The story so far...... It’s been snowing for the whole day, and Mark and Kai’s parents are two hours late home. The house is in darkness, because there is no power. The frightened children hear footsteps. They run out of the kitchen, along the outside wall of their house. Looking back they are astonished to see a strange man in the kitchen doorway, dressed completely in white.
He smiles faintly, slowly removing his hood. His hair is as white as the rest of him. It’s impossible not to stare into his eyes. “His eyes are so strange...,” Kai can’t help thinking. “Is he a good man?” The stranger reaches into his pocket, “I have this,” he says, handing it to Kai. The snow falls silently.
Kai opens the locket. There’s a small piece of paper folded inside. Mark picks it up, opening it flat. Kai starts to speak, “Where....” But the man has gone. Only Kai and Mark remain.
Opened out, the paper is a small square, pale blue in the moonlight. It has writing on it. Mark doesn’t give the paper to Kai, but holds it in front of her, as if he doesn’t trust her not to let it blow away. As he does so, snow falls softly on the message.
“Mark! Get it out of the snow!” Kai looks in despair at Mark. “The snow, it’s making the words run.... What did the message say before it was spoiled?” Mark looks away from Kai. “I ... I didn’t see it properly ... I was thinking about the strange man....”
Kai reaches out to Mark. She holds his arm. “It’s OK. Look you can still read some of it.”
*e c#me *# help us. Rem#**#r *h#r# we rescue* the *#ow L##*#*d l#st w#**#*. We #*# t*#re. #* *h# f#*#s*.
Now read on .....