"That... really... was... peculiar." Anne said as they pedalled breathlessly along the roads towards their hotel.
"What was?" George mumbled.
"The way they all went silent when we mentioned Alfredo. What do you think he's done to them? And the rope-man, too! It was as if they'd stolen something or broken a prized possession."
"There's so much of this stuff going on nowadays, Anne." Richard said. "Family feuds and big rows and counselling."
"But they seemed such a close-knit group."
Oddly enough, Julian was silent. He was remembering the way that Alfredo had frozen when they'd met him after all the years. And the way that he'd stared at them... and the dog. He also recalled the puppy's unusual yelping and squirming when they'd gone into Jo's house.
"I wonder if Bounce is all right." Anne wondered, as if reading her brother's mind. "I'll ring Jo when we get back to the hotel."
"That's a very good idea, Anne." Julian said thoughtfully "You do that. Make sure you put her on speaker."
Anne was as good as her word and once they'd locked up their bikes and got to their room, she found Jo's number and rung her. They listened to the beeping, wondering if she'd answer. Just as Anne was about to hang up, Jo answered, sounding quite breathless. There was the sound of barking in the background.
"Hi, Jo. Just ringing to see if Bounce has settled in OK now. How is he?"
"Bounce? Oh! The golden retriever! Sorry, my mind went blank for a minute. Yes, he's fine!"
Julian furrowed his brow and frowned.
"That's good! We're on holiday in Faynights, you know."
"Really? That sound nice. Anyway, I must be going - Bounce will never forgive me if I'm late with his evening snack!" and with that, Jo hung up.
"She sounded in a bit of a rush." Richard commented, stating the obvious.
"She's not the sort of person to rush." Julian pondered, absentmindedly fondling Timothy's ears. George appeared with a pack of cards.
"Oh, Julian! Just because we're in Faynights doesn't mean that you have to go sniffing around for an adventure. The chances are: Alfredo and the fair-folk fell out over Brexit, the rope-man took their side and they left the group. You know how het up people got - and are still getting - over Brexit. You for one!" she exclaimed indignantly. Julian rolled his eyes at her, Richard smiled and Anne clapped.
"Now that that's over, shall we play cards?" Anne asked. Reluctantly, everyone agreed.
YOU ARE READING
The Famous Five Reunited with Friends
AdventureFinally! The Five are in the 21st century! And most importantly.... they're coping in busy London. When they find out that one of their long - lost friends is living just down the road, they are initially thrilled. But it's clear that not everythi...
