Ditch Read Free Page B

the edge a’ it that’s furthest away from the handle. You draw a line from the star at the base a’ the pan to the star at the rim. You extend it about five times. That leads you to another saucepan. A smaller one. You take the edge a’ the smaller saucepan’s handle that’s furthest away from the pan and you found the North Star. Drop a vertical line from the North Star to the horizon and that’s north.
    Megan is lost yet impressed.
    James Orientation was part a’ my trainin’. Taught to orientate ourselves without a compass. Had to learn to memorize co-ordinates. Told never to fold a map any other way than it already folded. That way you give nothin’ about the operation away. I liked that part a’ it, learnin’ I mean.
    Megan How much schoolin’ you had?
    James Till I was twelve.
    Megan Same here.
    James We must be the same age then.
    Megan I like learnin’ too.
    Beat.
    James Show you some tactical hand signals if you want?
    Megan What a’ they?
    James Stuff you do to not give the operation away.
    Megan ’s game.
    James ( Raise his arm clenches his fist. ) Hold.
    Megan ( Does the same .) Hold.
    James ( Crosses his arms across his chest. ) Obstacle.
    Megan ( Does the same. ) Obstacle.
    James ( Raises his arm, points the finger, rotates it. ) Regroup.
    Megan ( Does the same. ) Regroup.
    James ( Hand into a spy hole. ) Look out.
    Megan ( Does the same. ) Look out.
    James ( Cups his ear. ) Say again.
    Megan ( Does the same .) Say again.
    James Best stop there, gets confusin’ if you do too many.
    Megan Never been someone my age here before.
    James Security’s always been full a’ the other generation. But since most a’ thems gone overseas it left an openin’ for us. Now that we old enough to do it. I signed up a year ago.
    Beat.
    Megan So now you got health care.
    James Yeah. Not that I need it, I aint got nothin’.
    Megan Good to have it.
    James I guess.
    Megan Get more rations too.
    James When I was outside, here we eatin’ the same.
    Megan Bigger livin’ quarters for you.
    James Aint done it for none a’ that.
    Megan ( Nods. ) Just wanted to be in the Security.
    James First time I had a choice in somethin’. Everythin’ else been decided for me. Figured, if I’m gonna be drafted as well, I’d rather choose it then it get me. So that’s what I done. Some a’ them I knew dint speak to me after I done it. But. They don’t speak much to each other outside anyway. This is the most I talked in a long time. Gonna get me in bother, like it did this mornin’ with Mrs Peel.
    Megan She always like that.
    James Should a’ known better.
    Megan Should be able to ask things sometimes.
    The horses are heard to whinny . Megan becomes alert.
    James I should be goin’.
    Megan Probably just a mouse stirred ’em.
    James You sure Mrs Peel aint gonna come?
    Megan Last time I seen her she was pullin’ whiskers out a’ her chin and nose. She don’t tend to come out a’ our room after she been doin’ that. This here’s my free time, don’t get much a’ that.
    James She worked you hard on that shovel today.
    Megan She always workin’ me, even when there’s nothin’ needs doin’, but it good for me. When there was more men here I been busy most a’ the time but when they went away I been told I was gonna be sent back to my old quarters and put to work in the refinery.
    James How come you stayed?
    ( Beat .)
    Megan Turner, he put in a good word for me.
    James Don’t seem like him.
    Megan Here a bit like where I grew up, dint have horses a’ nothin’ but reminds me a’ it sometimes . . .
    James Thought you dint talk about the past here?
    Megan I don’t do everythin’ Mrs Peel tells me. Today I chucked a handful a seeds down the toilet. Yesterday I tipped coffee grinds inta the compost like I been told too, but I slung in a tea bag, like