He shivers involuntary; in the sudden lightning flash, the old house looks very scary; it reminds him of one of those old houses in a horror film. Perhaps it is haunted after all, he thinks. That idea had seemed quite exciting when he was thinking about it in the safety of his little warm bedroom back at school, but here, shivering in this little boat on this horrible stormy night, it does not seem quite so much fun. Get a grip, he thinks to himself, it is just that silly old story Harry had just told him that was unnerving him.
Peering ahead, Edward sees that they are approaching some large, stone gateposts. There is another flash of lightning and he reads the name Pea Haven Hall, cut into the stone pillars. Harry continues to row and they glide silently past the imposing gateposts and along what Edward guesses is the driveway to the house beneath the flood water. The light from the large lamp at the front of the boat illuminates shrubs on both sides of them as they continue along the drive. As they round a bend, a large house suddenly comes into view. Edward is pleasantly surprised now that he can see the whole house more closely and not just the top of it through the trees. It does not look anywhere near as scary any more – in fact, it looks warm and inviting. There are lights on in most of the windows, giving it a cosy welcoming feel.
Harry stops rowing and the boat comes to a halt with a gentle bump at the foot of some wide steps, which lead up to a huge, half-glazed front door. The light from inside the house throws a pleasant glow down the steps towards them. Harry steps out of the boat onto the steps and ties it to the stone pier at the foot of the steps. He helps Edward out of the boat then reaches back into the boat to recover Edward’s case. ‘Right, let’s get out of this foul weather,’ he says as he plods up the stairs and opens the large door into the house.
Inside, Edward is relieved to see that the interior is as warm and welcoming as it looked from the outside and is not in the slightest bit spooky. An elderly lady suddenly appears from a doorway on the left of the entrance hall. She looks at Edward and her face lights up into a huge grin. Edward recognises the lady as his aunt from the photo his mother had shown him, although she does not look nearly as ancient in the flesh as she did in the picture. He suddenly realises that he is slightly nervous about meeting his aunt. That anxiety is soon chased away by the warm friendly smile on his aunt’s face and the huge hug she now envelopes him in. She then holds him at arm’s length. ‘Let me have a look at you, handsome just like your father. It is so wonderful to see you at last, I have heard so much about you from your parents. I am sorry that they have been delayed. They phoned me yesterday to tell me. Still, it is exciting news about this stone they have found, isn’t it?’ Edward hopes his expression does not give away the less than enthusiastic feelings he had for their find. ‘Apparently it is unique and quite priceless and very important for their work,’ his aunt continues. It seems that his aunt has not read his true feelings from his face. ‘Still, the time will go quickly and they will soon be arriving,’ she says. She is quiet for a while as she looks at him. ‘Actually, Edward, to tell you the truth I was a little bit nervous about meeting you without your parents, but now that we have met I can tell that we are going to get along just fine.’ Edward tells his aunt that he had also been nervous about the meeting and they both laugh, feeling much more comfortable with each other now. ‘What silly things we are!’ Agatha exclaims.
‘Oh I’m sorry, Edward, how rude of me – I have not even introduced myself. I am your Aunt Agatha, well actually your great aunt if we want to be accurate.’ ‘Yes, I did guess who you were,’ Edward replies. They both laugh again. ‘How was your journey, was it comfortable?’ Suddenly a rush of questions comes from Aunt Agatha’s lips. ‘Was the train on time? Did you… What am I thinking of,’ she suddenly says, ‘your clothes are soaking wet from this hideous storm, you must be frozen. You must change out of those wet clothes and into something warm and dry straight away. Harry would you show Edward up to his bedroom? The fire has been lit in there, and there are some fresh clothes airing in front of it. They are some of your father’s old things; I am afraid they may be a bit old-fashioned, but at least they will be nice and warm. We can talk later when you have dried out and warmed up a bit. Now off you go then and hurry back down; there will be a nice mug of hot chocolate waiting for you and some supper.’ ‘That sounds great,’ Edward replies, suddenly remembering that he has not eaten for hours.
CHAPTER 10
Edward looks at himself in the mirror. It seems strange, wearing his father’s old clothes. Aunt Agatha was right, he thinks – they are a bit old-fashioned but they fit him perfectly and they are nice and warm. As Edward walks down the staircase, he hears his aunt calling him. ‘In here,’ she calls. He heads for the room the voice came from. Inside is his aunt, another elderly woman, Harry and a very scruffy little dog – some type of terrier he guesses.
‘Ah, Edward my dear child, do come in and sit right here next to me.’ His aunt plumps up a cushion next to her on the large, comfy-looking sofa. ‘I do hope you like your room and have made yourself at home in it. Now let me introduce you to the remaining members of the household. This is Harry’s wife Annie,’ his aunt says, gesturing towards the elderly woman. ‘She is my cook and housekeeper – make sure that you become friends with her,’ Aunt Agatha says with a wink. ‘If she likes you, she will spoil you with all kinds of nice things from her kitchen.’ Edward turns to Annie and extends his hand. ‘Take no notice of her,’ Annie says as she shakes his hand. ‘Of course we are going to be the best of friends, just like I was with your father when he used to stay here as a lad. Now let me go and get your supper, I’m sure you must be starving.’ Edward realises that he is indeed very hungry. He remembers the incident with the statue when he was trying to have his lunch and that he fell asleep soon after boarding the train still without touching his lunch.
‘Last but not least,’ says his aunt, ‘this is Bruce; he is our brave guard dog.’ ‘Oh, he’s lovely,’ says Edward, ruffling the fur on the top of the dog’s head. ‘Hello Bruce, you are a good boy.’ Edward ruffles his fur again. As Edward turns away from the dog, he hears a voice say ‘Lay off the petting and the namby-pamby good-boy stuff Jimmy.’ This, delivered in a very gruff Glaswegian accent. Edward spins round and stares at the dog who is now enthusiastically scratching himself.
Edward looks at his aunt and the others and is amazed that they are just smiling at him without displaying the slightest hint of surprise that the dog has just spoken. I don’t believe it, Edward thinks to himself; first a talking statue and now a talking dog. Perhaps I have the beginnings of a cold or fever, which is causing me to hallucinate. Perhaps I will be better after a good night’s sleep; after all I have had a long journey and it has been a very strange day. Edward suddenly remembers the unexplained events on the train and the station. Yes, what a very strange day it has been, he thinks.
Soon Annie returns with a tray containing a steaming meal of shepherd’s pie and gravy and delicious-looking apple pie covered in thick custard. ‘I hope you like this,’ Annie says as she places the tray on his lap. ‘It used to be your daddy’s favourite.’ Edward’s mouth waters as he looks at the food in front of him. ‘Oh yes,’ he replies. ‘They are my favourites as well.’ Annie smiles, pleased with herself. She turns to Harry and, guiding him by the arm towards the door, says, ‘Right we’ll be off then, good night Master Edward, I’m sure you and your aunt have lots to talk about. Good night Agatha, goodnight Bruce.’ ‘Goodnight,’ Agatha and Edward reply. ‘Goodnight’ Bruce says. It takes Edward a few seconds before he realises with a start that the dog has just wished the departing couple a goodnight. Edward’s jaw drops open. Harry stops at the doorway, looks back at Edward and gives him a large wink, then follows after his wife.
Edward stares at the door Harry and Annie have just passed through. It must have been a trick, thinks Edward, yes, Harry playing a trick on me somehow. Like that stuff he told me in the boat about the village that disappeared into the sea and the church bell being heard o
n stormy nights and ghostly singing. A smile spreads across his face. Yes that’s it; Harry threw his voice like a ventriloquist to make me think the dog was talking to me. Ha ha, Edward laughs. ‘What are you laughing at?’ enquires Aunt Agatha. ‘Oh nothing Auntie, just something Harry said.’ He was feeling a lot happier now with a plausible explanation regarding the talking dog. But Harry playing tricks on me did not explain the strange events at the station and on the train earlier he thinks, suddenly serious again. Then, looking at the food in front of him, his mood instantly lightened. Oh well, let me worry about that weird stuff tomorrow; right now I have this lovely meal to deal with.
CHAPTER 11
The following day, Edward jumps enthusiastically from his bed, feeling refreshed from a good night’s sleep. He glances at the huge brass bed with its super soft feather mattress. It is the most comfortable bed he has ever slept in. He walks to the window and pulls back the curtains. The sky is still slate grey and overcast and the rain is splattering against the window pane. As he looks at the gloomy scene out of his window, he becomes aware of a low buzzing sound. It gradually gets louder. Then a small boat with two men in it appears around the bend of the flooded drive, heading towards the house. Edward watches the boat approach the house and sees that the sound is coming from a small outboard motor on the back of the boat. Eventually the boat bumps gently into the steps leading to the front door next to the boat Edward and Harry arrived in. As Edward watches, one of the men steps out of the boat and says a few words to the other man who remains in the boat. The man standing on the steps turns and looks up at the house. He is wearing an old shabby grey raincoat tied in the middle with a belt. On his head he is wearing a black trilby hat pulled low over his eyes. He reminds Edward of a gangster from one of those old black and white films. He walks up the steps disappearing from Edward’s view.
Edward looks up at the sky once more, then brightens as he thinks of all the exploring there is to be done, but first, breakfast – he is feeling very hungry again. As he gets dressed, his thoughts return to the strange events of the previous day. The more he thinks about it, the more he is convinced that he had been suffering from some type of virus or bug which had made him delirious and had resulted in him hallucinating all those strange things. Still, that was yesterday and now he was just starting his Christmas holiday and he was ravenous. I hope Annie has made something scrummy for breakfast, he thinks happily, I can’t do any serious exploring of this great old house on an empty stomach.
Edward closes his bedroom door behind him and walks along the landing. As he nears the top of the stairs, he hears voices from below. He stops and looks through the banisters down into the hallway below. His aunt is talking to the man who he saw arrive in the boat. Something about the tone of the conversation warns him that he should not go down the stairs and interrupt it. Now that he has a closer view, Edward can see that the man is tall and very thin; he has taken his hat off and is holding it in his hands. Edward can now see that the man’s coat looks far too big for him, like it belonged to someone much heavier, and it is hanging loosely off his frame. Edward suddenly gets an image of the skeleton in the science room back at school wearing this raincoat and he involuntarily giggles. The tall man below looks up towards him with surprising speed and Edward falls back away from the banisters and into the shadows. For a while all is quiet, then the man’s monotonous voice resumes. Edward cautiously moves forward to the banisters again. He studies the man once more. He has straggly greasy hair which frames a long, thin face in the centre of which is the longest, most bent nose Edward has ever seen. His mouth is thin with colourless lips like a slash, cut just below the large nose. Edward does not like the look of him one bit and he certainly does not like the sound of him. Snippets of the conversation rise from below. ‘The terms of the agreement are quite clear; you have until 12 noon on Christmas Eve to repay the loan in full, including the interest,’ says the thin mouth. ‘If you do not,’ he continues, a sneer spreading across his cruel face and his voice now taking on a threatening tone, ‘I will be forced to commence proceedings to take ownership of this house.’ ‘Oh dear, if you could just give me a little bit longer, Mr Ponsonby, I am sure I can find your money,’ Aunt Agatha replies. ‘Out of the question,’ Ponsonby says, cutting her short. He turns and walks towards the front door. ‘You have until 12 noon Christmas Eve. If you do not have my money in full, you are out.’ He places his hat on his head and walks to the front door, opens it then turns to Agatha and says, ‘I will return at 12 noon on Christmas Eve.’ With that, he walks out of the door, leaving it open behind him, with Aunt Agatha standing in the hallway, staring after him, looking very upset.
Edward walks down the stairs and across the hallway to the open front door in time to see the tall man step into the waiting boat. ‘Right, Smudger, get me back to the town as soon as possible, I can’t stand all this nasty countryside and fields and things and the smelly fresh air, I can’t imagine what anybody sees in it. Give me the town and traffic and crowds of people any day.’ The man in the boat pulls on a cord on the outboard motor a couple of times. On the third attempt, the motor splutters into life and the boat pulls away from the steps and away along the drive. Edward watches them until they disappear around the bend.
He closes the door and turns to face his aunt who is still looking in the direction of the front door with a distressed look on her face. ‘Auntie you are upset, what is wrong, who was that horrible man?’ Agatha turns to face Edward and her worried look is replaced by a warm smile. ‘Oh it is nothing for you to worry about, dear.’ ‘Sorry Auntie, but I could not help overhearing some of your conversation with that man, what did he mean? Will you have to give him the house?’ ‘Oh I am sure it will not come to that dear, it is just a simple misunderstanding, nothing for you to worry about. I am sure it will all get sorted out.’ Edward starts to ask more questions but is interrupted by his aunt. ‘Now not another word dear, this is your Christmas holiday and I do not want it spoilt with you worrying about all this nonsense.’ With that, she takes his arm and guides him towards the kitchen. ‘Now did you sleep well dear?’ ‘Oh yes, I think I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.’ ‘Good, now let’s see what Annie has for your breakfast. Are you hungry dear?’ Edward smiles. ‘Yes, starving, it must be all the smelly fresh air.’ His aunt bursts into laughter, ‘Yes, that’s what it must be,’ she agrees. Edward glances over his shoulder towards the front door and makes a mental note to find out more about the unpleasant Mr Ponsonby.
Annie serves Edward with a wonderful cooked breakfast, he really is very hungry and the breakfast is the best he has ever tasted. Bruce the scruffy mongrel is lying in his basket, watching every mouthful Edward eats. Aunt Agatha asks him about his journey. He tells her about his strange experiences, first with the statue at the station and then on the train. To his relief, his aunt listens to the whole story without making him feel that he is just a silly schoolboy with too much imagination. Every now and then she would add an ‘Oh really dear’ or ‘that’s most strange’. ‘It was probably something you ate,’ says Annie as she collects his empty plate. ‘A dodgy bit of meat or fish can do that to yer; can make you imagine things it can, see and hear things that aren’t really there.’ ‘Yes, that’s probably it,’ replies Edward, not really convinced by Annie’s suggestions.
‘Anyway,’ interrupts Aunt Agatha. ‘You are here now, safe and sound. I am sorry the last part of your journey was so awkward with the boat and everything.’ ‘Oh, that was brilliant!’ Edward replies enthusiastically. Agatha laughs. ‘With all of this rain, most of the lanes around the house are flooded and I am afraid it is the only way to get in and out of the house. This house is built in a bit of a valley; we have the cliffs rising up on one side and a hill on the other.’ ‘Well I think it is the most exciting way I have ever arrived at someone’s house.’
Edward looks at Bruce who is still lying quietly in his bed. Edward says quietly to his aunt, ‘Bruce seems a bit grumpy today is he alr
ight?’ Although Edward is now pretty sure that the talking dog episode yesterday was just a clever piece of ventriloquism performed by Harry, he still thinks it is wise to keep his voice down whilst discussing the dog. Annie laughs. ‘Oh that dog is grumpy every day, it’s just the way he is.’ She gives Edward a few dog biscuits and tells him that if he gives one to Bruce every now and again during the day, by tonight Bruce will be his best friend.
Edward calls to Bruce. ‘Here boy!’ Reluctantly the dog raises himself from his basket and ambles over to him, but his air of indifference soon disappears when Bruce gets a sniff of the piece of sausage Edward has saved for him from his breakfast. The dog gulps it as if he has not been fed for a week, licking his lips after he has eaten it. Edward realises that he is slightly disappointed that Bruce does not speak to him; even a small thank you would have been nice. It would be brilliant fun if Bruce really could speak, he thinks.
‘Right,’ says Edward, getting up from the table. ‘I am going to explore the house, do you want to come with me Bruce?’ The dog gives Edward a grumpy look and unenthusiastically follows him out of the kitchen. Edward starts to explore the house with Bruce in close but seemingly uninterested attendance. Every now and then Edward gives the dog a biscuit, but there is no noticeable improvement to Bruce’s mood. Edward is not convinced that Annie’s dog biscuit plan to win Bruce’s affections is working, though it is a bit hard to tell with a dog as naturally grumpy as Bruce.
Edward is not disappointed by the old house; it certainly has a spooky feel about it. There are lots of rooms and hallways, a back stairway and lots of wooden panelling which Edward is certain must conceal secret doorways that open when you pull a hidden lever. He feels sure that these will lead to secret passageways. There may even be hidden treasure which some pirate put there years ago and who never returned to collect it. Edward was just having these exciting thoughts when he stopped dead in his tracks. What was that? He was sure he had heard whispering. After a few seconds, he laughs nervously; all this stuff about hidden passageways and pirate treasure is setting my imagination off again, he thinks.
The Wreckers Page 3
