The Pacific Giants

The Pacific Giants Read Free Page B

Book: The Pacific Giants Read Free
Author: Jean Flitcroft
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happened again, the sound a little closer this time, so she sprang up to investigate. Through a crevice in one of the rocks an enormous crab, with the longest legs she had ever seen, scuttled toward her quickly. Startled, Vanessa stumbled backward and landed hard on the flat of her back.
    â€œOuuuuch,” she shouted into the air, when she finally recovered her breath. It had been a painful fall.
    The noise she heard next sounded exactly like a snicker. A small, unpleasant, half choked-back snicker, Vanessa could have sworn. She sat up quickly, wincing with the pain, and looked around. Who could it be? She hadn’t seen anyone on the beach.
    And then it struck her.
    â€œCome on out, Wayne,” she said as playfully as she could.
    â€œI know you’re there!” She hoped the irritation in her voice wasn’t too obvious.
    Vanessa waited.
    â€œCome on, Wayne. It’s OK. Your mum said you would follow me down to the beach.”
    Her voice was friendlier this time. It would be better to take a more conciliatory approach, she thought.After all, Wayne was only ten—and she would be seeing him every day for the next week.
    The silence was total, except for the soft sound of the waves and the birds calling out overhead. She made a complete circle of the area, checking behind boulders. Nothing. Maybe she had been imagining things.
    Vanessa rubbed her shoulder, which had taken the brunt of her fall. It was pretty sore, but she didn’t feel like going back to the guesthouse yet. Time for a paddle. Slowly rolling up the legs of her jeans, Vanessa listened hard, but there were no more snickers or scuttling sounds.
    At the water’s edge, a wave ran over her feet and made her gasp. It was just as cold as the Irish Sea—or just as “refreshing,” as her mum used to say on their caravan holidays in Wexford when Vanessa was younger. She smiled to herself, remembering the bets as to who would be in first. It had always been Vanessa. Her brothers, Luke and Ronan, liked to talk tough, but they were wimps when it came to it.
    The sound of a bell ringing above her made Vanessa turn and look up. From the beach side, the guesthouse looked a rather odd building—sort of straggly, as if it had evolved over time. Some of therooms looked as if they were balancing uncomfortably on the edge—one-buttock-on-a-shared-seat sort of uncomfortable. A decent storm could easily blow it down the cliff, Vanessa thought.
    The bell tinkled again. A clear, sweet sound like the little handbell her headmistress rang in school to bring order. “A lady never raises her voice,” she reminded them frequently.
    But what did the bell mean here? A lunch bell? Surely not. She’d only just eaten breakfast.
    Vanessa looked at her wrist, but she’d forgotten to put her watch back on after her shower. She had no idea how long she’d spent on the beach, and as it had clouded over, she couldn’t even use the sun to help her guess. She paddled for a bit longer and then dried her feet on her jeans. She put on her runners, but shoved her socks into her pocket, and made her way slowly up to the guesthouse, stopping to look for the giant crab that had startled her earlier. If she found it, she’d take a photo to show to Lee later. But the crab was well gone.
    When Vanessa finally poked her head around the door of the kitchen, Mrs. Bouche was sitting with a young boy at the kitchen table, eating.
    â€œDon’t you worry about being late, honey,” Frankie said as she got up to get a plate for Vanessa. “Your first day here gives you the perfect excuse, doesn’t it, Wayne?”
    The boy stared glassy-eyed at Vanessa.
    â€œIt’s the perfect excuse, isn’t it, Wayne?” Frankie repeated. She didn’t seem in the least put out when he didn’t reply. Maybe he couldn’t speak? That would be perfect: pleasant, smiling interactions with no expectation of conversation or

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