hackles rising.
‘What’s up, crazy dog?’ I said, taking off my headphones and stopping beside him. ‘Did those phantom bunnies get away again?’
But then I saw what had caught his attention. Up ahead on the path was a figure silhouetted against the dwindling light. At first I was certain it was Miranda, but a moment later I wasn’t. The
figure was too far away and too hard to see. I had this uneasy feeling that whoever it was, they were watching me. Waiting. There was a sharp twinge in my head then, and I closed my eyes against
the pain. By the time the throbbing had passed and I straightened up, the figure was gone.
Ralph was sniffing the air, muscles tensed.
‘Ralphy,’ I pleaded. ‘Stay with me.’
But before I’d even finished the sentence he’d leapt off down the path, barking loudly. The light was disappearing rapidly and the cold night air was settling.
‘Ralph?’ I sounded whiny, childish. ‘Come here .’
But Ralph ignored me, as usual, and there was nothing I could do but follow the path, praying he’d stick to it. The forest had become very silent. No birds. No insects. It was as if every
living creature had disappeared.
And then, very faintly, I heard something. The crack-snap of twigs and branches breaking underfoot. ‘Ralphy?’ My breath snagged in my throat.
No, definitely not Ralph. This was a person and, from the sound of it, they were running through the forest’s thick undergrowth. Towards me.
My chest constricted. Breathe, Olive. Don’t freak. Lots of people ran in the forest all the time. Totally normal, non-scary people. But my throat refused to relax.
The noise grew louder. Closer. And then I could hear another noise too – a low gasping sound that seemed to echo all around. Panic scrambled through me.
A person stumbled into view, lurching unsteadily through a gap in the trees. Miss Falippi? I’d never seen her look like this before. Hair full of leaves, clothes covered with mud. She had
this wild look in her eyes, and she kept twisting around to see someone or something behind her.
It’s like a movie, I thought, feeling dazed. The scene where the panicked woman is chased through the forest. As she stumbled closer I was shocked by how unfocused her eyes were,
and how red. I’d heard the druggy rumours about Miss Falippi, of course, but I’d never taken them seriously.
Miss Falippi stopped and leant on a tree a couple of metres from me, breathing raggedly. Did she even know I was there? She seemed so wired. I took a step forward and touched her lightly on the
arm. ‘Miss Falippi? Are you OK?’
Miss Falippi spun around, a look of complete terror on her face, like I was some kind of monster. ‘Stop following me! I said you could leave, didn’t I? Please … just go.’
She started to whimper then. ‘Oh, what have you done to me?’
My throat was tight with fear. Miss Falippi’s eyes were so dilated they seemed completely black, and her forehead was beaded with sweat. She wasn’t wearing her locket and for some
reason this scared me most of all. She looked wrong without it. Unprotected.
‘It’s Olive, miss,’ I said gently, finding my voice again. ‘Olive Corbett.’
Miss Falippi’s eyes scanned my face, frowning – finally seeming to recognise me. ‘Olive? You’re in on this?’ she hissed. ‘I would have never …’
‘I’m just walking my dog,’ I said, trying to sound reassuring and calm despite the burning in my chest. ‘But we should leave now. It’s getting dark.’
Miss Falippi suddenly flung up her hand like she did in class when she wanted silence. ‘Shh!’ Her eyes darted around fearfully. ‘Is that…her?’
I listened and although I heard nothing, I had that awful prickling feeling that comes when you sense someone is hidden nearby.
‘Hello?’ I said loudly. ‘We need some help here. Is anyone there? Please .’ I thought I saw something then – a pale flash between the trees – but
seconds passed and no-one
‘What’s up, crazy dog?’ I said, taking off my headphones and stopping beside him. ‘Did those phantom bunnies get away again?’
But then I saw what had caught his attention. Up ahead on the path was a figure silhouetted against the dwindling light. At first I was certain it was Miranda, but a moment later I wasn’t. The
figure was too far away and too hard to see. I had this uneasy feeling that whoever it was, they were watching me. Waiting. There was a sharp twinge in my head then, and I closed my eyes against
the pain. By the time the throbbing had passed and I straightened up, the figure was gone.
Ralph was sniffing the air, muscles tensed.
‘Ralphy,’ I pleaded. ‘Stay with me.’
But before I’d even finished the sentence he’d leapt off down the path, barking loudly. The light was disappearing rapidly and the cold night air was settling.
‘Ralph?’ I sounded whiny, childish. ‘Come here .’
But Ralph ignored me, as usual, and there was nothing I could do but follow the path, praying he’d stick to it. The forest had become very silent. No birds. No insects. It was as if every
living creature had disappeared.
And then, very faintly, I heard something. The crack-snap of twigs and branches breaking underfoot. ‘Ralphy?’ My breath snagged in my throat.
No, definitely not Ralph. This was a person and, from the sound of it, they were running through the forest’s thick undergrowth. Towards me.
My chest constricted. Breathe, Olive. Don’t freak. Lots of people ran in the forest all the time. Totally normal, non-scary people. But my throat refused to relax.
The noise grew louder. Closer. And then I could hear another noise too – a low gasping sound that seemed to echo all around. Panic scrambled through me.
A person stumbled into view, lurching unsteadily through a gap in the trees. Miss Falippi? I’d never seen her look like this before. Hair full of leaves, clothes covered with mud. She had
this wild look in her eyes, and she kept twisting around to see someone or something behind her.
It’s like a movie, I thought, feeling dazed. The scene where the panicked woman is chased through the forest. As she stumbled closer I was shocked by how unfocused her eyes were,
and how red. I’d heard the druggy rumours about Miss Falippi, of course, but I’d never taken them seriously.
Miss Falippi stopped and leant on a tree a couple of metres from me, breathing raggedly. Did she even know I was there? She seemed so wired. I took a step forward and touched her lightly on the
arm. ‘Miss Falippi? Are you OK?’
Miss Falippi spun around, a look of complete terror on her face, like I was some kind of monster. ‘Stop following me! I said you could leave, didn’t I? Please … just go.’
She started to whimper then. ‘Oh, what have you done to me?’
My throat was tight with fear. Miss Falippi’s eyes were so dilated they seemed completely black, and her forehead was beaded with sweat. She wasn’t wearing her locket and for some
reason this scared me most of all. She looked wrong without it. Unprotected.
‘It’s Olive, miss,’ I said gently, finding my voice again. ‘Olive Corbett.’
Miss Falippi’s eyes scanned my face, frowning – finally seeming to recognise me. ‘Olive? You’re in on this?’ she hissed. ‘I would have never …’
‘I’m just walking my dog,’ I said, trying to sound reassuring and calm despite the burning in my chest. ‘But we should leave now. It’s getting dark.’
Miss Falippi suddenly flung up her hand like she did in class when she wanted silence. ‘Shh!’ Her eyes darted around fearfully. ‘Is that…her?’
I listened and although I heard nothing, I had that awful prickling feeling that comes when you sense someone is hidden nearby.
‘Hello?’ I said loudly. ‘We need some help here. Is anyone there? Please .’ I thought I saw something then – a pale flash between the trees – but
seconds passed and no-one
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