The TV Time Travellers Read Online Free Page B

of lightning which lit up the whole cream-coloured stone farmhouse for a moment.
    A man came and stood in front of us: huge and rather forbidding, holding a walkie-talkie. Surely this wasn’t the farmer. I just couldn’t imagine him living here. But Miss Weed told us he was a
Strictly Evacuees
security man. There would be someone on guard outside the farm at all times.
    Then a man under an umbrella came sloshing towards us. He had some other umbrellas under his arm and he handed them round as if they were lollipops. He was wearing a flat cloth cap, and had a gas-mask box over his shoulder, which all added to the wartime authenticity. He cried, ‘What a night! I want you to know you’re very welcome indeed. Now tell me who you all are.’
    He listened to each of our names with a kind of astonished delight. He was small and thin, with a slight Welsh accent. He seemed more like an enthusiastic salesman than a farmer, really.
    ‘I’m Farmer Benson.’ Before he could say another word, a pig came grunting and squealing towards him. ‘Oh, I thought you’d have to see what was going on,’ he said, picking the pig up. The pig settled in his arms as he went on, ‘This is quite a small farm, but it is a proper working one and I’m rather proud of it. I’m biased, though. You see, I was born on this farm and my late father before me and my grandfather before him . . . and in my grandad’s time we had evacuees here.’
    ‘Oh, how brilliant!’ I cried.
    ‘Brilliant indeed,’ he repeated, smiling at my enthusiasm. ‘My grandad took in two boys and they became just like part of the family. Good lads they were, and we’ve still got pictures of them. Now I’ve got something very exciting to tell you about them—’
    But he was interrupted by a voice calling, ‘Are you staying out there all night?’
    Farmer Benson gave an embarrassed smile. ‘Of course, you don’t want to listen to me rattling on. Just wanted you to know we’ve had evacuees before – and we’re delighted to welcome you to your time warp.’
    ‘Yes, but what’s the exciting thing about your first evacuees?’ I asked.
    Farmer Benson grinned. ‘I think I’ll save that as a surprise for later.’
    ‘Yes, do that,’ said Mr Wallack, who had an impatient frown on his face.
    Farmer Benson put the pig down. ‘Off you go, nosy,’ he said and the pig went trotting off. The farmer then led us through a big oak door. A woman’s voice yelled out, ‘All shoes on the mat, if you’d be so kind.’ And everyone, even Mr Wallack and Miss Weed, obeyed.
    Mrs Benson was a small, rather breathless woman who seemed to be constantly on the move. She bustled us into the kitchen, which was enormous. There was a coal fire burning and a long wooden table with cakes and biscuits on it. We all pounced on those.
    It was then that I felt this fizzy, excited feeling in my stomach, as if I’d swallowed about a thousand bubbles all at once. I wanted to jump and yell with sheer happiness. Every moment I’d been at Aunt Sara’s I’d felt like a guest. No, not even that, a big nuisance who Aunt Sara had to reluctantly put up with.
    But from the start, this felt completely different. And I knew I’d found somewhere I truly belonged.

CHAPTER SIX
    ‘I Need to Perform Number Two’
    Izzy
    WE WERE IN the Bensons’ kitchen, stuffing our faces with delicious buttery scones, when Leo nudged me. He pointed up at the corner of the ceiling
.
    ‘What?’ I said
.
    ‘There’s a camera up there.’
    I squinted up my eyes. ‘So there is.’
    Leo said, ‘At this moment there’s a guy at the control centre watching us, thinking
, Shall we put these two idiots on the telly?’
    ‘Just so long as he gets my best side,’ I grinned. But it was so weird to think of my mum and my friends being able to watch my every move. In fact, I still couldn’t quite believe it. Nothing seemed quite real about these past few hours. Most of which I’d hated
.
    Yet oddly enough, I was