Free Ticket to Curlew by Celia Lottridge Page A

still with his eyebrows drawn together. Then he made a bowl shape with his hands, put his face into the bowl and lapped with his tongue.
    â€œWater?” said Sam.
    Gregor spread his arms to show that the bowl was now huge, wider than his arms could reach. He pointed to the southwest. Then he went back to lapping with his tongue.
    Sam was very excited. “You mean there’s a pond down that way? You think the oxen might be there?”
    Gregor picked out the only word he understood. “Oxen,” he said firmly and pointed again to the southwest.
    Sam scrambled up on Prince. He looked at Gregor. “Will you show me?” he asked, holding his open palm toward the pond. He could now imagine it as clearly as if he had seen it himself.
    But Gregor looked uncertain. He pointed along the track to the south and said a word that sounded very much like papa. Sam knew what he was saying. He had to go home now. Sam shrugged and smiled, trying to show Gregor that he didn’t mind, though he really did.
    Gregor smiled his wide smile. He made a beckoning gesture with his hand. He was saying, Come with me. So Sam followed.
    He felt very shy as they rode up to the sod house. Gregor’s father was on the roof of a long shed nailing poles in place. Sam thought that he was probably going to cover the poles with sod. Gregor went and spoke to him. The man did not smile at all, but Gregor kept explaining, pointing to Sam and in the direction of the pond.
    At last Gregor’s father nodded slowly, but Sam saw him look at the sun, which was nearing the horizon. Then he spoke firmly to Gregor. The tone of his voice made Sam think of his own father. Pa might come here looking for him. If only he could leave a message.
    When Gregor came over to him, nodding that they could go now, Sam made writing motions in the palm of his hand, pointed to Gregor and to his father, then to himself and to a tall invisible figure beside him.
    Gregor made a face and shook his head. He understood, but they had no paper or pen.
    Sam thought a minute, got off Prince and took up a sharp stone. He found a smooth patch of dusty earth near the track and scratched out a message. “Pa, Gone to look for oxen. Not far. Sam.” He hoped the “not far” part was true.
    Gregor looked at the message and nodded. He told his father about it and the man looked at Sam with a small smile of approval. Then he went back to his pounding, and Sam and Gregor guided their horses across the track and started west.
    As they rode, the tall dry grass brushed their boots and a spray of grasshoppers rose before the horses’ hoofs. The slanting late afternoon sunlight made everything golden. The boys couldn’t talk to each other, but the sense that someone, a friend, was riding beside him filled Sam with excitement. It was as if they were setting off together on an adventure.
    The sky was still blue, but an edge of clouds along the horizon seemed to be rising to meet the sun. They were dark underneath and touched with gold above. Sam was just about to point them out to Gregor when his friend said, “Sam,” and pointed ahead of him by lifting his chin. Sam looked. He could see the tops of trees rising above the grass.
    In just a few minutes they were riding down a short slope. There in a big hollow in the prairie was a small pond, deep blue like the sky above it. There were reeds all around its edge, showing that in spring the pond would be much bigger. Small willows grew in clumps at the edge of the reeds. And standing knee-deep in the blue water were two large brown oxen.
    Sam reached out and slapped Gregor on the back.
    â€œYou were right,” he said. “The Martingales will be so happy.”
    Gregor looked pleased but he didn’t smile. He was staring at the oxen. Sam looked at the huge beasts again and realized that finding the oxen was just the first step. Now they had to get them out of the pond and home.