“ 

Some of the characters in this story are referred to as “small people” and “little people”. This is in no way a reference to dwarfs or people of restricted growth. It is merely the way the main character thinks of children.

No offence is intended.

Also, in chapters two and three, there’s a small woodland animal with large feet and a fluffy tail, which is referred to as a “wabbit”. No offence is meant by this either. 

And I don’t think Elmer Fudd / Bugs Bunny have copyrighted the word. 

Yet.

Thanks to all at BEA/forum4E who listened to me garble on about this novel all those years back when it was just a spark of an idea.

Immense thanks go to all the guys at ‘HappyPeople’, without whose constant moaning, shoe-throwing and encouragement in the HP bar, I’d have stopped attempting to write many many years ago.

But the biggest thanks go to my big bruv, who seems to have suddenly found a writing gene I was born without. Seems he’s capable of churning out chapter after chapter every night, whereas I struggle to complete a page a month. He tried to talk me into making some of my stuff available to the public. I said I would but only when he did. And - voila - he churns out a future masterpiece in just days. Making my attempt look pathetic. Cheers bro. lol.

As I ran through the woods, the rain beating down on my face blinded me to the dangers/hazards I was making my way through.

Struggling onwards, occasionally falling over exposed tree roots and down slippery embankments, I tried to avoid the main paths as much as possible, hoping that the rain would wash away any tracks I was leaving, or at least confuse those following me.

Having been on the run for several hours now, my legs were sore and my legs ached, but i continued for as long as i could, desperate eto escape the terrors i knew would face me if were recaptured.

Hearing a noise in the woods behind me, i searched desperatelt for a place to hide. Seeing nothing in the immediate vicinity, i began to get desperate. aFter a few moments of blind panic, i noticed a deep hollow in the ground at yhe base of a large tree, and hoped it would provide enough cover.

As I lay there, shivering, trying to keep out of sight, i couldn’t help thinking back to a conversation I’d had with my fellow captives about a previous escape attempt, when a group of five old-timers had managed to break out. The men in white had hunted thenm down in packs seventy to a hundred strong, and despite the escapees getting to a large city and hiding miles apart, their pursuers had found each one of them and stopped them in their tracks. Only one was brought back to the compound alive – ‘for tests’, and he died less than twenty-four hours later. Since then, nobody had tried to escape again.

Until yesterday that is, when, after spotting a slight gap at the base of the security fence, out of sights of the guards, I convinced the others to create a distraction in the main building at lunchtime. I slipped easily under the damaged inner fence and, although there was still the secondary fence to negotiate, I wasn’t too worried. Those that had erected the barrier obviously didn’t believe that the inner fence could be penetrated, and after a frantic couple of seconds’ digging, I was under the outer fence and away into the woods surrounding the compound. It was that simple. Shortly after though, I could hear sirens and men shouting, and knew the chase was on.

After what seemed like hours in my woodland hidey-hole but was probably only a few minutes, I realised that nobody was about to catch me and that the ound Id heard must have been one of the many woodland animals i came across in my flight.

Although I knew I should continue on my way, i was exhausted, and decided to stay where i was for the time being, resting my tired legs, but keeping a constant eye and ear out for any signs of danger.

As I rested, pondering which direction i should head in, I grew tired, and despite the uncomfortable stones beneath my body and the creepy-crawlies in my left ear, I fell asleep.

Suddenly, I awoke with a start. Several hours must have passed, since darkness had crept up on the woods and moonlight was streaming through the canopy of leaves above, creating slivers of silver light on the leafy carpet around me.

What had woken me from my deep slumber? Was i about to be returned to the labs where I’d spend so many hours waiting for my chance to escape? Or would the men following me simply point their “bang-sticks” at me on sight and end my life there and then in a dazzling flash of light?

I looked around quickly, and saw in the distance another of those wild animals. Surely that little thing couldn’t have made enough noise to wake me?

Shock at being woken so abruptly seemed to have rendered my legs temporarily immobile, so I remained laying/lying where I was. 

As I watched, the animal turned and stared at me, and then, bold as brass, hopped right over to my hiding place.

I blinked the sleep from my eyes, and watched to see what it would do next.

Upon reaching me, it tilted its head inquisitively, its large ears flopping over its eyes; it then hopped round to the other side of my little hole in the ground, tilted its head again and then returned back to its original position.

Suddenly, it hopped right up to my face. It was so close I could see the hairs on its back paws.

“Hiya. Watcha doin’ in there?” it enquired in a little sing-song voice.

C  

“Are you sure about this, sir?”

“Of course I am, Lawford. Are you doubting my tracking abilities?”

“No, of course not sir. It’s just... well... some of these trees look very familiar. I’m pretty sure we’ve been here before and...”

Too late, Lawford glanced movement out of the corner of his eye, and saw the butt of Capt. Drake’s rifle come swinging towards him. Then he found himself face down in the mud and leaves of the forest floor.

“That’s what you get for thinking you know better than me. Now get on your feet. Okay, everybody gather round and listen up. I’m only going to say this once. You’ve each got your special skills in this field – that’s why you were picked for this assignment. We may not get along with each other, but we can’t capture him without working as a team. So everybody concentrate on your own skills, and leave the others to use theirs, okay? That goes for you too, Lawford.”

Lawford was just getting to his feet, a swelling the size of a walnut already appearing on his left temple.

“But at the end of the day,” continued Drake, “just remember one thing: I’m in charge here, and what I say, GOES!”

"Are you sure you've got everything, Janet?

“Yes, Daddy. Mum helped to pack,” replied the little blond haired girl. She picked up her pink Barbie lunchbox, and followed her father as he carried her suitcase out to the car waiting in the driveway.

“and have you been to the toilet? I’m not stopping once we get moving, you know. If you haven’t been, then you’ll have to go in your lunchbox.”

“eugh, daddy! That’s so horrible.” She giggled as she climbed onto the back seat , and placed her lunchbox carefully on the floor, within easy reach for when she got hungry. Notfor any other use.

She climbed back down from the seat, and re-joined her father, who was checking the car. Again.

Leaning over the garden fence, their neighbour, Mr Franks, looked dubiously at the rear axle of the old Ford Escort.

“Are you sure that old thing’s gonna get you all the way to Kent? “He asked, as Ken squeezed the suitcase into the boot. “I wouldn’t fancy having to hitch-hike all the way to your new house when it finally collapses in the middle of nowhere.”

“Yeah ,yeah. Very funny, Stu. The car’s gonna be just fine.”

“Daddy...” began Janet.

“Don’t worry hun, the car’s not going to break down. “

“But Daddy,” she continued. “What’s a witch hike? Is witches gonna come and make the car die?”

Stuart laughed heartily. Ken glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and muttered “Thanks a bleeding lot, mate. See what you’ve started now?” 

“No love, Mr Franks was just being silly. Like I said, the car’s going to be just fine. And anyway, even if we did break down, we’d just make mummy walk to the new house so that she could make our tea while you and me fixed it. Right, partner?”

“I heard that, Ken!”, came a voice from the doorway.

“Ah. Erm... sorry love. Only joking.”

“I think I’ll make myself scarce if this is going to turn in to a domestic,” Stuart said, half-jokingly.

“Don’t worry, Stu. I’ll let him off, this time.”

“Good, good. Looking forward to life in the countryside, Dawn?” he asked, turning slightly to admire how elegantly she moved, even while carrying a bulging suitcase.

“Yes thank, Stu. I’ll miss this place of course. Especially the people, but the new house is gorgeous. You’ll have to come down one weekend once we’re settled in. It’ll be nice to have a friendly face to chat to while Ken’s working those long night shifts.” She smiled and gave an almost imperceptible wink that was meant solely for Stuart. “we’ll try some of those country pubs.”

“You can count on it. Wild horses wouldn’t keep me away.”

Meanwhile, Ken was only half-listening. Eager to get an early start, he was becoming impatient.

“You ready to hit the road yet?” he asked, glancing at his watch for the fifth time in the last minute. “Sorry, Stu, but we’re gonna hit the traffic jams if we stay here too long.”

“Not yet. And we’re still waiting for Adam,” she replied as she put her suitcase next to the car. 

“What? Why, where is he? That kid’ll be late for his own funeral. We’ll get caught up in the traffic jams at this rate,” complained Ken.

“Leave him alone, love. He’s ringing his friends to say goodbye.”

“I dunno. Thirteen years old and he spends more time on the phone than I do. I’m still not sure the kids should have them at their age. They never actually call anybody on them anyway. It’s all just those weird text messages with random letters and numbers everywhere. They make no sense.”

“Stop that. You know as well I do that we got them a mobile each so that we can stay in touch them when they’re out. The streets are full of dangers these days, you know that.”

“So why’s Adam ringing all his friends? We’re only moving to Kent, not the other side of the world. His mobile will still work down there. He could talk to them every day if he wanted to.” 

“Just leave it will ya, love. I think one of those friends might be a girlfriend.”

Young Janet, who’d got bored listening to the adult’s constant bickering and was now busy picking daisies from the garden, suddenly jumped up when she heard this.

“Adam’s got a girlfriend, Adam’s got a girlfriend,” she chanted as she skipped up the path and stood under her brother’s bedroom window.

“Just give him a few more minutes, eh? I still want to say goodbye to Edith, anyway.”

“Edith? Who the hell’s Edith?” asked Ken.

“Mrs Petchey, of course! “ answered his wife.

“Oh, right. I never knew her name was Edith.”

Dawn gave an exasperated sigh. “Gawd, you’re useless!! We’ve lived next to her for over twenty years!”

“Well, yeah, but I don’t know the neighbours by their first names, do I? I just nod and say ‘hi’ if we pass in the street and that’s it.”

Dawn shook her head in despair, turning to Mr Franks for support, but he’d quietly slipped back indoors while they were having this little chat.

“Mum, can I come and say bye-bye to Mrs Petchey too? I’m gonna miss her funny stories. “

“Okay then,” agreed Dawn. “As long as you promise not to wrinkle up your nose this time.”

“But she smells of stale wee-wee!”

“Janet! I’ve told you about that before. She can’t help it.”

Ken went back to check the car a final time, looking at his watch and mumbling about traffic jams.

As he watched his wife and daughter walk towards the neighbour’s house, he saw Janet tug at her mum’s arm and heard her ask, “Is there witches at the new house, Mum?”