them!’
‘Yes,’ Harry agreed earnestly.
‘And there’s millions of animals living here.’
‘Yes.’
‘And the fairies would be furious.’
‘Let’s head back to the car,’ said Harry.
‘So what are they going to do with it?’
‘Well, they can’t knock it down completely – yet. But they can clear a great deal away and build…ahem,’ Harry cleared his throat as if he couldn’t quite bring himself to say the word.
‘Yes?’
‘Um, I believe they want to build a golf course of some kind.’
‘They just want to chop everything down right here – for a golf course?’
Harry nodded.
‘But that’s just stupid. Plus, imagine, golfers everywhere. They’ll all wear yellow sweaters and toast the Queen.’
‘Quite,’ said Harry. ‘Although to be quite honest, I wouldn’t care if it was a convent for sick children. I really don’t want to lose this forest.’
He fondled Francis’s ears, who had been too lazy to come for the walk and was firmly ensconced in the front seat, pretending to be asleep. Katie climbed around into the back without comment.
‘And once they’ve got planning for that, they get it for anything. Petrol stations, Holiday Inns, a stupid airport or something.’
Katie sat in the back of the Land-Rover, looking out of the tarpaulin. Brilliant pink rays of sun were hitting the tops of the trees. They looked as though they were on fire.
‘Well – and don’t take this the wrong way, OK, I’m just playing devil’s advocate…’
Harry’s grunt indicated that he rarely thought of her as anything but.
‘…but it’s progress, isn’t it? Isn’t it what people want? Won’t it bring a lot of money to the area? Isn’t it a good thing?’
‘Now that,’ said Harry, stabbing the steering wheel with his finger, ‘is exactly what I’d expect that prick from the newspaper to say.’
‘I’m just saying,’ said Katie.
‘Every single part of this country is “developed”,’ growled Harry. ‘They’ve concreted over all of the south, and now they’re after us. And they won’t be happy until they’ve squeezed every bit of profit out of the soil, and covered it all with golf courses and Starbucks and McDonalds. There’s nothing wrong with our area. Bring outside money in and the same thing happens as it does everywhere else: people can’t afford to buy houses in the towns they were born in and neighbour falls out with neighbour.’
‘You know, you talk like someone a lot older than you are,’ said Katie. ‘But I see your point.’
‘I just think,’ said Harry, ‘that they ought to leave just some of the country as it is. Just a tiny wee bit. Leave us alone. Give the damn country a little space to breathe.’
‘So, why’s it a secret?’
‘Well,’ said Harry, ‘I was kind of hoping that we could fend them off and nobody in the town would find out. And that’s your job.’
He drew the Land-Rover to a halt some way further on. They’d been sitting in silence for ages.
‘There’s one last place I want to show you,’ he said, clambering down and disappearing into the trees. Katie could hear a whooshing noise as she headed after him.
‘What?’ she yelled. God, it was dark in here. She could just see a flash of Harry’s coat ahead.
‘Are you going to leave me out on the hillside for wolves?’
Harry turned around to face her. ‘What kind of boss do you think I am…Actually, don’t answer that.’
Behind her, Katie noticed Francis hopping down from his seat and following them into the woods. She threw Harry a dirty look, which he ignored and continued thrashing on.
After ten minutes of this, during which Katie was really beginning to regret the afternoon’s rapprochement, the thick black coils of the trees suddenly beamed a canopy and she emerged blinking into the golden late-afternoon light. Ahead was a huge tumbling waterfall, crashing through shiny, moss-covered rocks, ending in a deep pool that meandered off into a river through
‘Yes,’ Harry agreed earnestly.
‘And there’s millions of animals living here.’
‘Yes.’
‘And the fairies would be furious.’
‘Let’s head back to the car,’ said Harry.
‘So what are they going to do with it?’
‘Well, they can’t knock it down completely – yet. But they can clear a great deal away and build…ahem,’ Harry cleared his throat as if he couldn’t quite bring himself to say the word.
‘Yes?’
‘Um, I believe they want to build a golf course of some kind.’
‘They just want to chop everything down right here – for a golf course?’
Harry nodded.
‘But that’s just stupid. Plus, imagine, golfers everywhere. They’ll all wear yellow sweaters and toast the Queen.’
‘Quite,’ said Harry. ‘Although to be quite honest, I wouldn’t care if it was a convent for sick children. I really don’t want to lose this forest.’
He fondled Francis’s ears, who had been too lazy to come for the walk and was firmly ensconced in the front seat, pretending to be asleep. Katie climbed around into the back without comment.
‘And once they’ve got planning for that, they get it for anything. Petrol stations, Holiday Inns, a stupid airport or something.’
Katie sat in the back of the Land-Rover, looking out of the tarpaulin. Brilliant pink rays of sun were hitting the tops of the trees. They looked as though they were on fire.
‘Well – and don’t take this the wrong way, OK, I’m just playing devil’s advocate…’
Harry’s grunt indicated that he rarely thought of her as anything but.
‘…but it’s progress, isn’t it? Isn’t it what people want? Won’t it bring a lot of money to the area? Isn’t it a good thing?’
‘Now that,’ said Harry, stabbing the steering wheel with his finger, ‘is exactly what I’d expect that prick from the newspaper to say.’
‘I’m just saying,’ said Katie.
‘Every single part of this country is “developed”,’ growled Harry. ‘They’ve concreted over all of the south, and now they’re after us. And they won’t be happy until they’ve squeezed every bit of profit out of the soil, and covered it all with golf courses and Starbucks and McDonalds. There’s nothing wrong with our area. Bring outside money in and the same thing happens as it does everywhere else: people can’t afford to buy houses in the towns they were born in and neighbour falls out with neighbour.’
‘You know, you talk like someone a lot older than you are,’ said Katie. ‘But I see your point.’
‘I just think,’ said Harry, ‘that they ought to leave just some of the country as it is. Just a tiny wee bit. Leave us alone. Give the damn country a little space to breathe.’
‘So, why’s it a secret?’
‘Well,’ said Harry, ‘I was kind of hoping that we could fend them off and nobody in the town would find out. And that’s your job.’
He drew the Land-Rover to a halt some way further on. They’d been sitting in silence for ages.
‘There’s one last place I want to show you,’ he said, clambering down and disappearing into the trees. Katie could hear a whooshing noise as she headed after him.
‘What?’ she yelled. God, it was dark in here. She could just see a flash of Harry’s coat ahead.
‘Are you going to leave me out on the hillside for wolves?’
Harry turned around to face her. ‘What kind of boss do you think I am…Actually, don’t answer that.’
Behind her, Katie noticed Francis hopping down from his seat and following them into the woods. She threw Harry a dirty look, which he ignored and continued thrashing on.
After ten minutes of this, during which Katie was really beginning to regret the afternoon’s rapprochement, the thick black coils of the trees suddenly beamed a canopy and she emerged blinking into the golden late-afternoon light. Ahead was a huge tumbling waterfall, crashing through shiny, moss-covered rocks, ending in a deep pool that meandered off into a river through
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