The Secret Sunshine Project by Benjamin Dean

Author:Benjamin Dean
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
Published: 2022-03-30T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 17 HERE COMES MR RUCKUS

The five of us fell into a heap on the barn floor as we rushed away from the door, a tangle of arms and legs and quiet shouts.

‘We have to hide!’ Noah squeaked, looking dangerously pale as he got shakily to his feet. His entire body was vibrating with terror. Harry looked like he was about to burst into tears at any moment. Emmy had jumped into high gear, sweeping up cushions and blankets, frantically trying to hide any evidence that we’d been here. Robin tried to tear the fairy lights down but ended up accidentally wrapping the wire around his feet and crashing into a pile of crates instead.

Once we’d retrieved Robin, we all scrambled up the stairs and crawled over to the windows, slowly raising our heads up over the sill to peep outside. Mr Ruckus, dressed up in his best wellies and hunter’s cap, hadn’t seen us yet, but he was still marching in our direction looking like he might breathe fire at any minute. He stopped at a small shed and poked his head inside the door, shrugged, and carried on towards our barn.

‘We’re so dead,’ Robin whispered.

‘We’re not gonna make it out of here alive,’ Noah confirmed with a whimper. It seemed a little dramatic, but then I thought of Rita and decided maybe it was a possibility after all.

Mr Ruckus was so close now that I could see his wrinkled face, squashed in on itself with half a scowl fixed across his jaw. Wisps of white-grey hair had been cut so short he was almost bald, and his beard had been trimmed with such precision that it could have rivalled any of the front gardens in St Regent’s Vale.

‘What’s his deal? Please tell me he isn’t as bad as Rita,’ I said in a quiet voice as Mr Ruckus stopped to inspect his watch.

‘Not as bad, but definitely not far off,’ Emmy whispered back.

‘He is married to Rita, after all,’ Robin added. ‘The only reason he gets off lightly is because Rita is meaner than the devil and nobody else can compete.’

‘We need to hide!’ Noah repeated, now trembling so much that his teeth were chattering.

‘He might not even come in here,’ Emmy tried, but as if he’d heard her, Mr Ruckus started towards us once more. He was close enough now that we could hear his mutterings through the window.

‘Quick!’ Noah whisper-yelped, scrabbling for the hay bales in the far corner and diving behind them. Harry picked up Smudge and bolted after him, followed by Robin, who nearly barrelled through the hay bales instead of jumping over them. Emmy grabbed my hand and yanked me towards the opposite corner, pulling me behind a stack of crates and wrapping a blanket over our heads.

The door below creaked open and there was silence.

Nothing moved.

There wasn’t a sound.

And then there was a footstep.

It was heavy and foreboding, hitting the ground with a thud. It was followed by another and another as Mr Ruckus entered the barn.

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