Page 124 - My Home on the Earth

strained to hear their conversation but they had their backs towards him. Then they strolled away together. He waited a few minutes before stepping outside and caught them walking in the direction of the exit yard and main gate. He hoped he’d seen the last of the man and the police. Slipping back inside his sleeping bag, he pulled the fluffy blankets over the top. His body temperature soon warmed up and a while later he fell asleep.
****
At the crack of dawn, John strolled across the yard to the cellar room to fill a plastic bottle with clean water from the tap. Then he hurried back home to the shed, filled the kettle and lit the camping stove to boil the water. This morning, his breakfast would consist of a pot of creamed rice, six breadsticks dipped in a jar of Marmite, a banana and a chocolate wafer. First, he emptied a drop of hot water into a small plastic bucket, rescued from a waste bin at the market, topped it up with cold water and threw in a flannel to have a wash. His sliver of soap would do for today, but his towel had seen better days. On his next visit to the market, he’d collect a stash of green paper towels
from the gents’ toilets.
Washed from top to toe, he re-dressed ready for the day
ahead. There was one building that he had yet to explore so he grabbed his rucksack and a few tools and went outside. He remembered to lock the door.
Whenever John left his home, he’d stay as low as possible, constantly eyeing the buildings and outlying heathland. Listening for unfamiliar sounds, he made his way to the building. It was clear from the rubble that this
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