Chapter Text
There is a noise coming from the mountains. It’s not an unfamiliar noise, but it’s still jarring enough that all four of them snap their heads up.
“We really ought to go investigate that,” Peter says, for what Refik thinks must be the hundredth time this day alone, and they’ve only just got out here after school. It’s one of the last days before the summer holidays, and all of them are in a holiday mood already. Peter swings down from the tree branch he was resting on, almost kicking his brother in the head, and walks a few metres in the direction of the noise.
“We ought to investigate your face,” Lars mutters angrily, throwing some sticks at him.
“You probably do have a point there,” Ashleigh says, her head popping out from between the leaves high up in the tree, brown hair catching on twigs and leaves.
“Thank you,” Lars replies, tipping an invisible hat to her. He receives the sticks thrown back at his head in thanks, which makes Ashleigh laugh from where she’s now hidden in the tree again. Refik smiles, then laughs too when Peter, as usual, tries to get him to help his cause by throwing dirt at Lars. He shakes his head, pushing his friend away.
When the rumbling noise has long since died off and the sun has sunk low enough that it’s nearly touching the mountaintops, the four of them decide it’s time to go home. Ashleigh asks Refik if he’s coming to hers for dinner, but he waves dismissively.
“Kostas is home early today, so I’ll be fine.” He is rather hungry by now and looks forward to finding out what his brother has cooked up. Kostas works long days, but he’s a good cook when he’s got the time.
She grins. “All right, well, remember to tell him you guys are still invited for Christmas, and you know Dave won’t take no for an answer.”
“I’ll remind him,” Refik promises, bowing slightly at the waist—Ashleigh had won the battle for leader of their forest kingdom today. She laughs, pushes at his shoulder, and they dash after the Oxenstierna brothers, who are already waiting by the dirt path with their bikes. Refik pulls his own from the undergrowth as well, while Ashleigh picks up her skateboard, tucks it under her arm, and sits down imperiously on the back of Peter’s bike. He doesn’t complain, just takes off as fast as he can.
Lars and Refik follow them quickly, racing down through the woods to where the actual road into the village of Watunga winds down. Peter barely slows at all before Ashleigh is jumping off his bike and onto her skateboard, and flies down the bitumen. The boys zoom after her.
Refik is the first to break off from their little group, yelling goodbye to his friends and taking a sharp right down to Saleyards Road, at the end of which his house is waiting. Without slowing down, he begins to round the corner onto the last, bumpy stretch of the road, lost in thoughts of dinner and the new books he can start reading at home.
His back wheel slips on some gravel on the outside of the turn. It flings out from underneath him. With a startled yelp, Refik puts a foot on the ground to steady himself, hopping when his bike slides out from underneath him and skids off the street. He catches his breath, then sighs.
“Great.” Jumping into the dry, brittle grass lining the bitumen, he hauls his bike up by the handlebars. He has dusted it off a little when he notices the top of his bell is missing. It must have flown off and into the trees. He sighs again, but parks his bike and walks into the shadow to look for it, pushing plants aside with one foot to see if he can spot the glint of metal somewhere. If he can’t find it, he’s sure Kostas will buy him a new one, but still.
Oh, there! Refik reaches for the silver flicker between the plants after giving the bush a kick to ensure there are no animals hiding in it that will bite or sting his hand.
There is a rumble, like the one that comes from the mountains, but much louder. Close enough to make the ground shudder a little. Refik jumps back up, startled. That has never happened before.
When the noise is gone, he leans down again, but the flicker is nowhere to be seen. He hums in confusion, scratches his head underneath his baseball cap. Reaching down again, he takes a step forward. It’s probably rolled away, he thinks, so he searches around a bit, kicking more bushes in his path until he spots the silver glint again. He smiles, stepping towards it.
“All right, there you—” His foot lands on nothing, and Refik pitches forward with a yell, arms flailing but failing to grab on to anything as he falls, into a hole that has never been there, the ground opening up and the shadows rising to meet him.
There is a noise coming from the mountains.