Fortunately for me, I was pretty sure Irwin didn't own a dog or cat or any other pets, so I felt safe enough for the moment. My main goal was to find someone who could help me use a telephone.
The problem, of course, was what to do if whoever found me decided they wanted to keep me. Asking for help would indeed be risky. However, I was pretty sure that if I were captured by someone less than friendly, they were bound to not be nearly as attentive to detail as Irwin, so escaping from them would be much easier.
I was behind a thin line of hedges, so I moved out to look at the rest of the back yard. It was a simple, open lawn, well manicured (as I might have suspected), but it was also surrounded by a tall wooden fence. So, I thought, I still have one other barrier to cross! Well, I was sure this one would be easier to navigate than what I'd been through already.
The closest wall was to my right, so I moved over there, crunching my way through decaying bush clippings under my feet. Now, I was actually appreciative of the thigh-high boots, which kept my legs safe from scratches, and from contact with insects in the undergrowth.
In fact, the place was literally crawling with huge bugs, I noticed. However, none of them paid any interest to me. Unless I ran into a snake or something, nothing I could expect to encounter in a back yard would be the slightest bit dangerous, even at my size. Plus, I still had the heel-mace in one hand, with which I was certain I could dispatch any insect, even if it were six times bigger than I was used to.
When I got to the fence, I saw several ways to slip through, but at once I realized I didn't want to. The wall separated Irwin's yard from his neighbor's, and from where I stood a doghouse was clearly visible. Well, so much for that route, I thought.
I walked back the other way, past the rear porch, which was as clean and well-maintained as the rest of my captor's place. Unfortunately, the yard on the opposite side also had a dog, this one asleep near the back door of his master's house. Trying to get out that way would be suicide, I was certain.
With some irritation, I decided to head out into the yard, looking up fearfully as I did so. There was no cover here at all, and the grass was too short to hide in, so I'd be easy prey for anything that spotted me. I was mostly afraid of getting caught by a hawk, which would have no difficulty making short work of me.
When I got to the back fence, I looked through and saw an open, lightly wooded field, without anyone in sight. Far, far in the distance (as far as I was concerned), a line of houses stretched along a gently rolling hill. Not all of these yards were fenced, I saw at once, and I might find help in any of them.
I stepped through a gap in the fence and into the open field. I was in wilderness now, and of course there was nowhere to hide if something were to attack me. Suddenly the distant homes seemed farther away than ever. Perhaps trying to get over there would not be such a good idea after all, I thought.
While I screwed up my courage to try, I noticed a metal post sticking out of the ground nearby and walked over to it. It was, I saw, the cable junction box for Irwin's home. From here, the city provided all his access to the outside world, including the digisat line, phone fibers, and of course his wireless Internet connection. Was this where he'd sabotaged his 'net hookup?
Now, just in case you don't know, the term "wireless Internet" is really a misnomer. There are plenty of wires involved, just none that go directly into your computer. What happens is, the city has a central station that broadcasts to lots of little hubs in various neighborhoods, and those are attached to these junction boxes with fiber optic cables, the same kind they use for telephone service. If you wanted to make sure no one in your house could get on the Internet, this was where you went to turn it off.
With some effort I forced the little door open, and saw at once that Irwin had been at work in here. Several of the access wires to the central hub had been cut, so the transmitter box was never receiving any signal to pass along to his computer. Smart guy, that Irwin. The city wouldn't bother checking his service unless he complained, so this was really the perfect way to ensure I couldn't somehow hook up a phone or the 'net, even if I'd gotten loose in the rest of his house.
While I was studying that, I was startled by a bark from outside. I glanced back out the door, and to my horror saw a large dog loose in the field! It was a collie, and was running in my general direction, too! In just a few seconds it would be on me!
Instantly I knew there was no way I could make it back to the fence. Instead, I climbed into the box and pulled the little door shut, praying that the dog wouldn't be smart enough to figure out how to get it open with his paw.
The huge dog came right up to the post, sniffing, and then barked at me. The sound was deafening in the enclosed metal box, and I covered my ears, grimacing in pain. "Go away, you stupid dog!" I yelled in my tiny and pathetic voice. "Get out of here!"
It didn't go, though. Instead, it wandered around close to me, exploring the ground nearby, lifting up its leg to mark the fence a couple of times. I was grateful it hadn't done that to the box I was hiding in, but even some distance away, the smell was overpowering.
Well, now what, Kate? I suppose I could have risked seeing if the dog was friendly, but if it wasn't, it could have snapped my spine in an instant. I had to wait it out, hoping it would go away.
While I waited, I amused myself by reconnecting the various wires Irwin had dismantled, using the nails in my boot heel to scrape away the plastic coatings and then twisting the ends together. Fortunately, they didn't carry any current, but it wasn't like this was co-ax or anything. My captor hadn't severed those lines, wanting to make sure I had digisat access so I wouldn't get too bored.
After maybe half an hour of sitting there, I risked a look outside. The dog was still wandering around, but was now at least two houses away. If I wanted to, I knew I could get back into Irwin's yard easily enough. That didn't get me any closer to finding help, though. If only someone would come outside next door!
What time was it, I wondered? The sun was already well past its zenith, and I knew I hadn't cracked the lock until after one o'clock. Irwin could come home any minute and find me missing, and it wouldn't be hard at all to trace my path back to here. If he found me now, all would be lost!
If only it weren't for that damn dog! As long as it was nosing about, though, I couldn't risk trying to make it to the next yard, even if I moved in the opposite direction. One slip and I'd be done for.
I decided to go back in and see about maybe climbing up to Irwin's roof. From there, I might be able to get to the front yard, or possibly attract the attention of a passerby. In fact, at my size I was pretty confident I could climb up the inside of a drainpipe without too much difficulty.
Leaving the junction box, I clamped it back shut and rushed to the edge of the fence. The collie must have heard the metal case clang shut because it immediately barked and charged me, and I was glad to safely be back in the yard, even if the damn dog was deafening me with its barks!
I moved back to the house, and after a bit the animal stopped yapping and started nosing around again. I went over to the drainpipe and looked inside, then up, only to see to my dismay that it was blocked at the top with a leaf trap. I could have climbed up rather easily, but cut through a mesh while hanging inside? Probably not.
At this point I was getting frustrated. Here I was, out of the house at last, and I still couldn't get free!
I was just about to start climbing up the outside of the drainpipe when I heard a sound that made my blood turn cold.
The back door of the house had opened!