The TV Time Travellers Read online

  ‘So do I,’ I said. ‘That’s why I was wondering if I could stay on and watch this moment of history too.’

  ‘Well, I don’t see why not,’ said Farmer Benson, ‘only you’d be here as my guest.’

  I nodded eagerly.

  ‘I’ll have to check with your father first, of course.’

  ‘Oh, he’s still away in Paris and my Aunt Sara won’t mind at all. In fact, she’ll be delighted.’

  Farmer Benson looked a bit surprised at this and said gently, ‘I think you might be surprised at how much your Aunt Sara has missed you.’

  ‘No, I won’t,’ I said firmly, ‘because it’s not at all; just as I haven’t missed her at all either.’

  Farmer Benson frowned, and then said, ‘Well, if your family agree, you can certainly stay on tomorrow. Anyway, I know Victor would be disappointed if you weren’t here.’

  I went on, ‘Actually, if it’s all right with you, what I’d really like is to stay on here’ – and I really had meant to say ‘a few more days’, but I got so excited I cried out – ‘a few more years.’ Then, as Farmer Benson looked totally stunned, I added hastily, ‘Of course you haven’t got to adopt me or anything. No, I’ll just live here as Victor did before, as an evacuee. A new evacuee is what I’ll call myself. And don’t worry – I’ll work so hard for you . . .’ Then, as Farmer Benson was still gazing at me in a very shocked kind of way I got up. ‘Of course you’ll want to have a word with Mrs Benson about this. So I’ll go and have a look at the pigs for five minutes – will it be all right if I come into the farmhouse for your decision then?’ And as even then he didn’t answer, I said, ‘So that’s what I’ll do then. See you in five minutes. Cheerio for now.’

  ‘Now just wait a moment here,’ cried Farmer Benson, finding his voice at last. ‘We’ve suddenly started travelling along at two hundred miles an hour. One moment you’re asking if you can stay on here for an extra day, and the next you’re saying you want to live here for a few more years.’ He stood up suddenly and I thought for one awful moment he was going to walk off. But instead he rubbed his hands together. ‘What a day this has been . . . what a day.’ Then he turned to me. ‘A horrible thing happened to you tonight. Right out of the blue you heard you were going to be evicted – for nothing. So you’re feeling a bit unsettled, but in the morning after a good night’s sleep you’ll see things differently.’

  ‘Excuse me contradicting you, but I’ve been planning to live here with you for days actually. And I was just trying to pick the right moment to inform you.’

  ‘Well, I’m very glad you finally did,’ said Farmer Benson. ‘And you’ve paid my wife and me a huge compliment tonight. But there are a few things I need to ask you first.’

  ‘I understand,’ I said. ‘You want to know if I can earn my keep.’

  He laughed suddenly. ‘You’re a funny lad,’ he said.

  ‘Everyone says that,’ I agreed.

  ‘But you’re a very good lad too and it’s been a pleasure having you about the place.’

  ‘Has it really?’ I said eagerly. ‘I’m so very glad about that.’

  Farmer Benson laughed again, but he looked kind of sad too. And then he asked me tons of questions about me and my family. I’d told him little bits before in all the chats we’d had together, but now I could feel him really listening to me.

  And at the end I said, ‘Well, you know far more about me than your grandad did about Victor and Dennis when they arrived here.’

  ‘That’s true enough,’ he said. ‘In fact, the evacuees stood in a line and local people just picked the ones they liked the look of. That’s how Victor and Dennis ended up here. Times have changed a bit since then though.’ He got up. ‘Now let me think about all this – but don’t worry, Zac, I’ll look after you.’

  That made me feel so full of hope.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  A Final Shock

  Izzy

  I MUST HAVE slept for about five seconds that night as Harriet and I sat up talking for hours and hours. I’d been a little bit wary of her at first. Well, just when I thought I knew all about Harriet, she’d gone and turned herself into someone quite different. But we quickly got on and she kept apologizing for the things she’d done to wind me up

  Harriet said, ‘Wally kept whispering to me: “Strictly Evacuees don’t think you’re being annoying enough.” And it was quite hard thinking up new things. That’s why I pretended you snored.’

  ‘I was really upset about that.’

  ‘I know. Sorry.’

  ‘I’ll forgive you, if you just say it one more time; the most irritating sentence in the history of the entire world.’

  Harriet laughed and then yelled, ‘It’s all good, babe, all good.’

  In the morning Mrs Benson prepared us a superb breakfast; she broke egg after egg into the frying pan (we all had to eat at least two each), tomatoes, and then bacon, sausages, beans . . . I’d never in my life enjoyed eating more. To have food which had some flavour again seemed like an incredible treat. But I couldn’t eat as much as I wanted. I’m sure my stomach had shrunk while I was being an evacuee. Then this car pulled up to take us to the station. Only Zac wasn’t coming with us. Farmer Benson said Zac was staying behind to meet Victor again.

  But when we asked Zac for his address and phone number, he said, ‘Just contact the farm. I’ll still be here . . . but don’t say anything. It’s a secret for now.’

  ‘You’re really going to stay on here,’ I said. And Zac nodded, grinning from ear to ear.

  ‘What do you think?’ I asked Leo a bit later.

  ‘It’s what he really wants,’ said Leo. ‘And as he fits in here better than at his aunt’s house, why not?’

  When the taxi pulled away I felt a huge lump in my throat as I said goodbye – not to just Farmer and Mrs Benson (and I’d got to really like her) and poor little Zac, but to all my dreams of fame, money and a dream holiday too. Coming here had been the biggest adventure of my life. Yet now I felt as if I’d achieved exactly nothing. Mum and I were, in fact, exactly where we were before.

  And I felt a bit cheated that I hadn’t seen the evacuee adventure through. I’d like to have found out what the very special group challenge Wally had mentioned was going to be. And although I’d hated being bossed about and all the endless chores, I’d really liked testing myself – and sharing it all with such great friends.

  Now everything was over.

  A woman from Strictly Evacuees came with us on the train. She was the one we’d seen yesterday when Harriet was supposed to leave. When I asked her about our mobiles she just gazed at us stonily and said they had been handed over to our families. She wasn’t in the least bit friendly.

  Later, Harriet, Leo and I all fell asleep. I didn’t wake up until the train pulled into Paddington station. And all I could think of was my mum. I couldn’t wait to see her again.

  Next I remember stumbling off the train, still a bit bleary-eyed from being asleep. And then Harriet suddenly calling out, ‘Look!’

  And there waiting for us weren’t just our families – no, the whole place was crammed and roaring with reporters and other people yelling out stuff, and flashbulbs exploding while we raced towards our families.

  Mum hugged me hard, and then she showed me the front page of one of the newspapers. Plastered across was a picture of us evacuees with the headline:

  CHILDREN STOP REALITY SHOW. TELEVISION HISTORY WAS MADE LAST NIGHT WHEN A GROUP OF CHILDREN DEFIED A REALITY SHOW TO STAND UP FOR THEIR FRIEND.

  ‘But how . . .?’ I burst out excitedly. ‘I mean, Strictly Evacuees didn’t broadcast any of this on the show.’

  ‘Ah yes, but enough people had already watched it live on their computers,’ said Mum.

  ‘Oh, I’d forgotten about that,’ I cried.

  ‘And then there have been so many discussions on the internet about it ever since,’ went on Mum.

  ‘People have been discussing us?’ I whispered incredulously.

 
; I couldn’t believe it. I’d thought it was all over. But no, my mad roller-coaster ride was still going on. And now I’d ended up at Paddington station, surrounded by the press and people shrieking, ‘Well done!’ and ‘Congratulations!’ at me. And then Mum was telling me how someone from the BBC was here to whisk us off to the studios, as we were all going to appear on the news.

  ‘Whoa, this can’t be real,’ I cried. ‘This is mad, amazing. It must be another trick from Strictly Evacuees.’ But then I saw the woman from Strictly Evacuees slink past us, hissing anxiously into a mobile. Leo called over to me, ‘The world has gone crazy, as my mum’s just said I’ve done something right. In fact, she says we’re kind of heroes. And if that doesn’t make you laugh for a week, nothing will.’ He punched the air. ‘Come on!’ he cried. ‘Come on!’ I grinned at him, but I couldn’t speak. It was all just overwhelming.

  Then Harriet tried to introduce me to her boyfriend: a tall, blond-haired guy in a leather jacket called Jeremy. But there was only time to say ‘Hi’ as I was half running to the BBC cars now, with Mum’s arm firmly round me. And then there was another surprise – a brilliant one. Waiting by the cars were Barney and Solly. I hugged both of them madly.

  ‘Are you coming to the studio too?’ I asked.

  ‘We couldn’t miss out on this,’ said Barney. ‘And trust you to have all the fun after we’d gone. Then Solly whispered in my ear, ‘I was cheering you on yesterday. You’re mint.’ And as we dived into the cars Barney asked suddenly, ‘Where’s Zac?’

  I explained about him staying on – and then wondered, was something incredible about to happen to him too? Was his dream of living permanently on that farm about to come true?

  I so hoped it was.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  Another Reunion

  Zac

  I WAS WAITING so impatiently for Victor.

  A huge table of food had been prepared in his honour. No wartime rationings either. I was allowed to sample the cake. And it seemed so long since I’d tasted chocolate cake, I had to try a second piece as well. Mrs Benson was sure Victor wouldn’t mind.

  I stared at the huge banner which said: WELCOME HOME VICTOR. How incredible to return home after more than sixty years!

  The farm itself seemed very quiet. I was surprised how much I missed the other evacuees, especially Leo. ‘Whenever I want to do Number Two in the night,’ he’d said to me, ‘I’ll think of you.’ I would definitely invite him to come and visit. And he could have all his holidays here on the farm. My farm.

  Then I heard a taxi draw up. ‘Is that Victor?’ I asked.

  Farmer Benson looked out of the window. He seemed surprisingly anxious. He gave me a tense smile. ‘You go and be the greeter.’ I think Farmer Benson had suddenly gone rather shy. Who’d have thought it?

  ‘Of course I will,’ I said. ‘And don’t worry, everything will be great. Well, you know how easy Victor is to get along with.’

  I tore outside. I thought Victor would be pleased I was still in my evacuee clothes. He’d say— Then I froze in horror. I couldn’t believe it. It wasn’t Victor getting out of that car – it was my dad.

  And in a flash I saw all my dreams just rush away. I couldn’t really escape my old life, could I? Farmer Benson had just been humouring me, no doubt saying, ‘I’ll tell the boy anything until his dad takes him off our hands.’

  And now I was being sent back to the same miserable existence as before.

  ‘What are you doing here? You should be in Paris?’ I shouted crossly at my dad. I’m not normally so rude, but right then I felt all tight and hollow inside.

  ‘I never went to Paris in the end,’ said Dad. ‘Been a bit under the weather actually.’ He gave a nervous smile. ‘You’ve got some colour in your cheeks at last.’ But Dad looked terrible, even worse than before. His face was a deathly pale colour now. Even his hair had gone very wispy and thin. I didn’t like seeing him so ill. It worried me. But he’d totally abandoned me, so he wasn’t my responsibility any more. I was totally unconnected from him now.

  But still he’d come to take me back to Aunt Sara’s, like some miserable gaoler. Anger and pain were swamping me now; that’s why I suddenly sped away from him and ran upstairs to what I’d really believed would be my bedroom for years and years. Then I buried my face in the pillow. I didn’t want to see him or anyone ever again. I just wanted to hide away here, totally on my own.

  But, of course, that didn’t happen. First the Bensons came in, very softly as if I was an invalid or something.

  ‘Zac,’ called Farmer Benson. ‘How are you doing, lad?’ Same warm friendly voice as before. But I pretended I couldn’t hear him. He’d betrayed me – that’s what it felt like.

  Then I heard Dad’s voice and Mrs Benson saying to him, ‘I expect you’d like a cup of tea after your long journey.’

  ‘That would be super,’ replied my dad. Then he added, ‘Could you leave Zac and me on our own for a moment, please?’

  ‘Of course, of course,’ said Farmer Benson. Then he added, ‘Been such a hard worker on the farm – best worker I’ve ever had, in fact.’

  ‘I know,’ said Dad. ‘I’ve been watching him, especially with his favourites: the pigs.’

  ‘Oh, yes, he loves the pigs,’ said Farmer Benson, ‘and they’ve taken quite a shine to him too – well, I’ll leave you now.’

  I was so astonished at what I’d just heard Dad say that I sat up. ‘You’ve been watching Strictly Evacuees?’ I said incredulously.

  ‘Practically the whole time, on my computer,’ said Dad.

  ‘Funny,’ I said. ‘I never thought of you having any time to watch me.’

  I’d meant because he was supposed to be at meetings in Paris, but Dad’s face twisted with pain at my last comment. Then he said, ‘If you want to stay on here for a few days, well, the Bensons would love to have you. They told me that.’

  ‘And you don’t mind?’

  He didn’t answer at first, then said in a strange, low voice, ‘Of course I mind, but if that’s what you want . . .’

  For days I’d been certain it was. Now I wasn’t quite so sure. But I said loudly, as if to quieten my doubts, ‘Yes, it is.’

  He moved towards the door. I thought he was going to leave. I wanted him to – and yet I didn’t.

  ‘Zac,’ he said suddenly, almost yelling my name as if I was already a long, long way from him. Then he sat down on the edge of the bed. ‘When I lost your mother—’

  ‘When we lost her,’ I shouted. ‘When we lost her.’ The anger in my voice tore around the room. ‘I lost her too, you know.’

  He looked really shocked. ‘I know,’ he said at last.

  ‘Well, it’s the first time you’ve mentioned it,’ I said accusingly. ‘And I miss her every hour of every day. I look for her sometimes too, you know, as I still think she’s going to come back, and I want her to come home so much.’ I swallowed a lump in my throat. ‘I so want to tell her about Leo and Barney and Izzy and Harriet; I know she’d like them, especially Leo. And I want her to meet them too. I want that so much. But it can never, ever happen now.’ Tears fell from my eyes and Dad jumped up to comfort me. But I immediately sprang away from him and curled myself into a ball. ‘I want you to go away now,’ I mumbled.

  But he didn’t leave. Instead, he just sat down again.

  Half to myself I muttered, ‘I’ve been so sad and unhappy and you didn’t even notice, because you don’t care. You just abandoned me.’

  ‘That’s not true,’ he whispered.

  ‘Yes, it is,’ I murmured.

  He paused and said quietly, ‘Zac, when we’ – he emphasized the word ‘we’ now – ‘lost your mum, I couldn’t face anything. It just overwhelmed me. And when I thought about life without her . . . this dead, empty feeling just seemed to sink into me.’

  I sat up. It was very hard to see Dad because my eyes were so blurred, but I choked out hoarsely, ‘That’s exactly what happened to me too. Exactly.’

  Dad
reached out and took my hand. I’d meant to pull away from him, but somehow I didn’t. He went on, ‘I know I threw myself back into work far too much. But it was all I could cope with somehow. I could lose myself in that.’

  ‘I suppose,’ I said, ‘it’s a bit like me and the Second World War. I like it so much because it helps me forget about everything else.’ Then I added, ‘Victor said I got so interested in the past because I wanted to escape from the present. Is that what you were doing too?’

  ‘Yes, that’s exactly what I was doing, Zac. But I really had no idea you were so unhappy at your Aunt Sara’s.’

  ‘Well, you should have done,’ I cried, very angry again for a moment and nearly – but not quite – pulling my hand away from him.

  ‘I know that, and I’m very, very sorry; but for a while there, the pain just seemed to swallow me up. And I couldn’t see anything else.’

  There was a silence for a moment before I cried eagerly, ‘You know what you need now, Dad? A holiday. So why not have one here? I know Farmer and Mrs Benson wouldn’t mind and, well, it could be really good.’

  ‘That’s an inspired idea, Zac.’

  ‘And after the holiday, Dad,’ I went on, ‘we can go back to . . . Mum would want us to go home again, wouldn’t she?’

  Dad looked right at me. ‘And we will, Zac. We will.’ Then he pulled me into a hug which practically crushed me.

  We went on holding onto each other until Mr Benson called up to us.

  Dad and I went to the top of the stairs.

  ‘Sorry to interrupt,’ called up Mr Benson. ‘But I just thought you’d like to know that your friends are on the television at this very moment.’

  ‘Oh, excellent!’ I cried.

  Dad and I raced downstairs and into the living room. The last time I’d been in here we’d been sitting around having a Second World War family night. The room didn’t look all that different, although there was now a large television in the corner. Farmer and Mrs Benson were standing and watching it with rapt attention. We stood alongside them.