by S G Read
‘Stuart I heard that.’ Pat called from the kitchen.
‘Sorry Mrs Brown.’
‘At least he is still here.’ Stevey said with satisfaction. ‘I wonder what happened to him.’
‘Probably died of some illness because he was a weakling.’ Stuart exclaimed and doubled up again.
‘No it doesn’t appear to be that.’ Stevey declared. ‘Try another reason.’
‘You try another reason; a frozen stomach twice is enough for one day.’
‘I know, we can get the others to guess how he died, when they are here.’ Stevey declared in a flash of brilliance.
‘Yes and kill two birds with one stone.’
They settled down to watch a video, wondering if Tim was there watching it as well. It annoyed them both that he would not appear so that they could talk to him and he no longer cried in his bedroom.
With Monday came the others in dribs and drabs. Three arrived on bikes after getting off the train and three arrived in Charlie’s little van. The rest were brought by their parents except for Simon who was brought by his uncle, who was the spitting image of Hubert Higgs, Simon’s missing father, although all the boys thought he was dead rather than missing, as he had fallen out of the aeroplane before it crashed.
Stevey and Stuart let them eat and then settle in the drawing room before they started on the new game, guessing how the ghost died.
‘We were wondering how the boy who haunts this place died.’ Stuart said carefully.
‘Yes why don’t we all put forward an idea?’ Stevey added.
‘Like what happened to him?’ JC asked.
‘Yes just like that.’ Stuart answered.
‘Well the train station is close by.’ C.J declared. ‘I bet he was run over by a train.’
Stuart and Stevey watched closely and were not disappointed as he doubled over holding his stomach.
‘We can rule that out then.’ Stuart concluded.
‘What was that CJ?’ Sherman asked.
‘I just had my guts frozen when something passed through it.’ CJ answered.
Now they were all interested, this was the first manifestation of the so called ghost.
‘I reckon the plague got him.’ JC exclaimed and doubled up in agony.
‘Not the plague then.’ Sherman concluded.
‘He was run over by a car.’ Sherman said hopefully then doubled up.
‘Not a car then.’ Toby concluded. ‘Maybe he was poisoned.’
Toby doubled up in agony.
‘Did he fall out of a window?’ Antony asked and doubled up.
‘Was it some other fall?’ John Taylor asked and doubled up.
‘Not any type of fall then.’ Colin Stone concluded. ‘Did he drown?’
There was a slight delay then Colin curled up in agony.
‘He thought about that one.’ Stuart declared. ‘So he nearly drowned.’ He waited for the ice cold reply but none came. ‘We are making progress but what happened after he nearly drowned?’
‘Was it pneumonia?’ Simon asked and doubled up but this time he was ready for it and soon straightened up. ‘Alright so it wasn’t pneumonia.’
‘I bet he was murdered.’ Ben suggested, always wanting things to be gory and waited but nothing happened. ‘I was right he was murdered.’
‘Now all we have to do is find out who by?’ Stevey exclaimed.
‘Can we have a rest first, so that we can recover?’ Sherman asked but he was answered by the ghost and doubled up again. ‘I take that as a no then Mr ghost.’
‘Actually it is master ghost.’ Toby corrected and nothing happened.
No one was willing to say anything so Stuart did.
‘Was it a friend who murdered you?’ He doubled up.
‘Was it a burglar?’ Stevey asked to keep the ball rolling and doubled up.
‘Don’t be silly the highest percentage of child killings is done by a relative.’ Toby declared and nothing happened.
‘Good one Toby now all we have to do is to find out which one.’ Stuart yelled but a sobbing started to come from the north wing. ‘Oh he’s gone.’
‘Did he go before Toby said his idea?’ Simon asked.
‘I don’t know.’ Stuart answered.
‘So we don’t know if it was a relative really.’ Sherman concluded. ‘Let’s go up and ask him. I know we risk a frozen gut but we need to know, if we are going to help him.’
‘How do you help a ghost?’ JC asked.
‘We are just about to find out.’ Stevey answered.
As one they moved toward the door which led into the front hall but Pat appeared in the doorway.
‘Hold it right there.’ She ordered. ‘Since we have been here we have not heard any of the crying you said you heard and now he is crying. You opened old wounds and made him cry so leave him alone!’
The boys sorted themselves out of the tangle which had been caused by Pat stopping their forward movement and they all went back to their seats. Pat returned to the kitchen and all eyes went to the other door. That would lead to the bottom f the stairs as well.
‘If anyone steps a foot through the other door, they are for it as well.’ Pat called from the kitchen.
All thoughts of more interaction with the ghost were put on hold and the boys went into the dining room to watch a video. Soon after that they were told to wash up before they ate, they also had to lay the new dining table as well. The ghost was forgotten for now as food took priority. The meal was ready and Pat rang the garden bell, to tell Dan food was ready; she was making sure he had one cooked meal a day, just in case he just snacked back in his cottage. While they were eating Tim started crying louder than before and they could all hear it.
‘Master Tim is in good voice today.’ Dan said as he ate.
‘What was he like Dan?’ Stevey asked.
‘What master Tim he was a lovely boy; never a bad word or thought about anyone, even when his mother died shortly after his uncle came to stay. His father died soon after of what the doctor called a heart attack but a healthier man you could not find.’ He took a mouthful of food. ‘Even then he was happy and loved to swim in the lake.’
‘There isn’t a lake!’ Simon declared making those nearby ready themselves for a shower of food but none came out.
‘Not now there isn’t but back then there was Humphrey Carlisle, Tim’s uncle had it filled in soon after master Tim disappeared.’
‘Where was it?’ Stevey asked.
‘Where you were saying you would put the swimming pool.’ Dan answered.
‘What next to the scrap yard.’ Ben asked.
‘It’s a car breakers yard actually.’ Toby corrected.
‘Thanks for that Toby.’ Ben replied giving him baleful stare. ‘So it will be easy to dig a hole for the swimming pool then?’
‘Oh yes.’ Dan answered.
‘He was murdered you know.’ Ben explained.
‘I did wonder where he went and why his spirit will not rest but how can you know that?’
‘We asked him! It was a bit tricky but we managed to work out that he was murdered but he went before we could find out who did it but we think it was a relative.’ Ben continued.
‘That makes a short list of one.’ Dan declared. ‘His uncle Humphrey was his only living relative.’
‘I think we have heard enough for now as we are eating.’ Pat said diplomatically and no more was said on the subject but now they had some information. They would also talk to Dan some more and ask questions.
While they ate the crying continued and did so after Dan returned to his garden but as soon as the video player was turned on they could not hear it anymore. He had either stopped crying or the noise of the television was drowning out the noise.
Later, after the film finished, they walked out into the sunshine and walked down to where Dan was working.
‘So you liked Tim?’ Stuart asked to start the ball rolling.
‘Yes when both his parents died and the new master of th
e house Humphrey wanted to return to London and his gambling habits, we said we would look after Tim like he was our own child but Mr Humphrey would not hear of it and stayed. One day I spotted Mr Humphrey by the lake and walked up to where he was and when he saw me coming he pulled Master Tim out of the water, nearly drowned he was. Master Humphrey carried Tim inside all limp like and I rushed to see my wife and tell her. The next morning there was no sign of him. The police investigated and decided he had either run off or gypsies had taken him. Master Humphrey stayed in the house and travelled up to London but he soon found the hall was no longer the place it had been. He tried to stay there but Master Tim made his life a misery, so in the end he sold the place, without mentioning the ghost, I might add. The new owners were here for two weeks then fled leaving a lot of their possessions behind. I sent some on to them and the place was put back onto the market but by now word had got out and no one wanted to buy it.’
‘So he drove him out and the new tenants!’ Sherman exclaimed. ‘He’ll have more trouble getting rid of us, he is the reason we came!’
‘That is a new one on me.’ Dan declared. ‘Someone buying the house because it was haunted.’
The boys returned to the house, after walking over to the chestnut stand to make sure the person who had thrown down the unripened husk was not throwing down more but nothing had changed there.
Inside they settled down to play board games some chess, some checkers, some snakes and ladders and some monopoly. There were normal noises of disappointment and others of that’s £300, pay me! When someone landed where they did not want to, during the monopoly. Simon was very noisy when he landed on a snake’s head and slid all the way back down but nothing out of the ordinary happened until the videostarted up on its own.
‘I bet that is Last Action Hero again.’ Stevey exclaimed and they all played on.
Ten minutes Pat walked in, counted the boys. As she found them all there she complained.
‘There is no point putting the video player on if you are not going to watch it!’ She declared.
The boys laughed.
‘Someone is watching it, well something anyway I don’t know how to describe him.’ Stevey replied when Pat looked at him.
She looked toward the Dining room and then back at the boys. ‘Are you sure?’
‘Well we didn’t put it on mum.’
She walked to the door to the dining room and peered in but she saw no one. She returned to the kitchen without further comment. Stevey left the chess board and followed her.
‘Honest mum we were doing what we are doing now and the video player came on and we did notice that someone had been watching it while we were at Stu’s.’ He exclaimed.
‘A ghost that watches videos that is all we need.’ Pat retorted. ‘How old did you say he was?’
‘I think Dan said he was nine when he disappeared but he is a ghost now mum and I don’t think you can stop him watching it without taking the plug off every time!’
‘Point taken, I shall cease to worry about him choosing the wrong videos to watch.’
‘I think he must have watched the ones we have already watched to learn how to turn it on and put the videos in.’ Stevey elaborated.
‘I wonder what he will be like if he is still here when we get aerial fitted.’ Pat added and returned to what she was doing before she went to check on the boys.
Chapter 3
That evening they sat round in Stevey’s bedroom waiting for Pat to go to sleep. They planned to visit Tim’s room and continue trying to find out what happened to him, freezing insides or not. They waited an hour then crept out slowly and quietly to go into the north wing. They closed the door behind them and moved quietly along the now well lit corridor, as the bulbs which did not work had been replaced. They knocked on the bedroom door before opening it and all found a place to sit before continuing.
‘I think it was a relative.’ Toby declared and nothing happened.
‘We still don’t know if you are right as we don’t really know if he is in here.’ Stuart complained.
‘I think he was killed by Dan.’ Simon declared to invoke a response and boy did he get a response. ‘Okay so it wasn’t Dan and it was a relative.’ Simon complained. ‘Now get out of me.’
It had the desired effect and Tim moved from where he was freezing Simon.
‘Wow that was cold.’ He exclaimed.
‘Dan says that your uncle was your only relative so was it your uncle?’ Sherman asked.
There was no change.
‘Good now all we have to do is to work out how he did it.’ Stevey declared. ‘I’ll start; did he shoot you?’
Stevey felt the cold go through him but somehow it was not as cold as before but just to let him know he was wrong.
‘So he wasn’t shot.’ He declared.
‘Did he stab you?’ Ben asked and felt the cold for a no. ‘Not stabbed then.’
‘I know it was in the library with the candlestick.’ John Taylor quipped and received a jolt of cold through him. ‘Not that then but was it a blunt instrument?’
‘He was nine when he died.’ Toby declared. ‘He is not likely to know what a blunt instrument is!’
‘Yes he does.’ Simon retorted and pointed to the oil lamp which was hovering over Toby’s head.
‘Sorry.’ Toby exclaimed and was pleased to see the oil lamp return to its normal position. ‘Have you watched television then?’
‘Of course he has you wally it is downstairs.’ Colin Stone exclaimed.
‘I know it is downstairs but it has only just arrived and it doesn’t have an aerial yet. Do any of the videos have murder with a blunt instrument in them?’ Toby asked.
They all stopped to list the videos and there were a lot of them.
‘Could be,’ Ben admitted, ‘but did he watch them all?’
‘Might have.’ Stuart replied. ‘Tim from now on will you only freeze someone when they are right please and just to show you understood can you freeze me now?’ He got his wish but it was not as cold as it usually was. ‘Now repeat what you said Ben but as a question.’
‘Did you watch all the videos?’ Ben asked but did not receive a cold chill. ‘So he did no watch them all, so where were you two over the weekend. You couldn’t have been here or you would have got through them all?’
‘At Stu’s.’ Stevey answered. ‘We did some retail therapy.’
‘So when was the tele delivered?’ Sherman asked.
‘That’s a point it was delivered on Sunday morning.’
‘So between Sunday morning and now you could not have watched all the videos?’ C.J concluded and received a chill.
‘Have you watched television elsewhere Tim?’ Stuart asked and received a chill for his trouble. ‘In Dan’s cottage Tim?’ Another chill.
‘I bet Dan watches those crime scene programmes.’ J.C declared and received a chill for it. ‘That is where he found out about a blunt instrument.’
‘So if it wasn’t stabbing, shooting or the blunt instrument what was it?’ Stuart asked in despair.
‘He didn’t drown; he didn’t get run over by a car.’ JC declared.
‘Pretty unlucky if he did.’ Toby declared there weren’t many about then.
‘And he wasn’t run over by a train.’ C.J added.
‘That’s hit by a train they rarely run over you unless you are like those women you used to see tied to the rail lines in the old black an white films.’ Toby corrected.
‘But he was murdered.’ Stevey declared and felt a cold chill.
‘So tomorrow morning we try to think of a way of killing someone we haven’t tried yet.’ Stuart declared.
‘Wouldn’t it be easier if Tim appeared and told us?’ Simon asked.
‘It would.’ Sherman answered. ‘But we don’t know if he can appear while we are watching, maybe that was why he disappeared when you went into this room while he was here.’
There was no chill and whatever they said after that nothing happened,
so they all returned to bed and were soon asleep. Tim looked into each bedroom and was visible but no one stirred and he did not try to wake anyone, he was frightened.
A television arrived at Apsford Manor but with no aerial it was no use. Although Brian had no time for television, he thought it was only fair that Jenny had something to watch when she was not helping him or cooking. With it came three bathroom suites ready to be installed and Jenny was looking forward to a bath where she did not have to use the tin bath in the kitchen. The secret passages were all repaired and the doors freed to open except for the one which led to the cemetery that now sported a heavy lock to keep out unwanted visitors, the same as the one which opened on to the roof.
Brian was putting in a family bathroom and two ensuite bathrooms with the help of a local plumber, as well as fitting a new kitchen. He telephone Pat when he needed guidance, as she would know more of what was wanted than Stevey. Jenny helped where she could, as it was better than sitting looking out of the window or walking round the garden, although she did help the gardener with the mowing when he came.
In the morning no one stirred, as they were all up late but Pat noticed the video player come on. She walked to the door and peered in to see a young boy perched on the edge of a chair watching his favourite video. She did not say anything and walked back to the kitchen. –So that is our ghost- She thought and started preparing breakfast.
Slowly boys appeared, although no one went near the dining room where the video player was still running. They all ate in the kitchen then went into the drawing room and flopped into a vacant chair. Each had their favourite chair either chosen at random or because it was the only one vacant when they first sat, using the new seating. From then on, that was their chair and they sat there even if the drawing room was empty.
When the were all gathered they were all issued with pencil and paper to write down methods of killing people to try out on Tim, when he was about. They all knew where he was but as the video player had just started playing another video, it would be some time before he was ready to take part. Boredom set in and they went out for a walk going past the breakers yard and stroking Marmalade and across to the lane to see if anything was happening in the chestnut stand. As they arrived a husk flew down and just missed Stevey.