by S G Read
By the same author.
Canadian Winters
Canadian Winters 2
Canadian Winters 3
Canadian Winters 4
Run Cally Run
Nice to Meet You Cally
The Team’s Journey
The Team’s Return
The Team and the Move
The Team and the Ghost
The Reluctant Bounty Hunter
The Vampire wars
She Was a Pretty Girl
The Lamerton Workhouse Orphanage
Me and Them
The History Channel
The Fight for Life
T.H.O.A.G.
The Team and the Ghost.
S G Read.
First, meet the team.
Stuart (Stu) Sellars, the team's spokesperson, so voted while they were in the Columbian jungle.
Stu a boy of average height for his age, not tall and nicely placed between fat and thin, brown eyed and with medium length brown hair.
Stephen (Stevey) Brown Stuart's best friend, taller than Stuart but not thin, with blond hair and blue eyes that made him look like an angel.
Ben Davis, the bad boy of the team but now reformed, with blond hair and pale blue eyes were a warning of the menace behind them, if angered.
Colin (CJ) Jenkins, taller than Stuart by two inches and well built, with black hair and brown eyes.
Denis Barlow, smaller than CJ in height, although not in build but still taller than Stuart though, with blond hair and hazel brown eyes.
Antony (Ant) Sadler, a tall slender boy with black hair and steely grey eyes; as he was a fast runner he played as centre forward and his eyes came to life when he scored.
Simon (Si) Higgs, a dumpy looking boy, who in the jungle climbed trees that the others ruled out, they thought he was part monkey. His light brown hair and piercing brown eyes made you look twice at him before dismissing him as not useful.
Stephen (Sherman) Sherrington, the biggest in the team, his nickname coming from the way he tackled during the games they played, he stood four inches taller than Stuart and was big with it. He wore his brown hair short and his brown eyes always made him look friendly.
James (JC) Chickford, the smallest in the team; small and wiry with fiery red hair and green eyes, the team's speedy left-winger.
Tobias (Toby) Carter built like Ant with black hair and dark brown almost black eyes.
Colin Stone, a Stuart look alike but with brown mousy hair and bright blue eyes.
John Taylor, another Stuart look alike and could pass as Colin's brother as they dressed the same and looked almost identical.
James Marriot had been the final member of the original team before the crash in the jungle, he wore his fair hair short and boasted blues eyes.
Jenny Robbins, soon to be the first girl member of the team. They met her when Stuart was in hospital, she was unfriendly at first and very prickly but she soon worked out that she wanted in. They did not object, as she was a very pretty athletic looking girl with long blond hair and Blue eyes.
Chapter 1
Stevey was up early and left his great aunt’s house before anyone else woke, apart from Pat his mother and Archibald Grover the gardener, who was taking him into Apsford; he had things to do. His first stop was the bank and he was standing outside waiting, when it finally opened. Pat and the bank manager had spent a long time in there the previous day and now Stevey was shown straight into the manager’s office, to sort out what he wanted to do.
‘Good morning Stephen how can I help you this morning?’ The manager asked and indicated a seat for Stevey to sit in.
‘I want to make an electronic transfer of funds to an account but I do not know the account number. The phone at the manor is playing about so I thought I could use yours and you could advise me as I go.’
‘No problem.’ He slid the phone over to where Stevey sat. ‘Do you need the book?’
‘Yes please and possibly a miracle.’ He looked through the book without any luck. ‘They might be ex directory.’ He said as he passed the book back but in the back of his mind the thought that they might have been cut off lingered.
‘Let me try.’ The bank manager said pleasantly. ‘Do you have a name for me?’
‘Robbins, Brian Robbins.’
The manager spent the next ten minutes searching and finally came up with a number.
‘It has been cut off for outgoing calls but you can still ring them.’ He announced and dialled the number before he passed the receiver over to Stevey.
‘Hello Mr Robbins I need you to do me a favour but I will pay you for it. I also understand from Jenny that you are a good carpenter, how is Jenny by the way?’ He stopped speaking and waited for a reply.
‘Who is this?’ Mr Robbins asked.
‘Stevey Brown Mr Robbins is Jenny okay?’
‘Hello Stevey, Jenny is getting better but needs rest and certainly no more exertions for a while. How can I help?’
‘I want to send some money into your account, by the way I’m rich now, and I want you to buy a mini bus and collect us from Apsford and bring us back home. I have a lot of work at Apsford for you to do.’
‘And where is Apsford?’
‘Devon, sorry didn’t I say.’
‘And you lot won’t be there?’
‘Not after you have taken us home to my new house.’
‘Which is?’
‘I hope it will be Gordon Hall.’
‘The one Jenny saw a ghost in?’
‘Oh yes and we all saw the ghost or felt it.’
‘Felt it?’
‘It’s a bit like drinking an ice cold drink all at once, it freezes your insides.’
‘Well if you are going to be here and we are going to be there I cannot see a problem.’
‘It’s a big house with plenty of rooms and a lot of secret passageways for you to sort out as well.’
‘Secret passageways?’
‘Yes but I’ll tell you more when you get here. Now I need your name, account number and your sort code to put this money into your account. I’ll put extra in for expenses and such.’
The formalities were worked out and the money transferred then Stevey phoned the absent owner of Gordon Hall.
‘I want to buy Gordon Hall from you.’ He announced from a position of wealth and knowledge. He knew that they had tried to give it back to the back but the bank had refused to take it. They bartered on the phone Stevey not wanting to pay more than he had to and the owner happy to get it off his hands but still wanting all he could squeeze out of Stevey. They struck a happy medium and the bank manager took over the proceedings.
‘I will need your mother to come in and sign some forms today, to make it official.’ He said as Stevey went out.
‘Okay I’ll send her down.’ Stevey answered and they were on their way back to Apsford House.
Stuart opened his eyes he was in a room with three beds in it. He checked the ceiling, to make sure it was not another hospital but there was just a dirty ceiling, the fire had seen to that. In the third bed Simon was asleep but the second bed was empty, where was Stevey? He climbed out of bed in his boxers and wandered downstairs to where Pat Brown, Stevey’s mum was reading a paper in the kitchen.
‘Good morning Stuart and what can I cook you for breakfast?’ She asked.
‘I think I will just have cereal thank you.’ He took a bowl from the cupboard and filled it with his choice of cereal then added milk before sitting at the large kitchen table to eat it. ‘Where’s Stevey.’
‘He went into town on a mission early this morning, well early for you.’
‘I can get up early if I want to.’ Stuart declared.
Pat just smiled an ‘I don’t real
ly think you can’ smile and said nothing.
‘I can.’ Stuart insisted and ate his cereal.
He was joined by others as he sat there, all in various stages of dress, except for Toby who walked down fully dressed and ready for what the day would throw at him. Simon was the last down. It followed that he was the last person eating and he was still doing so when Stevey returned, slipping his arm back into its sling before he opened the front door. He was nearly killed when the man wanting the money he now had, tried to throw him off the roof but Pat proved to be his match and the team had stopped him being dragged over the edge of the roof.
‘So what was this mission?’ Stuart asked looking up from the sports section of the paper.
‘If you must know I was arranging for a man to come and repair all the damage this place has suffered.’
‘But Jenny’s dad is a carpenter!’ Stuart declared.
‘Who do you think is on his way; well he will be when he has bought us a mini bus so we don’t have to squeeze into Ben’s brother’s van any more.’
‘We’re having a mini bus?’ Toby asked but it was rhetorical question. ‘Thank God for that, no more squashed journeys.’
‘We could have gone back on the train, it would have been cheaper.’ Stuart argued.
‘But it meant changing twice to get where we are going.’ Stevey added mischievously.
‘Twice?’ Stuart replied and started working it out.
‘I have bought me and mum a house.’
‘That is mum and I.’ Pat corrected.
‘And you are all welcome to stay in it whenever you like, there are enough rooms.’ Stevey added ignoring his mother’s correction.
‘What house have you bought then Stevey?’ Sherman asked.
‘Changing trains twice and plenty of rooms, that’s got to be Gordon Hall.’ Stuart declared.
‘Yup: Mum and I are now the proud owners of Gordon Hall.’ Stevey answered.
‘But what about the ghost?’ Stuart asked.
‘Ghost!’ Simon exclaimed spraying cereal out of his mouth.
‘Is it really haunted?’ Toby asked.
‘Oh yes and I guarantee you will either meet it or feel its presence.’ Stu answered. ‘We have haven’t we Stevey?’
‘Yes and once is enough. The plan is to try to find out why it is haunting the house and how we can help it.’ Stevey replied.
‘Help a ghost?’ Simon asked his mouth now empty. ‘How do you help a ghost?’
‘I don’t know do I?’ Stevey answered. ‘I am not into the helping ghost business, well I wasn’t until now.’
Pat said nothing, she did not believe in ghosts but she had spoken to Wendy, Stuart’s mother and Wendy was convinced the house was haunted.
The discussion about the house went on for some time and then they started to discuss how to improve Apsford House. It had a toilet down the path in the garden and a tin bath hung up in the shed next to the toilet, which had to be carried down to the house, when Stevey’s great grandmother wanted to have a bath. The water had to be heated on the stove to fill the bath, hence no one had been in it since they had arrived. Instead they chose to go down to the swimming pool when it opened to swim and then have a shower afterwards which is what they did when they had argued enough over the modernisation of Apsford House. Despite argument from Stevey he had to settle for a shower while the others swam, just to make sure he did not hurt his shoulder.
When they came back from swimming they went to explore the area as there was no sign of Jenny and her dad. They walked down from the house and into the old wooded area which led to the cliff top with Pat’s words ringing in their ears ‘keep away from the edge!’
They came to an old dead looking tree and some climbed it while the others swung on the rope that hung from one of the branches. When they had enough of that they walked to the cliff edge and heard roaring water. They looked over and saw water pouring out of the cliff in two different places, one high and one low.
‘That lower one would make a super flume.’ Simon declared.
‘But coming out of the higher one would be interesting.’ Antony added.
‘And dangerous by the looks of it.’ Toby replied.
‘We could get that rope and climb down there.’ Simon suggested as he lay on his tummy looking over the edge. ‘There is a cave mouth not far down we could explore.’
‘Can you imagine what Stevey’s mum would say if we did that and fell?’ Sherman declared.
Everyone laughed, as they all thought anyone falling from the top water flume would be in trouble and the cave was even higher.
‘Can you think what mum would say if she found out I climbed down there?’ Stevey added holding up the arm in the sling.
‘She’d throw a wobbly.’ Stuart exclaimed.
They walked off in search of things to do but returned to the old dead looking tree and then back to the house. Jenny came down to greet them as they walked up.
‘You’re here then?’ Simon exclaimed.
‘No Simon, I am a mirage we are still on our way here.’ Jenny exclaimed.
They had first met Jenny and her father when Stuart was in hospital and now they were friends.
‘Or a ghost.’ Simon exclaimed.
‘Don’t talk to me about ghosts.’ Jenny declared. ‘They are horrible.’
‘Have you met one then?’ Toby asked.
‘Well yes and no; it was there one minute and gone the next but it froze me when it passed right through me!’ She neglected to tell them about asking the ghost for help when Willie Bowyer was coming in to kidnap her.
‘Passed right through you.’ Simon echoed.
‘Yes and you only want that done to you once believe me.’ Jenny answered.
They walked up to the house talking amongst them selves and then Stevey immersed himself in the repairs he wanted done and the alterations. Which were to include bathrooms, ensuite showers and indoor toilets.
‘I have opened an account at the local building supplies and plumbers merchants and they deliver, they have to, out here in the middle of nowhere, so just phone and order what you need Mr Robbins. Here is a cheque book it is only temporary at the moment and you have to come in with me and sign a paper. After that you can write out the cheques and order what you or any other worker needs. Anything you can do you can go ahead, with the rest get estimates but choose who you think is best for the job not the cheapest like my dad used to.’
‘Looks like I’ll be here a while.’
‘You can keep the mini bus to use but if we all need transport and our parents aren’t available I’ll give you a call.’
‘No problem Stephen.’
‘It’s Stevey.’
‘Then I’m Brian, Stevey.’
They shook hands and it was all settled.
While they were talking the others were showing Jenny the secret passages, which the man trying to find the treasure had used. They did not walk as far as the cemetery as the door was still barricaded to stop anyone coming through, that was on Brian’s list. The food arriving from the Apsford restaurant stopped everything and they all sat round the large table in the kitchen to eat. Pat had refused point blank to cook for so many mouths on her own and now they could afford to eat takeaways.
While they ate, Pat pondered what was going to happen next. She knew Stephen was ready to move straight in to Gordon Hall and never go back to the flat although they were now buying it! As sitting tenants they paid less than someone buying it when it was empty and that in the end would earn them some money. They were going to make improvements and then rent it out until they were able to sell it by the terms of sale. After that they would wait and only sell when it was a sellers market. She had never been in Gordon Hall before and her only knowledge about it was from talks with Stuart and Stephen and a talk on the phone with Wendy, Stuart’s mother. Although, now that Jenny was there, she would be talking to her about it, as Jenny had been in there as well as the boys.
After the food, wh
ile Pat cornered Jenny to talk about Gordon Hall the boys packed whatever they had to pack, ready to go.
‘So what is it like inside Jenny?’ Pat asked when they were alone.
‘The kitchen is bigger than this one with more cupboards but there are no mod cons as it is all old so a new kitchen is called for. There is a laundry but no washing machine so you will need one of them but it has a drying room although when I went in there it was all cold and damp as the boiler was out.’ Jenny explained.
‘What sort of boiler?’
‘Log fired I think or coal as they have a coal store.’
‘Can we live in it?’
‘Oh yes the floor is polished floor boards possibly oak and there are still some pictures on the walls. Some rooms have beds in but they will need a good clean even though they are covered by dust sheets. There are tables and chairs which are also covered but the kitchen tops will need a good clean.’
‘What about cooking?’
‘I didn’t see a cooker but they do have something with a chimney on it in the kitchen.’ Jenny answered.
‘What about a phone?’
‘There is a neat one in the hall one of those two piece ones, you have to hold one bit to your ear and speak into the other bit but the main bit is very heavy.’
‘Takeaways until we have things how we want them.’ Pat declared.
‘What about the ghost?’
‘Have you seen this ghost?’
‘Seen it and been frozen to the core by it, not a pleasant thing unless you were running a fever.’
‘Who was it?’
‘A young boy who cries a lot but the odd thing is that when he lays on the bed he makes a dent in it and when he cries he makes the pillow wet!’
‘I don’t know who is going to be worse off, the ghost or this lot when they get there?’
‘Hard to judge but my money is on the ghost.’ Jenny answered with a laugh. ‘I am sorry I can’t be there to see them go up against the ghost but it would be unfair to leave dad out here all alone.’
‘And safer for you out here from what I have heard.’ Pat added.
‘I don’t know Stu and Stevey did save me when that monster had me in the cellar and then they nearly died themselves. If it weren’t for the rest of the team they would have died.’
