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Chapter 11:
Frantically, he got changed and tried to send a text back to HQ at the same time. Just as he was about to leave, his phone buzzed. He looked at the reply text:
“Sorry. Cannot do tea and cake right now. Please stick to training exercise”
He smacked his forehead, and quickly sent another text, oblivious to the socks currently climbing out of the window. The reply came back before he even had a chance to put the phone back in his pocket:
“Ignore previous text. Please have tea, cake and lie down. Your acorn information recording device idea suggests weather might be sunny and hot”
He shook his head at the short-sightedness of the people back in the office and ran down the stairs, pulling his jacket on as he did. He had, however, forgotten to tie his shoelaces, so took the last few stairs a lot more quickly - and painfully - than he’d intended. He picked himself, did his laces back up, and raced over to the teashop, failing to notice that Janey was holding the phone, looking shaken.
“Can I have a tea and some cake please?” he asked “and did you see where that squirrel went?”
Janey just looked at him.
“No. I didn’t see where the squirrel went. Quite frankly, I don’t care where that squirrel went. I have a lot more important things on my mind right now. My niece…” and she waved the phone.
He took the opportunity to jump in “But the squirrel is really important! Who knows what it might have seen with that acorn?!”
With a voice dripping with sarcasm she said “Maybe the squirrel stole my recipe”
He nodded excitedly, the sarcasm flowing around him without pause and without touching him in the slightest. “Depending on where the acorn has been, quite possibly! Look, don’t you see tha…” he stopped his sentence abruptly, mostly because Janey had taken the rolling pin he hadn’t noticed she was carrying and clonked him on the head with it.
“It’s for the best” she said “he’ll be fine when he comes round. Squirrels indeed” She shook her head sadly, then sat down, the full horror of what she’d been told sinking in.
From a nearby tree, two socks peered down. They knew what they had to do.
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