Chapter Four (part d)

Jennifer wasn't too sure what she should do, but in the end she decided to try to describe the strange-looking man to Rachael just to see what she'd say. She didn't get very far. Rachael interrupted her right away.

"No-one could ever have skin like that," she told Jennifer. 'And twigs in his hair? Get serious!"

"Not in his hair, it was his hair," she explained.

"Oh sure! And I bet he had sticks for fingers too!"

'As a matter of fact he did, how did you know?"

"I've heard of him plenty of times before from that stupid brother of mine," said Rachael.

"So you should believe it then," said Jennifer.

"Are you crazy? I'm not that stupid. Nobody in their right mind would ever believe their own stupid brother!" said Rachael. "He likes to pretend he sees all sorts of crazy stuff. Once he even said he saw a dwarf!"

"There were dwarves too, didn't you see them?"

"Don't be a yo-yol"

"Okay, so don't believe it then, at least I tried!"

"You lied you mean," said Rachael and she glared at Jennifer. "So go ahead and lie, but don't think you can get away with it. I know there's something going on!"

Just then Mrs. Jones came to the back door. "I'm home," she called out to Jennifer.

"Is she in on this too?" asked Rachael suspiciously.

"Her? She's my mother!

"Mothers are sometimes the worst ones," observed Rachael. "I hope for your sake she's not involved." She went over to see. Jennifer introduced her.

"This is Rachael," she said. "She's from next door."

'What's in the bag?" demanded Rachael.

"Just apples I think," said Jennifer.

'Apples," agreed Mrs. Jones.

"Apples, sure, I'll bet," said Rachael.
For a moment it looked like she might want to inspect the bag, but Jamie suddenly came bounding into the yard.

"I lost him," he called to Jennifer, then he saw his sister and grinned. "Hey Rachael, guess what? I saw that guy again, the one I was telling you...

"Yeah, Twiggy, I heard!"

"Did you catch up to him?" asked Jennifer.

"I was just about to, but some dwarves came along... "

"You saw them too?" asked Jennifer.

"Sure," said Jamie. "But I didn't wait around long when I saw them coming, they looked pretty mean!"

"Dwarves!" said Rachael and she shook her head. Then she turned to Jennifer's mother. "That your story too?"

"Don't look at me," said Mrs. Jones. "I just got here!"

"So you say. Come on Jamie, it's time to go!" said Rachael, and after one last suspicious look at Jennifer's mother, she took her brother firmly in tow and left.