2006 - Wildcat Moon by Babs Horton Read Free Book Online Page A

the eyes of a startled bird stared back at him from a nest in the rafters.
    There was an ancient-looking font at the back of the chapel and Archie edged slowly around it. It was elaborately engraved all around the sides but it was so old and filthy that it was hard to make out what the writing said. The words weren’t in English either, Latin maybe, or French?
    He shrugged his shoulders and looked around him. What had Benjamin been thinking about, sending him here? There was no mystery about this place, it was just old and dirty and tumbling down.
    He made his way carefully back towards the door. As he turned for one last glance around the crumbling chapel he noticed a small door to the left of the altar. He walked nervously across to it, lifted the latch and stepped into a large cupboard.
    He swung his torch around. There were just a few bare shelves and a mouldy old black cloak hanging on a peg. He swept the cloak to one side and had to hold his nose to keep out the shower of dust that engulfed him.
    Just then a blast of wind hit the chapel and the rafters groaned above his head. He looked up, and through the gaps in the broken tiles he could see the stars glittering fiercely. Then he squealed with fright as part of the wooden panelling fell towards him with a clatter.
    Awkwardly Archie knelt down. The wooden panel looked just like the rest of the wall except that there were hinges on the bottom and a clip that slotted into a groove. Archie got to his feet and gazed at the gap in the panelling before him. He moved forward hesitantly and pointed the torch into the darkness.
    A blast of icy air hit him in the face, making him gasp. He peered warily into the hole. He could hear the sea somewhere beneath him, crashing mercilessly onto the rocks.
    He stared with fascination as the torch picked out a step, and then another, a twisting narrow stone staircase leading downwards into the damp and freezing darkness.
    It must lead down to Skilly Beach, somewhere opposite the old Boathouse where mad Gwennie lived…
    He’d read about secret passages and stuff in history books; they were usually used by smugglers or priests, hidden away in the olden days.
    A gust of wind rattled the chapel again. The floorboards moved beneath his feet.
    This was real interesting but he needed to get out of here quick before the whole bloody chapel blew away with him in it.
    He stepped out of the cupboard and closed the door.
    It was lighter in the chapel now. The moon was directly in line with the glass window above the altar and it was lit as if by a spotlight. The colours of the glass in the window were astonishingly beautiful and Archie was bathed in a rainbow light. He looked like Joseph in his coat of many colours.
    He must have stood there five minutes or more when a cloud blotted out the moon and the chapel was thrust into darkness.
    That was it. He’d been brave enough. All he wanted to do now was to get out of the spooky place, hurry home and snuggle down in his bed.
    He unlocked the chapel door, opened it just a crack and peeped out into Bloater Row.
    It was dark, the wind as wild as hell and he saw with dismay that the lights were out in the Pilchard Inn.
    Damn and blast.
    Nan must have closed up early and that meant that his father would already be at home.
    Hell’s bells! He would have pulled across the bolts on the front door. Archie was locked out.
    He tried to think fast but panic was dulling his thoughts. He couldn’t stay outside all night in this weather; he’d freeze to death by the morning. But where could he go? He’d have to go back into Hogwash House and stay the night in there.
    Then he stared in absolute terror. There was a shadowy figure outside Hogwash House, someone looking to the left and right as though they shouldn’t be there. They were trying the door of the porch. Burglars.
    Ghosts on the loose.
    Benjamin got up out of his grave.
    Suffering starfish!
    He could see the figure moving around inside the porch.
    He