Minty cane had known she was a witch, or something like it, since she was small. She had woken at night to see shadowy people moving silently across the floor of her room, or heard invisible feet. She did not talk about these things because she did not think them strange. She had once spoken of a dark visitor to her mother, kate, but kate had talked about lights from cars in the street making shadows. In the past year, minty sometimes heard her father´s voice. And she knew that was strange, because he was dead.
Kate worked all day at the hospital, so for the summer holidays she decided that minty should go to the village of belton and stay with an old friend of kate's family.
Aunt mary lived in a little stone house opposite belton house, which was large and once belonged to lord brownlow. None of the brownlow family lived there now and the house was open to visitors from april to october.
`i always think of belton as a place where things happen' said kate. `when i was small and stayed with aunt mary , i had the front bedroom. I could see the top of the churc, and bits of the garden at belton house.'
`were there ghosts?' said Minty
`perhaps. But i never actually saw anything'
they drove to belton the day after school finished, and aunt mary was waiting at her front door.
`you've grown', she told minty, then said to kate, `she´ll have the same room that you always had.'
They went upstairs and kate helped minty to unpack her suitcase. Then they came down for the lunch that aunt mary had cooked for them. After lunch kate and minty went to look at the church, which was only a short walk away. The july afternoon was hot and still, and they walked slowly through the chuchyard, stopping to read gravestones as they passed.
Suddenly minty felt cold air pass over her face and arms.
She was near a corner of the church and she looked up at the trees, but there was no wind in them. She took a few steps forward, and the coldness came with her. And then the air was warm again, and quiet.
`now that', thought minty, `is very strange'.
She stepped back to the corner and felt the invisible icy wind again - and her sixth sense told her there was something more. The ice cold air was only a message, and she stood still, listening, waiting.
Then kate came up beside minty `do you feel cold?'
Minty asked her. `just here , in this place?'
`mmmm' kate did suddenly put her arms around herself. ` it's the shadows, i suppose'.
`more tahn shadows' , thought minty.
They went into the church and it was cool and dark after the brightness outside. After looking round, they came out into the sun and looked across at a high gate. Behind it were the gardens of belton house. The air smelled hundreds of years old and minty suddenly felt that time was standing still. `if time has stopped,' she thought, `here among the gravestones is the right place. They're all dead and it doesn't matter if you died yesterday o r a hundred years ago. Dead is dead.'
Later, kate drove away in her litle car, then minty went to her room to listen to some music on her cassette player.
Kate didn't think aunt nary would like pop music so she had bought minty some headphonesto use.
Minty was still listening when aunt mary called her for tea. Tjey went downstairs, and the telephone rang. `you start your tea' said aunt mary, and went to answer it.
Minty was eating her second egg sandwich when aunt mary came back. Her face was very white and her eyes looked wild and shocked. `i don't know how to-' she stopped, then went on, `it's kate - your mother! There's been an accident. Her head...'
It was then that minty began to scream.
It had been a bad crash on a busy road. Kate's car had been between two others cars, and now she was in hospital. Minty was back in her room when the telephone rang again. She was feeling cold and sick, and several minutes later aunt mary brought in a cup of hot, sweet tea.
`That was sopmeone called john,' she said. `Mr benson. From your mother's office'.
Minty kneww him. He came to the house sometimes and played computer games with her, and made her laugh.
`He`s going to the hospital now,' said aunt may.
`i want to go!' said minty. `can i?'
`tomorrow,' said aunt mary. `perphaps she'll be awake by then. It's her head, you see...it was badly hurt.'
Minty knew that if her mother was in a coma, it could last a long time. She did not believe kate would be awake in the morning. `can i go outside?' she asked.'i must do something!'
`go over to the house, then. See if world is there, at the lodge. He likes children.'
`world? Said minty.
Mr world to you, i suppose', said aunt mary.
So minty went out. A bus full of school - children was leaving the house. Some of them smiled at her through the bus windows, and minty automatically smiled back.
An old man was sitting in the doorway of a stone building near the entrance. `this must be world,' minty thought.
`hello,' he said. `did you miss the bus?'.
`no, i'm staying with aunt ma
Minty cane had known she was a witch, or something like it, since she was small. She had woken at night to see shadowy people moving silently across the floor of her room, or heard invisible feet. She did not talk about these things because she did not think them strange. She had once spoken of a dark visitor to her mother, kate, but kate had talked about lights from cars in the street making shadows. In the past year, minty sometimes heard her father´s voice. And she knew that was strange, because he was dead.Kate worked all day at the hospital, so for the summer holidays she decided that minty should go to the village of belton and stay with an old friend of kate's family.Aunt mary lived in a little stone house opposite belton house, which was large and once belonged to lord brownlow. None of the brownlow family lived there now and the house was open to visitors from april to october.`i always think of belton as a place where things happen' said kate. `when i was small and stayed with aunt mary , i had the front bedroom. I could see the top of the churc, and bits of the garden at belton house.'`were there ghosts?' said Minty`perhaps. But i never actually saw anything'they drove to belton the day after school finished, and aunt mary was waiting at her front door.`you've grown', she told minty, then said to kate, `she´ll have the same room that you always had.'They went upstairs and kate helped minty to unpack her suitcase. Then they came down for the lunch that aunt mary had cooked for them. After lunch kate and minty went to look at the church, which was only a short walk away. The july afternoon was hot and still, and they walked slowly through the chuchyard, stopping to read gravestones as they passed.Suddenly minty felt cold air pass over her face and arms.She was near a corner of the church and she looked up at the trees, but there was no wind in them. She took a few steps forward, and the coldness came with her. And then the air was warm again, and quiet.`now that', thought minty, `is very strange'.She stepped back to the corner and felt the invisible icy wind again - and her sixth sense told her there was something more. The ice cold air was only a message, and she stood still, listening, waiting.Then kate came up beside minty `do you feel cold?'Minty asked her. `just here , in this place?'`mmmm' kate did suddenly put her arms around herself. ` it's the shadows, i suppose'.`more tahn shadows' , thought minty.They went into the church and it was cool and dark after the brightness outside. After looking round, they came out into the sun and looked across at a high gate. Behind it were the gardens of belton house. The air smelled hundreds of years old and minty suddenly felt that time was standing still. `if time has stopped,' she thought, `here among the gravestones is the right place. They're all dead and it doesn't matter if you died yesterday o r a hundred years ago. Dead is dead.'
Later, kate drove away in her litle car, then minty went to her room to listen to some music on her cassette player.
Kate didn't think aunt nary would like pop music so she had bought minty some headphonesto use.
Minty was still listening when aunt mary called her for tea. Tjey went downstairs, and the telephone rang. `you start your tea' said aunt mary, and went to answer it.
Minty was eating her second egg sandwich when aunt mary came back. Her face was very white and her eyes looked wild and shocked. `i don't know how to-' she stopped, then went on, `it's kate - your mother! There's been an accident. Her head...'
It was then that minty began to scream.
It had been a bad crash on a busy road. Kate's car had been between two others cars, and now she was in hospital. Minty was back in her room when the telephone rang again. She was feeling cold and sick, and several minutes later aunt mary brought in a cup of hot, sweet tea.
`That was sopmeone called john,' she said. `Mr benson. From your mother's office'.
Minty kneww him. He came to the house sometimes and played computer games with her, and made her laugh.
`He`s going to the hospital now,' said aunt may.
`i want to go!' said minty. `can i?'
`tomorrow,' said aunt mary. `perphaps she'll be awake by then. It's her head, you see...it was badly hurt.'
Minty knew that if her mother was in a coma, it could last a long time. She did not believe kate would be awake in the morning. `can i go outside?' she asked.'i must do something!'
`go over to the house, then. See if world is there, at the lodge. He likes children.'
`world? Said minty.
Mr world to you, i suppose', said aunt mary.
So minty went out. A bus full of school - children was leaving the house. Some of them smiled at her through the bus windows, and minty automatically smiled back.
An old man was sitting in the doorway of a stone building near the entrance. `this must be world,' minty thought.
`hello,' he said. `did you miss the bus?'.
`no, i'm staying with aunt ma
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