Read Online The Underground City by Anne Forbes - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Anne Forbes
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What’s all this about?”
Good for you, Neil!
Clara thought, cheering him on.
A youngish man wearing a wig spoke slowly. “Maybe he doesn’t know.”
“You’re right,” Neil said shortly. “I don’t know! That’s whyI’m here!”
“What Mr Rafferty means, Neil,” explained Mary King, “is that magic people have a bad effect on us. We, er … tend to lose our substance and fade away if we’re in contact with them.”
“Which we’d rather not do,” Clarinda chipped in pertly. “Being a ghost is better than nothing, you know!”
“I’m sure it is,” Neil said uncertainly, “but you don’t need to worry about me. I’m not a MacArthur, I’m just a boy and … and I’ll help you if I can.”
The ghosts relaxed noticeably at this and even Mary King’s face softened. “Well,” she began, in a friendlier tone of voice, “that’s all right then! I’d better begin by telling you what’s been happening here! It’s like this. Some time ago, the old Codger here,” she indicated an old man, who raised his hand in a brief salute, “found two men in the tunnels below Deacon Brodie’s Tavern. They had a map of the Underground City with them and were trying to clear some of the roads. From what they say … well, we think they’re bank robbers!”
“Bank robbers?” Neil said in complete surprise. Whatever else he’d expected to hear, it certainly hadn’t been that.
“The Bank of Scotland,” nodded the old Codger. “Just down the road. They’re going to blow up the vaults and steal a million pounds!”
“You mean … you want me to tell the police and have them arrested?” Neil said.
“No, no,” burst out another of the ghosts. “No more people! That’s the last thing we want!”
“I see,” Neil said weakly, not understanding in the slightest, “but if you don’t want me to tell the police, what
do
you want me to do?”
“We want you to tell them to go away!” Mr Rafferty said seriously. “We’ve tried everything, Neil. We’ve tried to freeze them out, we’ve pushed them around and nothing has madethe slightest bit of difference. They still come every night to clear the rubble!”
“There’s no way that we can get through to them, you see,” interrupted the old Codger with a shake of his head, “they can’t
see
us and they can’t
hear
us!”
“So we thought,” Mary King said, “that since
you
can see us and hear us that … well,
you
might be able to speak to them for us.”
“We’ll show you the way through the tunnels to where they’re working, no problem,” Mr Rafferty said encouragingly. “And bring you back!”
Neil looked at them, a frown crossing his face. “I
could
talk to them, I suppose,” he admitted. “They wouldn’t be able to see me or the magic carpet but they
would
be able to hear me. Mind you,” he said, looking doubtful, “if they really are bank robbers, I don’t think it’ll honestly make much difference
what
I say. Bank robbers are a tough lot and believe me, they’re not going to give up a million pounds just because I ask them to clear out! Besides, I doubt if that bank has any money in it at all, you know. My dad told me that it’s not a branch any more. Nowadays, it’s a museum.”
“What do you think we should do, then?”
Neil shrugged. “Well, you don’t have to do anything, really, do you,” he pointed out. “It’s just a matter of time. Once they find out that there’s no money in the bank, they’ll go away anyway , won’t they?”
There was a fearful silence. Mr Rafferty started to wring his hands and the rest of the ghosts moaned horribly and eyed one another sideways, suddenly scared stiff.
Neil looked at them, sensing the fear that coloured the atmosphere. “That isn’t the real reason you want rid of them, is it?” he said apprehensively. “There’s something else, isn’t there? Something you haven’t told me!”
Mary King pleated her skirt with nervous fingers. “Yes,”she admitted.
Good for you, Neil!
Clara thought, cheering him on.
A youngish man wearing a wig spoke slowly. “Maybe he doesn’t know.”
“You’re right,” Neil said shortly. “I don’t know! That’s whyI’m here!”
“What Mr Rafferty means, Neil,” explained Mary King, “is that magic people have a bad effect on us. We, er … tend to lose our substance and fade away if we’re in contact with them.”
“Which we’d rather not do,” Clarinda chipped in pertly. “Being a ghost is better than nothing, you know!”
“I’m sure it is,” Neil said uncertainly, “but you don’t need to worry about me. I’m not a MacArthur, I’m just a boy and … and I’ll help you if I can.”
The ghosts relaxed noticeably at this and even Mary King’s face softened. “Well,” she began, in a friendlier tone of voice, “that’s all right then! I’d better begin by telling you what’s been happening here! It’s like this. Some time ago, the old Codger here,” she indicated an old man, who raised his hand in a brief salute, “found two men in the tunnels below Deacon Brodie’s Tavern. They had a map of the Underground City with them and were trying to clear some of the roads. From what they say … well, we think they’re bank robbers!”
“Bank robbers?” Neil said in complete surprise. Whatever else he’d expected to hear, it certainly hadn’t been that.
“The Bank of Scotland,” nodded the old Codger. “Just down the road. They’re going to blow up the vaults and steal a million pounds!”
“You mean … you want me to tell the police and have them arrested?” Neil said.
“No, no,” burst out another of the ghosts. “No more people! That’s the last thing we want!”
“I see,” Neil said weakly, not understanding in the slightest, “but if you don’t want me to tell the police, what
do
you want me to do?”
“We want you to tell them to go away!” Mr Rafferty said seriously. “We’ve tried everything, Neil. We’ve tried to freeze them out, we’ve pushed them around and nothing has madethe slightest bit of difference. They still come every night to clear the rubble!”
“There’s no way that we can get through to them, you see,” interrupted the old Codger with a shake of his head, “they can’t
see
us and they can’t
hear
us!”
“So we thought,” Mary King said, “that since
you
can see us and hear us that … well,
you
might be able to speak to them for us.”
“We’ll show you the way through the tunnels to where they’re working, no problem,” Mr Rafferty said encouragingly. “And bring you back!”
Neil looked at them, a frown crossing his face. “I
could
talk to them, I suppose,” he admitted. “They wouldn’t be able to see me or the magic carpet but they
would
be able to hear me. Mind you,” he said, looking doubtful, “if they really are bank robbers, I don’t think it’ll honestly make much difference
what
I say. Bank robbers are a tough lot and believe me, they’re not going to give up a million pounds just because I ask them to clear out! Besides, I doubt if that bank has any money in it at all, you know. My dad told me that it’s not a branch any more. Nowadays, it’s a museum.”
“What do you think we should do, then?”
Neil shrugged. “Well, you don’t have to do anything, really, do you,” he pointed out. “It’s just a matter of time. Once they find out that there’s no money in the bank, they’ll go away anyway , won’t they?”
There was a fearful silence. Mr Rafferty started to wring his hands and the rest of the ghosts moaned horribly and eyed one another sideways, suddenly scared stiff.
Neil looked at them, sensing the fear that coloured the atmosphere. “That isn’t the real reason you want rid of them, is it?” he said apprehensively. “There’s something else, isn’t there? Something you haven’t told me!”
Mary King pleated her skirt with nervous fingers. “Yes,”she admitted.
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