"The boys from the next town are playing Paper Chase today," said Bobbie one morning.
"Perks thinks they'll run along the railway line.
We can go and watch."
Mother gave the children some lunch, and they left.
There were men working on the tracks, using different tools like spades and shovels.
The children watched them for awhile.
Then a voice said, "Let me pass, please."
It was the first boy from the school.
"He's 'it.'" Bobbie explained the game to her brother and sister.
"All the other boys have to chase after him."
Under the boy's arm was a bag full of little pieces of paper.
The boy dropped a piece of paper behind him for the other boys to follow.
The children watched as he ran into the long dark tunnel, dropping more paper behind him.
The workmen watched him too.
"He shouldn't go in there," said one.
"It's only a game," said another.
Then the other boys came, running and following the little white pieces of paper.
Bobbie and Phyllis and Peter counted the boys as they ran past.
There were thirty of them.
The boys ran into the tunnel and disappeared into the deep darkness.
The last boy wore a red shirt.
"It's not easy running in the dark," said one of the workmen.
"How long will it take?" Peter asked, eyeing the long tunnel.
It went through a hill.
"An hour or more," the man said.
"Let's go across the top of the hill," said Peter.
"We can watch the boys come out the other end."
The children climbed up the steep hill, over rocks and tree trunks.
"It's like climbing the Alps!" said Bobbie, out of breath.
At last they reached the top.
Peter lay down on the grass, and the girls lay down too.
After a while Bobbie sat up.
"Look!" she cried.
"What?" said Phyllis.
"The view," said Bobbie.
"Let's go now," said Peter.
"But this view is fantastic!" insisted Bobbie.
They could see the fields, the village, the station and even their white house.
"We'll miss the paper chase!" said Phyllis impatiently.
"Come on. Let's go."
They climbed down until they were level with the top of the tunnel. They waited.
"The boys have all gone past already, of course," said Phyllis, annoyed.
"I don't think so," said Bobbie.
"But even if they have, there's a wonderful view here too!
We can see the trains come out of the tunnel.
We've never seen the trains from on top before."
"Look, here he comes!" Peter shouted at last.
The first boy with the paper came slowly out of the tunnel.
Soon after came the other boys.
Some looked very tired.
"What will we do now?" asked Bobbie.
"That's not the last one," Peter said.
"Where's the boy in the red shirt?"
They waited a long time, but the boy did not appear.
The children began to worry, and they climbed down to the train tracks.
"Perhaps he had an accident," said Phyllis.
"Let's go and look," said Bobbie.
They slowly walked a few steps into the dark tunnel.
But they couldn't see a boy in a red shirt.
It was very dark and water dripped down the wall.
"I don't like it in here!" said Phyllis, looking frightened.