Shadows of the Lost Child

by Ellie Stevenson

  ‘Leave me out of it,’ Tom insisted, glaring at Ben and then at Miranda.

  ‘Why don’t we worry about that later?’ Ben said tersely, grabbing the handle of the nearest trunk and gesturing to Miranda to take the other. ‘We’re still a long way from our destination. The night’s getting on.’

  ‘Isn’t it just?’ Miranda said, sourly.

  Moving the trunks along the passage was far from easy. Curdizan Low to Curdizan Church was quite a good walk and slightly uphill, without the strain of carrying trunks. The tunnel was as black as pitch. Tom walked ahead with the lamp to guide them. So we did need him, after all. Miranda smiled.

  ‘I’d have preferred to have stored them in your workshop,’ Miranda told Ben as they staggered along.

  ‘But you weren’t prepared to say what was in them. I needed to know, if I was storing them.’

  ‘I don’t see why. What did you think I was keeping inside them, buried treasure? I think you ought to have trusted me more.’ She sighed, loudly. The question now was, could she trust him? Then something soft brushed past her leg. Miranda shrieked.

  ‘You never said there were rats down here! Are we nearly at the church?’

  ‘I reckon we’re probably near the church hall. It won’t be long now.’

  ‘And about time too.’ They paused briefly. They were walking each trunk a few hundred yards, then going back for the second and the third. It was really hard work and slow at that but at least they could see they were making progress.

  ‘We should have brought a sled,’ said Tom. ‘Or even dragged the trunks on some planks.’

  ‘I thought of that,’ said Ben, mildly. ‘But the floor’s uneven, and we’d have to have sorted the planks out first, or found a sled. You said the trunks weren’t very heavy, so I didn’t think they’d be too hard to carry.’

  ‘Not for a bloke,’ said Miranda, grimly.

  ‘Here we are,’ said Ben, suddenly, and Tom gave a cheer and did a little dance. Miranda paused and looked around. Right up ahead were the steps to the crypt of Curdizan Church. But before the steps, to the left, was a door.

  Miranda watched as Ben walked over and tugged on the door, it opened easily. ‘Done it before,’ he said grinning.

  ‘You haven’t yet said how you knew about this place.’ Ben didn’t answer; just walked through the door and into the passage. Miranda sighed.

  She followed him carefully through the gap. ‘Thomas, come here and bring the lamp!’

  Tom passed it over and Miranda shivered as she noticed how much the walls had closed in. This passage would lead to the school basement. I hope it’s not far, she said to herself.

  ‘I’ll go and open the door at the end.’ Ben disappeared and Miranda could hear his footsteps receding.

  ‘I never wanted to store them in the basement,’ Miranda insisted as she and Tom waited, and waited, and waited. Nothing, just silence, not even a rat. And then she heard the sound of swearing.

  ‘Ben?’ she called out. ‘We can hear you up there and we’re fed up with waiting for something to happen. Aren’t you coming back?’

  Her words echoed in the lonely tunnel but no-one replied, not even a ghost. Ben had taken the lamp with him so there wasn’t a lot to see either.

  ‘I hope he’s not going to be long,’ said Thomas.

  ‘You and me both,’ Miranda agreed. Then Ben reappeared, not looking happy.

  ‘Now what’s the matter?’ Miranda asked him. She barely dared ask.

  ‘The door to the basement won’t open,’ he said. ‘Unfortunately, I think it’s still locked.’

  Chapter 43

  Now – Aleph

  The next day I saw Ginny again. By then I’d had a change of heart.

  ‘I’ve made a transcript,’ I told her curtly. ‘Without any names, to say where it’s from. I don’t want any trouble from this. You do understand?’ Guinevere nodded. She skimmed the transcript, reading the words.

  ‘Marianne will be thrilled with this.’

  ‘Thrilled, how?’

  ‘She’s known that something was wrong for years. She’s wanted to find out the truth for ages. Now, at last, she’s got something to go on.’

  ‘When I saw Marianne Parks at the office, she told me all the rumours were rubbish. She said there weren’t any ghost children.’

  ‘Of course she did, she was testing the water. She didn’t want to look a fool, did she? Especially not in front of a stranger.’

  I wasn’t amused and I told her so. Ginny shook her head.

  ‘Nobody’s made you look like a fool. I’m paying for your services, this is business. Though, had I been you, I’d have wanted to hear the full story.’

  ‘What story?’ I said on cue, wishing as I’d said it, I’d kept my mouth shut. I realised I was taking the bait. I didn’t want to hear her wretched story, unless, of course, it affected the house. But I did want the crying to stop. I needed the sleep, and the work, so I could find somewhere different to live. I folded my arms.

  ‘Alright, Ms James, you win, this time. Tell me the story, you’ve got my attention.’ Guinevere grinned.

  ‘A woman was murdered a long time ago, but no-one was ever charged, or found guilty. Her family assumed she’d run off with a lover, her body was never recovered at the time. Then years later, a body turned up, but her parents were dead by the time that happened. And years had passed, if you see what I mean.’ I nodded, understanding.

  ‘The corpse would have decomposed by then. That must have been hard,’ I said, softly.

  ‘It was for Marianne Parks,’ said Ginny. ‘She was the one who found the body.’

  ‘Right,’ I said. Well, that was a facer. No wonder the woman was obsessed with ghosts.

  ‘And not just that,’ said Ginny, carefully, with what I saw was a touch of relish. ‘She found the body in your cellar.’

  Chapter 44

  Then – Thomas

  ‘You are joking,’ Miranda said.

  ‘I’m not,’ said Ben, ‘I’ve tried the door twice. It’s definitely locked. But you try it. And as for you,’ he glared at me, ‘you said you’d ask someone to unlock it.’

  ‘I did,’ I said, ‘I asked Jake. He swore he’d do it before he left.’

  ‘You’ve involved someone else, without my permission?’ Miranda looked furious. Ben shook his head.

  ‘No he hasn’t, he was asked to leave the door open for me.’

  ‘And that proves what?’

  ‘I’ve my own reasons for using the tunnel.’

  ‘And very obviously, secret reasons,’ Miranda retorted. She didn’t bother to ask what they were. They both looked unhappy and I was fed up. When I next saw Jake, there’d be trouble for sure. Miranda spoke up.

  ‘So what are we going to do with the shoes? We can’t take them all the way back to the pub. I think we should leave them right here in the passage? Just for a while.’

  ‘I’ve told you before that’s just not possible,’ Ben said quickly. ‘This is what we’re going to do.’ He looked at me and grinned broadly. ‘This is your chance to do your bit.’

  Climbing the steps to the crypt was easy. The door wasn’t locked, which Ben seemed to know.

  ‘Go up to the church and into the churchyard, then double back towards the school, crossing the graveyard.’ I did what he said, it was all straightforward, more or less. But when I finally reached the school and tried the door to the joinery workshop, it was, of course, locked.

  ‘There’s another door by the big stone shed that leads to the basement,’ Miranda had told me, but that was locked too, as we’d imagined. I knew I’d have to take the third route. My heart sank at the thought.

  ‘There’s a window at the side which doesn’t close properly. Squeeze your fingers through the gap and adjust the catch. You might need a strong stick for that, you’ll find one close by. And no, don’t ask, just do what I say. Then pull the sill down and haul yourself over. It’s easy as pie.’ Or so said Ben.

  I did what he said
. It wasn’t easy.

  First , I needed some crates to stand on, I wasn’t that tall. Then, when I’d finally pulled the sash down, heaving myself through the window was hell. I tumbled in and landed on a workbench, which hurt, a lot.

  ‘Rats, bats and curses,’ I said.

  ‘What if someone sees me climb in?’ I’d asked Ben, earlier.

  ‘They won’t,’ he insisted, ‘or we’ll be in trouble. This is your chance to prove yourself. We’re relying on you, Thomas, remember? Aren’t we, Miranda?’

  ‘Yes,’ said Miranda, but she didn’t seem sure. I was dreading it all, I knew I couldn’t fail.

  Even when I was outside the window, complete with the crates, and the stick for the catch, I’d had to hang around, there were drunks going past, and then a group of women, staggering together, waiting for them to go past took ages. And meanwhile, it was getting lighter. Then I was in.

  Next, I had to get down to the basement. ‘That bit’s easy,’ Ben had told me. ‘Just lift the trapdoor and go down the steps, that’ll be a breeze.’

  Easy wasn’t the way I’d describe it. The trapdoor was heavy and difficult to lift. I had to use some wood as a lever.

  ‘You should be doing this job, not me,’ I’d said to Ben earlier. He shook his head.

  ‘If I was seen, I’d end up in jail. I can’t take the risk.’

  And I can? ‘Can’t we both go?’ I’d said to him then. ‘You could just act as a lookout or something.’

  ‘And leave Miranda alone in the tunnel?’

  ‘I don’t mind,’ Miranda said quickly, but I knew that wasn’t true, she was scared of the rats, and Ben was a gent, he wouldn’t have left her alone in the dark. Miranda refused to leave the shoes. Anyone would think her ma’s name was on them.

  Or my ma’s name, I thought, bitterly.

  And then I was there, alone in the basement, at the bottom of the steps. I couldn’t see a thing, but I could hear Ben’s voice, inside my head, telling me what to do, as usual.

  ‘Use the steps to get your bearings, then walk towards the door to the tunnel.’ I started walking, slowly, steadily, stumbling twice over pots and pans and then, at last, I found the door.

  ‘What will I do if the key’s not in it?’ I’d said to Ben earlier.

  ‘It will be, I’m sure, they’ve obviously locked it. They’ve probably left the key in the lock.’ I hoped to God he was right about that.

  I hadn’t a clue where the key was kept, I’d barely known the door existed, until Ben had told me to talk to Jake. I pressed my hands around the frame, using touch to find the keyhole. I finally found it, but there wasn’t any key. I couldn’t believe it. I could have cried.

  I scrabbled around on the floor for the key, just in case it had fallen out. Of course, it hadn’t. Not for the first time, I longed for a lamp, at least with a lamp I could look in the drawers and find the key.

  ‘You can’t take the lamp,’ Ben had insisted.

  ‘If I wasn’t in the dark I’d be so much quicker.’

  ‘And how would you get the lamp through the window? It’s far too dangerous, and somebody passing might see the light.’

  I didn’t answer.

  It was black as pitch as I walked round the basement, my eyes were adjusting, but only gradually. A small scrap of light came down from the workshop, but not very much and a little bit more seeped in through the windows, but they were so smeared with dirt they were grey. From what I could tell, daybreak was coming and that was bad news for our small gang of three. The joinery classes would soon be beginning and Wetherby Eisen would see the raised trapdoor. Then he’d see me and I would be toast. There’d be no more school, and no more porridge and no more chances of finding Louise. And then I’d never see Alice again. I needed that key, but where the hell was it? And then I heard an enormous crash, as something heavy fell over upstairs.

  Chapter 45

  Now – Aleph

  ‘In the cellar?’ I said, feeling faint. Almost as if she’d knocked me over.

  ‘So I believe,’ said Guinevere James. ‘Is there any more tea in the pot for me?’

  There wasn’t so I made more, just to please her. As a diversion, it wasn’t working. To think I’d actually been in the cellar. I turned to Ginny.

  ‘Where exactly was the body?’ My guest shrugged casually.

  ‘I’m not quite sure. I have to be careful when I mention it, it’s a sensitive issue.’

  ‘And to think she dared to rent me the place.’

  ‘I don’t think the woman was murdered in your cellar. I only said that’s where she was found.’

  ‘But, still, her body had been in the cellar, rotting away. I should have been told, I really should.’

  ‘And would you have taken the house, if you’d known?’

  ‘No, of course I wouldn’t.’

  ‘I rest my case. My cousin is all alone in the world, apart from me and she’s not the easiest of people to get on with. This house and the story of the murdered woman have been a worry to her all her life. I think she’s starting to run out of answers. Which is where you come in.’

  ‘She could have tried booking a course of therapy, like a normal person, instead of all this business with ghosts. And answer me this.’ I paused briefly.

  ‘When I told Ms Parks I wanted the house she made me pay six months’ rent in advance. If she was so desperate to move it on, then why not rent it to me more cheaply, or let me pay on a monthly basis? Surely that would have made more sense?’

  ‘I’ll tell you why not. She wanted to be sure you’d stay for a while. She didn’t want someone who’d hear the rumours and leave straight away. She thought if the tenant stayed there for a while, then when they moved on, the fact that they’d stayed would help with the sale. Or to get more tenants.’

  ‘I’m afraid there’s a problem with that,’ I said. ‘I didn’t just “hear the rumours”, as you put it. I heard the ghosts, the children crying, and I know a woman who thinks she’s seen one. I’ve no idea what’s going on, but you said a woman was murdered in here. But this is the audio file of a child. I don’t see how that fits with the woman.’

  Ginny looked pensive. ‘There’s more to all this than I’ve told you so far, and all of it happened around the same time. When this was a school, some children went missing, or so rumour has it, and nobody knows what happened to them. There were lots of suggestions, but none of them were proved as there weren’t any bodies.’

  ‘But are you sure?’ I said, sourly.

  ‘As much as I can be. But when the woman’s body was found, decades later, a lot of people thought whoever had killed the woman, had killed the children too, but why, we don’t know, for any of it. According to the legend, the children are crying because they’re scared and afraid they’ll be killed, or if they are ghosts, maybe have been killed. Murdered in their beds, or perhaps somewhere else, just like it said on your audio file.’

  ‘Now, wait a minute,’ I said hotly. ‘The audio file did not say that. The child we can hear says they’re missing someone and wanting to see them and the person isn’t there.’

  ‘Because they’re dead.’

  ‘Well, yes, that’s true. But death can come in a lot of ways, not just murder.’

  ‘But in your transcript, the child blames someone for their friend being missing and the first child is scared. Like the children of the past were scared of the man.’

  ‘And which man’s that?’ I said, exasperated.

  ‘Wetherby Eisen. There wasn’t any proof he killed the woman, but everybody thought so, or at least they did once her body had been found. He could have been involved in the children’s deaths too.’

  ‘Assuming any children died at all.’

  ‘But if they didn’t, how come they never turned up alive?’

  ‘But no-one found any bodies either. You said that.’ Guinevere sighed.

  ‘We could go on arguing about this all day. The point is, Aleph, most people think he killed the woman, the woman w
hose body turned up in your cellar.’

  Thanks for reminding me.

  ‘As for the kids, there’s a very strong link. The missing children went to the school which was in this house, and Eisen ran the joinery workshop. And the joinery workshop was –’

  ‘In this kitchen,’ I finished for her. A lucky guess but it seemed obvious. ‘With the cellar below it.’

  ‘Exactly,’ she said. And smiled broadly.

  Chapter 46

  Then – Thomas

  There was little point in trying to hide. Someone was up there and I was down here, and of course, I’d left the trapdoor open, I’d needed the light. I had to act fast. I squeezed myself under a workbench quickly, crushed between the wall and the sink, and tried not to breathe, or at least, not much. I could hear his footsteps moving around. And then I heard him descend the stairs. I noticed the man was very light-footed.

  I heard him open a drawer nearby and make his way to the door to the tunnel. The man was only a few feet way. Assuming it was a man, of course. The footsteps stopped.

  ‘Tom? Is that you?’

  ‘Jake!’ I shouted, very relieved, dragging myself from under the bench and standing up front of my mate. ‘Thank God it’s just you! I was scared half to death, wondering if it was Eisen or Pike.’

  ‘Well, it’s not, it’s me,’ said Jake, grinning. ‘I take it the open window was you?’ His flickering lamp showed up the shadows and his smug little face.

  ‘Yes,’ I said, ‘but if you had left the door unlocked, it wouldn’t have happened.’

  ‘Yes, sorry, I forgot, but there’s no harm done, and here I am, along with the key.’ He brandished it proudly.

  ‘There’s no harm done? We’ve waited for ages to get in here, and I’ve been struggling alone in the dark. There are people back there who are waiting and wondering where I am.’

  ‘Yeah, right,’ said Jake, he didn’t seem bothered. ‘I couldn’t come back the moment I remembered, I had to avoid all the drunks and lovers. So I said to myself I’d get up early, but when I got up my aunt was awake, so I had to wait till she’d gone back to bed. It took forever.’