There was a lot of noise coming from the back yard. A noise like something had gone missing. Something very precious. A loud wailing, squeaky sorry-for-myself sort of noise. And Jack was making it.
Mum went to the backdoor and asked, “Is something wrong, Jack?” Poppy was out there too, standing with Jack by the shed, and she said, “Nothing, mum. Jack’s just … you know …” Jack immediately said, “No! It is something.” And mum chuckled and said, “Now, now you two. Sounds like something is actually something … something wrong”
Poppy shrugged and said, Yes there was something wrong. “But not that much, really.” Jack said there was definitely something wrong and he could tell mum exactly what it was. So mum smiled and said, “OK, Jack. What?”
Jack held up a football boot. He said, “This.” Mum asked, “The boot’s too small?” Poppy said the boot was the right size but there was only half of it. Mum said, “What? It looks like a complete boot to me.” Then Jack said, “Mum, the missing thing is the other one. There’s only one boot here.” Mum said, “Ah. I see. One’s missing.”
Poppy said, “He’s a bit upset, mum.” Well, mum knew that. She’d heard the sorry-for-myself noise from inside the house. But now she was here to help.
So dhe went over to Jack and Poppy, and told them she knew someone who was very good at finding football boots. Jack looked up and said, “You?” She nodded and smiled and said, “Come on. We’ll all have a look together.
“Now, you keep your boots here in the shed. Right?” Jack said that was right. Usually next to his shin guards and socks. But they weren’t there now and the season was starting and his first practice was soon and if he didn’t have his boots he wouldn’t be able to get into this cousin’s team and if … Mum smiled her calm smile and said, “Come on. We’ll find them.”
they looked around. Mum said, “Oh dear. There’s a lot of mess in this shed. Has your dad not been as tidy as he should be?” Poppy grinned and said, “Actually, it wasn’t just dad who hadn’t been tidy. Jack and I might have helped a bit too.” Jack just gave a little watery smile. He was only thinking about his lost boot. He said, “I usually keep the boots there.”
‘There’ was a dusty old corner where two kids’ bikes were dumped in a tangle. The only things in the corner now were two shin guards and pair of old orange socks that seemed to be smelling a bit. Poppy said they stank. She announced, “I’m not going anywhere near those socks until they go into the wash.” Mum said not to worry, they could all see the other boot wasn’t there. They’d just needed to look in other places.
So they did. Up high, where dad had put his gardening stuff. No boot there. In the shelf where mum kept the Christmas decorations in dusty boxes. Nothing. They kept looking. Under the skateboards, behind the cricket set. (Jack said, “Did they remember the game this summer when he got two wickets?” Poppy rolled her eyes. “Yes. I’ve been reminded about that innings for the last two months.”) They looked behind the creaky door, in the shadows where dad kept his old surf board and beside the lawnmower. Only a flat soccer ball. No boot.
By now Jack’s mouth was beginning to droop. He could feel a little tingly wet something in his eyes. He blinked them so mum wouldn’t see. But mums see everything. She gave him a wee hug and said, “It’s ok. We’ll keep looking. Think now. Where did you last have your boots?”
Jack couldn’t remember. That little wet something got bigger. His mouth began to droop even more. He was just about to say the boot was lost and he’d never get into his cousin’s team when Poppy gave a start. “Jack! I remember!” Jack and mum spun around. “Where?” Poppy said, “Up the hill. Remember, Jack?” And Jack’s drooping mouth turned up, into the most amazing smile. A big and beaming smile.
He said, “Yes! Poppy! that’s right. Now I remember.” He did a little we’ve-found-it dance. Mum laughed and Poppy said could they run up there now and get it. And before you could say ‘football boot’ she and Jack were racing out the gate, along the footpath and up onto the hill.
Poppy remembered exactly where they’d played the last game. It was the time dad had managed to get a goal. Actually, the only time dad had managed to get a goal. She said, “Up there on that flat bit, Jack.” Jack said, “I know.” And the two of them panted and puffed and sweated. Up and up and higher and further. And then they came to the little flat place, near where they’d found the kittens. Jack said, “Right. This is it. Should be easy to find the boot. Let’s spread out and look.”
They looked. And looked. Under bushes. Where the kittens had played. Next to the old tree. But no boot. The missing boot stayed missing.
Poppy said, “It’s got to be here.” Jack said he knew that but it didn’t seem like it was. And then he said, “What’s worse, Poppy, look at the sky.” She did. “Jack, it’s getting late.” Jack said if they didn’t find the boot really soon it’d be dark and they’d have to go home and they’d never find it. Poppy said, “We’ll find it, Jack. Don’t worry. One more really serious look. Surely we’ll find it.” She bent down and did her best looking. Jack followed. But still, no boot.
Until, suddenly, there it was! Hiding behind a little gorse bush. Flat and dull orange and covered in mud. Jack swooped over and grabbed it. “Poppy, we did it!” he called. Poppy came over and gave him the biggest, big sister hug. She said, “Great, Jack. Now all we have to do is get home before it’s dark!”
Jack just laughed and the two of them turned and raced off into the gloom. Down and down, past big rocks, around trees, through scratchy grass and prickles, onto the footpath, through the gate and came crashing and sliding into the kitchen.
“Mum! We found it!” Mum quickly put down her coffee cup and sputtered and smiled. She asked, “Found it where you’d left it?” And Jack and Poppy laughed and grinned. Jack tossed the boot into the air and caught it and said, “Yes!” The boot had been exactly there.
Mum said, “You two were like that man who lost his sheep. Remember Jesus’ story about the man who lost his sheep?” Poppy said, of course. Dad had read it a few nights ago. Jack said, “And the man looked until he found it. Right, mum?”
Mum nodded and said, if he and Poppy would look in that tin over there, they also might find something. Poppy asked, “Something better than a football boot?” Mum said, “Probably. But we’d need to ask Jack about that.”