The Ghost Prison by Joseph Delaney

Author:Joseph Delaney
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.
Published: 2013-07-17T16:00:00+00:00

One night I went to the castle and Adam Colne wasn’t there. Three other guards were sick too—Samuel included. That left just me and George, the gate guard.

“Well, boy, this is a bad situation,” he told me. “That prisoner in the Witch Well has to be fed at midnight, and with no Adam here, you’ll have to do it.”

“Me?” I said. “But I’m still new. Mr. Colne said I should never go into the Witch Well.”

“Look, there’s only you available to do it tonight, boy. I can’t afford to leave the gate,” he argued.

I knew that anyone could guard the gate but, although George was older and more experienced than I was, he was scared to feed the prisoner and was using the gate as an excuse.

“Couldn’t we just leave it for one night?” I suggested. “Mr. Colne might be back tomorrow.”

“It will go worse for everyone if that thing’s not fed, boy. That’s as much as I know. And that’s what they pay you for.”

I wasn’t going to win this argument. “Where’s the food?” I asked, my knees knocking just at the very thought of entering the Witch Well.

“There are two buckets waiting for you in Execution Square, directly underneath the gallows. Give the prisoner the first at midnight then the second course about ten minutes later. Just tip each bucket down the steps. Don’t linger. Get out of there just as quickly as you can.”

“Ten minutes later,” I repeated. “All right, I’ll do it.”

“Good boy. Now, off you go on your rounds, but when you hear the church bell sound at a quarter to midnight, make your way to the Witch Well.”

So, carrying my big bunch of keys, I set off on my patrol of the corridors. I was really scared—and lonely too, with no other guard to talk to. I just wanted to get the ordeal over with and I was actually glad when I heard the church bell in the distance telling me that it was time to go and feed the prisoner. Between the main gate and Execution Square, there were seven corridors to walk and eight stout doors to unlock and lock. At last I reached the square. It was raining even harder than usual and I picked my way between the puddles toward the gallows to where the two large wooden buckets of food were waiting.

Each was covered with a piece of wood to stop the rain getting in, and there was a stone on top to keep the wood in place. Why the stone was necessary I hadn’t a clue. The four sheer walls that enclosed the gallows meant there could be no wind.

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