died. There wasn’t any way my mother and I could carry on alone, so we sold everything but what this old house is sitting on. I’m glad that we did. Farm life is very hard, especially if you have to tend to livestock. My mother worked so hard all of her life. I’m glad that her last couple of years were spent in leisure. It was hard to see houses on what used to be our land, but I’ve gotten kind of used to it. Some of my neighbours are wonderful, and it’s nice to have a boy like you to help me when I need it.”
Tommy blushed, because the main reason he was here was to be sneaky and ask her questions.
“Did anybody ever live in the woods that you know of?” he asked
“Well, there was a ranger that lived in there. He was to watch for fires. He also had to stop poachers. He had a son, if I remember right. Sometimes they came into town for supplies. I think that they left after the meteor landed. I’ve never seen them since. That was about the same time that the army took over the area.”
“We were on holidays when the meteor landed.” said Tommy.”
“It was only a small one, they say, but the sound it made shook the whole town. Everything lit up so bright you’d have thought it was noon.
I’ll never forget that night.” Mrs. Pearson said.
Tommy’s friends had told him all about the meteor when he got back. They told him that it sounded like a bomb. Police and fire trucks came from all around. Everyone was afraid. Some people tried to go down and see it later that night, but the police had it all blocked off and posted. Some newspaper men took pictures of it, before they got booted out. The army goes in and out now, but nobody else is allowed in except teams of scientists. Those men with guns certainly didn’t look like scientists to him.
Mrs. Pearson broke into his thoughts. “If you’re finished with your milk and cookies, young man, I have to get my hair done and I have some errands to take care of. Don’t forget to come back next week.”
“I won’t, Mrs. Pearson, see you.”
Tommy headed over to the school to meet anybody that showed up after his mom bought him new shoes for Sunday School. Sammy was there already tossing his basketball into the net.
Chapter 3
“Hi Tommy,” he called. “Did you get your new shoes?”
“No, mom changed her mind. She says the old ones will do until I grow out of them if I polish them good enough.” answered Tommy.
“Did you find out anything from Mrs. Pearson?” Sammy asked again.
“Not much. I found out that there used to be a ranger station in there. A forest ranger used to live there with his son. They moved away after the meteor landed.”
“How about you. Did you learn anything?”
“I found out a few things.” said Sammy. “I found out that a helicopter flies over the woods every Tuesday. Mr. Johnson watches it because it comes before sunset. As he is closing up his store, he likes to watch the sunset for a while, and that’s how he saw it. He thinks that it’s strange because it drops out of sight for about fifteen minutes. Then it appears again when it rises up above the tree line and takes off towards the east.
Gary and James sprinted towards them, they were jostling each other and playfully pushing each other out of the way. Sammy and Tommy told them what they’d found out.
“Wow,” said Eddy, who had got there in time to hear everyone’s news. “My mother’s gardener, Jim, told me that he heard that a lot of strange things had been seen and heard in those woods since the meteor landed. He said that sometimes it’s better not to know what’s going on.”
“You didn’t tell him about us?” The boys all yelled.
“Of course not,” said Eddy. “I’m not a fink. We made a pact, remember?”
Gary said. “I talked to Mrs. Reed, at the library. She told me that they put a sign in the woods for people to keep out.
“We already knew that!” said James. He sounded disgusted.
Gary ignored him and went on. “When people asked why. The police said that we had to stay out because there was a scientific experiment being conducted, and it was important to obey the signs, and dangerous not to.”
“I wonder what the army is doing. I wonder what they’re bringing in and out to the trucks?” said Tommy. “Keep asking your uncle about the woods, James. Try to get him to tell you about any weird things he’s heard about.”
“Yeah,” said James. “He said I could come over and help him clean his garage and he’d pay me. I can ask him stuff then.
“Gary, can you talk to Mrs. Reed again? Maybe she knows something else.”
“I can hang around Mr. Johnson’s store a while. He won’t mind. He lets me dust his shelves sometimes after school, so he won’t think that anything’s funny.” said Sammy.
“Good,” said Tommy. “Tomorrow we’re going to the matinee. Let’s meet here and go together. We can’t do any more tonight. One thing is for sure. I’m not going into those woods again until we know what’s going on.”
“Me either.” said all of the guys.
Chapter 4
The next morning, Tommy came downstairs to the kitchen. Every weekday morning everyone was in a hurry to get out. Every Sunday morning they got ready for church. Tommy loved Sunday School, but they had to hurry that day too. Saturday was Tommy’s favourite day. His mother had made a big breakfast. Every Saturday Tommy, his mother, and his father ate together. There was a steaming bowl of porridge at each place. There was butter to dab in the middle of it, and dark brown sugar to sprinkle on top. He took the pitcher of milk and carefully poured just the right amount on.
There would be bacon and eggs, toast, and fried potatoes to eat after.
His mom and dad would stay at the table for a long time, in their pajamas. They would talk, drink lots of coffee, laugh, and read things to each other out of the paper. The radio would be on, with news and music. No-one was in a hurry. Tommy loved Saturdays.
After breakfast his mom and dad would go shopping. Today he would be allowed to stay home by himself as long as he cleaned up his room and took Sparky for a long walk.
“Are you sure that you don’t want to come with us?” Dad asked.
“No way, answered Tommy. He imagined trailing after mom while she was looking at goopy things, or sitting in the car with dad, waiting for her to come out of a store. Sometimes they went to the diner. When they did he was allowed to have a butterscotch sundae with whipped cream, nuts and a cherry on top. He liked to do that, but today he’d rather hang out with the guys.
Tommy went upstairs to go to his room. When he was almost at the top landing he held on to the rail. He knew what was coming. The big white dog would have sat at the screen door whining as he watched his mom and dad drive away. Then he would come bounding up after Tommy. He did it every time. Sure enough, here he was, like a freight train. He bumped into Tommy and almost knocked him down.
“Darn
