Ravencave by Marcus Sedgwick

Author:Marcus Sedgwick
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Barrington Stoke Ltd
Published: 2023-06-15T00:00:00+00:00

EIGHT

Finally, I catch up with Mum, Dad and Robbie again.

I can’t work it out.

Mum and Dad seem to be fighting. At least, not fighting, but they’re not speaking. I can’t work out why one minute they’re fine and the next there’s this awful tension between them.

One thing is the same: Robbie is in a foul mood. I know he doesn’t want to be here, but I don’t know what he’d rather do. It seems like nothing makes him happy any more. Not like he used to be. Not like we used to be.

Robbie and I used to have such a laugh, always messing around, making silly jokes, acting crazy, just giggling at anything and everything. That’s all gone now. I can’t stand it.

The three of them are standing on a bend as I reach them. I catch the end of what Dad’s saying, even if he’s only saying it to himself.

“I still can’t work it out,” says Dad, staring at his map. “Crackpot Hall is back down here, but the village of Crackpot is over six miles away. Over there …”

He points and then adds, “It doesn’t make sense.”

Robbie doesn’t reply and neither does Mum.

I look at them both and go and stand next to Dad. I don’t know what to say, but at least doing that might make him feel like someone is interested in him, in what he has to say.

Dad shrugs and we walk on. As we do, I think about Crackpot Hall again, getting further away with every step. I think about the wild child, my ghost. And as I think about her, I suddenly realise that she could be a relative of mine. One of Dad’s ancestors, who lived at Crackpot.

I regret not following her when she appeared before. Maybe that was my one chance. More than ever, I decide to keep this as my secret. It’s something for me, and I need something. I can’t really explain it, I just feel as if I am floating further and further away from my family.

Then things get worse because it starts raining.

When it comes, it comes fast. It was a bright morning when we set out, but as predicted, the clouds have rolled over the whole sky now, and the light has changed. A gentle drizzle starts, and Mum and Dad start bickering again about why we left late this morning.

“Can’t we just go home?” says Robbie, moaning. “I just want to go home!”

They ignore him. They keep walking, and Robbie drags further behind with each step.

And then, for the first time in ages, he talks to me. No, he doesn’t talk – he shouts.

“Jamie, this is all your fault!” Robbie yells angrily. He spits the words back at me without even looking, but I can see his face in my mind, all chewed up.

“Why is it my fault?” I say. “You’re the one in a mood all the time!”

Robbie doesn’t answer.

He just puts his head down, pulls his anorak up and marches along after Mum and Dad.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.