The Phantom Lollipop Man

by Pamela Butchart

  So Jodi knocked EVEN HARDER and the TV went silent and the door opened.

  The janitor looked at us and sighed and rubbed his forehead.

  And then he said, “Wait here. I’ll get my plunger.”

  So we explained that we weren’t there about a blocked toilet and that we were here to see the LOLLIPOP man. That’s when the janitor pointed outside and that’s when we saw the NEW LOLLIPOP lady with her LOLLIPOP stick.

  So Maisie said, “No, not that one. The other one.”

  And the janitor said, “Mabel there’s the only one we’ve got now.” And then he shut the door and turned the volume back up on his little TV before Maisie could say anything else.

  Even though I was TERRIFIED, I said, “Maybe you should take us to where you saw him, Maisie. In case he’s still there.”

  So Maisie grabbed my hand and we ran along the corridor, out the Big Doors and into the playground. As soon as we got outside the bell rang and everyone started making their way back into school.

  But Jodi said that we should just IGNORE the bell because this was an

  Then Maisie said, “He was over there.” And she pointed to the old BIKE SHED that no one uses any more since we got the new bike shed that doesn’t leak or have mice.

  Zach gave me a bit of a look and I knew that it was because the old bike shed is definitely the CREEPIEST place in our playground.

  I had been hoping that Maisie had spotted the LOLLIPOP man next to the football pitch or the vegetable garden or somewhere nice and not creepy like that.

  Maisie ran over to the old bike shed so we followed her.

  Then Maisie said, “He was standing RIGHT where I’m standing now. And then he disappeared.”

  We all looked around for any

  And Jodi even got down on the ground to see if she could find a strand of grey hair or big footprints or something. But we couldn’t find anything.

  But then Miss Jones blew her whistle and waved at us and we saw that everyone else was already inside the school so we had to leave the

  and go back to class.

  But when we were walking back into the school I had a

  so I turned around and looked back at the bike shed. And that’s when I saw it.

  So I ran.

  That night we had a meeting at Zach’s house to talk about the

  And Zach said that we could also interview his mum because she

  and she knew loads about them and that her favourite film was even called GHOST.

  As soon as Zach put up the

  sign on his bedroom door Jodi made me tell everyone again about what I had seen.

  Jodi looked

  and then she asked me if I was sure and I said that I WAS because I hadn’t bumped my head like Maisie had so I knew I hadn’t been

  Zach rubbed his face for ages (which is what he does sometimes when he can’t believe all the stuff we have to deal with and he’s starting to get a bit STRESSED OUT). Then Jodi said, “Izzy. This is

  And I nodded because it WAS.

  Then Zach’s mum knocked on the door and said that we could do the INTERVIEW now because she had finished her YOGA that she does every night after her programmes.

  I felt a bit bad because we had to LIE to Zach’s mum and say we were doing a GROUP TALK on GHOSTS at school because Zach said that if his mum found out there was a PHANTOM at our school then she would TOTALLY TAKE OVER THE INVESTIGATION and follow us to school every day and try to sit at our table in class and come to dinners with us and everything, because that’s how much she loves phantom stuff.

  But when we went into the living room to do the interview we all got a bit of a

  because it looked COMPLETELY DIFFERENT from how it had when we were eating our pasta earlier!

  There were loads of CANDLES and WEIRD MUSIC and Zach’s mum had even changed out of her yoga clothes into this weird, floaty outfit and she was dancing and waving her arms around a bit.

  So Jodi did that thing where you make a noise with your throat to let someone know that you’re there and Zach’s mum stopped dancing and looked a bit embarrassed (and so did Zach).

  As SOON as the interview started, Zach’s mum got REALLY excited and wouldn’t stop talking about how LOVELY she thinks phantoms are and how if she ever got to meet one it would be a

  And that’s when Jodi asked her if she could just stick to answering the question we were actually asking her please and she said OK.

  And this is what we found out:

  After the interview we thanked Zach’s mum and shook her hand and asked if we could have some biscuits because taking all the notes had been HARD WORK because she had talked quite a lot.

  Once we got back to Zach’s room, Zach said that now we knew why Maisie had seen the phantom LOLLIPOP man the most and that it was because she was the YOUNGEST.

  But then Maisie said that she WASN’T the youngest, actually, and that Jodi was the youngest by ten days and Jodi nodded that she was. Maisie said that it was only because she was so SMALL that everyone always thought she was the youngest.

  That’s when Zach said that maybe the phantom LOLLIPOP man just THOUGHT Maisie was the youngest because she’s so small and that’s why he let her see him and we all agreed because even though Maisie is in Year 4 she is actually smaller than most of the Year 1s, so what Zach said made sense.

  Maisie said that she STILL wasn’t a hundred per cent sure that the LOLLIPOP man WAS a phantom. But then she said that IF HE WAS then maybe he’d come back to our school because he was trying help someone with their PROBLEMS, just like Zach’s mum had said. And that maybe one of the teachers had a big problem that they needed help with, like Mr Killington’s broken bike or Miss Riley’s weird hair.

  But everyone else thought that the phantom LOLLIPOP man had some sort of

  because he wasn’t really very friendly OR helpful and he didn’t really seem to like most people.

  So that’s when Jodi said that the INVESTIGATION was ON and that we had

  (which meant we had two things we were supposed to be doing). And they were:

  Then next day in class, me, Jodi, Maisie and Zach were trying to have a PRIVATE MEETING about the LOLLIPOP man and how we were going to COMMUNICATE with him about his UNFINISHED BUSINESS when all of a sudden a voice from behind us said, “I know someone who can help you.”

  We all gasped and spun around because our secret meeting had been COMPROMISED which meant that we hadn’t been whispering quietly enough and that someone had OVERHEARD US talking about secret stuff!

  But when we saw it was Gary Petrie we all knew that we actually HAD been whispering quietly enough and that Gary Petrie had just been SPYING on us (because that’s what he’s like).

  So that’s when Jodi started telling Gary Petrie our COVER STORY because Jodi always makes us come up with a cover story ever since Gary Petrie heard us talking about

  when we went camping. So me and Maisie and Zach all did the VERY CONVINCING NODDING AND FACES that Jodi made us practise at her house in case our meetings were ever COMPROMISED again while she explained to Gary Petrie that we had been talking about TOAST, not ghosts.

  But Gary Petrie didn’t look very convinced about the TOAST. He was SMIRKING and he kept saying, “REEEEEEEEALLY??” in an annoying voice over and over again while Jodi explained she had brought toast to school for her lunch and that we were just discussing what she should spread on it.

  It was OBVIOUS Gary Petrie didn’t believe us so eventually Jodi just said, “FINE. What do you know?!”

  Gary Petrie smiled and pulled his chair over to our table (even though we are not allowed to do that) and said, “I know someone. But it’s going to cost you.”

  That’s when Jodi pointed her ruler RIGHT at Gary Petrie’s face and said that he wasn’t getting a PENNY out of us!

  But Gary said that he didn’t WANT a penny.

  Or even a POUND.

  He wanted IN.

  But Jodi said, “NO WAY!”

  So Gary started to mo
ve his chair away REALLY slowly and said, “Oh, well. I suppose you’ll never find out about your phantom’s unfinished business then.”

  And Maisie started tugging on Jodi’s arm so Jodi sighed and said, “Gary. Wait.” Jodi told Gary that he could be a SOURCE that we sometimes used to help us but that he couldn’t be part of the

  because the four of us were all SPECIALLY TRAINED and had LOADS of experience and that he didn’t.

  And Gary smiled and said, “Deal.”

  That’s when Gary told us that he knew someone we could talk to and that she’d had

  and that some of them had even happened at THIS SCHOOL and Maisie gripped my hand under the table.

  But then Gary said, “The only thing is, it might be a bit DANGEROUS.”

  And Jodi said, “Take us to her.”

  As SOON as the bell went for afternoon break, Gary Petrie walked past us and said, “THE EAGLE HAS LANDED.”

  We all STARED at Gary because we had no idea what he was talking about and also because he’d tied his tie around his head and was wearing his coat like a cape.

  Then all of a sudden he ran out of the classroom. So we grabbed our coats and ran after him.

  Gary led us all the way to the end of the corridor, up one flight of stairs to where the Year 5 and 6 classrooms are, along the corridor, down another set of stairs and then back along the same corridor we’d started in.

  We were getting MEGA ANNOYED because Gary was OBVIOUSLY taking us NOWHERE. And I thought Jodi was going to

  with anger when Gary actually STOPPED and got in the queue for the tuck shop!

  We were JUST about to turn around and go to The Den when Zach said, “Wait. Is Gary speaking to one of the Year 6s??”

  And he WAS (even though the Year 6s

  talk to the Year 4s, unless they’re pretending to help us with our maths so they can get a certificate or something).

  The Year 6 girl looked over at us, looked back at Gary, and then nodded once.

  And then Gary signalled to us that we were to follow them. So we did.

  The Year 6 girl led us to the backstage bit of the assembly hall that you have to walk through a big, heavy curtain to get to.

  Zach gulped and said, “This is the DANGEROUS bit, isn’t it?” And I nodded because we all knew that we’d be in DEEP TROUBLE if any of the teachers found us here because it was strictly OUT OF BOUNDS.

  And we’d all heard a rumour that it was also SERIOUSLY DANGEROUS and that there were at least fifty TRAP DOORS and that only the teachers knew where they were.

  Maisie REFUSED to come inside because of the TRAP DOORS so we said that she could stay on the outside and be the LOOKOUT.

  It was really dark backstage and I REALLY don’t like it there because it’s where they keep all the costumes and wigs and props for the school plays. And it smells OLD and DUSTY and a bit HAUNTED. And even if you paid me ONE THOUSAND POUNDS I wouldn’t go back there on my own.

  Jodi made us all keep our backs against the wall and slide along REALLY SLOWLY to avoid TRAP DOORS.

  But the Year 6 girl just walked RIGHT through the middle bit and sat down on the floor.

  Then she said, “I’m Karly with a K, by the way. Just so you get it right in your article for the school newspaper. And I wouldn’t mind if you wanted to record me on your phones or anything. I’m probably going to be on TV about it all soon anyway.”

  We looked at Gary and he winked at us and that’s when we realised that Gary had LIED to Karly and told her that we were JOURNALISTS.

  But we didn’t say anything because we really wanted Karly-with-a-K to tell us about her

  So Zach took his phone out and pressed record.

  And this is a TRANSCRIPT of our interview (which means Jodi took Zach’s phone home for the night and wrote the whole interview out, word for word, for EVIDENCE):

  JODI: Interview with Karly-with-a-K. Backstage assembly hall completely out-of-bounds area.

  JODI: Have you ever seen a ghost, spectre, spook or phantom?

  KARLY: Yes.

  JODI: Are you OK? (Note: Karly has taken a tissue out of her pocket and is dabbing her eyes even though it doesn’t look like there are any tears.)

  KARLY: Sorry about that. I just get a bit emotional when I have to re-live my traumatic ghost experiences. My gift can feel like a curse sometimes. It’s hard being as special as I am.

  JODI: What do you mean, your “gift”?

  KARLY: I have second sight!

  JODI: What?

  KARLY: I can see ghosts. (DRAMATIC PAUSE) I’m actually one of the only people in the world who can, you know. That’s why they’ll probably make a programme about me soon.

  JODI: What did the phantoms you’ve seen look like?

  KARLY: You don’t actually see phantoms. You feel them. You just know.

  JODI: So you’ve never actually seen a phantom?

  KARLY: Yes I have!!

  JODI: But you just said—

  KARLY: I meant that I’ve seen them and I feel them!

  (Note: witness is becoming aggressive.)

  JODI: Have you ever seen a phantom in this school?

  KARLY: Oh, yes. Lots of times.

  JODI: Where?

  KARLY: Um … well … I saw one a while ago in the PE changing rooms. And I’ve seen one in the girls’ toilets before. And in the art cupboard. And the library.

  JODI: What about the playground?

  KARLY: No. Phantoms are always inside.

  JODI: Well, one of my sources says they saw one in the playground yesterday.

  KARLY: Who??! I’m the only one at this school who has the gift!!

  JODI: I can’t reveal my sources. They wish to remain anonymous.

  KARLY: Wait. Yes. Actually I think I might have seen a phantom in the playground yesterday. I just forgot about it until now. Where did your source say they saw it?

  JODI: In the grassy bit.

  KARLY: Yes!! I remember now. Yes. I saw a phantom in the grassy bit yesterday.

  JODI: Actually my source saw the suspected phantom standing in front of the old bike shed.

  KARLY: Then why did you say the grassy bit? Are you trying to trick me?!

  JODI: You didn’t see a phantom in the playground yesterday, did you?

  KARLY: Yes I did! It must have moved. That’s all. They can move, you know!! They float around all over the place, actually.

  JODI: What did it look like?

  KARLY: Um, it sort of looked liked a see-through, floating rainbow. It made me really happy.

  JODI: So it didn’t look like a person then?

  KARLY: Wait. Yes, you’re right. It did. Now that I think about it properly it looked a bit like a young, beautiful lady ghost wearing a long colourful dress with a ribbon in her hair and…

  JODI: Please let the record show that this interview was terminated at fourteen hundred hours due to the unreliability of the witness.

  As soon as Jodi TERMINATED the interview, Karly got up and stormed out.

  Zach said, “She was making it all up, wasn’t she?”

  And we all agreed that she was and that she DEFINITELY hadn’t seen the LOLLIPOP man in the playground yesterday like Maisie had.

  Jodi said that when it comes to PHANTOMS, there are a lot of FAKERS out there who just PRETEND they’ve seen one so they can get famous and go on programmes like “MY GHOST BEST FRIEND”. And that that was why we should DEFINITELY try to take a photo of the phantom to prove that WE weren’t fakers.

  So we all slid carefully back along the wall and out through the Big Curtain.

  And now I know where the expression “You look like you’ve seen a ghost!” comes from because Maisie’s face was PURE WHITE and she said,

  Maisie pointed out of the window to the old bike shed and even though it was quite far away we could see that the

  So we RAN!

  We BURST through the doors and out into the playground.

  Jodi was WAY in front of us because she can run MEGA FAST.

 
When we got there, I could see there was just a tiny bit of nebulous cloud left coming from behind the bike shed.

  Jodi put her finger to her lips to tell us all to be SILENT. And then she pointed to her eyes with two fingers and then at us and then back at her eyes. And we knew that meant she wanted us to watch her CLOSELY.

  Then she started pointing at Zach and putting her hands up to her face and clicking her fingers like she was taking a photograph and we realised she wanted Zach’s phone so she could try to take a photo of the PHANTOM.

  So Zach gave Jodi his phone and then he looked at me and whispered, “Do you smell that?”And I nodded because I did and it sort of smelled like smoke but not smoke that I’ve ever smelled before. It was weird (and a bit disgusting).

  And that’s when Jodi yelled,

  and leaped around the back of the bike shed and started taking loads of pictures.

  But there was no one there. The