49.
In preparation for hide-and-seek, everyone went outside onto the lawn. There was great excitement.
“What happens when we catch him, Mrs Price?” asked Katja.
“Then he has to chase you all and catch you one by one, and when he catches you, you have to stand still like a statue, and if he fails to catch even one of you, say within ten minutes, then he has to perform a forfeit.”
“Ooh, yes! I’ll make him…er…I know! I’ll make him get kissed by all of us!”
“Yay!”
“Well Katja, I don’t know if you could call that a forfeit,” smiled Megan. “I’m sure any baby would love to be kissed by all you girls…” She smirked at Archie’s ill-disguised distaste for such an event. “But anyway, Archie, you have three minutes start, and please remember, all of you, you must remain within the field. There’s a fence all round it, so no trespassing outside, right?”
“Yes, Mrs Price!” in chorus.
Save Archie, who had been observing the lie of the land, and had a cunning plan…
“Right, Archie. Off you go. You have three minutes start.”
He ran off up the garden at once, and disappeared through the gate to the field, and was lost to view.
“Well, he seems to have got into the spirit of the thing at least,” remarked Patricia.
But Archie had other plans. He had noticed an overgrown footpath running down the side of the house, and reckoned it must link up with the field. And he’d been right. He soon found a style in the fence, hopped over, and ran back down the footpath, past the garden, past the house, to where it joined up with the road. Just as he arrived at the end he encountered a group of three teenage girls. For a moment he almost turned and ran back, but he wasn’t going to scupper his plan, so he put his head down and walked past them, ignoring the giggles. He was in the street now. A hundred yards or so to the house. He walked quickly, pants rustling. There were a few people, but he didn’t look at them. He opened the gate, hurried up the front path. Good – the door was just ajar.
But at that instant Vicki was approaching the door on the other side.
“I thought there was a draught…”
She pushed it shut and released the latch.
“What the… No! Shit!” Archie couldn’t believe his bad luck. His plan had been to get back into the house, creep up to one of the bedrooms, and hide under the bed or in a wardrobe for as long as he could. Now… What to do? He hesitated and looked around. The street was filling up with people. Several had stopped and were staring at him over the low front wall. Should he return? No, he couldn’t face it. There was a side path on the left of the house. If he was careful, he may be able to creep in the back door without those in the garden seeing him… He had no choice.
He was doomed from the start. The girls had just been despatched in pursuit, and the others were all looking down the garden after them. But when he crept into the living-room he was stopped in his tracks. There was Vicki with her blouse unbuttoned and little Stephanie firmly attached to her left breast! They stared at each other in horror for a second or two.
“Archie! What are you doing…?” Vickie pulled her blouse across her breast, but kept on feeding her baby.
“I-I’m sorry… I was, er…er…”
“Megan? Megan!”
Megan appeared at the door, looking concerned. “Vicki? Are you…?”
Her voice trailed off. Comprehension dawned.
“Archie! Why are you here? How did you get here? Well?”
“Er…the path…” He thought quickly. “I, er, needed the toilet…”
“Rubbish! You little cheat! Get outside! Now!”
There was general condemnation and disgust. Patricia ran down to the field to call the girls back.
“You naughty boy!” cried Sinead. “What did you think you were doing? You’ve ruined the girls game, now. I don’t know what we should do with you.”
“I do,” said Megan. “Wait a minute.” She went inside and came back with a little cloth bag. “Come with me.” She took him by the wrist and led him half way down the garden to a straight, sturdy tree. The girls, downcast, were trickling back from the field.
“How did he get back here, Mrs Price?” asked Clara, puzzled.
“He did exactly what I forbad him from doing. He’s a very naughty little baby, and now I have no choice but to make sure he stays right where he’s put. Archie? Stand here - back against the tree, please. Now!”
“What are you going to do, mummy?” asked Millie.
Megan didn’t reply, but the girls soon understood. She emptied the bag onto the ground. A length of steel chain, and a tiny padlock. The back of Archie’s harness was equipped with D-rings to which the reins could be clipped. But they could also accommodate a chain. Megan threaded it through both rings, and through his mitt-straps, took the ends round the tree and padlocked them together, securing him firmly to the tree with his hands pinioned at his hips.
“There, Archie. Now let’s see you escape from that.”
“Please, Mrs Price… Sorry, I mean…pleath don’t leave me like thith…. Silly baby made a mithtake…. Baby Archie werry thorry….”
“It’s what you deserve, Archie. Now you can stand there and watch the others having lunch on the lawn. If you behave yourself, you might be allowed to join them later.” Seeing him about to protest, she put a finger to her lips. “Enough! Shush! Patricia? Sinead? Could you help me lay out the food and drink?”