like a bumbling fool.
The sounds of a scuffle emitted from the gap, and then Lonnie emerged, grubby, his hair flecked with leaves and bark. Julie was wrapped about his neck.
‘Can I suggest we leave Mitzi in her fort for the moment?’ he asked. ‘I think she may come out of her own accord before too long.’
I watched as he trudged over to the rest of the group, Julie clinging to him for dear life.
‘The little one will pay,’ Mitzi sang in her hideout. ‘They will all be sorry.’
‘At least she’s consistent,’ I said to Tush.
We followed Lonnie. Tammy was still missing, and it was almost time to go back to Little Scamps.
16
The group reconvened a short distance away from Mitzi’s hideout, minus Tammy and the by now solidly entrenched Mitzi.
I felt terrible. Everything that had happened was my fault. I had blundered into Little Scamps and experimented recklessly with the children’s wellbeing, selfishly jeopardizing their safety and happiness.
I stood with my head bowed, at a loss as to what I should do and feeling very sorry for myself. I was aware that Susan and Tush were organizing the kids into their two-by-two line, and I could vaguely hear Lonnie talking quietly to Julie, who was still nestled into his shoulder. I was suddenly aware that, as things had progressed, my jealousy and anger towards Lonnie had grown. While my first few days at Little Scamps had closely resembled a bull’s progress through a china shop, he seemed to exude authority and flair. Somewhere at the back of my mind I heard a voice muttering that I was supposed to be the qualified, experienced one. I was meant to be guiding him . I was ashamed of these thoughts immediately, but I couldn’t unthink them.
‘What are we going to do about Tammy?’ Lonnie said.
I was so wrapped up in my misery that I did not respond.
‘Shane, snap out of it, will you?’
‘What?’ I turned to look at him.
‘Tammy’s still out there somewhere.’
I rubbed the back of my neck, where I had been particularly badly mauled in my abortive attempt to get to Julie and Mitzi. The trees about us were silent. No animals frolicked hither and yon; the entire place was cold and uninviting.
‘Let’s head back to the road, and see if she follows,’ I said, devoid of any other ideas.
‘That was kind of my idea for Mitzi, too,’ Lonnie said, winking. ‘Come on, everyone,’ he said loudly, directing his voice at the hole into which the child had disappeared. ‘Let’s go back to Little Scamps and have some tea and biccies before home-time. Did I see you had some chocolate ones, Tush?’
Tush blinked, uncertain what was going on, but then she caught up with Lonnie’s train of thought. ‘Oh, yes. There might be some at the back of the press in the kitchen.’
‘Oh, good!’ Lonnie said. ‘They’ll be nice, won’t they, Shane?’
‘Lovely,’ I replied, without inflection.
This entire conversation was shouted, to ensure the words carried into the bowels of Mitzi’s lair. Lonnie proceeded to stomp down the path, Susan, Tush and I did likewise. The kids, seeing our exaggerated movements, laughed and copied us, and we goose-stepped along, like a bizarre army of Fascists. We had gone perhaps twenty yards when a strange squeaking caused me to stop. There, waddling down the path as quickly as she could, her clothes crumpled and soiled, her hair a tangle of twigs, leaves and bark, was Mitzi.
‘Wait for me, children, don’t leave little Mitzi behind,’ she panted.
When she finally reached us, she plonked herself down in a heap on the ground.
‘I’ll be needin’ that wheelchair now, dearie,’ she said to Tush, who was pushing Ross.
‘The walk might do you good,’ Tush said sweetly.
Mitzi blanched visibly.
It was the first time I had ever heard Tush refuse a child anything. I saw her exchange a knowing look with Lonnie, who was beaming from ear to ear. I felt another wave of resentment. Things were not working out how I – or
The sounds of a scuffle emitted from the gap, and then Lonnie emerged, grubby, his hair flecked with leaves and bark. Julie was wrapped about his neck.
‘Can I suggest we leave Mitzi in her fort for the moment?’ he asked. ‘I think she may come out of her own accord before too long.’
I watched as he trudged over to the rest of the group, Julie clinging to him for dear life.
‘The little one will pay,’ Mitzi sang in her hideout. ‘They will all be sorry.’
‘At least she’s consistent,’ I said to Tush.
We followed Lonnie. Tammy was still missing, and it was almost time to go back to Little Scamps.
16
The group reconvened a short distance away from Mitzi’s hideout, minus Tammy and the by now solidly entrenched Mitzi.
I felt terrible. Everything that had happened was my fault. I had blundered into Little Scamps and experimented recklessly with the children’s wellbeing, selfishly jeopardizing their safety and happiness.
I stood with my head bowed, at a loss as to what I should do and feeling very sorry for myself. I was aware that Susan and Tush were organizing the kids into their two-by-two line, and I could vaguely hear Lonnie talking quietly to Julie, who was still nestled into his shoulder. I was suddenly aware that, as things had progressed, my jealousy and anger towards Lonnie had grown. While my first few days at Little Scamps had closely resembled a bull’s progress through a china shop, he seemed to exude authority and flair. Somewhere at the back of my mind I heard a voice muttering that I was supposed to be the qualified, experienced one. I was meant to be guiding him . I was ashamed of these thoughts immediately, but I couldn’t unthink them.
‘What are we going to do about Tammy?’ Lonnie said.
I was so wrapped up in my misery that I did not respond.
‘Shane, snap out of it, will you?’
‘What?’ I turned to look at him.
‘Tammy’s still out there somewhere.’
I rubbed the back of my neck, where I had been particularly badly mauled in my abortive attempt to get to Julie and Mitzi. The trees about us were silent. No animals frolicked hither and yon; the entire place was cold and uninviting.
‘Let’s head back to the road, and see if she follows,’ I said, devoid of any other ideas.
‘That was kind of my idea for Mitzi, too,’ Lonnie said, winking. ‘Come on, everyone,’ he said loudly, directing his voice at the hole into which the child had disappeared. ‘Let’s go back to Little Scamps and have some tea and biccies before home-time. Did I see you had some chocolate ones, Tush?’
Tush blinked, uncertain what was going on, but then she caught up with Lonnie’s train of thought. ‘Oh, yes. There might be some at the back of the press in the kitchen.’
‘Oh, good!’ Lonnie said. ‘They’ll be nice, won’t they, Shane?’
‘Lovely,’ I replied, without inflection.
This entire conversation was shouted, to ensure the words carried into the bowels of Mitzi’s lair. Lonnie proceeded to stomp down the path, Susan, Tush and I did likewise. The kids, seeing our exaggerated movements, laughed and copied us, and we goose-stepped along, like a bizarre army of Fascists. We had gone perhaps twenty yards when a strange squeaking caused me to stop. There, waddling down the path as quickly as she could, her clothes crumpled and soiled, her hair a tangle of twigs, leaves and bark, was Mitzi.
‘Wait for me, children, don’t leave little Mitzi behind,’ she panted.
When she finally reached us, she plonked herself down in a heap on the ground.
‘I’ll be needin’ that wheelchair now, dearie,’ she said to Tush, who was pushing Ross.
‘The walk might do you good,’ Tush said sweetly.
Mitzi blanched visibly.
It was the first time I had ever heard Tush refuse a child anything. I saw her exchange a knowing look with Lonnie, who was beaming from ear to ear. I felt another wave of resentment. Things were not working out how I – or
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