The Dark is Rising: The Complete Sequence by Susan Cooper

Author:Susan Cooper [Cooper, Susan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Fantasy
ISBN: 978-1-4424-8330-9
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Published: 2013-06-11T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Five

Simon burrowed deeper into the small cosy cave between pillow and bedclothes. “Mmmmmff. Nya. Go away.”

“Oh come on, Simon.” Barney tugged persistently at the sheet. “Get up. It’s a super morning, come and see. Everything’s all shiny from the rain last night, we could go down to the harbour before breakfast. Just for a walk. No-one else is awake. Come on.”

Growling, Simon opened one eye and blinked at the window. In the clear blue sky a sea gull turned and lazily drifted, arching down on unmoving wings. “Oh well,” he said. “All right.”

In the harbour, nothing moved. Boats hung motionless at their moorings, their mast-images unrippled in the still water. There was a sea-smell of creosote from nets draped for mending over the harbour wall. Nothing broke the silence but the clatter of a distant milk-van somewhere high up in the village. The boys pattered down rain-patched steps and through narrow alleys, down to the sea. The sunshine on their faces was already warm.

As they stood looking down at the nearest boats a village mongrel trotted up, sniffed amiably at their heels, and went on his way.

“Rufus might be out too,” Barney said. “Let’s go and see.”

“All right.” Simon ambled after him, content, relaxed in the stillness and the sunshine and the gentle swish of the sea.

“There he is!” The rangy red dog came bounding towards them across the quayside. He pranced about them, tail waving, white teeth grinning as the long pink tongue lolled out.

“Idiot dog,” said Simon affectionately as the tongue curled wetly round his hand.

Barney squatted down and gazed solemnly into Rufus’s brown eyes. “I do wish he could talk. What would you tell us, boy, eh? About the painter from the Dark, and where he took you? Where was it, Rufus? Where did he hide you, eh?”

The setter stood still for a moment, looking at Barney; then he cocked his narrow head on one side and gave a curious noise that was half-bark, half-whine, like a kind of question. He swung round, lollopped a few paces along the quay, then stopped and looked back at them. Barney stood up slowly. Rufus trotted away a few more steps, then again turned and looked back, waiting for them.

“What on earth?” said Simon, watching.

“He wants to show us!” Barney hopped nervously up and down. “Come on, Simon, quick! He’ll show us where the painter hides, I bet you, and we shall be able to tell Gumerry!”

Rufus whined, questioning.

“I don’t know,” Simon said. “We ought to get home. Nobody knows where we are.”

“Oh come on, quick, before he changes his mind.” Barney grabbed his arm and tugged him after the lean red dog, already trotting away now confidently across the quay.

Rufus led them straight across the harbour and round into the road that ran inland from the Grey House and the sea; the road was familiar at first, leading back through the narrowest part of the village, past quiet cottages sleeping behind lace-curtained windows, and once or twice a modest house grandly labelled PRIVATE HOTEL.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.