The True Colours of Coral Glen

by Juliette Forrest

  I raised my eyes. “What happened to the witch?”

  Lyart pulled his chair out and sat. “She was captured, but of course the deaths had now stopped because Muckle Red had been imprisoned in the graveyard. The people of Saltbay rejoiced, mistaking her for the Heart Collector, and she lost her life because of this.” Lyart stared directly at me. “Muckle Red has only four days left to free himself. If he fails to collect the objects, the spell that has trapped him here will destroy him at the stroke of midnight, on the night of the Hallow moon.”

  “What are the objects he needs?” I looked from Lyart to Moonzy.

  “Witch’s tears, cannibal bones and a wrecker bird,” answered the gargoyle.

  I was sorry I had asked. What even was a wrecker bird?

  Gripping on to the bench, I steadied myself. “You mentioned Muckle Red can’t leave the graveyard, so won’t that make it impossible for him to find them?”

  “He’ll bribe someone else to do the job for him, except he’ll need to choose wisely. I’ve heard a hummock goblin and a whirlpool sprite have already tried on his behalf and failed.”

  “You said that if I helped you with something you’d take me to see my gran. What do you want me to do?”

  “If you gather the witch’s tears, cannibal bones and wrecker bird before anyone else, we can keep them safe from Muckle Red and make sure that he’s finished off for good on the night of the Hallow moon. No child will ever lose their life to him again,” Lyart said, his eyes wide and pleading.

  “You want me to do that?” There was no way I could be trusted to keep a whole town of children safe by attempting to find a bunch of weird objects. And if others had tried and failed, what chance did I have?

  I blanched White Dove.

  “My best friend, Will, died because of Muckle Red. The grief his family and friends suffered has been a heavy burden for me to carry. Muckle Red didn’t only steal hearts, he snuffed out lives, dreams and futures – and I can’t let this tragedy happen to others.” Lyart’s hands trembled; he moved them out of sight, under his desk. “Will was the reason I chose to become the Keeper.”

  Moonzy sniffed, dabbing at her eyes with a wing.

  “Can’t you collect the objects?” I shifted on my seat.

  “I would give anything to be able to do it, but once you become the Keeper, it’s impossible to leave the graveyard.” Lyart’s voice was tinged with regret. “In fact, none of the ghosts here can.”

  “Except for me because I’m a poltergeist!” piped up Moonzy. “The only thing is, I’ve not left Halloway for two hundred years, and I’m worried I’ll be thrown by what now exists outside these walls. You wouldn’t be, though, Coral, and that could give us the advantage we need over Muckle Red.”

  Shame prickled my scalp. “I’m sorry. I’m not the right person for this. I’m useless at everything apart from drawing – I’m scared stiff of the dark and I think if I ever saw a witch for real, I’d faint.”

  I thought about Gran and how it was my fault she was no longer alive. “You need a person who’s brave – not someone who’s hopeless and who’ll just let you down,” I whispered.

  Lyart rose and wandered over to one of the alcoves, where he picked up a small Rebel Blue glamp. The spirit inside butted its head against the glass. “In all the time I’ve been here, not one single other living person has noticed me. You’re the only one who can help us, Coral.”

  Gran’s coffin in the church flashed into my mind.

  “I’m not who you think I am,” I said. “I did something bad.” I squirmed at hearing it said out loud for the first time.

  Lyart studied my face for a while before finally speaking. “It’s not what we’ve done wrong that makes us who we are, it’s what we do to make it better.”

  His words hung in the air between us.

  I picked my hat up from my lap. Gran had knitted it for me to keep me warm while I waited for the school bus in the mornings. She used to say every small act of kindness strengthened the soul.

  My eyes watered as I pictured her face.

  Muckle Red being a danger to children once again in Saltbay was unthinkable. The Heart Collector terrified the living daylights out of me, and four days to find these gruesome objects sounded utterly impossible – except if I didn’t even try, I’d lose the one chance I had to see Gran to put things right with her.

  I chewed on my lip. “You really think I could do all this given there’s no time whatsoever?”

  Lyart’s eyes shone bright. “Moonzy would assist you.”

  The gargoyle nodded so hard, earth cascaded down from the ceiling. Something caught her attention and her head disappeared out the door. All of a sudden, she hissed, “Muckle Red alert. Muckle Red alert.”

  Lyart seized my rucksack and hauled me over to the door. “If Muckle Red suspects we are plotting against him, things will get dangerous, and I have less to lose than you: I’m already a ghost.”

  From the depths of the passageway, I could hear the sound of rushing air. The room trembled and lightning-shaped cracks inched their way up the walls. The Rebel Blue lights in the glamps whirled frantically.

  “Can you remember the way out?” Moonzy squinted her eyes, trying to see into the gloom.

  Horror trickled like melted ice cubes through my veins. I pulled on my hat and took the rucksack from Lyart, who clasped his hands over mine. “Will you help us?”

  My heart thundered louder than a storm.

  “Lyart! We can’t risk Muckle Red catching her with us,” interrupted Moonzy.

  “Come back tonight with your answer – please say yes. We’ll be waiting for you in the graveyard.”

  “We’ll do our best to distract him. Remember, it’s not safe until you are outside the walls.” Moonzy flapped her wings. “Go!”

  I shot along the corridor. The air dropped in temperature, changing my breath into milky clouds. If only I wasn’t so far underground: I longed to see the trees and the sky, and to feel the rain on my skin again.

  Something stirred and I glanced over my shoulder. My foot caught on a root and I stumbled forward, losing my balance. The tear catcher flew out of my pocket and rolled away. I patted the earth, searching for it. My hand hit something smooth and I picked it up, only to find it was an old finger bone. I stifled a yell and dropped it.

  Gritting my teeth, I leapt up and sprinted forward, kicking an object that spun over to the wall, snagging on a tangle of roots. It was the tear catcher! I grabbed it and headed to the end of the tunnel. In front of me were three entranceways. One wrong turn could mean I may never escape from here. My chest tightened as I walked a few paces forward and picked the nearest one. Something growled up ahead in the dark, so I crept backwards, slower than a snail. That was when I caught a glimpse of earthen steps in the middle passage. These must have been the same ones Lyart and I came down! I bolted up them, relieved the walls were covered in jewellery, silently twinkling like man-made stars.

  There it was again. A noise as if something large was gathering speed.

  Zooming along the corridor with the high ceiling, I panted up the steep slope. The walls narrowed and spiders inched forward on to their webs, wondering if dinner had just arrived.

  I reached the stairway which led to the graveyard, only to find the opening had vanished. I pushed against the solid ceiling of earth until my elbows hurt, but nothing gave way. I spun round, spotting something Timeless White under the mud on the wall, and started raking at it with my fingernails. Bit by bit, I uncovered the arm bones of a skeleton. I prodded it, gingerly, and waggled it from side to side.

  The glamps grew more luminous. Faces appeared in them, baring their teeth. Tears welled up in my eyes and the tree roots gleamed as icicles formed on them.

  I wrinkled my nose, grasped the skeleton’s hand in mine and yanked it down the same way as the arm on a slot machine. The ceiling rumbled and my ears filled with the noise of stone grinding against stone. Daylight flooded in and I scrambled blindly up the last of the
stairs. The rain fell hard and the headstones peeped out from behind a mist. I sprinted along the path, which shone Treacle Black. I could spy the wall ahead – the way to safety. With every last ounce of energy I possessed, I hurtled towards the gate. Just as I was flying through it, a hand caught me by the back of my coat and pulled me into the graveyard.

  “Not so fast, young lady,” said a voice.

  I cried out with the fright of it.

  CHAPTER

  7

  “Where have you been?” Mum asked in a way that was both concerned and angry at the same time.

  Dad answered for me. “I found her in the graveyard, of all places.”

  Mum stared at me as though I was a puzzle she had no idea how to solve.

  I caught sight of myself in the hallway mirror. My Squid Ink hat was on squint and my Heartthrob Red coat and Sweet Apple scarf were covered in dirt. There were rips in my houndstooth leggings and my high-tops were more mud than canvas.

  “Take those off and leave them at the door. Go get changed and then come straight down; we have a visitor.” Mum gave me The Look. I’d crossed over the line.

  Dad had barely said two words to me in the car on the way home. He’d cursed every time the traffic lights turned Poppy Harvest and his knuckles had whitened gripping the steering wheel. You’d think if he had been the least bit worried, he’d be happy I’d been found safe and well.

  I changed into another pair of houndstooth leggings and a Watermelon Burst hoody, wondering who could be downstairs.

  I hoped Muckle Red hadn’t harmed Moonzy or Lyart. The thought of him wanting to kill children for their hearts made me feel sick.

  Here, in my room, surrounded by all my colours, it would be easy to believe this morning had all been a bad dream. I pulled out the tear catcher from my pocket and knew for certain: this whole nightmarish world really did exist. No matter how much Lyart needed me, there was no way I’d be able to find witch’s tears, cannibal bones and a wrecker bird. I’d just let him down, Muckle Red would escape and I’d be responsible for the loss of more lives.

  I hid the tear catcher in my rucksack, and tried to rid my mind of all thoughts about Muckle Red as I plodded down the stairs. I stood for a second with my hand resting against the lounge door. This was where Gran would always read her newspaper, which made her tut, grumble and sigh. And when I’d pointed this out to her, she’d informed me that bad news gave us the fire we needed in our bellies to change the world for the better.

  Opening the door, I stopped dead in my tracks.

  “Hello, Coral,” said Miss Mirk.

  It took all my strength to walk further into the room.

  She must be here to tell them what you did on the day Gran died.

  My swallow caught in my throat.

  Mum was perched on the edge of her seat, her cup of tea untouched, and Dad’s foot tapped on the floor as if he was listening to a fast tune on the radio.

  If Miss Mirk had said something, they’d be yelling at me.

  Mum’s voice was spikier than thistles. “Coral, sit down.”

  Miss Mirk slurped her cup of tea and helped herself to a biscuit, as though she was settling down to watch her favourite TV programme. She was wearing a Galapagos Green hat which had a stuffed finch perched on the side of it. Every time she moved, it pecked the top of her head.

  “Miss Mirk told us she caught you spying through her letter box this morning.” Mum folded her arms in front of her.

  “I was—”

  “Don’t interrupt.”

  I stared at Dad to see if he would stick up for me, but he avoided my gaze.

  They didn’t want me to speak; I was here to listen. I grabbed a cushion and hugged it.

  “She also mentioned you were extremely rude. Not only did you not offer her a hand with her shopping trolley up the steps, but when a box of fish fingers fell out, you lost your temper and accused her of stealing Godfrey.”

  “It wasn’t fish—”

  “I said don’t interrupt, Coral.”

  Miss Mirk dunked her biscuit into her tea and sucked the end of it, noisily, the finch tapping at her head.

  “You also told Miss Mirk that if she had kidnapped God and he had come to any harm, she would live to regret it.”

  I gasped. Those weren’t my words!

  Miss Mirk’s eyes slid over to meet mine. There was something in the way they glittered that kept me quiet. This was a warning; I was to leave her alone or else she’d tell Mum and Dad the truth about Gran.

  Dad raked at his beard. “Coral, your behaviour today has been completely unacceptable. No matter how upset you are over something, you don’t threaten people, do I make myself clear?”

  It felt awful that Dad had taken Miss Mirk’s side.

  He hates you. Just wait until he finds out what you did. He’ll never want anything to do with you again.

  My thoughts hurt worse than punches and my eyes watered.

  “Is there anything you want to say to Miss Mirk?” asked Mum.

  You give me the creeps and I know you’ve kidnapped God and I hate that you always speak so quietly and I want to wipe that smile off your face right this second.

  I cleared my throat. “Miss Mirk, I’m sorry I was looking through your letter box and it was rude of me not to help you with your shopping trolley. I shouldn’t have accused you of stealing God…”

  “Again,” Miss Mirk butted in.

  “I shouldn’t have accused you of stealing God – again. I hope you can forgive me,” I mumbled. My body prickled as though thorns flowed through my veins.

  Miss Mirk drained the last of her tea and wriggled to the edge of the sofa, so her feet could touch the ground. “I would strongly advise you to keep away from my property. If something else should happen, I will be straight over to tell your mother and father everything.”

  My head hung in shame.

  Miss Mirk stood, crumbs falling from her Antique Walnut skirt on to the carpet.

  “I’ll show you out,” said Mum, getting up.

  Dad waited until he heard the front door close.

  “I actually don’t know where to start,” he said. “We allowed you to do the posters on your own because we trusted you. Your mum told you to be polite to Miss Mirk. You know what she’s like; she loves it if she’s got something to complain about. We’ll never hear the end of this.”

  Mum reappeared and perched on the arm of Dad’s chair. I flipped the cushion over, wishing it was a shield, hoping his words would bounce off it before they could reach my ears.

  Dad hadn’t finished. “You lied to us about charging your phone, so when we tried to get hold of you, we couldn’t, and then you went and disappeared without letting either of us know where you were. I’ve been driving around Saltbay for the past hour searching for you, and your mum went to the beach in the pouring rain.”

  Mum reached out to touch Dad’s hand; he pulled it away. “Don’t you think we have enough on our plates at the moment without all this? I’m never going to be able to trust you again.”

  I stared into the fireplace, which was blacker than Dad’s mood. There was no point in arguing. Me talking would just anger him more. Dad’s voice faded away into a threatening rumble in the background. I wished Gran was here. If I ever got into trouble, she’d whisk me off for a stroll along the beach. And with Wild Morello Cherry cheeks and wind-tousled hair, we’d scoff ice cream: hers with raspberry sauce and mine with a Flake. And no matter what, I always felt better.

  “Coral!” barked Dad. “Are you even listening?”

  I blinked away the tears, not because of Miss Mirk knowing what I’d done or Mum and Dad’s disappointment in me, but because without Gran here I didn’t know how I could ever be happy again. And the thought hit me the same way a wrecking ball slams into the side of a building.

  Mum came over and sat next to me. “If this had only been about Miss Mirk, we wouldn’t be coming down so hard on you.”

  “Yes, we would,” said Dad. “You
don’t threaten old ladies no matter how annoying they are. We’ve not raised you to be a thug.”

  “She’s upset,” said Mum. Her Dew Kiss eyeshadow caught the light and shone.

  “We all are,” snapped Dad.

  Mum sighed, her head dipping down as she gathered her thoughts. “Your dad and I are disappointed because you lied to us. The way you behaved today means there must be a punishment, so I’m going to confiscate your phone until the end of the week.”

  I tried my best not to show how gutted I was.

  “And you’re grounded, so you can forget our trip to the cinema tonight,” added Dad. “I need to take the car to the garage. I’m late as it is.” He left the room, hunted through his jacket pockets for his keys, and slammed the door on his way out.

  The front gate rattled as it rebounded back open.

  “Your dad is missing your gran terribly and trying, in his own way, to come to terms with her loss,” said Mum. “I can only guess because you’re not being yourself and you were at the graveyard, you’re finding it hard too?”

  I thought about Gran, Miss Mirk, Lyart, Moonzy and Muckle Red, forcing everything deeper down inside me.

  “Is there something you’d like to talk about?” She fanned her fingers out, her nails gleaming with Tantalizing Teal varnish.

  I knew Mum was only trying to be nice. Except I couldn’t say a word to her, not if she was already worried about me. And Dad was right, they had enough to deal with without me adding to their woes.

  “Coral?” said Mum.

  “I miss Gran so much,” I said. “Wish I could see her again.”

  “Oh, Coral.” Mum’s eyes thickened with tears as she leaned in to give me a hug. A feeling inside me spread to my heart, making every single part of me feel alive with certainty. The only thing that would make me happy again was talking to Gran, so I could tell her I was sorry for what I had done and that I loved her to the moon and back.

  CHAPTER

  8

  I sat up in the dark, straining my ears to catch muffled voices from the TV in the lounge, or the dishes clattering as Dad set the table for breakfast in the morning. But there was only silence. My clock said four minutes past twelve and the house stayed quiet, as though it too had fallen asleep.