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- Herausgeber: Salt
- Kategorie: Für Kinder und Jugendliche
- Sprache: Englisch
A notoriously scary ghost is supposed to haunt the ruined medieval castle where Sunny and his friends are spending the day. But when a troubling visitor arrives at the antique shop, it turns out the danger is closer to home than they thought . . .
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Seitenzahl: 71
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021
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For Arthur, Lucianne and Cara
Sometimes, a story you read or hear will be total fiction, pure fantasy, make-believe, a fabrication, a fable, a yarn. And sometimes it won’t.
Contents
CHAPTER ONE
The Ruined Castle
Above the antique, vintage and second-hand shop, breakfast was finished and Sunny was getting ready for school. When the phone rang, Sunny’s mum picked it up and said, ‘Hello?’ After a moment, she said again, ‘Hello?’ She put the phone down, saying to Sunny, ‘That’s odd. There’s no one there.’
Some hours later, in between home time and teatime, the phone rang again. This time, Sunny got there first. He picked it up and said, ‘Hello?’
‘Sunny!’ said Elsie. ‘I’ve been trying to reach you, but your parents keep answering and of course they can’t hear me.’
Sunny, who could hear his ghostly friend just fine, asked if everything was all right, so Elsie told him that the Hotel Splendid was thriving and that she, Mary and Alan were very well, though they were missing 2Abigail who was spending the week in London, haunting a West End theatre.
‘Alan’s been taking Mary and me to see all sorts of interesting local places,’ said Elsie. ‘Normally, we prefer to do our sightseeing at night-time.’ All the ghosts knew the dangers of the busy daylight hours, the discomfort of being walked through or sat on by the people who could not see them. Alan had once been standing on the promenade, leaning on the railings, looking out to sea, when a man came and stood right inside him, sucking on a strawberry split that gave Alan a terrible ice-cream headache. At night-time, when people were mostly fast asleep and streets were mostly deserted, the ghosts felt safe to roam. ‘We’d very much like to visit Okehampton Castle,’ said Elsie, ‘but it’s too far to walk to so we’ve decided to go by bus on Sunday morning. I was wondering if you and the others would like to meet us there?’
Sunny said he would love to and that he would ask his parents. He was optimistic because Sunday was the one day of the week when the shop was always closed.
He asked at teatime, and his mum and dad said yes. His mum said she would bring a picnic, and his dad said he would bring the folding chairs, and Sunny said he would bring the ghosts. 3
4Before bed, Sunny went down to the shop, which was currently inhabited by three ghosts. During the day, the ghosts stayed out of the way, but at night, when they had the shop all to themselves, Herbert climbed out of his blanket box, and Walter emerged from his wardrobe, and Violet came out of the stationery cupboard. Herbert and Walter always looked forward to a night spent reading books and playing music, and Walter had started learning Spanish, and there was a new box of old board games that the ghosts were working their way through. Usually, Violet was keen to sit down at her desk and spend the hours writing, but she had recently finished editing her second book and she had not yet had an idea for a third. She was waiting for inspiration to strike.
Sunny told the ghosts about Elsie’s phone call and the plan to meet at the castle on Sunday. ‘Do you want to come?’ he asked.
Herbert consulted his calendar and told Sunny he had the whole day free and to count him in.
‘Sí,’ said Walter, ‘por favor.’
‘I’ll bring my notepad,’ said Violet, ‘just in case I see something I want to write about.’
On Sunday morning, while Sunny’s mum and dad 5were locking up the shop and getting into the van and choosing music to listen to on the way to the castle, Sunny was helping Herbert, Walter and Violet into the back. When everyone was in, they set off.
Herbert got out a book, and Violet and Walter started a game of I Spy.
‘I spy with my little eye,’ said Violet, ‘something beginning with G.’
While Walter was looking around, trying to guess, Herbert was reading. Walter said to Herbert, ‘Are you sure you should be reading that?’
‘That’s right, Herbert,’ said Violet. ‘You don’t want to get travel sick.’
‘You definitely don’t want to get travel sick,’ agreed Walter, ‘but I mean, are you sure you should be reading a book of ghost stories? The last one you read really scared you.’
Herbert had in particular been frightened by the tale of the Wicked Lady who rode in a coach made of human bones. He had been convinced that she was coming after him, and even though it had turned out to be just his imagination, she still gave him the heebie-jeebies. ‘I’ve thought of that,’ said Herbert, showing them the cover of his book, which was 50 Real American Ghost Stories. ‘These ghosts are thousands of miles away, so I ought to be safe.’ He went back to his book, and did not look up until the van turned 6the final corner, at which point he glanced through the window and saw the sign for Okehampton Castle. ‘Oh dear,’ he said. When Sunny had said they would be going to a castle, Herbert had not realised which castle he meant, but now he knew. ‘This is the ruined castle,’ he said, ‘that the Wicked Lady haunts.’
Violet peered through the windscreen at the ruins, at the stony towers and roofless walls, which went out of sight as the van entered the car park. As they pulled into a parking space, Herbert said, ‘I don’t feel very well.’ There was a noise outside that made him jump, but it was just Sunny opening the door to let them out.
Violet was the first out of the van, with her notepad at the ready, followed by Walter, the only one of the three who could have gone through a closed door: not all ghosts could do that, but Walter had been a ghost for a long time and had learnt a few tricks.
Violet said to Herbert, ‘Come and get some fresh air. You’ll feel better soon.’
They walked up the lane until they came to the entrance to the castle grounds, where Elsie, Mary and Alan were waiting for them. Sunny and the six ghosts greeted one another excitedly. With Sunny’s parents walking ahead and Sunny and the ghosts following behind, they explored what was left of the castle. They talked about what the castle might once have looked 7like – how grand it must have been, with archers in the keep, and feasts in the Great Hall – and they played hide-and-seek amongst the ruins, although Herbert was unusually quiet and did not join in with the games.
‘Are you feeling any better, Herbert?’ asked Violet.
‘Yes, thank you,’ said Herbert. But he seemed on edge and distracted.
‘Is anything wrong, Herbert?’ asked Violet.
‘I’m just keeping an eye out for the Wicked Lady,’ said Herbert.
‘But Herbert,’ said Violet, ‘the Wicked Lady is just a story in your book.’
‘Just because she’s a story in a book,’ said Herbert, ‘doesn’t mean she’s not real.’
A game of tag had started, and while Violet joined in, Herbert stood watch.
When Sunny and his parents sat down to eat their picnic, neither he nor the ghosts had seen any sign of the Wicked Lady. Some of the ghosts lay down in the grass and rested in the sunshine, but Herbert could not relax.
‘We’ve been all round the castle,’ said Violet, ‘and we haven’t seen her. I really don’t think she’s here.’
‘She might be biding her time,’ said Herbert. ‘The moment we let our guard down, she’ll pounce.’
But Sunny and his parents finished their picnic and 8packed everything away and still the Wicked Lady had not shown herself. ‘Time to go home,’ said Sunny, getting to his feet, and to Elsie, Mary and Alan he added, ‘We can take you to the bus stop if you like.’
As they walked away from the ruins, Violet said to Herbert, ‘See? No Wicked Lady.’
‘I bet that’s a relief, eh, Herbert?’ said Walter.
‘To be honest,’ said Sunny, ‘I’m a bit disappointed we didn’t see her, even though she sounds quite scary.’
