Chapter Two

I am so glad to hear that my cousins will all be in bed by the time we arrive at the house. They still have school the next day and probably resent the fact that I don’t. Uncle has stopped talking to me, which I prefer, and, as my eyes grow accustomed to the dark, I look outside at anything which could make me think of something else.

And what comes into my mind? Ghosts of course! The thought of them relegates the three cousins to the lower leagues of my despair which, of course, is good but now my brain is racing with the original fears about this stay. What if their house is haunted? Again I peer out of the window to find something else to concentrate on but it’s no use. The night itself is enough for my imagination to run wild. There are no street lights, just the occasional car in the other direction and we are driving down some very bendy roads. I have been to this house before but only once and have absolutely no awareness of where it is or how long it will take to get there.   So I am left staring out at shadows and silhouettes of tall trees stirring in the wind and other shades and traces of this and that and all the time I think that if ever there was a place for a ghost to hang out then it was surely around here.

And so we arrive and the sound of the car parking in the drive way is enough for a grown up to stand up and walk towards the front door which opens. It is Aunt Kate and, despite the cold and the still pouring rain, she comes out towards the car and gives me a big cuddle in delight. I love this but at the same time peer up at the bedrooms to see if the cousins are staring in disgust, there is no indication that they are looking.  We all go into the house, the door closes and I have finally arrived.

It is snug alright and cosy but as I take off my coat and shoes I feel cold nevertheless. Uncle is busy taking my things upstairs and I follow Aunt into the kitchen. There is something else, the smell of this house, not unpleasant, not stinky but a different aroma to my home. Different but not unwelcoming, clean not dirty, it gives a good impression and I am feeling sure no ghost could ever stand this heat or disturb the scent with its cold and sinister presence.

I accept a cup of hot chocolate and turn down the offer of food. It’s late but not the latest I have stayed up and I want to get to my room and check it out. As I explain this to Aunt, Cousin Sarah enters the kitchen. She’s the oldest one, about 13, and is smiling and yawning at the same time. She leads me up the stairs. We pass her room, it looks like she shares it with Lizzie, the youngest. On the other side of the landing is Alfie’s room and I can hear him playing some sort of game with his Dad telling him to turn it off along with his light.  And then, at the end, next to the toilet is my new room, small, with yellow wall paper, mustard coloured curtains and custard coloured duvet.

I thank Sarah and say goodnight and am left alone again. The cases are on the bed but before unpacking I must carry out my ghost checks. There is nothing under the bed which is fine but routine inspections will have to be carried out in case some supernatural creature tries to hide there. Opposite is a tall, wide, ancient wooden wardrobe. It must have belonged in someone else’s room before being relegated to here. It’s huge, dominates the room and is big enough to almost stand in. The door catch looks broken leaving a gap for someone inside to peer out and watch me. Bravely I walk over towards it but step on a floorboard which creaks giving me a shock. I let out a little screech with fright and then try to listen if the others have heard me. What fun they would be having if they heard me sounding scared in the guest room. But, despite his Dad telling him to turn his game off, there is still the noise of machine gunning and hand grenades from Alfie’s room and there is comfort that no-one has heard.  

The wardrobe is empty except for hangars and returning to the bed, I unpack and fill it with all my clothes and then try and close it. Someone small could still hide inside but I am satisfied for now and I position my cases under the bed strategically so that no-one else can get below.  In spite of the colour the room is actually quite nice and pleasing. A little later and I have said my goodnights and turn the light off although the landing light remains on and I can hear Aunt and Uncle downstairs.

Now, you might be thinking what about all that hullaballoo about ghosts and other spooky things. Getting to bed in a new house was a bit of an anti-climax after all that talk and you would be right.  I confess that with the central heating pumping warm air into the room I am asleep in next to no time. But….