2006 - Wildcat Moon (22 page)

Sizzie is sad that she won’t be able to wheel him around Santa Caterina…She used to wheel me out in the perambulator when I was little and race through the narrow streets like a mad thing. How I used to love it! I miss her. Uncle gone to London.

June 8
th

Today the cricket list went up and I am not in the team! Not even a reserve. Willis Minor is in and although he is a good chap he can’t catch for toffee. G says not to fret but Chas knows I am good enough for the team. G says Chas is a spoiled brat and she would give her eye teeth to give him a sock in the jaw! 80 and I walked in woods. He told me all about his home in Africa, about the enormous sunsets and the calling of elephants and lions at night. He still misses his family badly and I think he would like to go back one day. I can’t say I blame him. I wouldn’t want to work for Uncle.

Z upset cook with his bad language. She threatened to make him into a stew.

June 9
th

Beaky F called me to his study after Latin…I am to play for the villagers’ cricket team! Hip hip hooray! As G says, every cloud has a silver lining.

Beaky says best not to tell Chas—he will get a well-deserved shock on the day when I walk out to the wicket.

G has gone shopping to St Wers and wouldn’t let me go with her. She is v. secretive of late…Perhaps she has a young man there. She is very pretty and such good fun!

June 11
th

Aunt talked all through dinner about cricket and how Chas has the makings of a first-class cricketer and could bring home the honours. Chas has head size of a soccer ball, he is so boastful. He has been bought spanking-new whites and a new bat for the game. Went for walk with G but she came back to house. She is not herself at all.

June 13
th

The builders have finished the new summerhouse—Papa wanted it built in honour of Mama. Have taken some toys and books down there—it is ace! Except for Chas who thinks he owns it. Met Benj in woods and went back to s/house. Chas was a pig. Says he won’t have Skallies lads in his summerhouse! Said other frightful things about catching things off those sorts of people. Benj and I ignored him and went down to beach. Benj is twice the boy Chas is. He may be poor but he is a true friend. The best chap you could meet Beaky F says if Benj took the exam he could get a scholarship place at Nanskelly. That would be terrific.

June 21
th

Uncle is back and very bad-tempered. It must have been hot in London because he is very suntanned. The best day! Chas and all went to St Wer. G gave me a present—a spanking-new cricket bat. It’s the tops. Bo bowled to me down on the bottom lawn for hours. G not feeling well. Probably the heat. It is boiling!

Cook and G made lemonade and parkin and we sat in shade. Fell asleep. When I awoke G was whispering to cook. I shouldn’t have listened but I did. G said she was at her wits’ end with his advances—she said he was like an octopus with St Vitus’ Dance and she was afraid to be alone with him. She didn’t say who he was but perhaps it’s a chap from St Wers. I don’t know why she sees him if she’s afraid of him. Perhaps she is lovesick! Cook said he had always had a ‘thing’ about G and the best thing she could do was to find another position.

G said that Bo was looking to go home. Then cook said, I hope to God, Gwennie my girl, that you and he aren’t dilly dallying…all that would come of that would be tears. They talked in riddles half the time so I learned nothing. I hope Gwennie does not leave or Bo either. That would be awful.

V excited about the match.

June 21
st

Pipi was not well tonight. Her nose is dry and she even refused a bone from cook.

Uncle says she will get over it and would not call the vet. Bo and I sat with her for ages.

June 22
nd

Pipi was a bit better this morning and ate a little bread and milk. Called for Benj but he was out in boat He’s a fine sailor and knows so much about the sea and fishing and things like that. Mrs Treg gave me tea and cake. She is nice. Hogwash House is a very friendly place and nothing like Killivray! I cannot wait for Papa to come back at Christmas! I wish he would write to me soon—it’s an age since I last heard from him. I saw the little Payne twins outside the Peapods in pram. Can’t tell them apart They are as brown as berries. Saw G’s father coming out of Pilchard. He was blotto.

July 5
th

Benj and I out in boat at dawn. Caught five whopping fish. I took two for cook and she was very pleased. G has borrowed a box camera. Took photo of me outside s’house. Chas inside sulking because he wanted his photo taken first.

Pipi is v. sick again. Slept in stables with her last night Bo thinks that she may have eaten rat poison. Her heart is weak and she can hardly stand. Fed her with milk through a straw but she cannot swallow.

Bo came in just after midnight and brought me some bread and cheese.

Pipi passed away just after five o’clock. She was only young for a dog. Papa bought her for me as a leaving present when he left me here at Killivray with Z.

Bo and G going to help me bury her in woods. I was not brave at all and hooted like a girl. Bo was a great comfort he understands how I feel Aunt says what a fuss over a mere animal.

July 11
th

Bo has made a small headstone and engraved Pipi’s name on the stone. We buried her beneath a horse chestnut tree. G and I picked flowers for grave.

I am very sad tonight. I would give up my place in cricket team if only I could have Pipi back.

Chas said Pipi was just a mongrel. Pedigrees were best and didn’t get sick. Chas is a mongrel and I wish he would get sick, very sick indeed in fact!

July 15
th

G is helping to make teas at Nanskelly tomorrow so that she can see me play. Beaky F is going to teach Benj to score. I am so excited. Chas and rest still have no idea I am playing. Z escaped and was caught in kitchen eating a seed cake cook had just taken out of oven! Saw Bo on cliff path—he’d been out to Nanskelly. He asked me to post a letter for him in Rhoskilly. He was very excited and when he is he can’t stop smiling.

July 16
th

Hooray! Just the best day ever. Chas’ face was a picture when I walked out to bat. He was livid. I scored 89 not out! And I made two sixes that nearly went over the cliff. Chas was bowled by Dally after only 3 balls! Dally took two magnificent catches. I won the cup. I won the cup! Never felt so proud in all my life. I shall write to Papa to tell him my news. Team carried me to Skallies—a wobbly ride I can tell you and I was half afraid they would drop me.

Bo was really pleased. Gwennie said she was that proud she could burst. She might one of these days as she is getting very fat. Mr D from Pilchard bought ginger beer all round and Mrs D made us magnificent pasties.

Dally got scratched by one of the wildcats that live in the backyard of the Pilchard.

Dally says there have always been wildcats in the Skallies and sometimes when the moon is full you can see the outline of a cafs paw on its surface—Wildcat Moon always means change is on its way…On way home I took cup to show Pipi. The flowers had all been taken off the grave, ripped up and thrown around. I picked more but I swear if Chas goes near her grave again I will beat him to a pulp.

Late for dinner so sent to room.

G sneaked me up a beef sandwich.

July 26
th

My photograph of Mama and Papa was missing from my trunk. I found it in nursery cupboard ripped in half. I hit Chas as hard as I could and bloodied his fat nose. I know it was him. No one else would do such a thing. G has taken it to mend. I hate Chas and his parents even if they are my family. Uncle has stopped my pocket money for a month and made me apologize. I did but crossed my fingers behind my back so I don’t mean it. Very glad there is a lock on this diary. It was a wizard idea of G’s to hide it under floorboards in s/house. I wouldn’t put it past Chas to sink low and read a chap’s private diary.

August 1
st

Saw Beaky on cliff path and talked to him for ages. He says that he is going to organize a painting trip to Rome in October. Told Chas but he said that he wouldn’t go even if he was paid. He hates the Eyeties as he calls them. He is an ignoramus—I don’t think the Italians would be charmed by him. Glad he doesn’t want to go. I have put down my name and am writing to ask permission from Papa. How I should love to go home again. Sometimes I dream of home, I am in Santa Caterina again with the glorious smell of the sea and the strong whiff of the fish being landed in the harbour. Colourful washing is flapping on the balconies of the houses and the sun is hot on my neck. I can smell the bread being baked and hot coffee on the boil.

All around me the loud happy chatter of the people. If I go on Beaky’s trip Papa may be able to get to Rome to see me. How I should love that. I do hope that he writes soon, I haven’t heard in ages and that is most unlike him.

August 5
th

Went to early chapel. Benj not there—he cut his hand badly and has had to be stitched. Good job ifs his left hand otherwise he won’t be able to score…Chas passed me a note in hymnal and I cannot write what filthy things he said about Mama. I swear one day I would like to kill him…

Archie took off his spectacles and rubbed his eyes.

He could hardly bear to stop reading but his eyes were beginning to ache.

He looked up to see a boat approaching the beach with some speed. For a moment he thought it was the Payne brothers but realized as it got closer that it was the Kellys back from their fishing trip. He gathered up the diary and made his way swiftly up the beach and out of their way.

In Bag End Mammy was dozing in the kitchen so he crept upstairs and settled himself down on his bed to read on. He wasn’t surprised that Thomas Greswode wanted to kill Charles Greswode. Archie would have liked to kill him himself—he was horrid. Fancy ripping up the photograph and taking the flowers off the grave!

He knew that the photograph must be the same one that Romilly had put in the envelope! He rushed to the cupboard and pulled it out. So this was the very photograph that Charles Greswode had stolen from the trunk and ripped up!

It must have been hateful living in Killivray. And why didn’t Thomas’ papa write to him? At least G and Bo were good to him.

And poor Pipi. Why hadn’t Thomas’ uncle called out the vet?

It was strange to read about life in Killivray in the olden days. He was sure that Benj must be Benjamin Tregantle and it was funny to think of Benjamin as a boy. And if he had taken the exam he would have ended up going to Nanskelly School. Archie knew that he never did get to go to Nanskelly, though, because the school had shut down soon after Thomas drowned.

He opened the diary and read on eagerly.

August 12
th

Chas gone riding with Uncle. Benj and I played soldiers in s’house. Made tea on stove and toasted muffins. One night we are going to sneak out of our houses and sleep the night here and have an adventure. I have moved out of nursery and into long room—supposed to be a punishment for thumping Chas but it is bliss. I don’t have to look at his insufferable smug face, hear his insults or listen to him snoring half the night.

I have lost the silver bird necklace that Mama always wore—Papa gave it to me after she died. I have hunted high and low but cannot find it; it’s too awful, the clasp must have broken. I have treasured it and it is the only reminder of her that I have.

August 14
th

Walked out to Nanskelly but Beaky has gone away…My name is on the board in pavilion written in sparkling gold. It made me so proud to see it! Nanskelly is the only good thing about living here. It is a wizard school. No one gets beaten ever. Beaky is the tops as a headmaster.

Bo has gone to Bristol on errands for Unde. G has been put to bed sick. I heard cook talking to G and she said that she was sure that G is hiding something and the sort of something she’s hiding can’t be hid for ever.

G was crying and begging cook not to tell. Cook said she knew it was on the cards and God help Gwennie if her father got to hear.

Women are very hard to understand, they seem to talk in a code that us chaps can’t work out however hard we try…Why will G’s father be angry that she is ill?

Looked everywhere for necklace but no luck.

August 15
th

Benj brought a whole coconut cake in a tin and we ate all of it washed down with sweet tea. Delish. Taught Z to say some new words! Polite ones. Next week Benj is going away for two days to visit his folks. I will miss him.

Bo back from Bristol. He does not seem himself at all. I saw him in the long room and he almost jumped out of his skin when he saw me. He asked me how long it was since I’d heard from Papa. After dinner I heard Uncle shouting at him in library—I heard him say that-if Bo interferes in family matters he will be out on his ear. G is still in bed and looks very ill. I hope she doesn’t die.

August 16
th

Bo spoke to me today and he looked so sad. I wonder does Bo know that I am planning to escape? He asked me some strange questions about Santa Caterina, whether I knew anyone with a telephone there…He said that if he has to go away suddenly I must not fret. He will never leave me but there is something that he has to do. An honourable thing. He seemed happy and worried at the same time. If he does go he will write to me care of Nanskelly.

August 17
th

I am in deepest trouble and no one except Bo and G, and I think cook, believes me. Chas has made up the most awful lies about me. He said that I took a gun from the cabinet and tried to shoot him. As God lives, he is a liar.