By Robin Alexander Eadon
Chapter One
The Ancient Tree
Captain Thomas climbed up the precariously positioned ladder. As he did so the right hand leg of the ladder shifted its foot in the soft soil, causing him to wobble and tighten his grip.
“Hold it tighter, Sidney!” urged Captain Thomas, before he took another step higher upon the old wooden ladder.
He reached upwards just a little too far, straining the seams upon his navy blue blazer and then there was suddenly a ripping sound, as the seam up the back gave way and split!
Captain Thomas remained still and closed his eyes tightly and sucked in his breath and then let it out slowly. He shook his head from side to side despairingly and then reached for the next rung of the ladder.
He was almost certain that he heard a small snigger emit from Sidney! He gave a tut and very nearly he bumped his head beneath the stout long branch jutting out from the trunk. He twisted and peered down at his man and said, “Almost there, old fruit!”
He turned back just a little too sharply and this time did crack his forehead upon the large bow and let go of the ladder rung and side and wobbled rather precariously, as he let out a loud, “OW!!!”
Then he muttered and mumbled something all rather rude and began to clamber back down the rungs of the ladder and finally placed his deck shoes back on good old terra-firma.
“You’re not dressed for it,” uttered Sidney, staring at the long tear up the back of Captain Thomas’ blazer.
“And what would you know about it, old fruit?” asked Captain Thomas aghast. “We all know that you have impeccable dress sense!”
“I know better than to wear a boating blazer to climb a tree!” mumbled Sidney under his breath.
“What was that, old boy?” asked Captain Thomas, not really wanting to know, as he shrugged off his blazer and placed it atop a pile of fallen and gathered small branches which had broken away from the massive tree in the last high winds earlier in the year.
Captain Thomas was just about to admonish Sidney for not moving the branches and weaving them into the hedgerow they were creating, when he thought better of it and said, “I think you’d be best going up the ladder first and I’ll hand you the tie-down strap.”
The other day Captain Thomas had visited a chum (nicknamed Roger the dodger) of his who had an allotment a number of streets away. He’d told him that inside his old and weather battered shed, he’d got some old tie-down straps from when he’d driven a lorry. They were used to hold down the load firmly on the back.
The ancient tree had a rather nasty split in its trunk from where three rather stout branches, which were more like tree trunks, rose up skywards.
When it was very windy, you could actually see the split moving very slightly apart. Opening and closing from the sway of the heavy tree.
Captain Thomas had thought it was time he tried to do something about it. And this was the plan he had come up with and he hoped that it would work and stop the great tree from splitting wide open and one side crashing down onto the ground.
At least this would give the tree a good fighting chance, he hoped.
Then he snapped out from his thoughts and back to the matter at hand.
“Well, jump to it, that man!” barked Captain Thomas all rather impatiently.
Sidney began to climb with Captain Thomas right behind.
The ladder shook and the feet dug deeper into the soil. Captain Thomas had the strap draped over his right shoulder and practically had his head touching Sidney’s backside.
Charlie the cockatiel was perched atop the spade handle, which in turn was leaning up against the old trampoline, which had been a short lived fad of Captain Thomas’.
He was eagerly watching everything with a beady eye.
By now Sidney was practically at the top rung of the ladder, when quite suddenly, he let go with a terrific trump that echoed in the small wood!
Captain Thomas jumped at the sound that Sidney erupted and automatically let go of the ladder and very nearly fell backwards off it.
He wailed out and wheeled his arms in the air and threw himself forwards and snatched back hold of one of the ladder rungs, his heart thumping inside his chest.
“Why you disgusting buffoon!” blurted out Captain Thomas. “You ignoramus of the highest order! You giant prize one pillock!”
Sidney merely mumbled, “Sorry!”
Charlie let out a loud squawk and chortle and flapped his wings excitedly.
“I should blinkin’ well think so to! Now hurry up and clamber up onto that bow.”
Sidney did as he was bid and swung his legs over it until he was sat atop it and holding on firmly.
“Here,” began Captain Thomas. “Cop hold of this!”
He thrust the tie-down strap up towards his man and Sidney gripped hold of it, as Captain Thomas attempted to climb onto the same bow as Sidney.
“Shift up a bit, that man!” ordered Captain Thomas.
Sidney shuffled along and made room, as Captain Thomas heaved himself onto the bow. When he was on, he added, “Try and keep me balanced Sidney, while I get this strap around the trunk.”
Once Captain Thomas had got it part way round the thick trunk, he held out the end towards Sidney, who was now stood and leaning against the trunk.
“Grab hold, that man!” ordered Captain Thomas, as he swung the end of the strap towards Sidney’s waiting hand.
Naturally Sidney missed the strap the first time! And the second time!! And the third!!!
“You’re not trying, that man!” barked Captain Thomas exasperatedly.
On the fourth attempt, Sidney clutched hold of the strap and pulled the end further round the trunk towards him.
“Keep a good hold of it, Sidney,” said Captain Thomas, getting himself in position to take the end of the strap.
He snatched hold of it and then began to feed the tip through the ratchet of the strap. He pulled it through and then continued to pull until the strap was nice and snug up against the vast trunk.
“Take a firm hold of me Sid-n-ey,” urged Captain Thomas. “And don’t ruddy well let go!”
Then he began to work the ratchet and tighten up the strap, to try and clamp the split in the tree trunk together, so as the wind would no longer cause it to open and close with the sway of the mighty tree.
By now Captain Thomas had gone rather red in the face, from the strain of trying to tighten the ratchet just one more notch.
It clicked into place and Captain Thomas let go of the handle and puffed out his cheeks and blew out his breath. The sweat was beading upon his brow and he mopped it away quickly.
The excess of strap he wrapped around the ratchet handle and tied it off there, so as it wouldn’t flap about in the first gust of wind.
“There,” he began. “That’s a job well done, Sidney. You’d best get onto the ladder now and scoot on down and hold it for me.”
Sidney did as he was asked and held the ladder firmly from the bottom.
It was just then that a hail of acorns came raining down upon his head, with the angry squirrel chattering as it hurled them down from the top of its cockeyed wooden squirrel house.
“Well there’s gratitude for you!” barked Captain Thomas. “You do your best for its ruddy home and the blinkin’ thing goes and does this to you! The sheer darn cheek of it!”
He raised his fist and shook it towards the chattering squirrel, only to be greeted by another barrage of nuts.
“You just wait!” Captain Thomas admonished. “You might find that there’s a distinct shortage of monkey nuts this winter!”
Captain Thomas then placed his foot onto the nearest rung and took a solid grip and began to descend slowly.
He was exactly half way down when the pellet struck!
Captain Thomas let out a particularly loud, “OW!!!”
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Author Bio:
Robin Alexander Eadon is the creative force behind the much‑loved Captain Thomas adventure series, captivating readers with daring quests, quirky villains, and unexpected twists. Born in Sheffield, England, Robin has a lifelong passion for storytelling, blending humour, mystery, and action into page‑turning tales for all ages. From The Top Secret Camping Adventure to The Abominable Snowman Mystery, each book invites readers into worlds brimming with intrigue and charm. Whether it’s haunted castles, stolen treasures, or time‑traveling mischief, Robin’s stories capture the thrill of adventure and the joy of discovery.
Contact Author:
Email: raeadon@hotmail.com
