part of the tale. And then came the disappearances. I press my lips together. Iâve said enough. âAnd then what?â 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, âItâs bad luck to talk about Ma Jessop.â âWhy?â mutters Josh. âSheâs long dead.â Nan raises her eyebrows. âThey say the wickedness inside her was so strong that it stopped her growing, so she stayed the size of a child. Evil like that doesnât die easily.â âWell, itâs not going to stop us going to the woods tomorrow, is it?â Josh challenges me. I shake my head in disbelief. âYouâll bring bad luck down on you,â 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. âSee,â I say to Josh, my voice shaking. âThatâs a warning.â
3
Keep Out Once Josh has gone Nan calls me into her room. I sit on her daybed and she turns down the TV. âThereâs a box under my bed,â she tells me. âGet it out.â I find the small wooden box and look inside. Itâs full of old letters. âLook for a necklace,â Nan says. Hidden under the letters I find a necklace made of rough wooden beads. âI want you to have it,â Nan says. âIt will keep you safe when you go into the woods.â I shake my head. âIâm not going.â She leans forward and grips my hands. âYou must go.â I donât 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. âYou must go,â she says again. âKeep them all safe.â * * * The next day we walk down the lane that leads to the woods. Josh is smug. He thinks I have given in. But heâs wrong. I still plan to talk the others out of going. Theyâre all waiting. I look at Carrieâs heels and short skirt. She looks like sheâs ready to go out to a party, not for a walk in the woods. âGuys,â I say, âI have such a bad feeling about this. How about we take the bus into town instead? We could go and see a film?â Karl shrugs. âIâm broke.â âMe too,â Helena agrees. Before I can suggest anything else, Josh snatches Carrieâs 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 donât want to go into the woods. But I hear Nanâs words in my mind. Keep them safe. I take a deep breath and hurry along the path. I canât 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 Carrieâs 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 thereâs 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. Itâs the one place I had been determined to avoid. Iâm 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. Theyâre looking at Josh edging into the cave. âHeâs crazy!â Helena gasps as Josh disappears. My heart starts to thump. I yell after him not to be stupid but thereâs no reply. Minutes pass. I know I should go after him but my legs refuse to move. âJosh!â Karl calls into