Hat Trick! by Brett Lee Read Free Book Online Page A

over me. The first guy was holding three plastic cups.I stood up and scuttled past them and back to the spot where I’d arrived. I took out the scrap of paper with the poem on it and read out the first two lines I saw:
Now, hide your home, your age, your soul
    To roam this place and seek your goal.
    ‘What?’ someone was saying loudly, close by me.
    ‘Georgie?’ I gasped.
    ‘What are you doing?’ She looked at me queerly. ‘You look as if you’ve seen a ghost.’ I looked down, this time at red and blue carpet.
    ‘Where’s Jim?’ I whispered.
    ‘Over there, sipping his water.’
    In a daze, I walked past Georgie and over to Jim. He looked up from his book, his eyes shining.
    I stared at him. I swallowed. I was totally speechless.
    ‘What?’
    Georgie had followed me and was looking at both of us in turn.
    ‘You said you liked the poem, young lady?’ said Jim, still looking at me. He had a habit of doing that.
    ‘Yes,’ she replied. ‘So?’
    ‘I think Toby here thinks it’s quite a special poem too, eh, Toby?’
    ‘Yes.’ It came as a croak. ‘Yes,’ I repeated. ‘How long was I there, Jim?’
    ‘What? Where?’ Georgie was getting exasperated.
    ‘Or would you like to know how long you were away?’ Jim was smiling. ‘How long did it feel like?’ he asked.
    ‘About five minutes,’ I replied, ‘but it must have been longer.’
    ‘Remember the words of the poem, Toby.
Your time, this time; none short, or long
    ‘The time matches up quite closely, you know, though it can distort if you travel quite a way back,’ Jim said. ‘But don’t forget, two hours is your limit.’
    I had a hundred questions to ask Jim. I was still in shock, and I suppose if I’d stopped a moment and thought about what had just happened I would have run out of the room, never to return. Ever! But I didn’t move.
    Even though I’d told Georgie about the time travelling she didn’t seem to realise where I’d been, although she knew that something weird had happened. I grabbed her hand and the 2000 Wisden that was lying on the table in front of Jim.
    ‘Toby, not yet!’
    Jim had risen, his hands stretched out towards me, for the book. I looked at him. His face seemed concerned.
    ‘Please, Toby, don’t be foolish. You’re not ready to carry. To take others with you,’ he added when he saw my questioning look.
    Georgie flung my hand out of hers and jolted me round.
    ‘What are you doing, Toby?’ she yelled.
    ‘Georgie, you’ll never believe me otherwise. Never. I’ve got to take you there. Please?’
    ‘Take me where, you idiot? Behind the shelves for a quick kiss? Is that what you mean?’
    I couldn’t believe what she was saying.
    Slowly I walked back to the table and sat down. I placed the Wisden Almanack down in front of Jim, who was sitting down again too. He pushed his half-empty glass of water across the table to me. I reached out, took a gulp and sighed.
    ‘Okay. Good. All is calm, all is bright. All is splendid on Friday night.’
    ‘Thanks for that, Georgie,’ I said to her.
    ‘My pleasure. What now?’
    ‘Georgie, you’re a breath of fresh air,’ said Jim with a smile.
    ‘Probably more like hot air, Mr Oldfield,’ she replied, almost breaking into a smile herself.
    ‘Well, enough adventures for one afternoon, don’t you think?’ Jim said.
    ‘Yeah, I guess. Getting that water was just non-stop action and excitement for me. I couldn’t go through that again.’
    At least Georgie had recovered her sense of humour.

The lowest number of runs scored in a day of Test cricket was 95. This happened in Karachi, Pakistan on 11 October 1956. On that day Australia were dismissed for 80, and Pakistan, at stumps, were 2/15 in reply.

7 The Run-out
    Saturday—morning
    IT was a classic summer’s day. By 8.30 the temperature had already gone past 25°C. Today was our first two-day game, but I was glad the games would be over by lunchtime.
    I wolfed down some toast and checked my cricket kit for the