Read Online The Children of Hare Hill by Scott McKenzie - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Scott McKenzie
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streaks shot through her hair; her skin became pale and wrinkled; her eyes narrowed and, with each step across the bridge, her body stooped further until she had the undeniable look of a wicked witch.
"Come with me, Charlotte," she snarled.
Without thinking, Charlotte raised her hand and shouted, "No! Go away!"
The next few seconds were a blur. All of a sudden, Charlotte was surrounded by a golden glow. It was the hares: all seven of them were shining with the same magical light they had emitted when they were broken from their spell. She had barely a split-second to register the phenomenon before her arm recoiled from a blast of golden light that shot from her palm, heading towards the bridge.
The wooden planks of the bridge burst into a million tiny pieces in an almighty explosion of splinters and golden light, sending the woman tumbling into the pond, screaming "Charlotte!" until she sank, coughing and spluttering, beneath the surface of the water.
Charlotte blinked, and once more all was calm. The glow from the hares had been extinguished. Their task complete, the hares scurried away.
Was that woman the witch? Charlotte wondered. Have I killed the witch who cast her spell on the hares of Hare Hill?
Then she thought of Ben and how he might cope in the same situation. She found the bridge that led to the sixth hare and pressed on.
Chapter 17
Far from being tormented by spectres, Ben was having the time of his life. So far in his wildlife-spotting challenge, he had seen a hare, a kestrel, a deer, and a grass snake. Each time he saw one of the creatures, he removed his binoculars, ticked them off on his sheet, and watched them roam free for a while. Then, when he checked his sheet for the next animal to spot, the previous one had disappeared. Now, Ben was watching a scorpion scurrying around in the bushes.
That's weird , he thought, I didn't know there were scorpions in this park.
Shrugging off that thought, he lowered his binoculars and ticked off the scorpion on the sheet. There were three boxes left on the sheet and, just as the silhouettes of the other animals had appeared before him, he saw the outline of a sixth animal draw itself on the page.
But this didn't make sense to Ben. He rubbed his eyes, not believing what he was seeing. The new image on the page was the silhouette of a horse, but it had a horn protruding from its head.
A unicorn? Ben thought. But they don't exist. Or do they?
He lifted the binoculars to his eyes, missing the silhouettes of the two remaining creatures as they were magically drawn onto the page.
Ben scanned the surroundings, expecting to see a horse galloping through the trees, telling him his mind had been playing tricks on him. But he didn't see anything, at least not at first. He heard a piercing howl from somewhere in the trees. It was like a wolf's call, but it reminded him of a song that Charlotte always badgered their mother to play in the car. She said it was one of their father's favourite songs and they all joined in when the singer began howling. What was it called?
That's it! Ben thought, remembering the name of the song. It's called “Werewolves of London.”
Then a single word remained in his mind. Werewolves .
Before he could look down at the clipboard, a flash of white caught his eye. Bursting through the trees, a massive white unicorn galloped majestically into the clearing and stopped in clear view. It seemed to turn in slow motion, allowing Ben to take in its unnatural, fantastical beauty. It let out a huge breath and clouds of steam burst from its mouth and nose. The unicorn steadied itself on its feet and breathed heavily. It looked tired, as if it had been running from—
An enormous roar erupted from the trees and a huge hairy beast leapt from its hiding place. Ben jumped and crouched down in the hut, but he kept watching the scene before him. His mind was telling him to drop everything and run, but his body was frozen solid; it was
"Come with me, Charlotte," she snarled.
Without thinking, Charlotte raised her hand and shouted, "No! Go away!"
The next few seconds were a blur. All of a sudden, Charlotte was surrounded by a golden glow. It was the hares: all seven of them were shining with the same magical light they had emitted when they were broken from their spell. She had barely a split-second to register the phenomenon before her arm recoiled from a blast of golden light that shot from her palm, heading towards the bridge.
The wooden planks of the bridge burst into a million tiny pieces in an almighty explosion of splinters and golden light, sending the woman tumbling into the pond, screaming "Charlotte!" until she sank, coughing and spluttering, beneath the surface of the water.
Charlotte blinked, and once more all was calm. The glow from the hares had been extinguished. Their task complete, the hares scurried away.
Was that woman the witch? Charlotte wondered. Have I killed the witch who cast her spell on the hares of Hare Hill?
Then she thought of Ben and how he might cope in the same situation. She found the bridge that led to the sixth hare and pressed on.
Chapter 17
Far from being tormented by spectres, Ben was having the time of his life. So far in his wildlife-spotting challenge, he had seen a hare, a kestrel, a deer, and a grass snake. Each time he saw one of the creatures, he removed his binoculars, ticked them off on his sheet, and watched them roam free for a while. Then, when he checked his sheet for the next animal to spot, the previous one had disappeared. Now, Ben was watching a scorpion scurrying around in the bushes.
That's weird , he thought, I didn't know there were scorpions in this park.
Shrugging off that thought, he lowered his binoculars and ticked off the scorpion on the sheet. There were three boxes left on the sheet and, just as the silhouettes of the other animals had appeared before him, he saw the outline of a sixth animal draw itself on the page.
But this didn't make sense to Ben. He rubbed his eyes, not believing what he was seeing. The new image on the page was the silhouette of a horse, but it had a horn protruding from its head.
A unicorn? Ben thought. But they don't exist. Or do they?
He lifted the binoculars to his eyes, missing the silhouettes of the two remaining creatures as they were magically drawn onto the page.
Ben scanned the surroundings, expecting to see a horse galloping through the trees, telling him his mind had been playing tricks on him. But he didn't see anything, at least not at first. He heard a piercing howl from somewhere in the trees. It was like a wolf's call, but it reminded him of a song that Charlotte always badgered their mother to play in the car. She said it was one of their father's favourite songs and they all joined in when the singer began howling. What was it called?
That's it! Ben thought, remembering the name of the song. It's called “Werewolves of London.”
Then a single word remained in his mind. Werewolves .
Before he could look down at the clipboard, a flash of white caught his eye. Bursting through the trees, a massive white unicorn galloped majestically into the clearing and stopped in clear view. It seemed to turn in slow motion, allowing Ben to take in its unnatural, fantastical beauty. It let out a huge breath and clouds of steam burst from its mouth and nose. The unicorn steadied itself on its feet and breathed heavily. It looked tired, as if it had been running from—
An enormous roar erupted from the trees and a huge hairy beast leapt from its hiding place. Ben jumped and crouched down in the hut, but he kept watching the scene before him. His mind was telling him to drop everything and run, but his body was frozen solid; it was
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