by Adele Abbott
“I’m not scary, am I, Jill?”
“You are to a small duck. No more jumping in the lake. Promise?”
“I promise.”
“There. That will have to do.” Aunt Lucy got to her feet. Barry slumped to the floor, and closed his eyes.
“I wondered if you’d managed to find that ‘schedule’ spell?”
“Yes, I did. I put it in the cupboard in the kitchen. Let’s go downstairs and have a cup of tea.”
“This seems to be straightforward enough.” I’d only glanced at the spell, but there was nothing in there that worried me unduly.
“You shouldn’t have any problems with it. It might take you a while to set it up the first time, but once you’ve customised it to your needs, it should work like clockwork from then on.”
“This is obviously the kind of spell that Agatha Crustie has been using. If she could handle it, I’m sure I’ll be able to. Oh, by the way, did your friend find her pet?”
“Gloria? No. Not yet. She’s really upset.”
“Jill. Are you going to come with us tomorrow?” Pearl had come through from the lounge.
“We’re going to collect the puppies.” Amber was close behind her.
“Why not? I wouldn’t mind another trip to Candle Sands. What did Alan and William say when you told them about the pups?”
“They weren’t too keen at first, but they’ve come around to the idea,” Amber said.
“Yeah, we know just how to get them to see things our way.” Pearl grinned.
“I just bet you do.”
I’d said my goodbyes, and just stepped out of the house when who should I bump into but an old friend of mine.
“Alicia.”
“Jill.”
“Aunt Lucy told me you’d moved in.”
“Yeah. I’m with Glen now.”
“There had better be no trouble.”
“There won’t be. I told your aunt that’s all behind me now.”
“You’ll forgive me for being somewhat sceptical. You once told me that you were a solicitor, working in Washbridge, and then you proceeded to poison me.”
“I know, and I’m ashamed of what I did. I realise it’s no excuse, but Ma Chivers—”
“You can’t blame everything on Ma Chivers. You knew what you were doing.”
“Unless you’ve actually been under her influence, you can’t possibly know what it’s like. That doesn’t excuse what I did, but now that I’ve found Glen, I just want to live a normal life like everyone else. I’ll never go back to that life. I promise.”
“Actions speak louder than words. Just remember what I said. One wrong step towards Aunt Lucy or any of my family, and you’ll have me to answer to.”
Chapter 9
As I was going to be working through the night in Chez Piper, I decided to go home and try to get a few hours’ sleep first. Jack had sent me a message earlier, saying he would be late in. I’d replied and told him about my plans to do the nightshift. We were becoming more and more like ships in the night.
First, though, I needed something to eat, so I called in at the corner shop. A ready-meal would do just fine.
Little Jack Corner seemed a little taller.
“Hello, young lady.”
“Hi, Jack. You seem taller today.”
“How very observant of you. You’re the first person to notice. I’ve replaced my box with an adjustable height platform.” He pointed down at his feet.
I leaned over the counter to get a better view, and sure enough, he was standing on a small metal platform instead of the usual wooden box.
“Would you like to see how it works?”
“Sure.” I would have preferred to get off home because I had a long night ahead of me, but I could see that he was keen to give a demonstration.
“Watch this.” He took a gizmo from his pocket, pressed the small green button, and the platform gradually began to rise. “What do you think?”
“That’s very impressive.”
“And to lower it, I press the red button.”
He did just that, but instead of going back down, the platform continued to rise, but much quicker now. Little Jack Corner was headed straight for the ceiling.
“Careful! You’re going to hit your head!” I yelled at him.
“It isn’t working!” I could hear the panic in his voice.
“Grab my hand!”
He did, and I managed to pull him off the platform, and onto the counter top.
“Thank you. I could have been squashed.”
“If I were you, I think I’d go back to the wooden box.”
“It may just be teething problems. I’ll give it another try later.”
“If you do, make sure there’s someone around to come to your rescue if it goes rogue again.”
I passed him the ready-meal and a packet of custard creams.
“Anything else today? How about a bucket?”
“I’m okay for buckets, thanks.”
“What about a nose spinner? They’re all the rage.” He pointed to the small display at the far end of the counter.
“I think you mean finger spinners, don’t you?”
“No.” He grabbed one, then lay back on the counter, and balanced the spinner on his nose. “Watch!” He set it spinning. “See!”
“Are you sure you’re not supposed to spin it on your finger?”
“Why would you want to spin it on your finger?”
It was a fair question.
I was just about to leave when Little Jack called me back.
“You haven’t heard the thought for the day.”
“Sorry, I forgot.”
“A stitch in time laughs longest.”
“Great. Thanks for that.”
As I left the shop, I ran into Missy Muffet, hand-in-hand with a rather handsome young man.
“Hi, Missy. You’ll need to keep an eye on Jack. That new platform of his seems to be on the blink.”
“I’m not actually working today. I’m just here to collect my wages.” She turned to the young man. “This is my boyfriend, Tommy. Tommy Tucker.”
***
When Blake saw me pull onto my driveway, he came running across the road.
“Hi, Blake. I’m glad to see the trains have been removed.”
“They had to bring in a tow-truck.”
“It’s about time those two men grew up, and stopped playing with their silly trains.”
“You won’t have to worry about Mr Kilbride for much longer.”
“Why’s that?”
“He told me earlier that he intends to sell up and move to Fleetwood.”
“Oh? Why Fleetwood?”
“He has friends there. They’re fishermen, apparently. He’s tired of all the bickering with Hosey.”
“I can’t say I’ll miss the bagpipes. I haven’t seen much of you or Jen, recently. How are things?”
“Good, really good. I came over to tell you that Kilbride isn’t the only one who will be moving out. We’ll be moving away from Washbridge, too.”
“How come?”
“We decided that we both needed a new start. My ‘coming out’ to Jen kind of upset things for a while, so we thought a reset was called for.”
“What about your jobs?”
“We applied to run a pub. It’s something we’ve both always fancied doing. We heard yesterday that we’ve been offered one in Northumberland. We have to go on a two-month course up there first, and then we take over the pub. It’s called The Underworld. If you and Jack are ever in that neck of the woods, you must drop in.”
“We will. When do you leave?”
“Next week.”
“So soon?”
“The course starts the week after.”
“I’ll miss you. And Jen.”
“Likewise. I really appreciate all the help you’ve given us.”
He gave me a hug, and then made his way back across the road.
I would definitely miss Blake. He was the only other sup on t
he street, and someone with whom I could discuss things that I could never talk to Jack about.
***
As cardboard goes, the microwave meal wasn’t too awful. The custard creams were, of course, as excellent as ever.
Before I grabbed some shut-eye, I wanted to set the ‘schedule’ spell so that the cleaning would get done the following day while both Jack and I were out at work. I’d already come up with spells which would control the vacuum, duster and other cleaning implements. All I needed now was to cast the spell which would schedule those individual tasks. Just as Aunt Lucy had suggested, the ‘schedule’ spell was actually very straightforward. Two o’clock in the afternoon seemed like a sensible time to set it for because Jack was never in at that time on a weekday. That would leave plenty of time for the spell to get all the work completed long before either of us got home. The more I thought about this new cleaning arrangement, the more I liked it. Not only would it save us money, but it would also mean that I got all the credit. I could then use that as leverage to persuade Jack that he should cook dinner every day.
What? Of course it’s fair. A lot of effort goes into casting these spells. Snigger.
***
It was just as well that I’d set the alarm for ten o’clock because I was fast asleep when it sounded. I would have dearly loved to roll over, and sleep until morning, but I’d promised the Pipers that I’d keep watch at the restaurant overnight.
Jack was still not home when it was time for me to leave, so I left him a note on the kitchen table:
Didn’t get chance to do the dishes. Sorry. xxx
What do you mean that wasn’t very romantic? I gave him three kisses, didn’t I? Sheesh.
It had just turned eleven when I arrived, bleary-eyed, at Chez Piper. The last few customers were being gently encouraged to vacate their tables and go home.
“Are you sure you’ll be alright in here by yourself, Jill?” Mr Piper said.
“I’ll be fine, but I’m going to need plenty of coffee to see me through the night.”
“The coffee machine is over there in the corner. Just help yourself. Would you like anything to eat?”
“No, thanks. I had some cardboard earlier.”
“Sorry?”
“I’m okay. You two can get off as soon as you’re ready.”
An hour later, I was on my own in the restaurant. There were two comfortable sofas in the reception area, but I daren’t sit on those for fear that I might fall asleep. Instead, I took a seat at the table closest to the kitchen. All I had to do now was wait.
And wait.
By four o’clock in the morning, I was buzzing from the effects of the coffee, and yet my eyes still begged to close. I’d seen and heard nothing all night, and was beginning to think that it had been a waste of time, but then there was a noise. A soft pitter patter across the floor. I turned around, expecting to see someone, but there was no one there. The sound continued: pitter, patter—just like tiny footsteps. Then, the door to the kitchen swung open and closed as though someone had walked through it. I walked over to the kitchen door, and pushed it open as quietly as I could. When the gap was wide enough, I slipped inside.
The door to the storage room was ajar, and I could hear the sound of cupboards being opened and closed. Someone was in there. I tip-toed over to the door, and peered inside. There was no one to be seen, but I knew there was someone in there—whoever it was had obviously made themselves invisible. Was the thief a witch or a wizard? It seemed to be the only explanation.
I was still trying to decide how to play this when I noticed that one of the open cupboards contained several large bags of flour, one of which was open. I grabbed it from the shelf, and launched it in the general direction of whoever was plundering the storeroom.
“Ouch! Stop it!” The squeaky little voice sounded quite pathetic. “Please don’t hurt me!”
For a few moments, I was too stunned to speak. I’d expected the flour to reveal a witch or a wizard, but instead I found myself face to face with a small furry creature, which was standing on the worksurface.
“Who are you?” I yelled. “What are you doing in here?”
“I’m Furball. Please don’t hurt me.”
“I’m not going to hurt you. Where did you come from?”
“I don’t know.”
“You must know where you live.”
“I live with Glow.”
“Who’s Glow?”
“The person I live with.”
“Why aren’t you with Glow now?”
“I got lost. You aren’t going to put me in prison, are you?”
“Of course not. How exactly did you get lost?”
“I went outside for a walk, and it started to rain, so I climbed onto the back of a lorry. I think I must have fallen asleep because when I climbed out later, I didn’t know where I was. I was lost. That’s why I came in here.”
“Did you jump out of the lorry while it was moving?”
“No. It had stopped. I got out and searched for Glow, but I couldn’t find her so I came in here.”
“I see. Do you mind if I ask what kind of creature you are?”
“I’m a Furball.”
“I thought that was your name.”
“That’s right.”
Huh? “You can’t stay here.”
“Can I go back to Glow?”
“When we find her, but for now, you’d better come with me.”
“Are you a Glow, too?”
“No, I’m a Jill. Let’s get everything tidied up in here first, and then we’ll go.”
I daren’t take Furball to my office because I wasn’t sure how he and Winky would get along. Even though Furball was invisible, Winky would probably pick up his scent. My only other option was to take him home with me until such time as I could find Glow—whoever she was.
I left a note for the Pipers, telling them that I had nothing to report, then I drove Furball home. It was five o’clock in the morning when I arrived back at the house. Jack’s car was on the driveway.
When I opened the back door to lift Furball out, he was visible.
“I can see you,” I said.
“I can see you, too.”
“How come you aren’t invisible? You have to make yourself invisible.”
“I don’t know how.”
“But you were invisible earlier.”
“That only happens when I get nervous.”
“My partner, Jack, is a policeman. He’s in the house right now, and if he sees you, he’ll probably put you in prison.”
“Yikes!” Furball disappeared in front of my eyes.
“That’s better. Now come over here, and I’ll carry you inside.”
He nestled himself into my arms, and I made my way into the house. Once inside, I stopped at the bottom of the stairs to check if I could hear Jack. The house was silent.
“I’m going to put you in the spare bedroom,” I whispered. “You’ll have to stay in there until I come to get you later this morning. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“And you must stay absolutely quiet.”
“I will. I promise.”
Chapter 10
“Jill. Wake up!” Jack nudged me.
“Go away. I didn’t get home until five.”
“It’s eleven o’clock.”
“Are you sure? It feels like I’ve only been asleep for five minutes.” I grabbed my phone from the bedside cabinet. It really was eleven. “How come you haven’t gone to work yet?”
“I didn’t get much sleep either.” He yawned.
“What time did you get in?”
“Just after midnight. Look, there’s something we need to talk about.”
“I need a drink first.”
“Jill. This is important.”
“What is?”
“I think the house is possessed.”
I picked up the pillow and hit him around the head with it. “I thought you were being serious.”
“I am. De
adly serious. At about two o’clock this morning, I heard noises downstairs. I thought it was you at first, but when I checked the window, I could see your car wasn’t there. I figured it might be a burglar so I sneaked downstairs, and that’s when I saw it.”
“A ghost? Are you sure it wasn’t just a shadow?”
“Not a ghost. The vacuum cleaner. It was vacuuming the lounge all by itself.”
Oh bum!
“And a duster was wiping down the table.”
“Did you by any chance have a few drinks when you got in last night?”
“No. None. When I grabbed hold of the vacuum, it stopped, so I put it away. Same with the duster. Do you think we should get someone in to perform an exorcism?”
“No, I don’t. Think about it. What’s more likely? That the vacuum cleaner is possessed, or that you had a nightmare?”
“But it seemed so real.”
“That kind of bad dream always does. I once dreamed I’d eaten a giant marshmallow, and when I woke up the pillow had disappeared.”
“Okay, I get it. I’m being stupid.” He laughed. “Whoever heard of a possessed duster?”
Phew! That had been a close call. I never was good with the twenty-four-hour clock. I must have set the ‘schedule’ spell for 2am instead of 2pm.
As soon as Jack had left for work, I went into the spare bedroom.
“Furball? Where are you?”
“Has the policeman gone?” His soft voice came from somewhere close by.
“Yes, he’s gone to work.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to go to prison.”
“I’m positive.”
“Phew!” Furball appeared, seated on an old ironing board.
“There you are. Did you sleep okay?”
“Yes, thanks. Can I go home to Glow now, please?”
“I have to find her first. Would you like something to eat?”
“Yes, please. I’m very hungry.”
“What would you like?”
“Biscuits are my favourite food.”
“Any particular kind?”
“Custard creams.”
“I don’t think I have any of those.”
What? Okay, okay. I’d give up my last few custard creams. Happy now?