Kipp The Kid by Paul Day Read Free Book Online Page A

grave doubts Jane’s own father would let
her ever come camping again, once she got home. He began to worry
what might happen to her when she did. In his wild imagination he
had thought they might be able to run away together. It was a
fleeting thought, so impractical and stupid. For all their faults,
his grandparents needed him and he loved them, despite their
strange ways. He had been imposed on them at a time of grieving.
Abandoned by his father, they had had no choice but to look after
him. He was thankful for that and he felt he owed them more than
running away.
     
    Kipp and Jane packed up their stuff. Jane didn’t have
to ask where they were going. There was only one other place safe
enough, far enough out of the way. They made their way back down
the shaft, along the narrow tunnels and down into the hovel. Just
to be sure, Kipp closed the wooden latch above them.
     
    “We have to use candles,” he said, “The lantern burns
too much oxygen,” he added by way of explanation.
     
    The air was stale and dank, but Jane didn’t have any
problems breathing. Kipp opened up a vent in a tin pipe that went
up into the timber ceiling.
     
    “What’s that?”
     
    It’s a ventilation shaft. It runs part way back down
the tunnel. It’ll help provide enough breathable air. We’ll have to
stay the night here, but we can’t have a fire or cook real food.
We’ll have to make do with tinned.
     
    Jane shrugged and nodded. Kipp laid out their swags
at one end of the hovel. “It’s still early. Come on. Time’s a
wasting.” He grabbed Jane by the hand and led her through a small
opening at one end of the hovel. It was covered at the entrance
with sack cloth. There was only enough room to crawl and in the
dark, Jane wondered what her clothes must look like. Kipp had the
torch, which by now was just a dim glow. They came out into an
opening, not much larger than the hovel. But at least here they
could stand up.
     
    Kipp lit a candle he had brought and placed it on a
stone ledge. Jane was surprised at how much light it cast. Around
her the walls were a different color rock, but there were thin
strips of colored stone in between the layers. Some of them glinted
in the candle light.
     
    “What are they?” she asked.
     
    “Gems. Some crystallites and if you’re lucky, some
opal.”
     
    “Wow!” Jane went over to the wall of the chamber and
brushed a vein with her hand. So smooth.”
     
    Kipp had a small pick, which he handed to Jane. “Have
a go.” She struck the vein hard, but nothing happened. “No, you
have to chip at it, careful like, along the edge.”
     
    He took the pick off her and started chipping away at
the vein. After a while he had dislodged a small gem. He held it up
to the light of the candle. Jane could see the colors through the
gemstone. She was amazed by the many colors in the small stone. He
gave it to her and she held it up again. Then she went to give it
back.
     
    “Keep it. Consider it yours.”
     
    “Really?” Jane said, trying not to sound too
excited.
     
    Kipp chuckled at the child-like manner of Jane. After
the events of the night before, he did not know when he would see
the old Jane again, but he was glad she was back. She placed the
gem stone in her pocket and Kipp started chipping away at the wall.
After some time he had several stones, enough to fill a small cloth
bag he had with him. He held it up, drawn tight by a string.
     
    “You said you had a plan…to deal with the boys?”
     
    The small bag swung back and forth in front of Kipp’s
grinning face. “This is the plan.” Jane grinned too, though for the
life of her she did not know why. She knew enough to know how
cunning Kipp could be and she trusted he had it all worked out.
“You see,” he began. “Boys like the Jansens don’t know a hell of a
lot. They aren’t particularly literate. They are bullies. They will
steal your lunch, get you into trouble, pick fights around the
school, gang up, but for all that