way
through the trees. Joel thinks that he wouldn't have dared
come here by himself, even if he'd had a torch. The trees
are too tall, the loneliness is too oppressive away from the
streetlights.
'Hold the torch,' whispers Ture.
Then he starts digging at the bottom of the ant hill. It
takes him a long time to hack his way through the frozen
soil, the pine needles and the hibernating ants.
Joel holds the sack open so that Ture can fill it with
the pulverised soil. Then they change places and Joel
has a go at digging.
What's he going to do with all this? Joel wonders as
he hacks away at the frozen soil and tree roots. Why
does he want sleeping ants and frozen soil?
When the torch batteries start to wear out, they pack
up and leave.
On the other side of the bridge Joel turns off and takes
a road that meanders past silent houses.
Eventually he stops and points.
This is where Gertrud lives.
It's a little yellow wooden house all on its own at the
end of the road. In the garden are currant bushes and a
potato patch.
Ture stands the spade in a snowdrift.
The house is in darkness.
'Does she have a dog?' whispers Ture.
Joel shakes his head. 'Not that I know of.'
'Wait here,' says Ture and slinks in through the gate,
which isn't properly closed. He vanishes into the
darkness.
Joel suddenly starts feeling uneasy.
What is Ture going to do?
After a few minutes Ture reappears. He looks pleased
with himself. He gestures to Joel to bring the sack and
follow him.
At the back of the house there is a window standing
ajar. Ture has put a crate underneath it that they can
stand on. Ture carefully opens the window wide.
'Pass me the sack,' he whispers.
There is a table just inside the window.
Ture tips the frozen soil and the sleeping ants onto the
table. When the sack is empty he carefully closes the
window again.
'There we go,' he says.
He puts the crate back where it was, then they hurry
back over the railway bridge.
Ture laughs.
'By the time she wakes up tomorrow the ants will
have thawed out,' he says. 'The whole house will be
crawling with ants.'
Joel laughs as well.
In fact he's not at all sure that he likes this. It's one
thing throwing a stone through Sara's window. He
knows why he did that. But tipping ants through No-Nose's window? Why?
To create fear, Ture has said.
But why create fear in No-Nose?
'Tomorrow we'll smear varnish all over her currant
bushes,' says Ture. 'This is just the start.'
Smear varnish over her currant bushes?
That's not something Joel would ever have thought of
doing.
This isn't what his Secret Society was set up to do.
The dog heading for a star no longer seems to be a
part of it.
'I want to look for the dog,' he says. 'I don't want to
smear varnish over any currant bushes.'
'You daren't,' says Ture.
'Of course I dare,' says Joel. 'But I don't want to.'
Then they start quarrelling.
Neither of them says anything, but they quarrel even
so, in their thoughts.
They walk all the way home without saying a word.
They go their different ways when they get to the
courthouse gate.
'See you tomorrow,' says Ture and jumps over the
gate.
Joel doesn't answer, but hands over the paper sack.
Ture has been carrying the spade.
'I have to go home now,' says Joel. 'I can't spend all
tomorrow in bed.'
He has no intention of smearing varnish over any
currant bushes, he intends to look for the dog. But he
doesn't say that.
On the way home he thinks about Ture running away
soon. Then Joel will be alone again with his Secret
Society. At least he won't have to do things he doesn't
want to do any more.
Such as smearing varnish on currant bushes.
It's not that he's a coward, he dares to do it all right.
It's just that he doesn't want to.
When he enters the kitchen he can sense straight away
that Samuel isn't asleep in his bed. He doesn't need to
check if Samuel's clothes and boots are still there. He
knows even so.
He edges open the door to Samuel's room. The bed
is empty. Joel starts crying.
through the trees. Joel thinks that he wouldn't have dared
come here by himself, even if he'd had a torch. The trees
are too tall, the loneliness is too oppressive away from the
streetlights.
'Hold the torch,' whispers Ture.
Then he starts digging at the bottom of the ant hill. It
takes him a long time to hack his way through the frozen
soil, the pine needles and the hibernating ants.
Joel holds the sack open so that Ture can fill it with
the pulverised soil. Then they change places and Joel
has a go at digging.
What's he going to do with all this? Joel wonders as
he hacks away at the frozen soil and tree roots. Why
does he want sleeping ants and frozen soil?
When the torch batteries start to wear out, they pack
up and leave.
On the other side of the bridge Joel turns off and takes
a road that meanders past silent houses.
Eventually he stops and points.
This is where Gertrud lives.
It's a little yellow wooden house all on its own at the
end of the road. In the garden are currant bushes and a
potato patch.
Ture stands the spade in a snowdrift.
The house is in darkness.
'Does she have a dog?' whispers Ture.
Joel shakes his head. 'Not that I know of.'
'Wait here,' says Ture and slinks in through the gate,
which isn't properly closed. He vanishes into the
darkness.
Joel suddenly starts feeling uneasy.
What is Ture going to do?
After a few minutes Ture reappears. He looks pleased
with himself. He gestures to Joel to bring the sack and
follow him.
At the back of the house there is a window standing
ajar. Ture has put a crate underneath it that they can
stand on. Ture carefully opens the window wide.
'Pass me the sack,' he whispers.
There is a table just inside the window.
Ture tips the frozen soil and the sleeping ants onto the
table. When the sack is empty he carefully closes the
window again.
'There we go,' he says.
He puts the crate back where it was, then they hurry
back over the railway bridge.
Ture laughs.
'By the time she wakes up tomorrow the ants will
have thawed out,' he says. 'The whole house will be
crawling with ants.'
Joel laughs as well.
In fact he's not at all sure that he likes this. It's one
thing throwing a stone through Sara's window. He
knows why he did that. But tipping ants through No-Nose's window? Why?
To create fear, Ture has said.
But why create fear in No-Nose?
'Tomorrow we'll smear varnish all over her currant
bushes,' says Ture. 'This is just the start.'
Smear varnish over her currant bushes?
That's not something Joel would ever have thought of
doing.
This isn't what his Secret Society was set up to do.
The dog heading for a star no longer seems to be a
part of it.
'I want to look for the dog,' he says. 'I don't want to
smear varnish over any currant bushes.'
'You daren't,' says Ture.
'Of course I dare,' says Joel. 'But I don't want to.'
Then they start quarrelling.
Neither of them says anything, but they quarrel even
so, in their thoughts.
They walk all the way home without saying a word.
They go their different ways when they get to the
courthouse gate.
'See you tomorrow,' says Ture and jumps over the
gate.
Joel doesn't answer, but hands over the paper sack.
Ture has been carrying the spade.
'I have to go home now,' says Joel. 'I can't spend all
tomorrow in bed.'
He has no intention of smearing varnish over any
currant bushes, he intends to look for the dog. But he
doesn't say that.
On the way home he thinks about Ture running away
soon. Then Joel will be alone again with his Secret
Society. At least he won't have to do things he doesn't
want to do any more.
Such as smearing varnish on currant bushes.
It's not that he's a coward, he dares to do it all right.
It's just that he doesn't want to.
When he enters the kitchen he can sense straight away
that Samuel isn't asleep in his bed. He doesn't need to
check if Samuel's clothes and boots are still there. He
knows even so.
He edges open the door to Samuel's room. The bed
is empty. Joel starts crying.
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