Search for the Sunlight
Chapter 26

For the time being, Sherlock was safe and, now, it was time for tea.

Harry opened his lapsack and began rummaging through the contents. From a secret compartment inside, he produced an unopened, factory sealed packet of ‘Largonian Blue Tip,’ a bold tea by any standards. Salivating with excitement, he tore into the air-tight resin wrapper and inhaled the fresh aromatic scent of the fine tea herb contained within.

When Basil saw the label, he gasped. Even in times of plenty a rich blend such as this was out of reach for most ordinary Treewoods. But somehow, out here in the middle of nowhere and during the worst famine on record, his ever resourceful friend had quite casually plucked the king of teas from somewhere inside his bag.

To hurry the procedure along, Herbert gathered a selection of dry sticks from the gully floor and arranged them carefully into the twig burner. It was when he reached for the kettle, that he noticed his brother behaving in the most extraordinary manner.

Standing on tip toe, Harry had his right arm buried up to the elbow, inside his trouser pocket. Like a contortionist dislocating his various body parts before attempting to squeeze into a toy suitcase, or wriggle through the frame of an unstrung tennis racket, he puffed and grunted as he reached deeper and deeper inside. Basil and Herbert watched in silent fascination as their often eccentric companion, twisted and distort his body in a most complicated manner. What on earth was he doing? they wondered. Moments later, all was revealed when, sporting a wide satisfied grin, Harry produced a small but significant ball of trouser fluff which he placed strategically amongst the kindling inside the twig burner. Finally, in order to complete the exercise, he struck a spark on his tinder box, ignited the fluff and blew gently until it glowed red. Soon the little stove was roaring like a furnace and the kettle was on the boil.

In the fullness of time, and taking every precaution not to spill a drop, Harry delivered four mugs of the most exquisite tea and passed one to each of his friends. Not a word was spoken as the powerful nourishment contained within this celebrated blend filled their trunks with inner warmth and washed away the anxieties of the past few days. That night, the Treewoods slept like logs.