Read Online Samuel Blink and the Forbidden Forest by Matt Haig - Free Book Online Page B

while, and Samuel and Aunt Eda stood as still and silent as the glass vases on the shelves. When the huldres galloped back into sight, they were dragging the singing creature inside a net.
    â€œCome away,” Aunt Eda said. “Away from the window. Away! Now!”
    â€œOw,” said Samuel as she yanked his arm. “Get off me.”
    Samuel resisted his aunt’s grip and stayed looking out of the window.
    â€œSamuel. Come away or they’ll see you. Come away. Now…If they see you, they will come for you. And me. And your sister.”
    â€œYou’re boring,” he told her, but he couldn’t hide the fear in his voice.
    â€œBoring people stay alife,” she said.
    Samuel could hear the genuine terror in his aunt’s voice, so he stepped back and listened as the huldres and their horses dragged the poor singing creature back to the thick darkness of the trees.
    Aunt Eda held Samuel, and this time he didn’t resist. He felt the fading gallop of her heart and the tight grip of her strong arms.
    â€œWho was that creature? The one who sang?” Samuel asked.
    â€œA Tomtegubb,” said Aunt Eda.
    â€œHave you seen one before?”
    â€œYes,” she said, her voice trembling like a loose log. “Yes, I have. And…and so have you.”
    Samuel didn’t understand. “I don’t understand.”
    â€œWas that singing not familiar to you? Like the wardrobe and the wallpaper you recognized.”
    â€œI…” said Samuel, pulling away, “I…don’t…I…”
    And that is when Aunt Eda told Samuel something she hadn’t told him before. About the time her sister—Samuel’s mother—came to visit, bringing her husband and children along too.
    â€œThat’s right, Samuel. You…you…came here when you were two and Martha was just a baby. Your mother heard about Uncle Henrik going missing and came to comfort me. She didn’t beleef my stories about the creatures of the forest, of course. Well, not until she heard you scream in the night.”
    Samuel was more than confused as he stood there, straining to see his aunt’s face in the dark.
    â€œNo. My mum said she’d never gone back to Norway. You’re lying. She said—”
    â€œShe said that to protect you, Samuel,” interrupted Aunt Eda. “She wanted you to forget you’d ever been here and forget that you saw something similar to what you’ve just seen now. Your parents never came back after she knew the creatures were real because they thought you and Martha would be unsafe here. And I was never able to see you in England, because I wanted to stay here for when Henrik returned.”
    Samuel wanted to think this was all a lie, but he remembered the strange dreams he had always had, about creatures he now knew were huldres.
    â€œI’ve been here before,” he whispered as the thought became solid in his mind. “I knew it. I’ve been here before. The monsters were real.”
    â€œYes,” said Aunt Eda. “And now do you realize why my rules are so important? Why you can’t go out after dark or go near the forest?”
    â€œBut I don’t get it,” Samuel said. “Why don’t you just move?”
    He could hear his aunt gulp back her sadness. “I told Henrik I would stay,” she said. “If I left the house, I’d be giffing up on him. Do you understand?”
    â€œHenrik’s not coming back,” Samuel said.
    â€œNo,” said Aunt Eda. “He will. I know it. He made a promise, and he never broke a promise in all his life.”

Five Slices of Brown Cheese
    The next morning, Samuel was surprised to see Aunt Eda acting like nothing had happened. He wanted to talk about huldres, but knew he shouldn’t in front of his sister, so he tried to act normal too.
    Unbeknownst to Samuel, Aunt Eda had made a decision. They were going to move. They could not