CHINESE WHISPERS
Sue Welfare
Published by Sue Welfare at Smashwords
Copyright 2011 Sue Welfare
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
CHINESE WHISPERS
Rodney Chilvers had settled himself down in the shadows of dusty summer trees just beyond the fringes of the rubbish dump. To his left, droplets of urine clung like glittering jewels to the coarse hairs on the leaves of the nettles. He'd managed to hit the tallest one, several feet away, without moving from his lair. It gave him a tremendous sense of achievement.
An ant was making a scurried frenetic progress across the fish-belly white plain of his thigh. He slapped it dead, cursing his mother for insisting that he wear shorts. No one else in his year wore shorts to school. Scratching speculatively at his crotch he wondered whether perhaps an ant had already made it up there undetected.
Hearing voices from beyond the scrub of contorted trees, he pushed himself back into deep cover. Richard Haylett and David Burns had said at school that they were going to bring their air rifle down to the dump to shoot rats. He pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. They'd have to let him have a go. He knew they weren't allowed to bring the gun out on their own. Picking at a dried stain on his shirt, he decided if they didn't let him have a go he'd tell. Rodney was particularly good at telling.
As he watched from the shadows, a woman stepped out from amongst the trees. Her expression was tight, her lips pressed into a thin line, her eyes furtively scanning the dump from left to right. Disappointed Rodney was about to roll over onto his back when a man appeared carrying a sack.
'Anyone about?' asked man in a hoarse whisper.
The woman shook her head. 'Nobody, just rats. God, I hate this place. Hurry up and let's get the rest of the bags out of the car. '
The man grimaced. 'They're bloody heavy. I thought you said you'd give me a hand?'
The woman wrinkled up her nose in distaste. 'What and get all that muck all over my clothes? '
The man produced a pair of gloves from his jacket. 'Here,' he said, thrusting them in her direction. She took them without enthusiasm and moved back through the trees.