Read Online Milo and the Pirate Sisters by Mary Arrigan - Free Book Online
Authors: Mary Arrigan
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coat, which made us all cough. âThose upstarts will feel the wrath of Big Ella.â
Mister Lewis doffed his hat before wafting off to his miserable home.
âGran,â said Shane, carefully. âAre you sureyou can help Mister Lewis â¦?â
âLook at me, boy,â she said. âHave you ever seen me fear anything? Ever?â
âWell, not since the time you freaked out when that spider with hairy legs and shiny eyesââ began Shane.
âShush, boy,â said Big Ella. âThatâs different.â
*
I did everything to stay up late that night so that I wouldnât have nightmares. All that talk of those horrible women and the thoughts of going back to the mill, even with Big Ella, had totally freaked me out. I even asked to wait until Dad came home from night duty, but Mum insisted. âNow that youâre back playing soccer,â she said proudly, âyouâll need all the sleep you can get. You look at all those rich soccer players. They go to bed really early so that theyâll be well fit for their matches and make stacks of money.â
âMum,â I said. âIâm not a baby. I know what they do and going to bed early is not one of them. Iâve seen their photos in your magazines.â
She laughed and ruffled my hair, just like she used to do when I was a kid. I wished I was that kid and that there were no spooks of any kind in my life.
âDonât forget to close your window,â she called out. âI had to open it because I got the smell of socks from the landing.â
That could only mean one thing.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
A SURPRISE VISITOR
‘ I know you’re here,’ I whispered.
‘Ah, Milo, lad,’ said Mister Lewis, stepping out of the wardrobe. ‘I just thought I’d, eh, slip over for a chat.’
‘They annoyed you again, didn’t they?’ I said. ‘Those women.’
He shrugged his skinny shoulders. ‘It’s the small one,’ he sighed. ‘Now that there’sno door she keeps coming into my place because she says her sisters are too loud. She looks through my books and talks to my poor, tired bees. And,’ he added, ‘she constantly asks if there’s any chance of getting food like her sisters had been eating. She never shuts up, Milo.’
‘Well, let’s sleep on it, Mister Lewis,’ I yawned, going over to close the window.
‘WAAGH!’ I yelled, jumping back.
Tara’s creepy, beaming face at the window caused me to fall down in shock.
‘I followed the old man,’ she laughed, climbing into the room. ‘What manner of place is this?’ she asked, running around like a demented spinning top. She bounced on the bed, waving her tacky pirate hat, then pressed the button on my bedside lamp on and off several times before the bulb blew.
‘Hush, girl,’ Mister Lewis whispered. ‘This is Milo’s home.’
‘How many families live here?’ she asked.
‘Just me and my mum and dad,’ I hissed. ‘Now please get down and be quiet.’
‘What is a mum-and-dad?’ she asked.
Trying to catch her was like trying to land a slippery eel – not that I’ve ever tried that, but you know what I mean. In a flash, she was out the door and humming her way down the stairs.
‘Stop her, Mister Lewis! FLY!’ I hissed, taking the stairs two at a time.
Tara had just reached the half-open door of the lounge and was about to step inside.
‘Ah, got you,’ sighed Mister Lewis as he grabbed her with his gloved hands and pulled her away from the door. I ran in instead. Mum was sitting on the sofa, looking puzzled. ‘Oh, it’s you, Milo,’ shesaid. ‘I could have sworn I saw a tatty little girl with a hat standing at the door.’
‘Maybe you were falling asleep and, eh, got mixed up with telly and reality,’ I said.
‘Maybe you’re right,’ she said, still looking puzzled. ‘I may even have dozed off. So, what has brought you downstairs?’
This called for quick thinking. ‘A hug, Mum. I forgot to give you a
Mister Lewis doffed his hat before wafting off to his miserable home.
âGran,â said Shane, carefully. âAre you sureyou can help Mister Lewis â¦?â
âLook at me, boy,â she said. âHave you ever seen me fear anything? Ever?â
âWell, not since the time you freaked out when that spider with hairy legs and shiny eyesââ began Shane.
âShush, boy,â said Big Ella. âThatâs different.â
*
I did everything to stay up late that night so that I wouldnât have nightmares. All that talk of those horrible women and the thoughts of going back to the mill, even with Big Ella, had totally freaked me out. I even asked to wait until Dad came home from night duty, but Mum insisted. âNow that youâre back playing soccer,â she said proudly, âyouâll need all the sleep you can get. You look at all those rich soccer players. They go to bed really early so that theyâll be well fit for their matches and make stacks of money.â
âMum,â I said. âIâm not a baby. I know what they do and going to bed early is not one of them. Iâve seen their photos in your magazines.â
She laughed and ruffled my hair, just like she used to do when I was a kid. I wished I was that kid and that there were no spooks of any kind in my life.
âDonât forget to close your window,â she called out. âI had to open it because I got the smell of socks from the landing.â
That could only mean one thing.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
A SURPRISE VISITOR
‘ I know you’re here,’ I whispered.
‘Ah, Milo, lad,’ said Mister Lewis, stepping out of the wardrobe. ‘I just thought I’d, eh, slip over for a chat.’
‘They annoyed you again, didn’t they?’ I said. ‘Those women.’
He shrugged his skinny shoulders. ‘It’s the small one,’ he sighed. ‘Now that there’sno door she keeps coming into my place because she says her sisters are too loud. She looks through my books and talks to my poor, tired bees. And,’ he added, ‘she constantly asks if there’s any chance of getting food like her sisters had been eating. She never shuts up, Milo.’
‘Well, let’s sleep on it, Mister Lewis,’ I yawned, going over to close the window.
‘WAAGH!’ I yelled, jumping back.
Tara’s creepy, beaming face at the window caused me to fall down in shock.
‘I followed the old man,’ she laughed, climbing into the room. ‘What manner of place is this?’ she asked, running around like a demented spinning top. She bounced on the bed, waving her tacky pirate hat, then pressed the button on my bedside lamp on and off several times before the bulb blew.
‘Hush, girl,’ Mister Lewis whispered. ‘This is Milo’s home.’
‘How many families live here?’ she asked.
‘Just me and my mum and dad,’ I hissed. ‘Now please get down and be quiet.’
‘What is a mum-and-dad?’ she asked.
Trying to catch her was like trying to land a slippery eel – not that I’ve ever tried that, but you know what I mean. In a flash, she was out the door and humming her way down the stairs.
‘Stop her, Mister Lewis! FLY!’ I hissed, taking the stairs two at a time.
Tara had just reached the half-open door of the lounge and was about to step inside.
‘Ah, got you,’ sighed Mister Lewis as he grabbed her with his gloved hands and pulled her away from the door. I ran in instead. Mum was sitting on the sofa, looking puzzled. ‘Oh, it’s you, Milo,’ shesaid. ‘I could have sworn I saw a tatty little girl with a hat standing at the door.’
‘Maybe you were falling asleep and, eh, got mixed up with telly and reality,’ I said.
‘Maybe you’re right,’ she said, still looking puzzled. ‘I may even have dozed off. So, what has brought you downstairs?’
This called for quick thinking. ‘A hug, Mum. I forgot to give you a
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