Chapter Three

Luke wouldn't stop looking at the clock, then at the door, then at his brother, then back at the clock.

Peter too was restless. But as the elder brother, he didn't want to make it so obvious so that Luke would not fret as much.

"Peter why isn't mother coming home?", Luke asked as he continued his cycle.

"She soon be here", Peter replied and added under his breath, 'I hope'.

"That's what you've been saying for the past six hours. It's really getting late. We have to do something now", Luke breathed out.

Peter looked at him, "What can we do?"

"I don't know. But we can't just keep on waiting here. I feel something really bad has happened."

"I know!", Peter suddenly exclaimed looking like he had been struck with a brilliant idea. Luke stared at him.

"Let's go tell gran pops. He and granny will know what to do", Peter added.

"Right. But gran pop's house is hills away and it's getting dark", Luke said timidly, "Besides, momma said not to cross those hills alone".

"But momma is in trouble. We have to do this", Peter said and walked into a room. After a while, he came out with two fur jackets. He threw one to Luke and he put the other one on.

He grabbed the lamp from the table and turned around to see Luke with a cutlass.

"For self defense", Luke blurted out as Peter gave him a questioning look. Peter chuckled and then nodded.

They both left the house and shut the door.

Granny, as she was popularly called by her friends and neighbors, opened the door to see who had knocked on her door.

"Peter? Luke?", she asked perplexed.

The two children were shivering in the cold.

"Come in! Where's your mother?", she asked looking outside as the children walked in.

Upon seeing no one outside, she turned to look at them,"Did you two come alone?!"

"Ye_yes",Peter answered rushing to the fireplace in the room.

Granny's face immediately turned into a scowl, "Oh that good for nothing lazy woman! She let you both come here on your own?!"

"Lizzy!", her husband cautioned and moving to the boys he added

"Oh my boys. You must be cold. Why'd you both come out here alone? And where's your mother?"

"Gran pops mother is missing",Luke broke out.

"Missing?"

"How?"

"She left for the market in the morning....it's been over six hours now but she isn't back".

"I always knew that woman was reckless",Granny snickered, "how could she leave two kids on their own for six hours?!"

"I feel something bad has happened", Peter added.

"We didn't know what to do so we came here", Luke said.

"Okay boys", Gran pops said manning up.

"You both wait right here. We gonna go get your mother".

"We??", granny questioned. "We are too old to be walking out in the cold because of a foolish girl".

"That girl is your daughter in law! And Cladius' wife!" Gran pops thundered.

"And you yell at your wife because of her?", granny bickered.

They stared at each other for a while.

_TOO MUCH TENSION IN THE AIR_Luke thought.

"Fine!", granny sighed sitting down, "I won't stop you but I won't step out of this house either. You can go alone."

"I'll come along", Peter chirped in.

"Oh no Pete", gran pops protested.

"No. I'm coming. Luke can stay behind with granny", Peter said boldly.

"You got your father in ya", gran pops said with a smile.