Invisible! (3 page)

‘I don't want yours, I want the gipsy's.'

‘You're chicken, Kippax. Go peck some corn.'

‘I
told
you to …'

‘Make me.' The boy raised his fists. ‘Come on, chicken. Show us how hard you are.'

‘Ah!' The bully shook his head and turned away. ‘You're not worth it, Bunny. Trust you to stick up for a gipsy.' He glanced at Rosie. ‘I'll see you later, kid.' He strolled away.

‘What a nasty boy,' murmured Rosie, gazing after him.

The other boy nodded. ‘I can't stand him. Made my life a misery when I started here.'

‘How?'

‘Oh, it was my name. He was forever making fun of my name. Wouldn't leave it alone.'

‘Why – what
is
your name?'

The boy smiled sadly. ‘You won't believe me if I tell you.'

‘Try me.'

‘It's Peter Rabbit.'

Rosie giggled. ‘It
isn't
.'

‘Told you you wouldn't believe me, but it
is
.' He pulled a face. ‘Mum's sense of humour. Marries a guy called Rabbit, calls her kid Peter. I'll have my revenge someday.' He looked at Rosie. ‘
Are
you a gipsy?'

She smiled. ‘Not exactly. Mum and Dad are what's called New Age travellers.'

‘Ah.' Peter nodded. ‘I've heard of them. Whose class are you in?'

‘Miss Blackwell's.'

‘Hey – me too.'

‘Haven't seen you.'

‘No, I've been off all week. Flu. You must've started Monday.'

‘Yes, I did.'

‘Where were you before?'

‘Place called Pilgrim. It's near Glastonbury.'

The boy whistled. ‘That's a long way off. So you lost all your friends?'

‘Yes, but I'm used to that. I've got friends here now.'

‘Who?'

‘The twins, Carrie and Conrad Waugh.'

‘Oh, right. They're OK.' He grinned. ‘And now you've got me.'

Rosie nodded. ‘Yes. Thanks for rescuing me, Peter. D'you want to join my gang?'

‘You have a
gang
?'

‘Well, it's just the twins and me at the moment. The Inchlake Invisibles, we call ourselves.'

‘Why
Invisibles
?'

Rosie chuckled. ‘You'll find out, if you're not doing much tomorrow night.'

Peter was about to pursue the matter when the nine o'clock buzzer went. He shrugged and followed the thin brown girl into school.

Teatime Friday. The phone rang in the Waugh home. Mrs Waugh picked up, listened, then cupped the mouthpiece. ‘Carrie!'

‘Yes, Mum?' Carrie was upstairs, swapping her uniform for jeans and a T-shirt.

‘Telephone. It's Charlotte.'

‘Coming.'

‘Hi, Charlotte.' Charlotte Webb was Carrie's best friend. They were both ten, but Charlotte was a Catholic and attended a different school.

‘Hi, Carrie. Are you doing anything special tomorrow?'

Carrie chuckled. ‘Funny you should say that.'

‘What d'you mean?'

‘Oh … nothing. D'you want to meet?'

‘I thought we might check out Sizzlers. See who turns up.' Sizzlers was Inchlake's only burger joint. A lot of kids went there Saturdays.

‘Fine. I've nothing on till evening.' A stray thought entered her head, making her giggle.
I'll have even less on then.

‘What's funny?'

‘Nothing. I'm in a daft mood, that's all. Take no notice.'

‘So what time?'

‘Oh … half ten?'

‘Great. I'll see you then.'

‘Sure will. ‘Bye Charlotte.'

‘'Bye, Carrie.'

Carrie went upstairs and knocked on Conrad's door. He was on the computer as usual.

‘What?'

‘Can I come in?'

‘I suppose.'

She sat on the bed. ‘Charlotte just phoned.'

‘So?'

‘We're meeting in the morning. Sizzlers. I wondered if I should tell her about … you know?'

Her twin shook his head. ‘No. It's Rosie's thing, isn't it? She might not be too pleased if we blab to a complete stranger.'

‘Charlotte's not a stranger.'

‘She is to Rosie, you clown.'

‘Yes, but…'

Conrad sighed. ‘What's the use of asking me, then arguing? Tell her if you want. She won't believe you anyway. She'll think you're out of your tree.'

‘I think I will. I might even ask her to meet us up at the Ring.'

‘Suit yourself. I might not be there anyway.'

‘You've got to come, Con. You promised.'

‘No I didn't. The word promise was never spoken. Anyway I'm still thinking about it.'

‘If you don't come, I'll never speak to you again.'

Her brother smiled. ‘That settles it then … I
won't
come.'

‘Pig!'

After tea Carrie lay on her own bed, thinking.
It's funny. When Rosie's there, invisibility sounds perfectly reasonable but afterwards – now, for instance – it somehow doesn't seem real. Did it
actually happen or was it an illusion, like the Indian rope-trick? After all, thousands of people have watched a man climb the rope – a rope attached to nothing – then vanish into thin air, but we know it doesn't actually happen. It's a shared illusion.

She thought about it till twilight thickened into darkness and she heard Conrad go down for his bedtime drink, but she reached no conclusion. All she knew was that whatever happened, she'd be at Inchlake Ring this time tomorrow. If invisibility was an illusion it was a good one, well worth seeing again.

It was raining on Saturday morning and Sizzlers was busy. Carrie paused in the doorway, flipped back the hood of her jacket and peered around. Every table was taken. She was about to leave when she noticed somebody waving. It was Charlotte, who must have arrived early and bagged a corner table. Carrie waved back and made her way across, mopping her face with a tissue. Charlotte had spread her stuff on the three vacant seats to discourage others. She cleared one and Carrie sat down. ‘Thanks. Rotten morning.' She balled up the sodden tissue and dropped it in the ashtray.

‘Yes. I thought we'd check out the park later but it's not fit.'

‘Never mind, there's always the mall.'

‘True. I want to see if Our Price has the new Split le Beau poster.'

‘Oooh,
don't
.' Carrie rolled her eyes. ‘You'd think they would have, wouldn't you, seeing he was
born
here?'

‘Hmmm. Wish he lived here now, next door to us.'

‘Fat chance – about as much chance as winning the lottery.'

‘I
know.
Who'd live in Inchlake if they had a choice? Nothing ever happens.'

Carrie giggled. ‘Something might.'

‘How d'you mean?'

‘I'm into something, Charlotte. Something amazing.'

‘What sort of something?'

Carrie pulled a face. ‘You're going to think I'm crazy when I tell you.'

‘No I'm not. Go on.'

‘OK, listen.' Carrie told her friend about Rosie, and about what she and Conrad had witnessed on the school playing field on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons. ‘So,' she
concluded, ‘we're meeting up at Inchlake Ring at half six tonight to see what it's like when we take our clothes off and become completely invisible. What d'you think?'

Charlotte toyed with her straw. ‘Do you … do you believe it, Carrie? D'you think you really did vanish, or did this Rosie character play some sort of trick?'

Carrie shrugged. ‘I don't know, Charlotte. I keep telling myself it's impossible, but I
saw
it. I saw Rosie's empty uniform, and Con's. I don't know how anyone could fool me about that.'

‘Hmmm. And you're inviting me along?'

‘Yes, will you come?'

‘I suppose so.' Charlotte chuckled. ‘I'm always moaning on about boredom, and this doesn't sound boring, even if it turns out to be nothing but a great big wind-up.'

‘It's no wind-up,' said Carrie, tilting her empty can. ‘Shall we have another?'

The stones of Inchlake Ring bit into an orange sky as Charlotte and the twins climbed the grassy hill. They'd left their watches at home, but it was probably about six fifteen. Below and behind them, the village lay submerged already in shadow though the sun still shone up here. For two hundred years the footpath they trod had conducted sightseers to the ancient hilltop monument, and for centuries before that, local people had climbed the hill to enjoy the view, to picnic or to be alone with their lovers. This evening though, the children had it all to themselves.

Rosie was there when they reached the top,
sitting with her back against one of the great stones. Peter Rabbit was standing on the so-called altar stone which lay at the centre of the circle, watching the sun go down. Carrie was surprised to find him here.

‘I didn't know you were bringing somebody else, Rosie.'

‘I didn't know
you
were. Who's this?'

‘My friend Charlotte. Charlotte, meet Rosie.'

‘Hi, Rosie. Hope you don't mind me coming?'

‘'Course not.' Rosie looked at Carrie. ‘Peter rescued me from Lee Kippax. I owed him one, so I invited him. Do you have a problem with that?'

‘No-o.' Carrie pulled a face. ‘It's just … you know. Getting undressed and that. Feels awkward.'

Rosie stood up, grinning. ‘I
told
you – you'll get used to that in no time. Shall we make a start?'

‘What do we do?'

‘Same as the fairy ring. Stand inside the circle and walk backwards all the way round. It's a lot easier because there's so much room. You're not going to break the circle unless you're a total wuss, and we can all do it at the same time.'

‘Do we take our stuff off first?'

Rosie shrugged. ‘Makes no odds but I do it after, just in case someone's watching. Come on.'

Rosie and the twins got in line. Charlotte and Peter hung back. Rosie looked at them. ‘What's up?'

Peter shook his head. ‘You've all seen this done. I haven't. Mind if I watch first?'

Charlotte nodded. ‘Same here. I'd like to see you do it before I have a go.'

Rosie nodded. ‘Fine. Here we go then.'

Gasps of astonishment rose from the two watchers as the trio completed the circle and vanished.

Charlotte glanced at Peter. ‘I see clothes. Just clothes. Do you?'

‘Y … yeah. I didn't believe, you know?'

‘Jesus, Mary and Joseph, nor did
I.
I don't know whether to stand or run away.'

‘Don't run.' Rosie's voice, with a laugh in it. ‘There's nothing to be scared of. We're still here. We'll take our stuff off now, put it in the hole.'

‘What hole?' The voice of Conrad.

‘This one over here.' The two children watched as three sets of T-shirts, jeans and trainers walked in line to where a large rectangular recess gaped at the base of a standing
stone. Here, the outfits stood in a semicircle and were stripped from invisible bodies, crumpling to shapeless bundles which unseen hands thrust into the recess. Now Charlotte and Peter would have thought themselves alone, if …