Page 64 of Fireworks at Pennycress Inn
A loud cheer erupted from the crowd.
‘Exactly. Well, to light the bonfire tonight we have our very own Jill Davies, who has worked tirelessly to organise this event for us all, so a big round of applause for Jill.’ Lowering the microphone, Miss Cooke clapped. After a few seconds, she stopped and brought the microphone to her lips again, searching the crowd in front of her. ‘Jill? Jill Davies, are you here?’
Polly frowned. It wasn’t like Jill to be late, especially to an event she’d organised. People around them began shuffling as they turned to look for Jill. ‘I wonder where she is.’
‘I don’t know.’ Zac frowned before pointing towards where the mound of wood stood waiting to be lit. ‘What’s going on over there?’
Straining her eyes into the dark field, Polly could just about make out the flashes of torches being swung from side to side. ‘It looks as though someone is looking for something. Or a few people are.’
One of the lights began making their way towards the front of the field and slowly Jill’s silhouette became visible as she reached the lights from the floodlights set up around the playground. A few seconds later and she was speaking with Miss Cooke.
Bringing the microphone to her lips once more, Miss Cooke addressed her audience again. ‘It transpires that we have a small complication. It seems that a certain sheep which was terrorising this village up until a short time ago has escaped her new home at Little Mead Farm and come in search of an adventure once more.’
A resounding groan filtered through the crowd and Polly twisted in Zac’s arms to look at him. ‘A sheep? Did she say a sheep?’
‘I think so.’ Zac shook his head as confusion swept across his face. ‘Unless we misheard.’
‘Yes, maybe.’ They must have misheard, the words sheep and terrorise surely couldn’t come up in the same sentence, could they? One lone sheep terrorising an entire village? She laughed. ‘Yep, I bet we’re hearing things.’
Settling back against Zac’s chest, Polly squinted into the darkness of the field again as someone ran up towards her. It wasn’t until they’d almost reached them that she realised it was Nicola.
Straightening her back, Polly leaned on the railing and called towards her, ‘Nicola? Is everything okay?’
‘Polly, Zac. Hi.’ Nicola paused to catch her breath. ‘Claudette, the sheep Charlie rescued up at the farm, has broken free and was last seen squeezing through the hedge into the field. We can’t find her anywhere but need to catch her before the bonfire or fireworks are lit.’
‘Do you need a hand?’ Reaching into his pocket, Zac pulled out his mobile and switched on the torch app.
‘The more help, the better. Thank you.’ Turning again, Nicola ran off back towards the middle of the field.
Taking her own mobile out, Polly turned on the torch app as she and Zac squeezed between two panels of railings and headed in the direction Nicola had gone. They hadn’t been hearing things then. There was a sheep on the loose. A sheep.
‘There’s something over there. Something white,’ Charlie called across the field.
Shining her torch in the direction of Charlie’s voice, Polly jogged towards where everyone else was running and, sure enough, she could see a glimpse of the animal amongst the undergrowth beneath the hedge encircling the school playing field.
As he neared the hedge, Charlie turned to face the group of people helping. ‘I think we’ve got one chance at this before she bolts off into the middle of the field again, so can I have everyone make a circle behind her, please?’
Stepping back, Polly joined the circle forming around the fluffy white animal and grinned across at Zac. He wouldn’t be able to see her face in the dark, but she could almost feel him meet her gaze. She’d never heard about a sheep being on the loose before, let along encountered one, but it couldn’t be that hard to catch, could it? Even in the dark, the sheep’s brilliant white fleece should stand out, so surely it was just a case of walking across to it and, what? Hooking a lead around its neck or something?
‘Right, everyone in position? If she comes towards you, stand your ground. She’s a soft little thing, even if she is an expert escapee. Just hold your arms out and kneel down and she’s unlikely to try to push past you.’ Charlie waited until people were in position before turning and inching his way towards Claudette.
‘Quick, Charlie. She’s looking like she’s going to make a run for it.’ Nicola’s voice was carried across the circle.
‘Good spot,’ Charlie whispered as he changed direction.
In a flurry of activity, Polly was unsure whether Charlie had run at Claudette or Claudette had run at Charlie, but when she shone her torch in their direction, Charlie was on his knees in the grass with his arms wrapped around the fluffy sheep. Huh, maybe she’d underestimated the fluffy creature after all.
‘Well done, mate.’ Jackson’s voice reached them through the dark.
‘Thanks for your help, everyone. Me and Nic will get this one back to the farm and let you carry on with the firework celebrations.’ Charlie thanked them before he and Nicola led Claudette away.
Walking across to Zac, Polly grinned. ‘That’s two escape artists this week. Maybe Rolo and Claudette could become best pals.’
‘Oh no, imagine the two of them swapping tips.’ Zac chuckled as he shone his torch onto the ground as they made their way back to the playground and the crowd waiting patiently for the bonfire to be lit and the firework display to begin.
‘True, they’d never be found, would they? You’re right, we should keep them as far away from each other as humanly possible.’ Slipping back through the gap in the railings, Polly turned her torch app off, slipped her mobile back into her pocket and turned to face Miss Cooke, once again feeling Zac’s touch as he reached around her middle and pulled her back towards him. Smiling, she held Zac’s hands, lacing their fingers together. Perfect.
‘Well, I would give Charlie a cheer, but I don’t want us frightening Claudette and her escaping again.’ Disaster averted, Miss Cooke’s voice boomed through the microphone.
