by Kim Gamble
‘“I see.” Grandma introduced herself as she sat down on one of the hard chairs. But the two brigands weren’t paying any attention. They were discussing the ransom money they were going to ask for us, their guests!
‘“Excuse me,” said Grandma, “we couldn’t help overhearing. I can’t believe you would be so cruel to us. We have never done you any harm.”
‘The brigands looked surprised and shuffled their feet.
‘“In any case,” Grandma went on, “I’m afraid you’ll not find anyone in our village with the money to pay a ransom for Tashi and me.” And when we told them the name of our village, they agreed that no one there ever had two coins to rub together.
‘But Ferocious had pricked up his ears at my name. He stared at me, nodding slightly, and as he stroked his hairy chin I saw mushed bits of noodle and prawn fall from his whiskers. I tried not to breathe in his smell of old swamp water. “There’s one person in your village with money,” he said, his eyes sharpening. “And from what I hear, he would pay a tidy sum to be rid of you, young Tashi.”
‘I breathed out in such a burst of annoyance that I nearly choked. The Baron! How I hated that man. He was so greedy and rich, of course his fame would have spread amongst villains like Ferocious: cruel, heartless men, with only money on their minds. I closed my eyes for a moment and thought. “Ah, so,” I said, yawning a bit, giving myself time, “it seems you have not also heard that I have magic powers? It’s well known that if anyone tries to hurt me, my touch can turn them to stone.”
‘The men jeered uneasily.
‘“Very well,” I said, “try me.”
‘Ferocious and Fearless began to mutter together in a huddle. Still clutching his wine bottle, No Name made his way across the room towards them. He swayed on his feet, stopping now and then to get his balance.
‘As I peered into the smoky candlelight, I noticed how different he seemed from the other two – with his old silk waistcoat and his beard braided into two dusty plaits. He caught my eye and gave a nervous shiver, like an animal whose fur has been stroked the wrong way.
‘“Come here and pay attention,” Ferocious spat at him. There was a little more muttering and then Ferocious clapped Fearless on the back. “I know,” he said in a loud whisper. “There’s more than one way to skin a cat,” and with a quick glance at me, “or a boy.” He pulled Fearless aside. “We’ll wait till he’s asleep and then No Name can creep into his room and finish him off in the usual way.”
‘The usual way? I didn’t like the sound of that. “Why me?” complained No Name, pulling frantically at his plaited beard.
‘So I was ready when the door opened quietly that night. I was hiding behind a cupboard and watched grimly while No Name tiptoed (he didn’t want to be turned to stone) into the room. He wasn’t swaying on his feet now, but I saw his hands tremble as he pulled a pistol from his belt and pointed it at the bump in the bedclothes. “The Gods forgive me,” he moaned as he pulled the trigger.
‘BANG! Had he missed? No Name edged further into the room. No he hadn’t: a red stain was seeping through the sheets. Mumbling to himself he staggered out of the room, leaving me to clean up the ripe tomatoes I had thoughtfully settled on the pillow and under the bedclothes.
‘The next morning I bounced into the kitchen. “Mmn, that smells good.”
‘The brigands dropped their chopsticks and stared. They hurried to fill my bowl with rice porridge before they dragged No Name away into the far corner. “I did, I did,” I heard him protesting.
‘“Well, we’ll have to do something quickly,” Ferocious hissed. “Blackheart is coming tomorrow and he won’t want to find unfinished business here.” Ferocious was twisting his shirt buttons. No Name grew so pale he looked as if he might pass out.
‘In the early evening when the robbers were preparing dinner, Fearless whispered to No Name, “Have you got it?” No Name nodded and slipped a paper cone into his hand. I was on my guard at once.
‘Fearless poured the soup into the bowls and sure enough, I saw that some powder was tipped into mine. I jumped up and made a fuss about helping Grandma to her chair and collecting her soup, and in the confusion I swapped Ferocious’s bowl with mine.
‘That night I smiled to myself as I heard groans and curses (“You could have killed me!”) from the brigands’ room. I wasn’t surprised when, just after dawn, I learned that Ferocious was feeling poorly and didn’t want breakfast.
‘All morning Fearless and No Name grew more and more agitated as they waited for Blackheart to arrive. There were three wine bottles lined up on the great table and they were nearly empty. No Name paced up and down, tapping the bottles with his chopsticks, making a tune.
‘“If you don’t stop that,” Fearless finally shouted, “I’ll cut off your piddling plaits and stuff them up your noseholes!”
‘No Name sank onto a chair. He rocked himself and stared at the floor. When Ferocious came in, holding his stomach, I moved closer to hear snatches of their conversation.
‘“Everything hurts,” Ferocious groaned, and closed his eyes.
‘“But what will Blackheart say about the boy?” whined Fearless. “You know what he does to people who …”
‘“How were we to know?”
‘“A boy who turns people to stone …”
‘A feeling of dread stole over me, too. It was cold and clammy, like the hand of a ghost, and it reached inside and twisted my stomach. Blackheart, I was sure, would not be so easy to trick.
‘By the time we heard a horse approaching the inn, No Name was rocking wildly, wringing his hands. Grandma got up from the chair. “If you’re quick,” she whispered to him, “you could just let us go. Blackheart need never know we were here.”
‘“That’s right,” I agreed. “We’ll slip out. There’s still time.”
‘“It’s no use,” wailed No Name. “He would find out. He always does. Here, boy,” he turned to me, “hide under the table while I think.”
‘The door flew open.
‘“Why was no one ready to take my horse?” thundered Blackheart.
‘Grandma’s hands flew to her face. Striding through the doorway was a giant of a man. He had the cruellest snarl of a mouth I had ever seen. This was a face that knew no pity. Blackheart didn’t notice Grandma standing against the wall. He was dragging No Name outside to gather up his boxes of loot and plunder.
‘While they were gone I came out from under the table. “Oh dear, now I have seen your master, I am really very sorry for you all.”
‘Ferocious and Fearless gaped at me. “You’re sorry for us?”
‘“Yes, he reminds me exactly of a pirate who once captured me. He was pitiless too, and when he was told that I could turn his enemies to stone at a touch, he didn’t know whether to believe it or not. So do you know what he did?”
‘Ferocious and Fearless looked at me uneasily. “Well, what did he do then?”
‘“He made his men touch me, one by one. Slowly their limbs turned to marble, then their bodies. They cried for mercy but it was too late; their lips froze and their poor despairing eyes looked to me for help. But once touched, there was nothing I could do. You can see their marble figures to this day by the well in our village.”
‘Ferocious shuddered. “Quick,” he said, “out you go, out the back door. Your horse and cart are down the track under the trees. We’ll keep Blackheart busy until you’re out of sight.”
‘Grandma and I slipped out and scrambled into the cart. Almost as if he knew, Plodalong set off at a smart trot, happy as we were to leave the inn behind.
‘Grandma flicked the reins. “It was lucky you had that good idea, Tashi. I hope Ferocious doesn’t ever come to our village looking for the marble statues.”
‘I laughed. “I don’t think he will. In any case, I’ve already made up a good reason for them being gone.”
‘Grandma tweaked my ear. “What a clever Tashi!”’
Jack grinned at his friend. ‘Did you ever se
e the brigands again?’
‘Only No Name. But he wasn’t a brigand anymore when I spotted him.’
‘What was he doing?’
‘Juggling firesticks on a highwire.’
Jack’s mouth fell open in surprise. ‘Didn’t he fall off?’
Tashi shook his head. ‘No, he’d given up the drink. Said he didn’t need it now that he was doing what he’d always loved best.’
‘What, balancing on a highwire?’
‘That’s right. He was once a travelling acrobat, you see, and he’d left home very young to see the world. But it wasn’t long before he got lost in the city, just like I did, and he fell in with thieves and brigands.’
In the thoughtful silence, the two boys gazed at the lift doors.
‘Of course, as Grandma says, some people never climb out of the dark pit of greed and selfishness.’
‘No,’ agreed Jack. ‘Like that Blackheart.’
‘Or Bluebeard,’ Tashi said grimly.
Jack swung around to face Tashi. ‘Who?’
Tashi shivered. ‘When I met Bluebeard, all the other evil men I’d ever met seemed gentle in comparison.’
Just then the floor underneath the two boys shuddered. Their stomachs lurched as the lift began to drop like a stone.
‘What’s happening?’ cried Jack.
The lift stopped suddenly, with a loud jarring thump. The boys clutched each other, breathing fast.
Then a voice came from the other side.
‘Hullo? Anyone in there?’
‘YES, YES, we’re here!’
‘Just a jiffy and we’ll get you out,’ called the cheerful voice. ‘Only a few more minutes …’
Jack and Tashi looked at each other.
Jack squirmed. He squeezed his legs together hard. ‘So, tell me, how did you meet Bluebeard?’
But Tashi sprang up and began hopping about. ‘It was too terrible to talk about now. To tell you the truth, Jack, I’m really busting, too. I’ll … I’ll tell you on the way home.’
And at that moment the great steel doors opened and a ginger-haired man stepped through with a big smile. But the boys flew past him like streamers in the wind and headed straight for the sign …
‘Well, look who's here!’ cried Uncle Joe, as he spied Tashi strolling up the garden path. He leaped from his chair and sprinted across the lawn.
‘I was just thinking about you, my boy! There's someone special I want you to meet.’ Uncle Joe's eyes were dancing and he kept fidgeting in his pockets and sucking at his moustache while he shot quick, shy glances around the garden.
The rest of the family were busy digging and planting for Spring. Tashi saw a new herb patch near the steps and Jack was potting a tomato plant. Suddenly, a dark-haired lady stepped out from behind the box hedge.
‘Primrose! There you are!’ Joe cried proudly.
Primrose smiled and put out her hand for Tashi to shake.
Uncle Joe looked from one to the other, beaming. ‘I met Primrose up north, you see, when I was camping by a river jumping with barramundi.’
‘Oh, so that’s where you went after you walked through the kitchen wall?’ Tashi asked with interest.
‘Yes, yes, and I told dear Primrose all about your ghostly adventures, Tashi, as she and I fished by the river in the moonlight and fell hopelessly in love. Do you know, Primrose is not only the best angler I’ve met in my time but she’s also an amazing musician. A percussionist!’
‘I just tap on things,’ Primrose said mildly. She picked up a teaspoon lying on the table and tapped lightly on the glasses and jugs, making a tinkling little tune.
‘What I like best, though,’ Primrose said confidingly to Tashi, ‘is to make sounds with things from the natural world. I’m always searching for different, curious things to tap.’
Just then Jack came over, his hands black with dirt. ‘Do you know, Tashi, Primrose can make scary, ghostly noises, just with bottles and wood and things? If you close your eyes and listen, you’d swear a million ghosts were breathing down your neck!’
Tashi nodded as Mum began pouring lemonade for everyone.
‘You remind me of my cousin, Lotus Blossom,’ Tashi said to Primrose.
‘What, the one who keeps disappearing?’ Joe asked in alarm.
‘Yes,’ said Tashi. ‘But not because of that. No, once Lotus Blossom and I were in a situation of terrible danger and we needed to summon up the sound of ghostly voices. She did it very well.’
‘Ghosts, eh Tashi?’ put in Dad, as he peeled off his gardening gloves. He nudged Joe happily.
‘So, tell us about Lotus Blossom,’ said Primrose. ‘Was she a percussionist like me?’
‘No,’ grinned Tashi. ‘She was a pest. But she did have some good ideas. Especially when it came to the haunted house.’
Everyone watched as Tashi took a sip of lemonade.
‘Go on,’ urged Mum.
‘Well, it was like this. Ever since I can remember, the ghost house has been there, crouching in the gloomiest part of the forest. No one from our village had set foot in that place, ever. Well, not for thirty years, anyway. Not since something dreadful happened to the old couple who used to live there. We children could never find out exactly what happened. The grown-ups would look frightened when we asked and say, “We don’t want to talk about it.”’
Jack snorted. ‘That’d be right.’
‘Sometimes we’d scare ourselves sick by running past the house or dare each other to go right up the path. So far only Ah Chu and I had actually dared to creep up and knock on the door.
‘Then one winter’s evening, Ah Chu’s father caught up with us on the way home. He’d been in the forest burning charcoal and his hands were black with soot. They looked a bit like yours, Jack! But I still remember how they trembled when he shook my shoulder.
‘“Don’t go near the ghost house,” he warned. “I’ve just seen a light flickering in the window. Who knows what is prowling around in there!”
‘Wah! He hurried on his way and we went on making our dam in the creek. Neither of us said a word, but you can be sure we were both thinking about the ghost house, and the strange light burning there. We knew that the next day we would just have to go and see for ourselves.
‘Darkness comes early in those winter afternoons so we hurried through the forest, our hearts thumping at every bird calling, or branch snapping.’
Cra-ack! Primrose broke a stick over her knee and Dad nearly fell off his chair.
‘Sorry,’ she whispered. ‘I was just adding sound effects.’
‘Well, Lotus Blossom came with us that afternoon because she hates to miss out on anything and, besides, she said she would tell Ah Chu’s father if we didn’t let her come. Off she went running as fast as she could through the trees, far ahead of us, until we lost sight of her. But when we drew near the house, wasn’t she leaning against a tree, panting, with a stitch in her side?
‘I couldn’t help laughing, but then Ah Chu said he had to stop too, because he had a pebble in his shoe and a sore foot. So I had to go up the path alone.
‘I crept along slowly, over patches of damp green moss and through vines as thick as your fist. The house rose up before me, dark and full of shadows – it was like an animal in its lair, half hidden by the webbed shade of the trees.
‘The latch lifted stiffly in my clammy hand and the door creaked open. “Come on!” I called over my shoulder and waited while Ah Chu and Lotus Blossom pushed each other up the path.
‘I went first. It was black as a bat’s cave inside, and smelled of mould. The further in we crept, the colder it grew. It was like walking into a grave. Something sticky and soft brushed against my face – ugh! –spider webs! When my eyes grew used to the dark I saw dust hanging in long strands from the rafters like ghostly grey ribbons.
‘Then Lotus Blossom yelped suddenly as her foot went through a rotten floorboard. Wah! She nearly fell through the hole!
‘“I thought something grabbed my ankle,” she whi
spered.
‘We clung together, listening to the silence. Even our breathing was loud. And then came the sound of a careful footstep from the room above our head. Ah Chu moaned.
‘I stepped forwards. “Is anybody there?” I called.
‘We heard a creak and a flurry of steps and then crash! A great beam that had been holding up the ceiling came hurtling down, landing in a huge cloud of dust just millimetres from my nose.
‘We all reached the door at once, so for a moment no one could get out. Ah Chu is quite plump and almost filled the doorway by himself but he and Lotus Blossom finally pushed through and were down the path like pellets out of a peashooter.
‘I was about to follow, I can tell you—’
‘Quick, quick, didn’t you get out of there?’ cried Jack.
‘Well, I looked back, just for a second, and there, sprawled among the rubble of the fallen ceiling was a young woman. She lifted her head and groaned, so I raced back to her.
‘“Are you hurt? Have you broken something?”
‘She tried to stand up. “My ankle aches terribly,” she whispered. “Oh, I knew the floor was rotten but I was so frightened. I thought you were someone sent by my cousin to take me back.” She looked at me closely. “You’re not, are you?”
‘“No, I’m Tashi. I don’t even know your cousin. Why are you so scared of him?”
‘“When my mother and father died, my cousin Bu Li moved in. I always hated him – he’s so much older than me and strong as an ox. He kept me locked in the house from morning till night, dyeing his silk. “You’ll stay here and be my slave,” he bellowed at me everyday, “until you tell me where you’ve hidden that emerald ring your mother left you.” But I wouldn’t! She told me before she died that I could use it to start a new life, and that is what I’m going to do.”
