‘Can’t say I didn’t warn you, little brother,’ Becky chuckled as they strolled along the bank of the river after tea. ‘Serves you right!’
Chris shrugged and tossed a stick into the early evening mist for Tan to fetch.
‘Just unlucky, that’s all,’ he grunted. ‘Anybody can have an off day.’
‘Yes, but they don’t normally want to make it last even longer, do they?’
Chris nodded. ‘Fair enough,’ he conceded, half wishing that he hadn’t told his twin about using – or misusing – the Timewatch to replay a game of football. ‘I’ve learnt my lesson. I won’t do it again.’
By contrast, Becky was in a good mood after scoring a goal in each of her own team’s matches. The best was a left-footed volley which had flown past Chris into the top corner of the net. He would not be allowed to forget that for quite some time.
‘I’m glad you didn’t try to wipe out my goal,’ she said, grinning.
‘Couldn’t be bothered by then,’ he muttered. ‘I was past caring.’
They were quiet for a while, lost in thought, and only Tan’s excited barking disturbed the peaceful atmosphere by the river. She seemed to have picked up the scent of some creature and was following its trail.
‘Weird, the way things can change,’ Chris said suddenly. ‘Y’know, how they can work out differently, if you have a second chance – like recording over something else on a tape.’
Becky considered that for a few moments and then sighed. ‘Well, you can only do what you think is right at the time, even if that turns out to be wrong,’ she said. ‘Life’s not a dress rehearsal. It’s the real thing.’
‘Is it? I’m not so sure any more,’ Chris replied doubtfully and then switched his attention towards the farm on the edge of the village. ‘Now that’s what I call a big bonfire. Just look at those flames!’
Becky stared through the mist. ‘The farmer must know what he’s doing.’
‘Not if his daughter’s anything to go by,’ Chris said with a smirk. ‘She isn’t nicknamed Zany Zoe for nothing.’
‘Zoe’s all right really, she’s just a bit…’ Becky paused, struggling to find the right adjective to describe Zoe’s somewhat eccentric behaviour at school, ‘…scatty, that’s all.’
‘Scatty!’ Chris scoffed. ‘She makes even Luke seem sensible – almost.’
‘Let’s go to the farm and see if she’s around.’
‘Why? I didn’t know you two were mates.’
‘We’re not,’ Becky said. ‘I just want an excuse to go and stand near that bonfire and get warm.’
As the twins neared the farm, however, the flames were shooting up even higher and they could hear people shouting and the noise of frightened animals.
‘They might need help,’ Becky cried. ‘C’mon – run!’
Chris managed to grab Tan and put her on the lead to stop her chasing after his sister. By the time he entered the farmyard, the fire was out of control and had spread to the barn. He could make out two or three figures trying to douse the flames with hoses, but their efforts seemed to be having little effect.
Becky came racing back. ‘We’ve got to do something,’ she gasped. ‘Have you still got the watch?’
‘Sure,’ said Chris, fishing it out of his coat pocket.
‘Well use it. Sounds like there are animals trapped in the barn.’
‘Is Zoe there?’
‘No idea,’ she admitted, seizing his sleeve to urge him into action. ‘Just press that red button.’
Click!
The next thing they knew, they were staring at each other in surprise across the kitchen table, feeling strangely disorientated.
‘Come on, you two, eat up,’ Mum told them, bustling by to go into the store and help serve the customers. ‘You must both be starving after all that running about, playing football.’
Becky looked down at her half-eaten meal of sausages and beans on toast and pushed the plate away. She had lost her appetite.
‘What are we doing back here?’ she said.
‘Having our tea – again,’ Chris replied through a mouthful of food. ‘If you don’t want yours, I’ll have it.’
‘How can you eat at a time like this? The farm’s on fire!’
Chris shook his head and reached for her plate. ‘Not yet, it isn’t, sis,’ he corrected her, jabbing his fork at the kitchen clock and dropping a few beans onto the floor, which Tan licked up. ‘Got plenty of time.’
‘Hi, guys!’ Zoe greeted them, before throwing more wood onto the small bonfire in the farmyard. ‘What brings you here?’
‘Er…’ Chris began lamely, not quite sure how to respond, having arrived at the farm a little early. ‘We were just out walking the dog and … er…’
‘And doing a bit of jogging to keep fit,’ added Becky in support.
‘A dog jog!’ Zoe cackled.
‘Not exactly,’ muttered Chris. ‘Er … so where is everybody?’
‘Everybody?’ repeated Zoe. ‘Everywhere, I guess. Why?’
‘Just wondered who’s supposed to be looking after this bonfire.’
‘What’s it look like, Jacko?’ she sneered. ‘Me!’
‘Do your folks know?’
Zoe stared at him. ‘Course they do. They don’t call me zany here, y’know.’
Becky attempted to come to his rescue. ‘I’m sure you know what you’re doing, Zoe,’ she said. ‘But isn’t it dangerous having a bonfire so close to the barn?’
Zoe lost patience with their questions. ‘Clear off, will yer,’ she snapped, striding away towards her bike which was propped up against the barn. ‘I’m busy.’
The twins left the farm but did not stray far.
‘So what do we do now?’ asked Chris.
‘We wait,’ said Becky. ‘I mean, we know what’s going to happen, if we just leave her to it. We’ll wait a while and then move in.’
‘I don’t want to hang about here in the cold. Let’s go and sort it out now.’
‘Hold on!’ Becky cried. ‘What will we say to Zoe? Tell her she’s going to set fire to the whole place? She’ll just laugh at us.’
‘So what? Better than frying the pigs. Come on!’
Chris marched back into the yard and was relieved that he did not have to say anything. Zoe was nowhere to be seen – and nor was her bike – but the fire was still burning brightly.
‘Right, you wait here with Tan, Becky,’ he said, ‘and give me a shout if you spot anybody.’
‘What are you going to do?’
‘Put out that fire while I still can,’ he said over his shoulder.
Chris trotted over to one of the outbuildings where he saw a hose connected to a tap on the wall. Checking again that no one was about, he seized his chance. He turned on the tap and ran towards the bonfire, the length of hose unravelling behind him, slithering across the yard like a giant snake.
The water began to gush out of the nozzle even before he reached the fire, drenching his jeans until he aimed it at the flames and soon extinguished them. He soaked everywhere thoroughly, trying to make sure the fire could not be relit, and then dropped the hose to the ground.
‘Turn off the water!’ Becky called to him, as loudly as she dared.
Chris stopped, hesitated, and then went back to the tap, expecting at any moment to be confronted by an angry Zoe or, even worse, a furious farmer. ‘Done it!’ he yelped in triumph. ‘Let’s get out of here!’
As they made their way home, they saw Zoe on her bike. At first they assumed she must be coming after them, but she turned off into one of the side streets towards the market square.
‘Phew! That was close,’ Chris breathed in relief. ‘Bet she’s on the warpath, looking for us.’
‘Well she knows where we live,’ Becky said. ‘And it’s not up there.’
‘Must be going somewhere else, then,’ Chris replied, realising the significance of what he’d just said. ‘Hey! Bet that’s how it happened before. She rode off and left the bonfire burning and – well, we know the rest.’
Becky nodded. ‘Yes, but nobody else does, so let’s just keep it to ourselves.’
‘Sure,’ he grinned. ‘My lips are zipped!’ He made a quick motion with his hand across his mouth as if to seal it, but then immediately spoke again. ‘Pity we can’t tell her what we did, though…’
He was cut short by screams and shouts in the distance.
‘I think they’re coming from the market square,’ said Becky, changing direction. ‘C’mon, let’s go and check it out.’
Becky and Tan reached the square well before a more-reluctant Chris, who had no wish to run into Zoe again. Unfortunately, somebody else had already done so.
Becky recognised Zoe’s bike, even though it was now buckled and lying in the gutter. She could see no sign of Zoe herself because of the milling crowd, but she soon found out what had happened.
‘Zoe’s been knocked over by a car!’ she gasped as Chris caught up with her. ‘Use the watch. We might be able to save her.’
Click!
Nothing changed. They were still in the square and could hear the wailing siren of an approaching ambulance.
‘Try again!’ urged Becky.
Click! Click!
‘We’re already locked into extra time, remember,’ he said, shaking his head. ‘Maybe it can’t repeat the same hour twice.’
The twins stood by, helpless, as the ambulance arrived in the square and it wasn’t long before they saw a stretcher being carried into the back of the vehicle.
‘Sorry, Zoe,’ Chris sighed. ‘But at least we put the fire out for you.’