Beyond Platform 13 by Sibéal Pounder & Eva Ibbotson

Author:Sibéal Pounder & Eva Ibbotson [Pounder, Sibéal & Ibbotson, Eva]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Published: 2021-02-02T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

PLATFORM THIRTEEN

LINA BARELY slept that night, in part because she was balancing on a branch in a tree (in the smelliest swamp imaginable), but also because she was excited to visit London with Odge.

Trevor had arrived at dawn and, as promised, helped them out of the tree and back to the cove. From there, they stowed away on the last of the boats taking the rebels across the lake to the gump and arrived at the cave where a harpy hovered, eagerly kicking creatures from the rebellion out one by one.

“Beasts,” the harpy guarding the gump sneered.

“Odge, what if they recognize us?” Lina whispered.

Odge’s eyes grew wide. “Oh no, I didn’t think of that. I am very well known among the harpies, as you can imagine.”

“Excuse me, but could you do us a huge favor?” Lina said, turning to a troll and tugging on her beard. “We need to get through unnoticed, and I was wondering if we could hide behind your impressive beard?”

The troll looked delighted at the compliment and lifted her beard, and her friend did the same for Odge.

“Good thinking, Lina,” Odge whispered, from somewhere under fifty years’ worth of hair growth.

“Beasts, yuck, ugh, beasts,” the harpy snapped, occasionally kicking a magical creature for effect.

Lina could feel Ray shaking in her backpack, but there was no need to be worried. The troll beards worked a treat, and soon they were walking through the long tunnel toward Platform Thirteen.

The smell of salty seas was soon overpowered by the smell of sweet soaps and sandwiches, coffee and croissants. The rumble of trollies and trains filled the tunnel, and soon Lina could see people on distant platformsreal human people— running to catch their trains. Odge linked arms with Lina as they stepped into the bright light of King’s Cross Station.

Odge stopped to take it all in, her eyes glistening with tears.

“Are you all right?” Lina asked.

Odge smiled at the platform as if it were a long-lost friend. “I’m more than all right.”

A ghost dressed in a porter’s uniform was hovering there to meet everyone, directing the poor bewildered magical creatures to places where they could stay. “The witches have rooms on Portland Place and Northcote Road,” he said, tipping his cap.

Odge stared at him, mouth ajar.

“What is it?” Lina asked, prodding her. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost! Well, I suppose he is a ghost, but still . . . Haven’t you seen a ghost before?”

Odge had seen a ghost before, of course, and Lina knew that. What she didn’t know was that Odge had seen this particular ghost before, when she first came to Platform Thirteen all those years ago. But Ernie Hobbs, despite being very old and very dead, now looked very different. His thin frame was now fleshed out, and the buttons on his shirt were bursting.

“Is that our Odge?” he asked in amazement, turning his attention to the two girls. “And . . . Ben?” he guessed, looking at Lina.

“It is me!” Odge said, wrapping her arms through the ghost.

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