IT WAS HALF past four by the time Jake left for the woods. He put on his coat, his backpack and the spare pair of wellingtons that he kept at Grandpa’s, and set out, Bruce in tow.
If it weren’t for the fact that the woods were so uneven, it would have taken less than five minutes to get to where he and Paul had been building their den. Instead, it took more like ten. The entire way, Jake was ducking under fallen trees on steep muddy slopes or leaping over trenches that were at least six foot deep. They had spent hours during the holidays thrashing back nettles and brambles to find the perfect hideout, and were rewarded with a path that looked like it had been there forever. Now the challenge was who could stay on the path the longest with their eyes closed.
Jake ducked underneath the tree that had torn his best jumper last time they had played the game. When Mum had found it stuffed in the back of his drawer, she was convinced he had done it on purpose, just because he didn’t like it. It wasn’t helped by the fact that he had said something like ‘of course I wouldn’t rip it on purpose – I love how the bright green goes so well with the little brown spots’. and his voice had sounded rather sarcastic. She told him to stop being so cheeky and wait until Dad got home. Jake guessed she forgot to tell him because he never did say anything about it. Besides, if he had done it on purpose, it wasn’t one of his better tricks because now it couldn’t be kept for best, which meant he had to wear it practically all the time.
Jake had just reached the den when he heard a crack up ahead. His heart pounded against his chest and he suddenly wished he hadn’t come alone. Bruce trotted off in the direction of the noise, his ears raised and tail wagging in the hope that it was a new friend.
‘Bruce!’ Jake hissed as loudly as he could whilst trying to remain quiet. Bruce stopped in his tracks, his ears drooped and his head dropped. Jake crept up to him and, holding his collar, edged slowly towards the noise. He cringed with every step as leaves crunched and twigs snapped under his feet. He felt his breathing getting shallower and his legs start to wobble. His heart was beating so hard he felt sure someone could have heard it. He desperately wanted to turn and run, but something stopped him. Something was drawing him in like a fish on a hook. Suddenly, there was a snort followed by a high-pitched giggle. Bruce’s tail was now swinging uncontrollably. Then, to Jake’s surprise, Arianna stepped out from behind a tree.
‘Arianna!’ Jake exclaimed.
‘Sorry, Jake, I didn’t mean to scare you,’ she said, trying to hide her delight.
‘You didn’t,’ Jake snapped, frowning. Then, realising almost every muscle in his body was tensed, he let out a sigh and forced himself to relax. Bruce had wriggled free and was enjoying plenty of attention from his new-found friend.
‘So you were talking about these woods!’ he said.
Arianna took a breath to answer but instead, she gasped. She leapt forward and grabbed Jake’s arm, yanking him around, and pointed up into the woods.
In the distance was a figure wearing a green cloak. They watched silently as the figure disappeared down behind some trees.
‘Who do you think it is?’ Jake whispered.
‘I don’t know,’ Arianna said. ‘But I think we should find out.’
The next thing Jake knew, he was being dragged at speed in the direction of the cloaked intruder. Bruce, who had found something suitably horrible to chew, swallowed as much as he possibly could in one go and trotted after them.
They approached the top of the hill where the figure had disappeared and, crouching low, Jake and Adrianna peered down the other side. It was steep down to the river from there, but a clear view, and the figure was almost at the bottom. They watched silently, a foul smell filling the air around them as Bruce breathed heavily next to their faces. He spotted the figure and grumbled under his breath. Jake clamped his hand around his jaw.
