great Aunt Mollie Coubrough, whose homes were living museums, waiting to be explored.

  My forest of family and friends, near and far, for your love and support – Amadei, Tilley, Tilley Loughrey, Toth, Tyson, Amiri, Jenner, Watts, Walters, Wilderspin, Di Nunzio, Gatti, Cini, Peccolo, Flintoft, Fisk, Donovan, Hoffman, Hanauer, Hawthorn, Hommasi, Richardson, Kerrison, Neuls, Monreal-Sayo, Webster, Stockting, Semprebene, Uyama, Brown, Bertotti, Beaton and Baird.

  Above all, to Gian Luca, who kindled my ink-dreams, sheltered my strength, and has been by my side every step of this unfolding adventure. To everyone with storyteller hearts – find your voice, tell your story – and to you reader, for sharing in Wick’s journey to find a home.

  If you loved Harklights, look out for

  As storms and spells fill the air, Will must try to save the land he loves from destruction.

  Join him in a hunt for lost witch treasure, in another captivating tale of magic, friendship and nature from Tim Tilley.

  Coming in 2022

  First published in the UK in 2021 by Usborne Publishing Ltd., Usborne House, 83-85 Saffron Hill, London EC1N 8RT, England. usborne.com Usborne Verlag, Usborne Publishing Ltd., Prüfeninger Str. 20, 93049 Regensburg, Deutschland, VK Nr. 17560

  Text and illustrations copyright © Tim Tilley, 2021

  The right of Tim Tilley to be identified as the author and illustrator of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.

  The name Usborne and the Balloon logo are Trade Marks of Usborne Publishing Ltd.

  All rights reserved. This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or used in any way except as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or loaned or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

  This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

  EPUB: 9781474993999