11

The Barbecue And The Owl

Later that day Ben and Jess were lying on the floor in the living room. They were looking at the book from the library and Ben was telling Jess about the things that had happened to him. He remembered what his gran had said about the secret so he didn’t tell her everything, just most of it. Gran had telephoned Jess’s mum and they’d agreed that Jess could stay the night at Ben’s house.

‘What are you going to do?’ Jess asked him. ‘How are we going to be able to go out when it’s dark?’

Ben sat up. ‘Well, we could ask if Dad would do a barbecue for us, like he did for my birthday last year. It’s still a bit cold but it’s not raining. I could put up my tent near the tree and we could play at being explorers like before, but we wouldn’t have to go outside the garden this time.’

Jess nodded. ‘What time does it get dark? What if the owl doesn’t start hooting until really late?’

Ben went into the kitchen and asked his gran when it would be dark. She told him it would be about half past six. Then he went to find his dad who was cleaning the car. Dad said that they could have a barbecue as a special treat, as it was almost the last day of the holidays, and they could stay up a bit later as well. He and Ben found the camping light and then the tent and they called to Jess to help them put it up.

At six o’clock Ben’s dad lit the barbecue and Mum and Gran brought out the food. Scoot had been shut in the house because he could be very naughty when the family ate outside, and always tried to steal the sausages. Ben and Jess helped with the plates, but they were so excited that they kept giggling together. The grown-ups thought it was because of the barbecue. Well, it was a bit, but Ben and Jess were thinking about who might be waiting under the hedge.

When the food was cooked, Mum put two plates onto a tray and two glasses of fruit juice. Gran put on some bread rolls, some sausages and chicken, and then two muffins. Dad carried the tray to the tent and Ben and Jess scrambled inside.

‘There you are,’ Dad said. ‘Eat it while it’s hot. We’re going to eat in the kitchen. You can stay out for an hour, but come in sooner if you’re too cold.’

Ben and Jess ate their food and drank some juice. They were just going to start on their muffins when Jess pulled on Ben’s sleeve. She put her finger in front of her lips.

‘Shhhh. Listen,’ she said. ‘It’s the owl. I can hear the owl!’

Ben listened. It sounded as though the owl was right above them. They crept out of the tent and looked up. There he was, on a branch near the top of the tree. He turned his head and looked right at them with his big round eyes. Ben had never seen an owl as close as this before and he wanted to look at it for longer, but there was something swinging in front of his face.

Ben jumped back. It was Lox. The spider landed on Ben’s shoulder and began to talk into his ear.

‘Everyone’s waiting for you,’ he said, ‘but they’re a little bit afraid to come out.’

‘Afraid? Why are they afraid of me? I helped them, didn’t I?’

Lox said it was because Ben was now so much bigger than the spiders, but he did have an idea.

‘If you could use the magic again, then everyone would be happy. They’d like to meet Jess as well.’

‘What about Spindra?’ Ben asked. ‘I don’t want to be small when I meet her again.’

Lox told Ben that the queen’s sister had been sent away, so she wouldn’t be able to hurt them. Ben sat down on the ground. He knew he could only use the rhymes seven times in his whole life, so he counted on his fingers.

‘Once when I went into the kingdom, once with the rowan tree fairy, and once to catch Jess’s tears.’

If he did what Lox had asked he would have to use the magic twice more – once for him and once for Jess. That would be five times. He’d be like Gran, using up nearly all his chances in the first year, but he really wanted to meet Queen Aranya. He wondered if he could go on his own but then he felt mean. Jess was his best friend again, and if she hadn’t helped him he wouldn’t be here now.

He told Lox that he’d do it, and asked Jess if she wanted to come. She looked scared but said she would. Ben said the rhyme for Jess, then for himself. They laughed at each other when they were small. Jess said that Ben looked like someone in the story about the people who lived under the floorboards of a big house.

Lox told Ben and Jess to stay in front of the tent. He ran under the hedge and a few moments later he ran out again.

‘Come on.’ He waved to them. ‘They’re waiting at the entrance.’