Bloody Parchments by Nerine Dorman

Author:Nerine Dorman
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781920532314
Publisher: Random House Struik
Published: 2013-05-27T00:00:00+00:00

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She opens the noisy gate and slinks in, her head still hurting from her mother’s attention to her hair. The trespasser stops to unlace her shiny black leather shoes; she does this not just because the garden is dusty and liable to ruin the shine, but also because she craves the feel of the dirt against her feet. She’d have to be careful today – today she plans to dig. It will feel good to get at the cooler dirt from under the baked surface of the yard, but she can’t let it mark her where others might see. There is a good spot for digging near the corner of the house. Best to dig in the shade; she can’t afford to sweat – that will mar her just as much as dirt above the ankle.

In the box her brother’s hamster still makes an examination of its prison, as it has been for the last six blocks. Soon it will start to gnaw, but if she finishes the hole before it gets out then that probably won’t do it much good. Either way, her brother won’t be happy, and that will be entertainment enough.

The girl stops suddenly when she realises the front door of the house is open. She looks around nervously, wondering if anyone is watching, some part of her hoping there is. Her curiosity flares into anger as she notices the bright-blue fabric just inside the doorway. She recognises it because she stole it from Sally Fivers, stole it fair and square as far as she is concerned. It doesn’t matter who violated her sanctuary or why; they are going to pay. She lets the box fall, spilling the hamster into the yellowed grass, too incensed to worry about the loss; she grips the shovel in both hands and advances on the open door. Angrily, she bats aside the creaky door and makes her way into the thick-smelling gloom inside the house. She bends to pick up the doll but before she reaches it, it stands up of its own accord and scampers away from her. The girl frowns, and takes a step back. The doll stops and turns, daring her to follow.

Anger wells in the girl. Even a quick glance has told her the beautiful doll’s dress has been stolen by that old ugly thing. She feels the weight of the shovel in her hand; one little pest would be as easy to bury as another, and she will have her property back. She snatches for her tormenter but the doll pirouettes and darts down the hall. Too enraged to be cautious, she follows.

The girl chases the doll deeper into the house, to a room with torn curtains where a broken music box clicks out a metallic tune. The girl enters the room, shovel held high, screaming her hatred, but instead of the doll, she finds something different. Laid out in a jagged sunbeam is a radiant lizard … no, not a lizard, she realises as she looks at it closer, but it does have scaly skin.

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