bell tower.
“Yes,” said Giles. There was certainly no one there now.
“Well, let’s have a look inside,” said Tina.
“Inside?” said Kevin. “Maybe that’s not such a good idea.”
“How else can we be sure?” said Tina, striding on ahead, clearly enjoying herself. “Maybe we’ll find Count Dracula’s coffin up there in the tower! Wouldn’t that be a treat! Then you can use your stake on him. What fun!”
“I don’t think she’s taking this seriously,” Kevin whispered to Giles.
“She’s pretty sure of herself, isn’t she?” said Giles. “I bet she’d be scared if she saw a real live vampire.”
“Doubt it,” said Kevin. “The vampire would probably take one look at her and beg for mercy.”
They reached the front of the church. Around the stone archway was a border of chiselled bird heads, their ferociously sharp beaks pointing in toward the large double doors. There was no doorknob, only a huge ring of braided iron.
Tina lifted the ring and tried to turn it, but it wouldn’t budge. Giles and Kevin gave it a try together, without any luck. Then Giles noticed the huge keyhole beneath the ring. He knelt down and peered through it. It was so dark inside the church that he couldn’t see much.
Then it seemed to get even darker—pitch black. All at once, the door jerked away from him and he lurched forward onto the stone floor. At his nose were two big black shoes.
“The vampire!” he heard Kevin shout.
Giles looked up in terror, and saw a man in black towering above him. He scrambled backwards so fast that he knocked Kevin and Tina down onto the grass.Then he noticed the priest’s white collar.
“I’m certainly no vampire,” said the priest with a faint smile. “I’m Father Peter. May I help you?”
“Oh,” said Kevin, quickly stashing his wooden stake in his backpack. Giles slowly stood up and dusted off his jeans. Father Peter was certainly not the man they’d seen last night on the tower. For one thing, the priest wasn’t nearly as tall, and he was heavier, with white hair and a beard.
Tina stepped forward to take charge.
“Father Peter,” she said in her most businesslike voice. “Please excuse the oafish behaviour of my associates. My name’s Tina Quark. This is Kevin Quark, no relation, and Giles Barnes. You may have heard of our local genius business.”
“Well, I can’t say I have,” said Father Peter.
Tina snapped her fingers at her brother. “Kevin, our business card.”
“Oh, right,” said Kevin, fumbling in his pocket. He dragged out a crumpled bit of cardboard, tried unsuccessfully to smooth it, and then offered it apologetically to Father Peter.
“‘Local geniuses,’” he read aloud. “‘Capable of just about everything.’”
“Good thing he hasn’t heard about the Wallaces’ dishwasher,” Kevin whispered to Giles.
“We have a very impressive success rate,” Tina told the priest. “And I should tell you that I’m a genius with eleven years of experience.”
“How old are you?” the priest asked, amazed.
“Eleven,” said Tina.
“I see.”
“Now, Kevin and Barnes here said they saw bats in your bell tower last night.”
“I don’t doubt it,” said Father Peter. “I’ve had a terrible bat problem lately. Just the last few days, really. I don’t know where they’ve all come from. And I certainly don’t know how I’m going to get rid of them!”
“Perhaps we can be of some service, then,” said Tina.
Father Peter looked at her strangely for a moment. “Well, perhaps you can. Please, come inside.”
Giles had never been inside this church before. It was very old, and the stone walls seemed to slope inwardslightly from the roof. There was a huge baptismal font in the central aisle, made of ancient, rough stone. Narrow stained glass windows were set into the walls. It was very quiet.
“It’s a real problem,”‘ Father Peter told them. “You’ve heard that old phrase, ‘bats in the belfry’? Now I
“Yes,” said Giles. There was certainly no one there now.
“Well, let’s have a look inside,” said Tina.
“Inside?” said Kevin. “Maybe that’s not such a good idea.”
“How else can we be sure?” said Tina, striding on ahead, clearly enjoying herself. “Maybe we’ll find Count Dracula’s coffin up there in the tower! Wouldn’t that be a treat! Then you can use your stake on him. What fun!”
“I don’t think she’s taking this seriously,” Kevin whispered to Giles.
“She’s pretty sure of herself, isn’t she?” said Giles. “I bet she’d be scared if she saw a real live vampire.”
“Doubt it,” said Kevin. “The vampire would probably take one look at her and beg for mercy.”
They reached the front of the church. Around the stone archway was a border of chiselled bird heads, their ferociously sharp beaks pointing in toward the large double doors. There was no doorknob, only a huge ring of braided iron.
Tina lifted the ring and tried to turn it, but it wouldn’t budge. Giles and Kevin gave it a try together, without any luck. Then Giles noticed the huge keyhole beneath the ring. He knelt down and peered through it. It was so dark inside the church that he couldn’t see much.
Then it seemed to get even darker—pitch black. All at once, the door jerked away from him and he lurched forward onto the stone floor. At his nose were two big black shoes.
“The vampire!” he heard Kevin shout.
Giles looked up in terror, and saw a man in black towering above him. He scrambled backwards so fast that he knocked Kevin and Tina down onto the grass.Then he noticed the priest’s white collar.
“I’m certainly no vampire,” said the priest with a faint smile. “I’m Father Peter. May I help you?”
“Oh,” said Kevin, quickly stashing his wooden stake in his backpack. Giles slowly stood up and dusted off his jeans. Father Peter was certainly not the man they’d seen last night on the tower. For one thing, the priest wasn’t nearly as tall, and he was heavier, with white hair and a beard.
Tina stepped forward to take charge.
“Father Peter,” she said in her most businesslike voice. “Please excuse the oafish behaviour of my associates. My name’s Tina Quark. This is Kevin Quark, no relation, and Giles Barnes. You may have heard of our local genius business.”
“Well, I can’t say I have,” said Father Peter.
Tina snapped her fingers at her brother. “Kevin, our business card.”
“Oh, right,” said Kevin, fumbling in his pocket. He dragged out a crumpled bit of cardboard, tried unsuccessfully to smooth it, and then offered it apologetically to Father Peter.
“‘Local geniuses,’” he read aloud. “‘Capable of just about everything.’”
“Good thing he hasn’t heard about the Wallaces’ dishwasher,” Kevin whispered to Giles.
“We have a very impressive success rate,” Tina told the priest. “And I should tell you that I’m a genius with eleven years of experience.”
“How old are you?” the priest asked, amazed.
“Eleven,” said Tina.
“I see.”
“Now, Kevin and Barnes here said they saw bats in your bell tower last night.”
“I don’t doubt it,” said Father Peter. “I’ve had a terrible bat problem lately. Just the last few days, really. I don’t know where they’ve all come from. And I certainly don’t know how I’m going to get rid of them!”
“Perhaps we can be of some service, then,” said Tina.
Father Peter looked at her strangely for a moment. “Well, perhaps you can. Please, come inside.”
Giles had never been inside this church before. It was very old, and the stone walls seemed to slope inwardslightly from the roof. There was a huge baptismal font in the central aisle, made of ancient, rough stone. Narrow stained glass windows were set into the walls. It was very quiet.
“It’s a real problem,”‘ Father Peter told them. “You’ve heard that old phrase, ‘bats in the belfry’? Now I
Similar Books
