The Hidden World Read Free Page B

the skirting-board. ‘Yes please,’ she said. ‘I’d like that.’
    â€˜Is everything all right? You look … worried about something.’
    â€˜I’m fine. My head doesn’t hurt nearly so much. I think I might do some drawing this afternoon.’
    She was following Grannie down the wide oak staircase when the front doorbell rang. Grandpa Willy came across the hallway with his paper under his arm and said, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll get it!’
    He opened the large oak door. Inside the house it was winter-gloomy, but outside the light from the snow was dazzling. At first, blinking, Jessica didn’t recognize the boy standing in the porch. He was pale and skinny with a blond crewcut and his nose was red from the cold.
    â€˜Young man called Renko here to see you,’ said Grandpa Willy.

Where Are the Children?
    T hey sat at the big scrubbed-pine kitchen table and Grannie brought them muffins, cookies and fruit bread. The kitchen was always warm in winter because Grannie cooked on a massive old cast-iron range. On the walls there were glossy green tiles with convolvulus patterns on them, and the floor was covered in green-and-cream linoleum squares, which were always so shiny you could slide across them in your socks.
    On either side of the range there were two small stained-glass windows, with apple trees and puffy clouds and faraway hills. When she was little, Jessica had always wondered what it would be like to live in Stained-Glass Window Land, and walk along the winding path between the apple trees, to see what lay beyond.
    Renko had taken off his huge gray windbreaker with the fake-fur collar and Grandpa Willy had hung it up for him. He looked skinnier than ever in his blue-and-white Connecticut Huskies sweatshirt, and his wrists were so thin that his bracelet watch was loose. He sat opposite Jessica, but kept his eyes fixed on his chocolate muffin.
    â€˜Milk or Seven-Up?’ asked Grannie.
    â€˜Oh, Seven-Up’s great, thank you.’
    â€˜Are you in Jessica’s class? What did you say your name was, Ringo?’
    â€˜Renko, ma’am. David Renko, but everybody calls me just Renko. Yes … Jessica and me, we’re both in Mrs Walker’s class.’
    â€˜Well, it was very thoughtful of you to pay her a visit.’
    Renko quickly glanced up at Jessica, and she saw for the first time how gray his eyes were. Gray like pigeon feathers.
    From the top of the stairs, Grandpa Willy called out, ‘Where d’you put my clean red flannels, Mildred? I can’t find the dang things anywhere.’
    Grannie said, ‘Excuse me a moment. Your grandpa, honestly. He couldn’t find his flannels if he was wearing them.’
    She went out of the kitchen and Jessica and Renko were left alone. Neither of them touched their muffin. Neither of them spoke, not for almost half a minute. Then Jessica said ‘Why—?’ and Renko said ‘How—?’ both at the same time, and then both of them stopped and stared at each other.
    â€˜You first,’ said Jessica.
    Renko cleared his throat. ‘I was going to ask you – you know, if you were OK.’
    â€˜I’m OK. I was going to ask you why you came to see me.’
    Renko lowered his eyes again. ‘I guess I came to say sorry.’
    â€˜Sorry? Why?’
    â€˜What happened to you, that was totally my fault. Totally.’
    â€˜I don’t really remember much about it, to tell you the truth. I know that I was picking up my drawings, and I fell downstairs, but that’s about all.’
    Renko said, ‘It was me. Me and Sue-Anne and the rest of the gang, we were all teasing you. No we weren’t, we were bullying you. I dropped all of your pictures down the staircase. It was a totally dorkish thing to do, wasn’t it? But I was showing off in front of the others. Like I said, I’m really sorry.’
    â€˜OK …’ said Jessica. ‘I