Free Colin Meets an Emu by Merv Lambert

John and Will Scarlet. Almost without thinking, he picked up the still unconscious Urquart, who was quite solid, and with a surge of anger hurled the monk at the troops running towards him. Like a giant brown bowling ball making a strike, Urquart flattened them all. Meanwhile Sammy had sunk his teeth into Grulph’s calf and would not let go. The monk, hampered by his long robe, stumbled and fell.
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    Although Olivia and Marion had foreseen the cricket match being used as a trap, it was amazing how quickly the tables were turned. They had positioned their 12 th Men, as Olivia jokingly called them, all around the meadow, hidden in the trees with a few more in the tent. Now these bowmen stepped forward and Robin took command.
    In a loud voice he cried, “Men of Nottingham, the Sheriff’s men, we wish you no harm, but if you make any move to harm us , my bowmen will shoot you down. Their arrows are aimed at you. If you wish to live, lay your swords, pikes, any arms you have on the ground now. ”
    The Sheriff’s men were so taken by surprise that most of them immediately did as Robin commanded them. One of them though rashly turned to snarl something at him. He did not complete what he was going to say, as he felt a sudden jolt and a pain in his arm. An arrow was sticking through it. He fainted. His companions had lost the will to fight. They were surrounded. What had seemed an easy victory to them had turned into a swift defeat. Their leader, a sergeant, on his knees, asked Robin for permission to speak.
    â€œAye. Speak on,” said Robin,”but first hark what I am offering you. We were doing no wrong, but were falsely used and betrayed by those two men that Abbot Abbott is standing on. They wanted to take over the Abbey for themselves. Take them away with you and throw them in your dungeons for misleading the Sheriff. He will be pleased with you.”
    â€œVerily ‘tis true,” broke in Abbot Abbott. “When next I feast with him, I shall mention you all most favourably.”
    The bewildered sergeant stammered his thanks, formed his men up and marched them away with their prisoners, the treacherous Grulph and Urquart, in the rain, which had started to fall heavily.
    â€œWell,” said Colin, as everyone dashed into the tent, “this is one of the laws of cricket. Rain stopped play. We will have to declare the game a draw.”
    â€œA draw?” asked Bot-Bot.
    â€œNeither team has won,” explained Colin.
    â€œYes, and neither team has lost,” added Olivia.
    â€œâ€˜Tis a fair end,” said Abbot Abbott. Turning to Robin, he went on, “We are no longer enemies. You will ever be welcome at the Abbey. You too, my friends,” he said to Olivia and Colin.
    Colin felt the bookmark throb. It was telling him it was time to go.
    â€œThank you,” he replied. Picking up Sammy, he took Olivia’s hand. “We really are from another place and another time and we must away. We have a wedding to arrange.”
    â€œGoodbye, everyone,” said Olivia with a little wave, and then they were back at Colin’s house in his living room. Sammy barked contentedly and settled into his cushion in his basket.
    â€œNow you know why I wanted to go back there,” Colin told Olivia.
    â€œOh, yes, and this time I’ve brought something back.” She was holding the silver chalice. “Marion and Robin gave it to us as a wedding present.”
    â€œOh, that’s brilliant,” said Colin. “and to use your own words, I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve invited them all to the wedding.”
    â€œReally? I can’t wait to see them all again,” smiled Olivia.
    But that’s another story.
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A Rather Unusual Wedding
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    It was the day of the wedding, and at the bottom of the stairs in Colin’s house Auntie Flo, helping with all the last minute arrangements, showed no surprise, as Colin introduced her to his