CHAPTER 2 JACK RIDDLE Present day Jack Riddle was bored Extremely bored Hed been on the train for three hours and it had not sped up once It just carries on chug ruddy chugging through the hills he thought moodily He sighed and sat back in his seat listening to the steady creak and hum of the train as it made its way through the darkness He turned to the window and watched his glum face in the reflection The dim outline of dark trees could be seen through his features He was unusually small for his twelve years with blond hair that stuck straight up like a brush Skinny as a twig he gave the impression of being all knobbly knees and elbows A smattering of freckles lay across the bridge of his nose and an obstinate chin reflected back at him in the window He sighed again much more loudly making the other man in the car rustle his newspaper in annoyance Even though he was getting to miss a few days of school Jack wanted to be back in Manchester not on his way to Sheffield But his mom had bundled him onto the train ignoring his protests and shoved a ham sandwich in one hand and a can of soda in the other The sandwich had long since been eaten Its remains lay on the seat next to him giving off the metallic smell of old meat Jack pulled his phone from his pocket and checked the signal Nothing Not even a hint of a bar Jack felt panic start to seize him What was he going to do without his phone Like most of his friends he was glued to it He didn't like it sometimes it meant his mom and dad could get hold of him whenever they wanted but the phone was his life He used it to pass the time in class when he
was bored watch videos buy stuff online when he had money and chat with his hundreds of friends on social media Well people who'd asked to be his friend He wasn't friends with them all really that would be silly Basically it was his best friend His mom and dad joked that he must even sleep with the phone under his pillow Jack told them not to be daft He slept with it next to his lamp within easy reach He took a picture of the nearly empty train and tried to send it to his friend Ayo But with a feeling of dread he watched as the little screen flickered and died Was the battery dead Without warning the train shuddered to a halt The brakes screeched and the wheels slid on the tracks then all was quiet Jack pressed his nose to the window and stared at the gloomy station outside An old battered sign spotted with mud said GRIMBLEDYKE Jack stood up grabbed his suitcase then made his way to the door of the train The doors slid open and he stepped onto the platform cursing as he staggered from the long drop to the ground He really hoped he'd start growing more Everyone else in his year at school was at least six inches taller than him and that was just the girls His height was starting to get embarrassing He made a mental note to Google growth spurts when he finally got Internet access Clicking his tongue Jack turned around to see where the exit was But there was no light anywhere in the station not even a streetlamp He turned around in panic as the train chugged away It seemed so comforting all lit up like a Christmas tree When the back end of the train had gone around a bend and was out of view Jack took a tentative step forward in the dark hoping he was facing the station building and was not about to step off the tracks Hello he shouted Is anyone there A gruff voice pitted with age rasped back from the darkness What do ye want Jack thought it should be pretty obvious what he wanted with a flashlight being high up on his list of priorities Er well I need to get to a house called Salem's Cottage It's supposed to be somewhere near this station There was no reply The silence grew thicker Just when Jack thought he was chatting to an extremely talented animal the voice came again If ye really want to go there then it's down yonder lane
A face appeared out of the night Jack yelped It was a bald old man with no front teeth and eyes like a weasel He wore a faded blue uniform and a stationmaster's cap The stationmaster pointed behind Jack Frowning Jack turned around By now his eyes had adjusted to the dark and he could see a soft swirl of mist hanging above a gravel road Fantastic he thought sourly The stationmaster rasped Whatever ye do don't accept any gifts from the wench Jack was about to ask what he meant but when he turned back the man had disappeared What felt like hours later Jack was still walking along the winding path and dragging his suitcase behind him which kept getting stuck in the mud He cursed his bad luck Why did he have to visit the middle of nowhere Everyone else in his class got to go on real holidays like to Jamaica and Spain But nooooo he had to visit his aunt His mom said he couldn't go abroad anyway because they couldn't afford it that year Jack stomped angrily through the soupy mud not caring how much was splattering up the backs of his legs He'd already ruined his best sneakers on the path which was inches deep in oozing muck He rounded a corner and stopped The muddy path led to an iron gate topped with two stone gargoyles They had their mouths open in silent screams Beyond the gate was a rundown old cottage surrounded by an ancient forest Jack thought he would feel relieved to see the cottage after his long walk but for some reason he didn't want to move The thought of walking up to that creepy house was enough to make him want to turn around and walk all the way back through the dark to the train station Telling himself not to be such a baby he shrugged away his fears and continued to walk toward the cottage which was covered in wild tendrils of ivy that climbed over the faded bricks It had a pointed roof and tiny windows that glowed with a dim red light Several ravens nested on one side of the roof and the air was filled with their harsh barking calls A crooked chimney spilled out billows of smoke which lazily floated toward Jack Well fire means people he thought
He huffed his way toward the cottage hauling his suitcase behind him The wheels bumped along getting stuck every few feet in the mud By the time Jack passed the two gargoyles stopping to pat one on the head and reached the front door he was gulping for breath After waiting a minute to compose himself he lifted his hand and grasped the door knocker It was made of brass and shaped like a man's face with a gaping mouth and long sharp teeth Jack raised his eyebrows swallowed his misgivings and knocked The knocker boomed loudly and made Jack jump No one came After waiting awhile with chattering teeth Jack lifted the knocker again But before he could hit it the door swung inward pulling Jack into the house Oomph he gasped He righted himself and gazed up at the person in the doorway Jack's heart beat faster as he tried to make out the inhumanly tall figure The light from inside blinded him and he could only see the outline of the figure standing in front of him Most people were tall compared to Jack but this was odd The person had a very tall head Please let this be the wrong house he thought A mouth in the dark face opened then a voice as sickly as syrup in the morning cried Hello Oh Jackie poo I thought it was you How's my dear great great great GREAT niece your mother doing Is she still with that scoundrel your father Oh dearie me look at you you're shivering Aren't I a nasty beast keeping you out in this damp weather Come inside where it's warm and toasty Jack slumped in relief at the sound of his great great whatever his math was terrible aunt's voice He'd heard that sugary sound on the telephone when his mom had arranged his visit here Shed wanted him to finally meet his long lost and very old Aunt Gee Gee At least he thought that was how you said it None of his family had ever met her She always sent birthday and Christmas cards signed in an illegible scrawl The cards were politely put on the mantelpiece and letters of thanks were dutifully returned His mother would tut and say it was such a shame they never had the time to visit Aunt Gee Gee especially as she must be getting very old But then the cards would be thrown away usually when someone noticed they were gathering dust And no one would mention the mysterious Aunt Gee Gee again for awhile Until the day Aunt Gee Gee called Jack's home and insisted on seeing her dear nephew Jack stepped inside and blinked several times to get used to the light He started to smile then he stopped
