said.
‘I give her plenty, girl, but it’s a two-way street and, besides, there’s no way I’m goin into the family movie business so, hell, I’m forever dodgin bullets one way or other.’
‘She looks nice.’
‘Yeah, well, looks can be deceivin.’
They walked up towards the forest and Sonny made Ennor promise that what she might see she’d keep to herself.
‘Don’t want the forestry on us. Aggressive sods, they is.’
‘You cuttin down trees then?’
Sonny smiled. ‘We like to call it thinnin. Trimmin and thinnin.’
‘What if I was a forestry spy?’
Sonny shrugged. ‘I’d have to kill you I spose.’
Some of the men were pleased to see Sonny and they tussled her hair and pretended to fight and she introduced Ennor and told them she could be trusted.
‘She’s good, I promise. Not from any rivals or nothing. She’s on her own, int you, girl?’
A dark leathered man beckoned Ennor towards a clearing where they were sawing trunks into great wedged logs with a giant two-man handsaw. He asked her name and her father’s name and when she told him he nodded as if the name meant something to him and she wondered if he’d ever kept Simmentals.
‘What’s a pretty girl like you doin walkin the moor alone?’ he asked and Ennor tried to tell him in a roundabout way and it came out like a car-crash lie and he told her to be mindful travelling alone because things had gotten worse about the county and some places were turning into war zones.
Ennor went to answer but he’d turned his back and was shouting for them to load the wheelbarrows.
‘He’s one of the bosses. He likes you.’ Sonny grinned. ‘Pretty girl like you. Int that sweet?’
They loaded the logs into two corroded wheelbarrows and followed others carrying wood down to the stone circle.
‘It’s gonna be great. Dad got us a pig from somewhere and we’re gonna roast it over the fire, like a ram roast but with pig. You eat pig?’
‘Course.’
‘Not a Jew or Muslim then? Only you got a bit of somethin holy flashin hot in your eyes.’
‘I’m Methodist, was brought up Methodist.’
‘Knew it. Makes you mad, don’t it? All that gotta do this, gotta do that.’
‘Not really.’
‘Yeah really.’
They walked in single file with Sonny leading the way through the newly settled snow.
Occasionally Ennor’s wheel got stuck in a drift and Sonny laughed and said maybe she should ask God for help. ‘Loads of people have gone holy recent with the country fallin apart. They think cus you believe somethin all a sudden it’s gonna save you. I tell you somethin, prayin won’t put food on the table. Won’t rid us of snow either.’
Ennor watched the girl push ahead with the barrow, her long dark hair knotted in the wind and her mouth shouting and singing and going on, and she wondered if she ever shut up. If she was honest, there was something she liked about Sonny; she was everything that Ennor wasn’t.
‘Come on, slowcoach, hell! Or shouldn’t I say that?’
‘You say it all the time. Why should I care?’ Ennor gave the barrow an almighty push and its contents veered into the snow and she fell after it.
‘There is a God,’ laughed Sonny as she pulled Ennor to her feet. ‘You’re a regular disaster zone, int you?’
Down at the stone circle the women were arranging crates and car seats in among the standing stones and the girls handed over the wood.
‘Cigarette?’ asked Sonny.
‘Hey, that’s mine.’
‘Mine now. Let’s say it’s payment for the Coco Pops.’
Ennor couldn’t be bothered to argue. Her bum hurt from falling and she was trying not to think about all the grown-up things she should be putting her mind to. She wished she had some of Sonny’s bouncy madness. The girl didn’t seem to have one care in the world and she hoped a little of the fizz would rub off on her. Ennor nudged her and told her she needed a drink.
They returned to camp to collect the drinks stash and they got themselves
‘I give her plenty, girl, but it’s a two-way street and, besides, there’s no way I’m goin into the family movie business so, hell, I’m forever dodgin bullets one way or other.’
‘She looks nice.’
‘Yeah, well, looks can be deceivin.’
They walked up towards the forest and Sonny made Ennor promise that what she might see she’d keep to herself.
‘Don’t want the forestry on us. Aggressive sods, they is.’
‘You cuttin down trees then?’
Sonny smiled. ‘We like to call it thinnin. Trimmin and thinnin.’
‘What if I was a forestry spy?’
Sonny shrugged. ‘I’d have to kill you I spose.’
Some of the men were pleased to see Sonny and they tussled her hair and pretended to fight and she introduced Ennor and told them she could be trusted.
‘She’s good, I promise. Not from any rivals or nothing. She’s on her own, int you, girl?’
A dark leathered man beckoned Ennor towards a clearing where they were sawing trunks into great wedged logs with a giant two-man handsaw. He asked her name and her father’s name and when she told him he nodded as if the name meant something to him and she wondered if he’d ever kept Simmentals.
‘What’s a pretty girl like you doin walkin the moor alone?’ he asked and Ennor tried to tell him in a roundabout way and it came out like a car-crash lie and he told her to be mindful travelling alone because things had gotten worse about the county and some places were turning into war zones.
Ennor went to answer but he’d turned his back and was shouting for them to load the wheelbarrows.
‘He’s one of the bosses. He likes you.’ Sonny grinned. ‘Pretty girl like you. Int that sweet?’
They loaded the logs into two corroded wheelbarrows and followed others carrying wood down to the stone circle.
‘It’s gonna be great. Dad got us a pig from somewhere and we’re gonna roast it over the fire, like a ram roast but with pig. You eat pig?’
‘Course.’
‘Not a Jew or Muslim then? Only you got a bit of somethin holy flashin hot in your eyes.’
‘I’m Methodist, was brought up Methodist.’
‘Knew it. Makes you mad, don’t it? All that gotta do this, gotta do that.’
‘Not really.’
‘Yeah really.’
They walked in single file with Sonny leading the way through the newly settled snow.
Occasionally Ennor’s wheel got stuck in a drift and Sonny laughed and said maybe she should ask God for help. ‘Loads of people have gone holy recent with the country fallin apart. They think cus you believe somethin all a sudden it’s gonna save you. I tell you somethin, prayin won’t put food on the table. Won’t rid us of snow either.’
Ennor watched the girl push ahead with the barrow, her long dark hair knotted in the wind and her mouth shouting and singing and going on, and she wondered if she ever shut up. If she was honest, there was something she liked about Sonny; she was everything that Ennor wasn’t.
‘Come on, slowcoach, hell! Or shouldn’t I say that?’
‘You say it all the time. Why should I care?’ Ennor gave the barrow an almighty push and its contents veered into the snow and she fell after it.
‘There is a God,’ laughed Sonny as she pulled Ennor to her feet. ‘You’re a regular disaster zone, int you?’
Down at the stone circle the women were arranging crates and car seats in among the standing stones and the girls handed over the wood.
‘Cigarette?’ asked Sonny.
‘Hey, that’s mine.’
‘Mine now. Let’s say it’s payment for the Coco Pops.’
Ennor couldn’t be bothered to argue. Her bum hurt from falling and she was trying not to think about all the grown-up things she should be putting her mind to. She wished she had some of Sonny’s bouncy madness. The girl didn’t seem to have one care in the world and she hoped a little of the fizz would rub off on her. Ennor nudged her and told her she needed a drink.
They returned to camp to collect the drinks stash and they got themselves
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