manage without me?’
‘I’m sure; don’t I manage every day of the week and you in school?’ Maeve demanded. ‘Just go out and enjoy yourself, alanna, tomorrow we’ll talk about your house-jobs.’
It was a glorious day. Lucy and Caitlin strolled down the lane, wondering aloud which way to go.
‘I vote for the shore,’ Lucy said, but Caitlin shook her head.
‘No, not the shore, exactly. I’ve a better idea. How brave are you feeling, Lucy?’
‘Very brave,’ Lucy said stoutly, though a little shiver of unease ran along her backbone at the words. Hadn’t Caitlin said something the previous day about witches? But it was hard to believe in anything evil under a cloudless blue sky with the sun warm on your back so she smiled across at her friend with a fair degree of confidence. ‘Why? What’ll we do, Cait?’
‘We’re going to the castle,’ Caitlin said at once. ‘There’s a boat pulled up on the shingle, which means someone’s home. What do you say?’
The castle had long been an object of great curiosity not just for the two girls but for most of the children in the area. It stood in a commanding position beside a creek which ran into the lough, and from a distance it still looked impressive. To the left of it was a stand of trees, old and crabbed now and bent all one way by the prevailing wind, and all round it stretched that mixture of meadow and marsh which prevailed near the sea lough. Once, it had been a real castle, no doubt the towers had been manned by archers and men-at-arms had guarded the battlements against pirates and other invaders, but now it was a ruin and almost all that was left was a tower, part of the keep and a peat hut which crouched against the tower like a lamb against a ewe, as though seeking shelter from the old, old stones. Now it looked lonely and sad rather than sinister, Lucy told herself, so there was no need to feel afraid of it. Only it was a well-known fact that it was haunted, probably by the spirits of its one-time occupants, and not even the big boys went near if they could help it.
And there was the boat. If no one lived in the black hut or the old ruin, then why was the boat so often drawn up on the shingly strand of the creek? It was a curragh, made of willow wands and canvas and tarred to keep out the sea, not a proper, modern boat, but even so, who would leave it there, far from any proper habitation? No, the boys were right; someone was living in the tower – someone who did not want to meet his neighbours or want them to meet him.
‘Well, Lu?’ Caitlin said impatiently now, as Lucy did not immediately answer her query. ‘What do you say to visiting the castle?’
‘No one else does,’ Lucy said. ‘Not even the big boys. Not even Kellach has been to the castle.’
‘That’s why we ought to go, wouldn’t you say? Perhaps there’s a witch living in the peat hut,’ Caitlin said in her spookiest tone. ‘But if you’re afraid . . .’
‘On a day like today? I’d go anywhere in sunshine,’ Lucy said stoutly, though with fast-beating heart. ’Tis just at night I’d not go near the castle for a thousand pounds.’
‘Nor me,’ Caitlin said quickly. ‘Will we take your Shep with us, then? For company, like,’ she added.
At the words, Lucy realised that Caitlin, though a year the older, was as afraid as she and wanted Shep along just in case. Immediately she felt better about the whole thing, though quite determined that Shep should stay at home.
‘Shep’s working,’ she said. ‘But never mind, Cait, there’s you and me. If anything scares us we can run faster than most. And if one of us is grabbed the other can make off like the wind and bring help.’
‘Sure we can,’ Caitlin said, looking anything but reassured. ‘Will we have our dinners first, though, down by the stream?’
But Lucy, sensing that she had the upper hand, pressed home her advantage. ‘No, let’s go straight along there now; we can have our dinners later,
‘I’m sure; don’t I manage every day of the week and you in school?’ Maeve demanded. ‘Just go out and enjoy yourself, alanna, tomorrow we’ll talk about your house-jobs.’
It was a glorious day. Lucy and Caitlin strolled down the lane, wondering aloud which way to go.
‘I vote for the shore,’ Lucy said, but Caitlin shook her head.
‘No, not the shore, exactly. I’ve a better idea. How brave are you feeling, Lucy?’
‘Very brave,’ Lucy said stoutly, though a little shiver of unease ran along her backbone at the words. Hadn’t Caitlin said something the previous day about witches? But it was hard to believe in anything evil under a cloudless blue sky with the sun warm on your back so she smiled across at her friend with a fair degree of confidence. ‘Why? What’ll we do, Cait?’
‘We’re going to the castle,’ Caitlin said at once. ‘There’s a boat pulled up on the shingle, which means someone’s home. What do you say?’
The castle had long been an object of great curiosity not just for the two girls but for most of the children in the area. It stood in a commanding position beside a creek which ran into the lough, and from a distance it still looked impressive. To the left of it was a stand of trees, old and crabbed now and bent all one way by the prevailing wind, and all round it stretched that mixture of meadow and marsh which prevailed near the sea lough. Once, it had been a real castle, no doubt the towers had been manned by archers and men-at-arms had guarded the battlements against pirates and other invaders, but now it was a ruin and almost all that was left was a tower, part of the keep and a peat hut which crouched against the tower like a lamb against a ewe, as though seeking shelter from the old, old stones. Now it looked lonely and sad rather than sinister, Lucy told herself, so there was no need to feel afraid of it. Only it was a well-known fact that it was haunted, probably by the spirits of its one-time occupants, and not even the big boys went near if they could help it.
And there was the boat. If no one lived in the black hut or the old ruin, then why was the boat so often drawn up on the shingly strand of the creek? It was a curragh, made of willow wands and canvas and tarred to keep out the sea, not a proper, modern boat, but even so, who would leave it there, far from any proper habitation? No, the boys were right; someone was living in the tower – someone who did not want to meet his neighbours or want them to meet him.
‘Well, Lu?’ Caitlin said impatiently now, as Lucy did not immediately answer her query. ‘What do you say to visiting the castle?’
‘No one else does,’ Lucy said. ‘Not even the big boys. Not even Kellach has been to the castle.’
‘That’s why we ought to go, wouldn’t you say? Perhaps there’s a witch living in the peat hut,’ Caitlin said in her spookiest tone. ‘But if you’re afraid . . .’
‘On a day like today? I’d go anywhere in sunshine,’ Lucy said stoutly, though with fast-beating heart. ’Tis just at night I’d not go near the castle for a thousand pounds.’
‘Nor me,’ Caitlin said quickly. ‘Will we take your Shep with us, then? For company, like,’ she added.
At the words, Lucy realised that Caitlin, though a year the older, was as afraid as she and wanted Shep along just in case. Immediately she felt better about the whole thing, though quite determined that Shep should stay at home.
‘Shep’s working,’ she said. ‘But never mind, Cait, there’s you and me. If anything scares us we can run faster than most. And if one of us is grabbed the other can make off like the wind and bring help.’
‘Sure we can,’ Caitlin said, looking anything but reassured. ‘Will we have our dinners first, though, down by the stream?’
But Lucy, sensing that she had the upper hand, pressed home her advantage. ‘No, let’s go straight along there now; we can have our dinners later,
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