Defective Read Online Free Page A

with the stars in
space." Narrow looked up into the sky. "You've seen a shooting
star, right? That's a meteor."
    He explained that
whatever the cause, the ground had heaved so badly that it split
apart many mountains, shooting boulders in every direction.
    "I'm pretty sure
that's how Honey Hill got to look the way it does," he said. "I'll
show you when we get a little closer."
    The Constable
steered Josephine along the route that hugged Spoon Valley rather
than go through Battery and risk the Landlord seeing the
children.
    "This is Spoon
Valley — "
    "Is it true that
it's shaped like a soup spoon?" Narrow called from the back of the
cart. "Pa told us that."
    "He was
right."
    They stopped on
the road and ate a cold supper after which Bull, Forest and Jones
clambered into the wagon with the rest of their brothers and
sisters. All the children were now asleep, crammed up against one
another in the small cart; he took the blanket from under his seat
and laid it across the younger ones.
    The evening was
clear and bright with stars. In the woods along the roadsides the
Constable caught a glimpse of glow moss. He didn't see it much
anymore but every now and then a patch would pop up. It looked like
ordinary water moss during the day, the kind some farmers used to
retain moisture in the soil, but at night it would glow, a bright
white light at first that would fade as the night progressed. He
noticed that the glow was beginning to fade and urged Josephine
onward.
    "Just make it to
the cabin, Josie. It's just a little further," he said quietly.
    He had planned on
breaking the trip into three legs but Forest had told him that the
weather would turn sharply colder overnight. PC Pierre decided it
was best to get as close to the farm as possible tonight. Josephine
didn't do well in the cold.
    It was morning but
still dark and the north wind had picked up when he steered
Josephine into the yard at the cabin. He woke up Porkchop.
    "I'm sorry,
there's not much room. I'll sleep in the shed with Josephine. You
take the cabin. We'll get to the farm tomorrow."
    Porkchop woke her
siblings and they shuffled inside. It was smaller than any building
they'd ever been in; even the orchard shed was bigger. Porkchop
insisted that they all eat, after which the Constable left to bed
down with Josephine in the shed. The cabin had only one bed, which
Porkchop gave to Titania, Santa and Mixer. The rest of them slept
on straw mats on the floor. Porkchop took a spot close to the
fireplace and kept it smouldering for warmth through the night.
    They all slept in,
except for Josephine who'd been awake for hours, pacing around her
stall, looking at the sleeping Constable, then out the window, then
back at him. Finally, she'd had enough, walked over to him and
flapped her lips in his ear; he woke with a start, his hand rising
automatically to wipe off the spit.
    It was cold and
they could see their breath as they started on the final leg of
their journey. Josephine was tired and annoyed at the cold and
slowed her already slow pace.
    Eventually the
road turned a corner and, in the distance, Honey Hill came into
view.
    "Is that it?"
asked Narrow, pointing. Porkchop had chosen to walk that morning
beside the cart and Narrow had hopped into her empty spot.
    The Constable
nodded. "Yep. That's Honey Hill. Now, the interesting thing about
the hill is — "
    "How come it's
called Honey Hill? Are there bees?"
    "Honeysuckle. But
yes, there's plenty of bees."
    Narrow expected
the Constable to continue but when he didn't he prompted him.
"So...?"
    "Oh so...why Honey
Hill looks that way? See how there's a flat part on the left?
That's the plateau." The Constable put the reins between his knees
and gestured with both hands. "And then the cliff top? You can
climb that but it's pretty steep. That's not natural. A boulder
smashed into it. Took out the whole side."
    "How do you
know?"
    "Remember what I
told you yesterday about the explosion? It rocked the ground so
badly that things