The Battle for Duncragglin by Andrew H. Vanderwal Read Free Book Online Page B

suggested that they each bring a blanket.
    “We're not going for a sleepover,” he said. “We'll all be carrying heavy packs as it is. Blankets are too bulky. If we get cold, we'll just build a fire.”
    “There probably won't be any firewood,” Annie retorted, “and even if there is, we can't light a fire as it might use up all the air.”
    Air?
Alex and Willie looked at each other in surprise. They settled on bringing the set of silver emergency blankets that were sealed in a little packet and stored in the back of Mr. McRae's car.
    “Shall we take along a hairbrush and a change of clothes?” Willie tossed his head back and thrust out a hip. “Always need to look our best, you know.”
    Annie picked up a pillow to smack him. She paused. “Actually, that might not be such a bad idea. What if we get wet?”
    “No way, no way,” Willie howled. “Me and my big mouth.”
    In the end, they agreed to pack a change of clothes, wear layers, and bring jackets in case it got
really
cold. All that wasleft was to convince themselves they would need everything that they'd planned to bring.
    Willie slapped his knee. “My music! I almost forgot! I need to bring my music.”
    Alex and Annie stared.
    “I cannae go without ma tunes.” Willie sat up straight and put his hands in his lap. “It's non-negotiable.”
    Annie's pillow hit him squarely on the side of the head.

    In the days that followed, Annie, Willie, and Alex gathered everything they needed, keeping it hidden in Annie's room. “Craig won't find it there,” she said, “and Dad never goes into my room since, unlike you guys, I keep it tidy.”
    Following the calf-feeding and feed-grinding, they had gone into the equipment shed and wound a great long length of baling twine onto a stick. There was such a huge spool in the baling machine that Mr. McRae would never notice some was missing.
    They wondered how they would get the emergency blankets from the boot of the car. Mr. McRae usually kept the car keys in his pocket, and the interior boot latch was broken. The problem was solved during the weekly grocery run into Straith Meirn. While hefting grocery bags, Annie managed to slip the set of emergency blankets into the bread bag without Mr. McRae noticing.
    For rucksacks, they used school packs that had been stowed away for the summer on the top shelf of the hall closet. Annie emptied the assorted feathers, stones, paper scraps, and outright junk from Craig's pack into a plastic bag,which she left behind on the shelf, and gave the pack to Alex. Craig wouldn't miss it – not until school started. By then, they would be long back.
    They checked the weather channel for the precise day and time that the tide fluctuations would reach their lowest point. It was less than a week away. Much to Annie's dismay, her prediction that low tide would be at midnight was confirmed.
    They counted down the days, praying low tide would come before Alex's aunt Fiona got better and sent for him. Craig seemed to be getting used to having Alex around and no longer sought ways to challenge him, annoy him, or complain about what he did. Alex suspected Craig was secretly happy to have him help out with many of his regular jobs, especially the nasty chore of shoveling out the henhouse.
    Finally the night of the lowest tide arrived, and Alex, Annie, and Willie found it hard not to let on that something was up. They exchanged knowing glances and whispered snatches of furtive instructions at every opportunity.
    Annie caught Alex in the hall, away from prying eyes. “I'll bring the rucksacks down and place them outside the back door around ten-thirty,” she said. “Pass it on to Willie.”
    “How will you know when your dad is asleep?”
    “He snores. Big, snorting, hungry-pig kind of snores. I can hear them right through my bedroom wall. As soon as I'm sure he's out, I'll go and shine a torch up at your window. Make sure you don't wake Craig.”
    The bathroom door opened and out stepped