Petrify by Beth Chambers Read Free Book Online Page A

part of the tale.
    And then came the disappearances.
    I press my lips together. I’ve said enough.
    â€œAnd then what?” Josh leans forward.
    My nan comes into the room carrying a teacup. Silently she rinses it at the sink. As she dries the cup she suddenly says, “It’s bad luck to talk about Ma Jessop.”
    â€œWhy?” mutters Josh. “She’s long dead.”
    Nan raises her eyebrows. “They say the wickedness inside her was so strong that it stopped her growing, so she stayed the size of a child. Evil like that doesn’t die easily.”
    â€œWell, it’s not going to stop us going to the woods tomorrow, is it?” Josh challenges me.
    I shake my head in disbelief.
    â€œYou’ll bring bad luck down on you,” warns Nan, giving me a worried look before leaving the room.
    I almost jump out of my seat as the back door slams shut. A pane of glass breaks and shatters on the floor.
    â€œSee,” I say to Josh, my voice shaking. “That’s a warning.”

3

Keep Out
    Once Josh has gone Nan calls me into her room. I sit on her daybed and she turns down the TV.
    â€œThere’s a box under my bed,” she tells me. “Get it out.”
    I find the small wooden box and look inside. It’s full of old letters.
    â€œLook for a necklace,” Nan says.
    Hidden under the letters I find a necklace made of rough wooden beads.
    â€œI want you to have it,” Nan says. “It will keep you safe when you go into the woods.”
    I shake my head. “I’m not going.”
    She leans forward and grips my hands. “You must go.”
    I don’t understand. Only five minutes ago she was telling me not to go. Why has she suddenly changed her mind?
    Nan takes the necklace and places it over my head.
    â€œYou must go,” she says again. “Keep them all safe.”
    * * *
    The next day we walk down the lane that leads to the woods. Josh is smug. He thinks I have given in. But he’s wrong. I still plan to talk the others out of going.
    They’re all waiting. I look at Carrie’s heels and short skirt. She looks like she’s ready to go out to a party, not for a walk in the woods.
    â€œGuys,” I say, “I have
such
a bad feeling about this. How about we take the bus into town instead? We could go and see a film?”
    Karl shrugs. “I’m broke.”
    â€œMe too,” Helena agrees.
    Before I can suggest anything else, Josh snatches Carrie’s bag. He races along the path that leads into the woods. Carrie chases after him as fast as her heels will allow.
    The others look nervous but they follow Josh anyway. I hesitate. I don’t want to go into the woods. But I hear Nan’s words in my mind.
Keep them safe.
    I take a deep breath and hurry along the path.
    I can’t see the others but I can hear them laughing. I follow the sound but they are always just out of sight.
    Finally I see a glimpse of Carrie’s red t-shirt. Leaving the path I scramble over rotting leaves. The sun is almost totally blotted out by the trees. My heart is thumping.
    We have to get out of here.
    I call out their names but there’s no reply.
    A flock of birds fly into the sky as I stumble into a clearing. My mouth turns dry as I realise where I am.
    It’s the one place I had been determined to avoid.
    I’m at the entrance to the quarry.

4

Inviting Trouble
    There is something strange about the trees around the edge of the quarry. Then I get it. They all seem dead. Their branches are bare and their trunks twist away, as if they are trying to escape.
    My friends are standing around the entrance to the quarry. They’re looking at Josh edging into the cave.
    â€œHe’s crazy!” Helena gasps as Josh disappears.
    My heart starts to thump. I yell after him not to be stupid but there’s no reply.
    Minutes pass. I know I should go after him but my legs refuse to move.
    â€œJosh!” Karl calls into