The Whitby Witches Trilogy by Robin Jarvis & [email protected]

Author:Robin Jarvis & [email protected] [Robin Jarvis]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2016-04-04T16:00:00+00:00

12 - Blotmonath

"Ben!" Jennet called, pulling the bedclothes off her brother. "Wake up!"

The boy yawned and gazed at her through one drowsy eye. "Mmm?" he mumbled. "Go away."

"It's terrible," she said, moving to the window and drawing the curtains back.

"What time is it?"Ben asked, reaching for the warm covers. "Oh, it's school today, isn't it?" Dozily he peered out of the window. Above the garden the gulls were riding the air and crying in morose voices to one another. Then the memories of last night came flooding back and his excitement banished all lingering traces of sleep.

"Oh, Jen!" he babbled. "It was amazing—Nelda got married, and to the most disgusting thing I ever saw. She didn't want to—he made her. Then a messenger came from..." He faltered, his sister was hardly listening, and he noticed for the first time how pale she was. Ben frowned—what had she said a minute ago? "What's terrible?" he asked.

The girl hugged herself miserably. "It's Danny," she told him. "He's dead."

"You wish!" laughed Ben.

Jennet shuddered. "No," she cried, "I mean it! He's really dead—killed!"

The boy stopped laughing. "You're serious aren't you?" he gasped. "But how—when?"

"Last night, up on the cliff."

Ben rubbed his head thoughtfully. "When I came back from the caves," he murmured, "there were lots of flashing lights up there—I didn't think, it must have been ambulances and police cars. I was too tired to take much notice."

Jennet huddled into her school jumper. "It said on the radio they're looking for a wild animal," she intoned with macabre fascination, "some big cat, escaped from a circus or zoo. Danny must have been in a really bad way if they think that—I never liked him, but even so..."

"A lion or tiger loose round here!" Ben breathed. "Imagine."

"Poor Miss Wethers," tutted his sister, "she was in a dreadful state before. Because she went round to the Turners' last night she thinks it's her fault Danny was out so late. She's gone off to open the post office now to keep herself busy, but you should have seen her, Ben—she's been through a whole box of tissues already."

"I wish Aunt Alice was here," the boy murmured.

Jennet walked to the door. "I'll put your breakfast out for you," she said. "It's getting late, hurry up."

Quickly the boy slipped on his uniform then opened the window. Leaning out he could just see a line of fluorescent tape cordoning off an area of the cliff side. Hastily he averted his eyes, he hadn't liked Danny but to be so interested in his death seemed morbid.

Presently he ran downstairs to the kitchen. Jennet had put a bowl of cereal out for him and, despite his growling stomach, the thought of his tormentor's demise squashed his appetite.

"I don't feel well," he said.

Jennet shrugged. "I know what you mean," she admitted, "I couldn't face any either—hello, here's Miss Wethers again. She looks worse than before."

With a jangling of keys the front door was meekly opened and the postmistress entered, blowing her nose. Edith was wretched.

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