AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Something hit the side of the vehicle. I yelped in surprise. Morrie flailed for something but cursed as he missed.
“I’m gonna throw the rope again,” the man called out. “Can ye grab it?”
“Is it silk rope?” Morrie yelled back. “Because these hands require something soft and supple, made only of natural fibers—”
“Just shut up and do what he says,” Heathcliff growled from the shore.
Morrie crawled to the opposite side of the car. I could hear him grunting as the rope splashed into the water. “Again!” he called out. “I just have to stretch a little further.”
“Croak,” Quoth cried out. I whirled around and could just make out a dark shape swoop through the air, grab the rope by the talons, and drop it into Morrie’s outstretched hand.
“Thanks, ye strange bird!” the man called out.
Just save Mina!Quoth’s voice sang inside my head as he landed on the bank. He was talking to Heathcliff.I don’t care about the other one.
“Hey!” Morrie cried out, but he looped the rope around his stomach. “Mina, climb on my shoulders and hold on. No matter what happens, you have to hold on. Do you think Oscar can keep this end of the rope in his mouth?”
“Oscar can do anything.”
“Okay, then. Here we go.”
Morrie slid off the roof of the car and into the current. I gasped as the chilly water rose around me. I tightened my grip around Morrie’s neck as the current grabbed us, tugging us downstream. Morrie looped the rope around his middle and gave the end to Oscar, who bit down like a champ.
I held onto Morrie for dear life as he and Oscar dog-paddled toward the shore as Heathcliff and the strange man pulled the rope in, hand over hand. When we got close enough that Morrie could stand on the bottom, he was able to move us faster.
Heathcliff waded out and hauled me off Morrie’s shoulders, carrying me in his strong arms and depositing me lovingly on the bank. Oscar bounded out of the water and shook himself off. He barked with happiness, keen to head out again for another swim.
“Take my hand,” Heathcliff yelled at Morrie, who was still standing waist-deep in the water.
“I think I’ll stay out here, actually,” Morrie said nervously, his voice hoarse. He must have been exhausted from the effort of getting that far. “I’ll wait till erosion takes me to the castle gates. It seems safer than dealing with your wrath.”
“For pity’s sake,” Heathcliff muttered. Morrie yelped, and I could see from the vague shape of them that Heathcliff had thrown Morrie over his shoulder and was climbing out of the water. He deposited a damp and sheepish Morrie beside me just as Quoth emerged from the bushes and perched on my shoulder. The stranger watched us with amusement as he coiled the rope over his arm.
“Arf!” Oscar butted the stranger’s hand, as if to thank him for his valiant efforts.
“Thank you for saving us.” I turned to our rescuer. “I can’t believe our luck that you happened to be nearby. We thought we were in the middle of nowhere.”
“Not at all. You’re actually only a couple of miles from Meddleworth House. I happened to see this little fella swooping around and thought it odd, as the estate’s ravens are housed near the buildings. I thought one had escaped, so I stopped, and that’s when I heard you yelling.” He tipped his hat at me. “My name’s Jonathan. Jonathan Marley Norgrove. I’m the groundskeeper, bellhop, security guard, and general dogsbody here at the estate.”
“Mina Wilde.” I extended my hand. “We’re actually guests at Meddleworth. I’m here for the writer’s retreat.”
“And Morrie’s here for driving lessons,” Heathcliff cut in.
Jonathan laughed deep in his belly. “Never ye mind about that. T’was an honest mistake. Ye were following an old maintenance track. If you’d driven this way a month ago, you wouldn’t have had a problem. But we’ve been having some terrible storms lately and the water table is high, so the stream at the back of the property has overflowed and diverted here.” He patted my shoulder. “In fact, judging by those clouds overhead, I should get you up to the manor before we get caught in the next downpour.”
“What about the car?” Morrie asked, his voice strained.
Jonathan started to say something, but he was interrupted by a mightyBOOM.
I slammed my hands over my ears jerked back as a plume of water shot out of the river, and mangled bits of car rained back down into the water. The air reeked of burning, and I could no longer see an in
“I don’t think yee have to worry about the car anymore, lad,” Jonathan said.
“What happened?” I asked, a chill running down my spine as I realized that without Jonathon’s help, we might’ve still be trapped in the car when it exploded.
“Morrie happened,” Heathcliff said. “Poor Leaf. It didn’t deserve such a cruel end.”
“The batteries must’ve caught fire,” Jonathan said. “Electric, was she? A load of modern nonsense, if you ask me. A good old-fashioned diesel engine would have got you across that river no trouble. I’ll come back after I’ve got ye all settled in, see if I can fish the main bits out of the river. At least you saved your luggage – there will be enough room for all of ye in my range rover. Come on up the path, steady as she goes.” Jonathan supported me as Oscar and I shuffled around a fallen log. “We don’t want any more accidents now.”
