Alexander and the folk next door Part 1

 

Alexander and the folk next door ~ Part One

Janet Baldey

Chapter One 

The dog was howling again.   The mournful sound woke Alexander up.  For a moment, he couldn’t think where he was.   He blinked and lifted his head from the pillow, his eyes squinting in the sunshine that poured through the window.   He frowned, wondering why he was in bed in the middle of the day, then he remembered.   That morning, when he’d tried to eat his breakfast, his stomach had gurgled and rolled and he’d felt sick.  His mother had put her hand on his forehead and sighed.

         ‘You’d better go back to bed.  I’ll let your teacher know.’

         Now, Alexander lay, listening to the dog.      He felt sorry for it.  Day after day, it was chained to its kennel at the bottom of the overgrown garden next door.  He’d never seen anyone go near it and it must be very lonely.   He got up and walked over to the window.   The dog was quiet now.   Through a gap in the hedge, he could just see its nose resting on its paws and the glint of the thick chain that was fastened to its collar.   

   All of a sudden, Alexander had an idea.  He didn’t feel ill any more so he would take the dog out for a walk.  The dog would like that and if he was quick, he’d be back before his mother realised he’d gone.

         He started to feel excited; this was going to be an adventure.   He’d been given a pair of combat trousers and matching shirt for his birthday; he would pretend he was a soldier, on a mission to rescue the dog from the enemy.   His first task would be to get out of the house without his mother hearing him. 

He opened his bedroom door and tiptoed out onto the landing.   Downstairs, his mother was in the kitchen washing up, he could hear the chinking sound of china as she stacked the plates in the drainer.

Slowly, Alexander re-traced his steps.   His mother had very sharp ears.   She would be sure to hear the stairs creaking as he crept down them.  Somehow, he would have to think of another way to get out of the house. 

           He opened his bedroom window and stuck his head out.   The ground looked so far away, it made him feel dizzy but when he turned his head, he could see a drainpipe.  It was fixed to the wall very close to his windowsill and ran all the way down to the ground.   He suddenly had a great idea.   He would climb down it.  It couldn’t be that difficult, they were always doing it in films.   Taking a deep breath, he stepped out onto the window ledge and shuffled along until he could wrap both arms and legs around the rough metal pipe.  Clinging on tightly he wriggled his bottom until he started to slide downwards.   Cool air whizzed by him as he went faster and faster until his arms ached and he couldn’t hold on any longer.  He yelled, let go and dropped like a stone towards the ground. 

 

Chapter Two 

Oof.   All Alexander’s breath was knocked from his body.   He lay flat on his back, gasping.   When he got his breath back, he moved his arms and legs gently.  He didn’t seem to be hurt.   He was lying on something soft and suddenly he realised what it was.  It was the pile of sand left behind after the builders had built the patio.   He grinned with relief.   It could have been a lot worse.   He could have landed on the concrete.

         He gazed up at the bright blue sky spreading like a huge umbrella above him.   Then, he remembered the dog and rolled onto the ground.   His legs felt shaky as he walked towards the fence.  It was old and worn and the planks leaned against each other as if they were tired.  There were plenty of spaces big enough for him to squeeze through.

         As he got near to the kennel, the dog sat up and watched him.   Its tail started to thump the ground, sending little puffs of dust up into the air.  Alexander thought its eyes reminded him of the buttons sewn into the face of his little cousin’s teddy bear.   He decided to call the dog Button.

         ‘Hi, Button.’

         The dog opened its mouth and licked Alexander’s hand with its wet tongue.

         Alexander laughed and wiped the slobber onto the back of his trousers.

         He patted the dog’s bristly fur and it whined with delight and tried to jump up but the chain held it firmly.   Alexander examined its clasp and decided it wouldn’t be too difficult to undo but he would need some sort of lead.  In the end, he looped the belt of his trousers through the dog’s collar.  That should work, as long as his trousers didn’t fall down.

         The dog started to yelp with excitement.  Alexander put a finger to his lips.

         ‘SSh, Button.  We don’t want anyone to hear us?’ 

         Alexander looked at next doors’ house at the far end of the neglected garden: every one of its windows was covered by a thick, dark, blind.    It looked as if it was sleeping.  There were no signs of life.   He had never set eyes on the people who lived there.   Nor, had his parents.   They called them ‘Our mysterious neighbours.’

  He glanced down at Button.   The dog’s eyes were fixed on him adoringly.  He noticed that its thick golden fur was covered in a greyish fluff.

         ‘They don’t even bother to groom him.’  Alexander thought.   He bent down to undo the chain. 

 

Chapter Three 

 As soon as Button was released, he was off.  Alexander just had time to grab the lead as Button tore past him, down the driveway and out of the gate. 

‘Button, slow down!’

 But Button took no notice and pulled Alexander along behind him.   They were heading towards his house and Alexander started to panic.  He’d never meant to go this way.  It would be awful if his mother happened to look out of the window and saw him.  His legs barely keeping up with the dog, Alexander bent his head and stared at the ground as they raced past.   He fully expected his mother to give a yell and bang at the window but to his relief, there was silence apart from the thud of his feet on the pavement.

Soon, his house disappeared from sight and Alexander could see the park in the distance.  Bordered by high metal railings, its winding paths trailed across brown grass withering in the sun. 

‘Oh, so Button wants to go to the park,’ he thought.

 But, to Alexander’s surprise, Button ignored the park gates.  He zoomed past them and shot down a side road.  Alexander had never been that way before.   Alexander’s legs started to ache, he began to puff and sweat rolled down his face.   As

he struggled to keep up with Button, he noticed the neighbourhood had changed.  The houses on this road looked as if they needed painting.  They were crammed close together, separated only by chain-link fences that sagged in the middle.   

All of a sudden, Button changed direction and whizzed down an alleyway between two houses.   The narrow passage eventually led on to a path bordered by thick clumps of ryegrass.   Nestling between the coarse grass, discarded bottles and cans shone in the sun and Alexander sighed.   Button seemed to have a taste for rough places.   But soon, they left the rubbish behind and the path became a winding track.   As they charged along Alexander’s mouth dropped open in horror as he suddenly saw a thick mass of stinging nettles blocking his way.  

‘Button.  Stop!’

Alexander hollered at the top of his voice but Button took no notice.  Before Alexander had time to think he was being pulled straight through the nettles.

‘Ouch!  Ouch!  Ouch!’

Tears of pain ran down Alexander’s face.   Then, just as he was thinking he couldn’t hold on any longer, Button stopped so suddenly that Alexander ran slap bang into him.   They both fell sprawling onto the ground and for a moment Alexander saw stars as his head hit the ground.    Button turned his head, gave Alexander a sloppy kiss and wriggled out from beneath him.   He plonked his bottom down and sat staring straight ahead, his whole body quivering with excitement.

  Alexander struggled to his feet.   The path led to the edge of a steep slope.  At the bottom of the slope, there was a field of maize stretching as far as his eyes could see.   The tall heads of the corn were swaying in the light breeze.  They shone a metallic purple in the sunshine.   He thought they looked like the massed spears of  Roman warriors waiting to go into battle.

 

Chapter Four

As he stood looking down at the field, Alexander heard the harsh sound of heavy breathing.   He looked around.   No one was in sight but now he could hear footsteps and his heart began to beat very fast.  Somebody was following them.

 Scary thoughts flashed through Alexander’s mind.   He and Button were all alone and a long way from home.    Who could it be?  Perhaps it was the Police coming to take him back to school, or it might be the stranger that he had been warned never to talk to.      He looked around for somewhere to hide.   The only place that he could see was the field of maize and quickly he slid down the steep slope, his feet skidding on the pebbly surface.

         He was just in time.    No sooner had he crouched amongst the tall stems, than a huge figure appeared.   Alexander’s father was tall but this man was even bigger.   He was also very hairy.   His head, and most of his face, was covered by thick tufts of coarse brown hair, and he had a long jutting nose.   Without glancing to right or left, the man rushed on down the path and crashed his away along the side of the field.   Alexander held his breath until the sound of his footsteps faded into the distance.

         ‘Phew.  That was close.’

         He pulled on Button’s leash.

         ‘Come on boy.  Time to go home.’              

         Button gave a low whine.  Without warning, he lunged forward and the lead was wrenched out of Alexander’s hand.

          Alexander gasped.  Button was streaking into the field as if powered by a motor.

         Alexander opened his mouth to yell but then closed it again.  If he made a noise, the strange man might hear him.   

He didn’t know what to do.   He could go home alone but then he would worry in case Button couldn’t find his way back and he knew that even a bad home was better than no home.   He realised he would have to follow Button into the field.

He stood for a moment trying to remember which way the dog had gone.  Very faintly, he could hear the sound of stems being crushed as a furry body bounded through them.   He took a deep breath and took a step in what he hoped was the right direction.

  

Chapter Five 

The further Alexander went into the maize the darker it became.   Broad, green leaves twined around stems, much taller than he was, blocking out the light from the sky.   Alexander was reminded of the church his Mother took him to every Sunday.  It was dark and gloomy but also quiet and peaceful.   He soon realised that one corn stalk looked very much like another and even worse, he couldn’t hear Button any more.    Just as he was starting to worry that he was lost, he tripped over something and landed with a bump on the cool earth.

The ‘something’ gave a squeak and sat up.  

Alexander stared.   A white face with enormous eyes stared back at him.     Alexander sighed with relief.   A small girl was huddled amongst the corn looking at him.  She looked very scared.

‘What are you doing here?’ he said.

‘Hiding.’  The girl said in a tiny voice.

‘Why?’

‘Some boys from school were chasing me.   They said they were going to put a mouse down my dress.’

‘Why would they do that?’  

‘I don’t know. I don’t think they like me.  They’re always pulling my hair’.

Her eyes began to shine with tears.

‘What’s your name?’ 

‘Becky.’

‘I’m Alexander.   I came into the corn because I’ve lost my dog.   But now I think I’m lost too.   Do you know the way out?’.

Becky shook her head.   Her tears overflowed and trickled down her face.  

‘I’ve been trying to find my way out for ages.  It’s getting late and my mum will be worried.’

Alexander realised the girl was right.  The little bit of the sky he could see above the corn was a very dark blue.   It was starting to get chilly too and he realised the sun must have gone down.

He made up his mind.

‘We’ll go this way.’

It was almost as if the corn didn’t want to let them go.   Their thick stalks crowded together making it difficult for them to squeeze through and their rubbery leaves twined around their legs.   After Becky had fallen over for the third time, Alexander started to worry.   It seemed to him as if they were walking round in circles.   He was sure they had passed that oddly shaped stone before.  He knew what it was, his father had told him.   It was called a puddingstone and Alexander thought it was because it had tiny pebbles, like raisins, embedded in it.

‘What’s that?’  Becky cried in a scared voice.

Alexander heard a crashing sound that was gradually becoming louder and louder.   Something was coming.   Alexander just hoped it wasn’t the hairy giant.

  

To be continued tomorrow

 

Copyright Janet Baldey