hearing the misery of his parents slugging out Round Two.
When Pete had gone exploring the house with Jenny, he hadn’t taken more than a peek inside the cupboard under his own stairs. Now he was surprised how large and deep it was. Almost as deep as the shelter, though it was only ceiling height at the entrance. Once Pete was a couple of strides further inside, and before he let the door swing shut, he could see the headroom shrank a stair-size at a time until there was only crawling space at the back.
Apart from a few candle stumps and old paint tins near the entrance, it was empty. The bulb swinging over the door didn’t work when Pete tried the switch, so he could barely see to the far end. It was pitch black in there; nothing but the bumpings and scrapings from the cupboard through the wall echoing through it.
Halfway inside his own cupboard, Pete was already stooping, no more borrowed light from the hall to help him see what lay ahead. There was a chill draught blowing up the legs of his jeans through the floorboards. In case he bumped his head on the low ceiling Pete dropped to his knees, groping his way forward. He could still hear objects being flung and dragged and pushed about through the wall parallelto where he was crawling. What’s she doing? Pete turned on all fours to face the adjoining wall, thinking he would put his head against his side to hear more clearly.
But Pete hadn’t reckoned on cobwebs – Arghhhh! – or things that felt like cobwebs catching his face. Pete yelped. He thrashed in the dark, swiping his hands through his hair, clawing at his eyes.
“Geroff. Go away!”
His voice sounded like someone else’s: hollow and muffled as the notes of his panic sang from the dense dark stone and the thick wooden stair treads around him.
“Horrible. Yug. In my mouth.” Pete was too busy flailing and spluttering to notice that the noises through the wall had paused, until he heard a voice break through his own rapid breathing.
A girl’s voice: “Jamie? Is that you?”
Chapter 15
Pete managed to stop writhing. He was squatting at the very back of the cupboard. His breath rose so ragged in the empty space, whoever was on the other side must have heard it too.
“Jamie?”
The girl sounded anxious. “Did you crawl? Does your mummy know you’re in there? Are you stuck? Jamie ?”
“I’m not…” Pete stayed in a squat and tried to walk himself closer to the girl’s voice, but with his legs wobbly from the thought of invisible cobwebs, his upper body pitched forward before he could prevent it.
Going to thump my head on that wall , Pete thought as he lurched towards it in the dark, his hand coming out just in time to try and break his fall…
Except there was no wall.
Pete’s hand struck a door that yielded with a stiff groan. He tumbled forward, not onto stone, but into a short brick tunnel.
He could see to the end of it; there was a door the same size as the one he’d just fallen through at the far end. Some light leaked round its edges. And then more light. Because the door was opening, a head appearing through it.
“Jamie, how in the name of the wee man did you getin there all by yourself? Don’t greet now. I’m coming,” said the girl who had stung Pete’s cheek with her plait. And before Pete could scramble up from where he was lying flat out on the tunnel floor, she was blinking into his face with her blue eyes.
“What you doing in Aunty Mary’s house? You’re not Jamie.”
The girl took one look at Pete and crawled back the way she had come. At speed. Scared, Pete decided, even if she was trying not to show it. He was a bit frightened himself. But now he’d gone to all this trouble, he couldn’t let her disappear.
“Hiya.” Pete hoped he sounded friendly. “Are you Beth?”
“What if I am?” The girl’s eyes narrowed.
“Saw your drawings down the shelter. They’re ace.”
Pete noticed Beth trying to control the wobble of a smile. She flicked her
When Pete had gone exploring the house with Jenny, he hadn’t taken more than a peek inside the cupboard under his own stairs. Now he was surprised how large and deep it was. Almost as deep as the shelter, though it was only ceiling height at the entrance. Once Pete was a couple of strides further inside, and before he let the door swing shut, he could see the headroom shrank a stair-size at a time until there was only crawling space at the back.
Apart from a few candle stumps and old paint tins near the entrance, it was empty. The bulb swinging over the door didn’t work when Pete tried the switch, so he could barely see to the far end. It was pitch black in there; nothing but the bumpings and scrapings from the cupboard through the wall echoing through it.
Halfway inside his own cupboard, Pete was already stooping, no more borrowed light from the hall to help him see what lay ahead. There was a chill draught blowing up the legs of his jeans through the floorboards. In case he bumped his head on the low ceiling Pete dropped to his knees, groping his way forward. He could still hear objects being flung and dragged and pushed about through the wall parallelto where he was crawling. What’s she doing? Pete turned on all fours to face the adjoining wall, thinking he would put his head against his side to hear more clearly.
But Pete hadn’t reckoned on cobwebs – Arghhhh! – or things that felt like cobwebs catching his face. Pete yelped. He thrashed in the dark, swiping his hands through his hair, clawing at his eyes.
“Geroff. Go away!”
His voice sounded like someone else’s: hollow and muffled as the notes of his panic sang from the dense dark stone and the thick wooden stair treads around him.
“Horrible. Yug. In my mouth.” Pete was too busy flailing and spluttering to notice that the noises through the wall had paused, until he heard a voice break through his own rapid breathing.
A girl’s voice: “Jamie? Is that you?”
Chapter 15
Pete managed to stop writhing. He was squatting at the very back of the cupboard. His breath rose so ragged in the empty space, whoever was on the other side must have heard it too.
“Jamie?”
The girl sounded anxious. “Did you crawl? Does your mummy know you’re in there? Are you stuck? Jamie ?”
“I’m not…” Pete stayed in a squat and tried to walk himself closer to the girl’s voice, but with his legs wobbly from the thought of invisible cobwebs, his upper body pitched forward before he could prevent it.
Going to thump my head on that wall , Pete thought as he lurched towards it in the dark, his hand coming out just in time to try and break his fall…
Except there was no wall.
Pete’s hand struck a door that yielded with a stiff groan. He tumbled forward, not onto stone, but into a short brick tunnel.
He could see to the end of it; there was a door the same size as the one he’d just fallen through at the far end. Some light leaked round its edges. And then more light. Because the door was opening, a head appearing through it.
“Jamie, how in the name of the wee man did you getin there all by yourself? Don’t greet now. I’m coming,” said the girl who had stung Pete’s cheek with her plait. And before Pete could scramble up from where he was lying flat out on the tunnel floor, she was blinking into his face with her blue eyes.
“What you doing in Aunty Mary’s house? You’re not Jamie.”
The girl took one look at Pete and crawled back the way she had come. At speed. Scared, Pete decided, even if she was trying not to show it. He was a bit frightened himself. But now he’d gone to all this trouble, he couldn’t let her disappear.
“Hiya.” Pete hoped he sounded friendly. “Are you Beth?”
“What if I am?” The girl’s eyes narrowed.
“Saw your drawings down the shelter. They’re ace.”
Pete noticed Beth trying to control the wobble of a smile. She flicked her
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