The Ghost of Howlers Beach by Jackie French

Author:Jackie French
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2020-01-10T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 15

‘I investigated,’ said Butter simply. ‘And I found you.’

‘How?’ Gil sounded furious. And protective.

‘I looked all around the cliff till I found the entrance,’ said Butter. Which was true. He didn’t add that he’d seen Tish vanish over the lip of the cave in the moonlight last night.

‘He’s promised he won’t tell anyone about us,’ said Olive hurriedly.

‘And he’s going to bring us sandwiches and bananas!’ put in Tish eagerly.

Gil gazed at Butter suspiciously. ‘How do we know you won’t tell?’

‘Word of honour,’ said Butter. ‘I wish I knew WHY I can’t tell,’ he added. ‘But I gave my word. And I’ll keep it.’

Gil relaxed a little. ‘You didn’t tell him?’ he asked Olive.

Olive shook her head.

‘Tell me WHAT?’ demanded Butter.

‘I’ll tell you everything in three years’ time when I’m sixteen. Deal?’ Gil held out his hand, hard and brown and calloused with small scars from gathering oysters.

‘Deal,’ said Butter reluctantly, shaking Gil’s hand, suddenly ashamed of how soft his own hand was.

He glanced out the door. The gold light of sea and sky was being swallowed by grey. It would be dark soon. The Aunts would be worried. He wasn’t sure he could find his way down the cliff in the dark either, not till he knew the footholds and handholds better.

‘I’d better go,’ he said reluctantly. He pulled the last of the sandwiches out of the rucksack, then put back the empty Thermos and lemon barley water bottle. Gil looked curiously at the bulge in the bottom of the rucksack. ‘What’s that?’

‘Nothing’ said Butter, embarrassed.

‘It’s a heavy-looking nothing,’ Gil pointed out.

Butter felt his face grow red. ‘It’s a camera.’

Olive stared at him. ‘You’ve taken photos of us? Or our home? But no one can see us! You promised!’

‘I haven’t taken any photos. I thought you might have been captured by gangsters and that was why you wouldn’t let yourselves be seen. I was going to take their photos so the police could identify them and save you.’

Gil grinned. ‘Gangsters! Yeah — and a flock of koalas just flew over. Gangsters, here?’

‘I think you were brave,’ said Tish stoutly. ‘Coming to save us from gangsters.’

Olive smiled and nodded.

‘Come on,’ said Gil shortly. ‘I’ll give you a foot up into the tunnel.’

Butter followed him out. They crossed the sand together, then walked through the wider cave to the narrow tunnel. Gil stopped at the tunnel entrance. It looked much more obvious from this side. Butter was pretty sure he could climb up with no help.

He turned to Gil just as the older boy said, ‘If you tell anyone about us I’ll have your guts for garters. Understand?’

‘I understand,’ said Butter quietly. ‘But you can trust me. You can always trust me.’

‘And don’t you keep coming through the tunnel. Someone might see you.’ Gil hesitated, obviously reluctant to ask for help but obviously needing it too. ‘If you really are going to leave us stuff, put it behind that big rock by the pool. I can climb down at night and bring it up then.

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