by Lucy Banks
Almost as if to prove him wrong, the spirit suddenly poured out a whirlwind of gibberish, a string of foreign words that caught the air, gusting it into a frenzy. Kester felt moisture on his arms, first a light mist, then a steady drizzle. The creature started to wail, flinging its spidery arms into the air.
“Oh dear,” Pamela said, looking upwards. “He’s made it rain on us. Jennifer, are you sure you got that Japanese translation right?”
“You probably just insulted his mother without meaning to, or told him he had a face like a bison’s backside,” Mike added. “You should never rely on the internet. It’s a minefield of misinformation.”
“What is he doing?” Kester asked with growing alarm. The wind collecting in the clearing was blowing harder, flying round and round like a mini whirlwind, dragging leaves off the nearby bushes and trees and flinging them into their faces. Above their heads, clouds were forming, miniature storms, throwing down rain upon them. The little spirit stood in the middle of it all, now howling at the sky, its mouth distended into a maw of distress and anger.
“Hmm,” Miss Wellbeloved tutted, putting her hands on her hips and surveying the situation. “This is unfortunate.”
“Time for me to get him in the bottle?” Serena suggested, with more than a trace of sarcasm.
“Yes, I think it is definitely the time for you to get him into the bottle!” Dr Ribero said, his voice hardly audible over the shrieking wind, not to mention the shrill screech of the spirit. “Let’s waste no more time here, I am getting very wet and this is an expensive shirt.”
Serena nodded, flicking her soaking fringe from her eyes, then unscrewed the lid of the bottle.
“Stop!” Kester suddenly shouted, wiping the wetness from his glasses. They looked at him expectantly. He pointed to the creature. “Look! Can’t you see it?”
“Can’t we see what?” Dr Ribero asked, peering through the sheets of rain at the spirit, who was now starting to spin around like a miniature dervish.
“That door thing!” Kester said, half-scared, half-excited. “It just appeared again, as he started doing all this scary stuff. It’s there, right behind him!”
The opening in the air was much thinner this time. The narrow slit was like a fissure in a cliff, only just big enough for a child to clamber through. Beyond the door was only darkness, though the edges glittered, like moisture shining in the moonlight.
“Can’t you guys see it?” he asked again, looking round in bewilderment. However, surveying the rest of them, it was amazing anybody could see anything. The rain was now falling as solidly as a power-shower, causing mist and spray to fly round them like a waterfall.
“You see the door again?” Dr Ribero squawked. “Are you serious?” He clapped his hands together with undisguised glee. “Where is it, where is it?”
“It’s right there, behind that spirit,” Kester said, pointing again. Then he started to laugh. The whole situation was so ridiculous that he simply couldn’t be scared anymore. He’d entered a world of madness, a world where the old rules no longer applied. It was like stepping directly into Oz, walking straight through the rabbit hole and into insanity. Perhaps I have gone completely crazy, he thought, and started to laugh harder. Oh well, if I have, I’m clearly in good company.
“Get the spirit through the door!” Dr Ribero shouted, giving him a ferocious poke. Kester stumbled, slipping in the mud.
“What do you mean, get it through the door?” he said, wiping the water from his face.
“Push it! Just push it through!”
Kester blinked stupidly. “Push it through?”
“Yes!”
“I’m not going to do that, that’s a bit . . . it’s a bit rude, isn’t it?”
“This is not a social occasion! Forget the manners! Go on, push the spirit through, do it quickly!”
Kester turned back, then saw that the door had gone. Completely disappeared. It was as though it had never been there in the first place.
“It’s gone,” he announced dumbly. “The door, it’s vanished. I don’t know where it’s gone to.”
“Oh, for goodness’ sake,” Serena snarled. “While you’re having fun and games, I’m getting completely drenched!” She stepped forward towards the creature, who was now spinning at an eye-wateringly frightening speed, his umbrella forming a perfect moon-like disc above its head.
“This has all gone a bit tits-up, hasn’t it?” Mike commented, wiping the water from his face.
Serena ignored him. Instead, she haughtily raised the bottle into the air, tilting it in the direction of the whirling ghost. Kester watched her with fascination as she frowned, closing her eyes and muttering under her breath.
The spirit, aware of her presence, started to glow, throwing out sparks. Kester backed away, frightened again. He was not only scared for himself, but for Serena, who was now being showered by bright-white embers. However, they bounced harmlessly off her, falling into the mud with a hiss. Indeed, she hardly seemed to notice them. Her lips were now moving at a greater speed, and she started to thrust the bottle at the spirit, pushing it outwards in its direction, then pulling it back again.
“What’s she doing?” Kester whispered.
“Shh,” Pamela said. “You mustn’t disturb her. It’s a serious business.”
The spirit started to screech. It was a dreadful noise, a raw scream of fear, childlike and terrifying in equal measures. It started to spin more haphazardly, tracing widening circles in the mud like a spinning top running out of momentum. Serena started to chant aloud, eerie words that Kester had never heard before, deep and guttural and filled with resonance. The spirit stumbled, skittering across the clearing. It flung itself into the air, then appeared to be pulled down by invisible ropes.
The rain began to cease. Within a few seconds, it had stopped completely. Kester watched with amazement as the creature, with one final yowl, vanished completely.
Serena swiftly screwed the lid on the bottle and nodded. “Job done,” she announced. “Next time, don’t all mess around so much, eh?”
“Where did it go?” Kester asked, shaking the water off his hair.
Serena jiggled the bottle in his direction. “Where do you think it went?”
“But I didn’t see it go in there.”
“That’s why what I do is called extinguishing,” Serena snapped. “I literally extinguish them out of the air, and put them anywhere I please. Which in this case, is this storage unit.” She caught Mike’s eye and added, “The water bottle.”
“Well, that was all very badly handled,” Miss Wellbeloved scolded, wiping down her blouse. “Serena, you must stop treating spirits with such disrespect. It’s exceptionally bad for spirit-human relations.”
“What else would you have had us do?” Serena spluttered indignantly. “You’d completely lost control of the situation. What other option did we have?”
“Yes, but incidences like this only increase hostile hauntings, which you’re very well aware of,” Miss Wellbeloved barked back. “It angers them, Serena, and I cannot say I blame them.”
“Perhaps I could have tried to reach into its mind,” Pamela said, looking troubled.
“No, it wouldn’t have worked,” Miss Wellbeloved said. “You know as well as I do that if they don’t understand your language, it’s as good as pointless.”
“Look, the spirit is captured, and that is all that matters, is it not?” Dr Ribero said, patting the ladies on the back. “Come on, this is not worth having squabbles over. We have done our job, we will get paid, and now we can have our breakfast, yes?”
“Would it have helped if I’d have been able to push it through that door?” Kester asked suddenly. They all looked at him, as though only just noticing his presence.
“Yes, it would have done,” Dr Ribero said, after a pause. “I believe you are seeing a door directly through to the sp
irit world. If that is the case, then it is a marvellous gift indeed.”
“I don’t think I have any gifts like that,” Kester said, tittering, then straightening his expression when he realised his father was being serious. “I mean,” he clarified, “I’m not like all of you. I’m normal. There’s nothing special about me.”
“But you do not deny that it is twice you have now seen this doorway?” Dr Ribero said, folding his arms across his dripping wet chest.
Kester pondered for a moment. “I think so,” he said slowly. “But I’m not sure what it was, to be honest. And as I said, I’m the least likely person to have any sort of supernatural gift. That’s just not me.”
“You can say that again,” Serena drawled. “You’re about as in tune with the spirit world as a boulder.”
“It would not surprise me at all if you could see the doorway to the spirits,” Dr Ribero said, glaring at Serena. He draped an arm around Kester’s shoulders, grinning. “After all, that’s what your mother could do.”
Kester jumped, dislodging Dr Ribero’s arm. “What? You’re saying my mother could see doors to the spirit world? But that’s ridiculous! She would have told me!”
“Just like she told you about me, and about my agency?” Ribero said, with a dry chuckle. “I think, Kester, you must understand that your mother had more secrets than you realise.”
“Yes, you can certainly say that again,” Miss Wellbeloved muttered. She coughed, straightening herself. “But it is true. Gretchen had a remarkable gift. That’s part of the reason we were England’s finest supernatural agency in those days. Every other agency was desperate to hire her. It’s a very rare thing to be able to do.”
“Look, can we start walking back?” Mike interrupted, shivering. “Not being funny, but I feel like someone’s chucked a bucket of icy water over me. Oh, wait a minute, that’s pretty much what happened.”
“Yes, let’s get back, I’m freezing,” Pamela agreed. Her thin blouse had gone alarmingly see-through in the rain, revealing an enormous bra with straps like an industrial crane. However, she seemed completely unfazed by her exposure, and kept drawing attention to it by flapping her wet top outwards and letting it flop back on to her skin with a squelchy thump.
They started to trudge back along the path they’d come in by. Kester felt strangely elated. Energy coursed through him like electricity. Is there really something special about me? he wondered. Have I really got a gift? He’d become so accustomed to people finding him dull that he rather liked the idea of having a special power. Even if it was a supernatural one.
Still, he wondered why his mother had never told him about her own gift. Why had she kept so many things from him? Wouldn’t they all have been happier if they had lived with Dr Ribero instead? Why hadn’t the doctor asked his mother to marry him? And what was Miss Wellbeloved’s problem with his mum? There were so many unanswered questions, that it made him feel light-headed. Watching the Argentinian doctor stride ahead, he felt even more confused. What other secrets is he hiding? he wondered. What else does he know, that he’s not telling me?
Pamela nudged him, interrupting his thoughts. “So,” she said in a confidential tone. “Are you going to stay a bit longer then? You’re not still planning on going back to Cambridge today, are you?”
Kester considered. “I don’t really know,” he confessed. Part of him still wanted to go back to the peace and quiet of his home. But he couldn’t deny the fact that his curiosity had been aroused. It was all too interesting. Unnerving. Occasionally terrifying. But fascinating, nonetheless.
“You know that you’re welcome to stay at mine for a few nights, if that helps. The offer is still there.”
“That’s very kind of you,” he replied, reluctant to commit just yet. He wanted to think things over first, and properly weigh up his options.
The walk back seemed a lot shorter than the walk there, mainly because they were walking downhill, not up. As they emerged onto the sunny lawn, it seemed as though they’d passed through a time warp into the present day. The difference between the quiet forest and the perfectly mowed grass was extreme.
“Oh look, old flab-gut has spotted us already,” Serena grumbled as they paced towards the driveway. Sure enough, the familiar spherical form of Lord Flanburgh could be seen, marching down the stone stairs to greet them. Thankfully, he was fully clothed this time.
“How did you get on?” he bellowed, startling yet more birds from the gutters above him. “All sorted, is it?”
“Ah yes, it most certainly is,” Dr Ribero announced, stepping forward with a flourish. “No more spirit. We have him captured.”
“Well, that’s ruddy good news. Glad to hear it,” Flanburgh replied. He paused, staring incredulously at them all. Although the worst of the water had dripped off, they were still soaked, not to mention steaming slightly in the mid-morning heat.
“Dear god, what happened to you all?” he asked, stuffing his hands into his mustard-coloured jacket. “Did you fall in the stream or something?”
“Ah, no. It is a long story,” Dr Ribero answered, rubbing his shirt down.
Lord Flanburgh chortled. “Ah, the little sod gave you a soaking, did he? That’s a bit unfortunate. Ah well, at least it’s warm. You’ll dry out in no time.” He leant over, smacking the doctor on the back. “The main thing is, you’ve solved my problem. I’ll see to it that Millicent pays the money over straight away.”
“Wonderful, thank you,” Dr Ribero said.
“I must say,” Lord Flanburgh continued, as he led them to the van, “I had my doubts about your team. The government weren’t exactly singing your praises, if you know what I mean. Infinite Enterprises tend to be the chaps that are called out these days, aren’t they? But you’ve done a good job, well done you.”
Dr Ribero grimaced at the mention of Infinite Enterprises, not to mention the distinctly patronising tone of the other man. Mike chuckled, helping the doctor into the van by giving him a hearty shove on the backside.
“Plus you’re a good sight cheaper!” Flanburgh continued, calling over Mike’s broad shoulder. “I shall make sure to mention it when I’m next in the Houses of Parliament.”
“Very kind of you,” Dr Ribero said wearily from the back seat. “Just let us know if you need our help again, okay?”
“Yes, of course, of course. Quite so. Why hire a team of London professionals when you’ve got a perfectly good little local company who can just about handle the job instead, eh?”
Dr Ribero growled in response, which was thankfully muffled by the slamming of the van door.
“What a prat,” Mike said, spinning the van round in a haphazard arc around Flanburgh. No one contradicted him.
“Oh, by the way everyone,” Pamela announced, as they bounced along the driveway. “Good news.”
“What is that?” Ribero asked, folding his arms and looking very much as though he was about to take a nap.
“Kester said he was going to stay at mine for a few days,” she said. “So Julio, you’ve got your son around for a little bit longer.”
“Er, well, I didn’t definitely say I was going to stay,” Kester began, but his protests were drowned out by Ribero’s exclamations. It seemed that the announcement had suddenly galvanised him into action, propelling him forward to give Kester a hearty slap on the back.
“That is wonderful news!” he said, with a toothy smile that seemed to extend across his entire face. In spite of himself, Kester grinned in response. It had been a strange twenty-four hours. Undoubtedly the strangest he’d ever experienced. But for the first time in a long while, he felt excited.
“Well then, I suppose he could come along for the Green Lady job, couldn’t he?” Serena stated. There was a distinct air of challenge in her voice.
“Oh goodness, I’m not sure about that,” Miss Wellbeloved said quickly. “He’s vastly inexperienced, regardl
ess of whatever special gifts he might possess.”
“Well, his ‘special gifts’ might be rather useful with this job, don’t you think?” Serena answered, sneering in his direction. Kester couldn’t ignore the drip of sarcasm lacing the comment. Why is she so hostile all the time? he wondered. It’s like she gets a kick out of being mean to me.
“I think that would be a wonderful idea,” Dr Ribero said, still beaming. “Kester, would you like to join us on this job tomorrow?”
“Well, I don’t know anything about it,” he replied, feeling a little overwhelmed. He grabbed hold of the door handle as Mike hurtled the van round a particularly tight bend.
“Why don’t you give him the diary to read?” Pamela suggested. “After all, you always say it’s good to brush up on the case before starting, don’t you?”
“That is a good idea,” Dr Ribero said. “We will give it to you to read this afternoon, and then you will be prepared for tomorrow, yes?”
“Erm, if you say so,” Kester stuttered. Once again, he felt as though events were racing ahead of him, leaving him no time to think about things. It was unnervingly like sitting on the world’s fastest rollercoaster, without knowing whether or not it had been safety tested first.
“I’m still not sure this is a wise idea,” Miss Wellbeloved scolded. “I rather think you’re becoming too obsessed with his ability to see the spirit door, and less interested in his welfare, Julio.”
Dr Ribero swatted her comment away with an elegant flick of the wrist. “Ah, he will be fine. He is not some little boy, Jennifer. He is a man, look at him!”
Miss Wellbeloved glanced over at Kester and sighed.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” she muttered.
Kester wasn’t quite sure who she was warning—Dr Ribero or himself. Neither prospect made him feel entirely comfortable.
“I will give you the diary when we return to the office,” Dr Ribero said earnestly, before curling up cat-like in the back and shutting his eyes.
Chapter 6: The Haunting of Coleton Crescent – Emmeline’s Diary