The Secrets of Ice Cream Success by AD Hartley

stairs after Ben.
    ‘ So has this
helped then?’ Abi asked Carlo, as she too started walking towards
the door.
    Carlo turned
to look at her and Newton. ‘Yeah, it has.’ he said, walking towards
them. ‘This place belongs to me. I’m going to tell Uncle Randy I’m
definitely not signing the papers.’
    ‘ Cool!’ she
said with a grin heading up the stairs. ‘We can help
too.’
    Carlo knew it
wasn’t a question but a statement, but he liked the fact that his
friends would want to be a part of it with him; helping him to
re-launch Leodoni’s.
    As he closed the door he gave
the room one last glance and realised he had left the diary on the
table. Walking back into the room he picked it up and gave another
look around his father’s study and smiled feeling more at home than
at any point since his father’s death. As as he stepped back to the
stairs he jumped nearly dropping the diary as the lights went out
and he heard the door in front of him slam shut.
    ‘ Hey!’ Carlo
shouted in shock as the noise echoed of the walls. He grasped the
diary tight to his chest and could feel his heart thumping off it
as his blood thundered around his rigid body. He stood still for a
number of seconds unable or unwilling to move, he couldn’t have
said which. It took an effort of will to relax a little so he could
take a step towards the door, but in the pitch black he could see
nothing at all. The room was entirely silent and still apart from
the pounding of his heart, which he was sure the others would be
able to hear it seemed so loud.
    The
temperature in the study had dropped noticeably and Carlo began to
shiver through cold and fear. Reaching out with his free hand he
slowly inched forward; noticing the cold air on his arm and feeling
the goose pimples raise his hairs on end. His hand touched the
short banister that led the four steps up to the door and
j umping up three of the steps, tripping on
the fourth; he hit the door with a thump and tried to open it at
the same time in his haste to leave the room. The door opened a few
inches and then slammed shut again pulling Carlo back into it with
a crash making him drop the diary.
    ‘ Very funny!’
Carlo shouted realising that the others must be behind the door.
‘Highly amusing… come on, open up!’ He pulled hard on the handle
but it didn’t budge. ‘Open up!’ he shouted again banging on the
door with his hand. He tried the handle again, pulling it as hard
as he could with his foot on the door frame, but he soon regretted
using so much force as all resistance disappeared and the door
flung upon, knocking into Carlo and sending him backwards down the
steps where he landed heavily on the floor knocking all the air
from his lungs.
    Carlo gasped for air and looked
up expecting to see Norton or Ben in the doorway laughing
hysterically but there was no one there, just the dull light of the
empty stair well spilling lazily into the study. Still taking deep
breaths that condensed into steam in the freezing room, Carlo took
a look around the study from his prone position but in the dim
light he was certain that he was alone. He felt extremely cold and
started to feel sweaty. Not wanting to lose the opportunity of an
open door he sprung up as quickly as his aching body would allow
and pelted for the stairs back to the factory floor.
     
    Carlo appeared at the top of
the stairs at full speed, roaring past his friends without evening
noticing them.
    ‘ What’s wrong
with you?’ Abi shouted.
    Skidding to a halt Carlo bent
over double with one hand on his leg to support him as he struggled
for breath and the other nursing his back where he had fallen. He
pointed at the door back towards the study and tried to speak but
managed only to wheeze with conviction.
    ‘ Door… dark…
couldn’t see…’ he eventually coughed.
    ‘ Ah… well that
explains that then.’ Newton said walking past Carlo and patting him
on the back.
    Carlo grabbed his hand as he
passed and pulled him