top of the stairs.
“Just me,” Aiden said.
He nodded then Scarlet volunteered, “Zach squished one!”
Mr White opened his watery eyes then said, “Master Orwell, you must do as Miss Angel says.”
Aiden took the tin out again and clicked it open.
“You know the rowan?” Mr White asked.
“Yes, my grandmother makes marmalade and jam with it,” Nat said.
“Oh, but it is for so much more than that— ”
Aiden broke in, shouting, “THERE ARE FIVE!” He was looking into the opened tin where five, yellowy-red berries nestled in the cavity inside.
“But Aiden ate one and I squished one!” Zach said as Aiden plucked a berry out of the tin and brought it close to his mouth.
Mr White placed a hand over Aiden’s. “Only one a day.” Aiden looked up at him, confused. The teacher continued, “The berries can be poisonous. Actually it is the seeds.”
“I read that somewhere and I spat the seeds out,” Aiden said, fishing around in the bottom of his pocket. Smiling, he produced two small seeds and held them up.
The teacher raised his eyebrows. “Ah, good.”
Zach interrupted, as though he had a burning point everyone seemed to be forgetting, “Does no one else think it odd that there are five in the tin again?”
Scarlet added, as though he were missing the main point, “Does no one think it strange that we dug up a tin and inside, even though it had been buried for who knows how long, were five berries in the first place? Mr White— ”
But Mr White had disappeared down the stairs and was gone before they realised he had moved.
“Where’d he go?” Zach looked over the landing railing.
Aiden joined him, peering over at the stairs. “Should we go back to class?”
Seb was puzzling over the summons to the strange Deputy Head’s office just to tell Zach to put a stick back in a tree. Not necessary for them all to come really, was it? And something else was nagging at the back of his mind.
“How did Mr White know about the tin and the berries?”he said.
“Well Miss Angel knew too, at least about the tin.” Scarlet shrugged and began plodding down the stairs. “Come on, at least we got out of half of Maths!” She smiled as she turned the corner of the half landing.
“But how did they know?” Seb didn’t want to let it drop and trotted after her.
“Duh, Seb!” Scarlet’s voice shot quite nastily back at him. “We were sat right outside the staff room!”
Seb now had a creeping feeling at the thought that the teachers were watching them, spying on them. He mumbled to Zach, “It’s all really strange: the ogre, the teachers knowing about the tin …”
“And,” Zach added as though frustrated no one thought it as important as him, “there were only three berries left but when Aiden opened his tin there were five again! That’s the weirdest part!”
“No.” Scarlet waited at the bottom and as they joined her she put a hand on Zach’s shoulder. “The weirdest part is Miss Angel telling you to go and put a stick back in a tree! That’s just plain strange!” She smiled a broad smile at Zach who frowned back at her. “And don’t forget you mustn’t speak! How crazy is that? I think I may have to come and watch! Oh, and have any of you ever met the caretaker?” She was giggling now.
Nat linked her arm through Scarlet’s, guiding her gently towards Reception. Zach overtook them and, walking backwards, said, “Didn’t even know there was a caretaker. What’s so special about him anyway?”
“Why do you assume it’s a him?” Scarlet laughed.
“Well … it is, isn’t it?”
Scarlet simply smiled at him.
They were passing the Reception area, which was deserted, and Zach carried on going, walking backwards. He turned the corner and Aiden called out, “Zach, Mr Duir said not to use this corridor.”
“Well Mr White brought us this way. So we can go back this way.” Zach continued on.
The others shrugged and followed him. Seb glanced at the ogre door as Zach reached The Lake exit. He felt a slight tingling in his palm and then Scarlet pulled him to a stop. She was staring at the ogre door.
“Come on mortals, what are you doing?” Zach said.
Scarlet whispered, “I see a shape, through there.” She pointed nervously at the door.
“It’s a door, Scarlet. You know – entry, exit, large slab of wood in a hole – a door!” Zach rejoined them.
“Shh, Zach,” she hissed. “There’s something in there.”
“Probably a teacher. Stop playing games, Scarlet.”
“Scarlet, can you actually see into the room?” Seb asked.
She shook her head. “No, not into the room, just … I can see something there.”
“You’re not really making any sense, Scarlet.” Aiden sounded confused.
Scarlet turned to him. “I can’t explain it. I am not seeing into the room; I can just see a figure, a large, dark figure. But it’s not in the room, actually.”
“You’re right, you can’t explain it!” Zach sounded annoyed. “In the room, not in the room – not very helpful.”
She spun on him angrily. “Well it wasn’t meant to be helpful. I am confused. I don’t know what I am seeing and so I can’t describe it properly.”
“Well why don’t you open the door?” Zach grabbed the handle.
“Don’t be daft, Zach. There’s probably a teacher in there and a class. How well would that go?”
“I highly doubt anyone’s in there! The way you’ve been shouting the teacher would have come out by now,” Zach said.
“I wasn’t shouting,” Scarlet hissed.
Nat put a hand on her shoulder. “You were Scarlet, though it doesn’t matter. Zach’s right. A teacher would have come out by now. But we should leave. It doesn’t feel right!”
Aiden spoke nervously, “I want to go back to class.”
“Oh, you mortals are starting to do my head in … Doesn’t feel right … What doesn’t feel right? Just open the door!” Before anyone had a chance to discuss the matter further Zach pulled the handle down and pushed. The door swung back and the dark, hulking shape on the far side of the room turned slowly.
“Run!” Seb shouted.
“What?” Aiden sounded panicked.
“Why?” Zach was confused. “There’s nothing there!”
Scarlet was already on her toes, heading down the corridor, Nat by her side. Seb followed, grabbing Aiden’s sleeve. Zach stood by the open doorway, calling after them, “What are you guys on? There’s nothing there!”
Seb heard the wheezing, cackling sound and called back, “It is there – run!”
Zach reacted instantly though he had a look of utter dismay on his face. He pelted down the corridor. “Honestly, mortals, there’s nothing there!” He was laughing now, finding the whole situation ludicrous.
As they neared the turn in the corridor Mr Duir stepped around the corner. They all skidded to a halt. Seb glanced back down the corridor. The ogre had gone, vanished. Scarlet looked back too and gasped.
“But … where?”
“You were instructed to avoid this corridor.” Mr Duir sounded annoyed. He folded his arms across his chest and Seb knew he was staring at him. He looked at his shoes, his heart still pounding. Don’t make eye contact.
Scarlet, overcoming her nerves at being caught said, “So you know about that monster then?”
Mr Duir stared at her, stony-faced. “This corridor is out of bounds. You have been told.”
“But the og— ”
“Master Orwell!” Mr Duir ignored her.
“Sir?” Zach sounded sullen.
“The caretaker will meet you at the old oak at lunchtime. Do as Miss Angel instructed.”
“Yes sir.” Zach mumbled.
The Head took a step to the side allowing them to walk past. Heads hanging, they made their way back to class. There was muttering and murmuring as they entered the room.
&nbs
p; Dan leant towards Seb as he sat down and whispered, “You guys get a telling off? About time, cheat!”
Seb ignored him.
Zach frowned. “Can’t believe we missed half a Maths lesson just to be told to put a stick back in a tree.” He nudged the stick, which was under his chair, with the toe of his shoe and he was still moaning about it twenty minutes later when the bell rang.
The Caretaker
Seb found Religious Education tedious and the lesson couldn’t finish soon enough. He was up instantly the bell for lunch sounded. Aiden too, hurried to the door. Zach was more reluctant.
“Come on, all you have to do is put the stick back.” Seb tried to cheer him up.
“It’s a stupid old stick, and a hole in a bit of dirt. Really, it’s just nonsense.”
“Okay, but we’d be going to The Beach anyway, so there’s no harm really.” Aiden tried to help.
“It’s like a detention … for what? The stick fell on me and it was you who made the hole, Aiden. Why am I being punished?”
The girls were waiting when they got to The Beach.
Scarlet put an arm around Zach’s shoulders. “Don’t look so glum, Zach. All you have to do is put the stick back. Oh … and not talk!” she chuckled.
Zach shook her arm off, glaring at her. “Wish it was you who had to not talk.” He threw his bag onto the bench and about two feet of stick was poking out of it. He pulled the whole thing out, held the bulge at the top and planted the other end on the ground by his foot. “So where’s the caretaker then? I don’t want to miss my lunch.” He looked around.
There was a crunching sound on the gravel and a figure stepped around the tree. It was the figure Seb had seen in the woods during cross-country. The head was still covered by the hood, throwing the face into shadow. He