The case of the Haunted Lake
Earlier in the summer, we featured a terrific story about the very clever pupils at the St Nicholas School for Magical Children, by Evie, one of our Alpha Club members.
Well, she's written another adventure, involving those very clever children and we're delighted to showcase her talent. Enjoy!
The case of the Haunted Lake
It was early evening in July and the sun had only begun to set and emit colours of rose-gold, smooth lilac and cosy auburn. Despite this, there was a grim chill to the air... “Hurry up!” barked Miss Dale, fiddling with one of her earrings, breathing down my neck for the fifth time that evening. We were eating a hurried dinner in hopes of going on a night-time nature ramble. She could bark all she wanted but she couldn’t detract Hermia from daydreaming about grisly, ghoulish, gruesome ghost stories- that was if she even heard Miss Dale over the other snarls and sneers and snickers at the dinner table. “Mr Snakeskin!” Adam snarled over his sausages and mash, carefully and neatly separated. “You must do something!” he was screeching about his recently enrolled sister, Lilith Appleton. Hermia’s ears were practically wriggling with excitement at this new eruption and her eyes stretched open so wide I was worried they would pop out completely. It had been Hermia and I who had discovered Lilith hiding in the attic, away from the bigoted adult Appletons. After Miss Dale (Hermia’s dreaded enemy- but that’s another story- dressed in her cheap, as Hermia called it, kimono) and Mr Snakeskin (dressed in his neon bunny onesie) got over their shock, they had sent Lilith straight home. However, she soon came back and no one was very happy about it. Miss Dale saw Lilith as a menace, I felt sorry for the outcast and miserable that she had been forced to us, Adam hated her mimicking his every move and so went to whinge at Mr Snakeskin, who hated that. Everyone else agreed that Lilith was annoying- even Hermia, although she was thrilled to have a former suspect to spy upon. Lilith didn’t seem to mind everybody’s mutual hatred of her. She strutted confidently, assertively and almost gleefully of the annoyance she was causing. She went out of her way to upset the grumpy and huffy and easily-irked Miss Dale and torment gormless Mr Snakeskin. Surprisingly, despite Adam’s disliking of her, Lilith adored him. She even dressed up in the same uniform as him- but looked less like a scarecrow as she fit into them better than skinny, bony, tiny Adam who coincidentally was five years older than her. She especially went out of her way to pick the same campsite activities as him during our week-long stay at Happyville Camping Ground. This only made the detestation seep in from Adam’s heart, through our cabins and into ourselves as well. Even Ryan, ADAM’S worst enemy (with children like us, there seems to be a lot of worst enemies) made an alliance in an attempt to get rid of Lilith, Annie style, attempting to drop her into the laundry basket. Unfortunately for them and fortunately for Lilith, Adam was too weak to pick her up and too cowardly to try any harder and Ryan was all talk. As you’ve probably guessed, it wasn’t Happyville for certain people for long... “Are you too going out of your way to be impertinent?” Mr Snakeskin said in a cross voice, although he looked as milky as his tea and as though he were about to weep. I heard Hermia grumbling under her breath about the ghost stories she had been told by beloved Ranger Janis Dent, who had quickly become Hermia’s favourite after Hermia’s grandfather who was just as wicked in humour, tricky in wits and sharp in sense, although he was nearing his eighties.
Janis Dent was our assigned Ranger, meaning that she helped us with group activities and showed us about the camp on the first day. It was, in a sense, love at first sight. Janis was a bubbly blonde, smelling of expensive perfume - she rolled her eyes at Miss Dale, although she flattered her jewellery from the pearl earrings to the golden anklets (which had been brought along to a marshy, muddy, messy campsite, just to emphasise the sheer ridiculousness of it) and sighed at Mr Snakeskin. Hermia approved. And that was before Janis’ creepy tales of ‘true’ stories- of whimpering widows in weird white and horrible howling haunts that happily haunted houses and putrid, purply poltergeist that promoted pollution on the camping ground. I didn’t like Janis. Her smile was too shiny and fake and her eyes too narrowed as she grinned. And I didn’t like any of her ghost stories were about ghosts. They made shivers down my spine, goose bumps erupt upon my flesh and fists clench in desperate self-control. Although I thought our last case would convince Hermia ghosts DID NOT exist, she seemed to ignore all evidence and insist they were- unnatural for the sensible, stern, and smart Hermia- all because of smelly old Janis. “I think you’re jealous, Sheen!” she’d laugh every time she caught me off guard and read my mind. I’m not. I just think Janis Dent shouldn’t be trusted. Finally, everyone was finishing dining and whining, and we set off to go for a walk around the SUPPOSEDLY haunted lake. Sometimes the Rangers set off fireworks on summer nights, although none were planned tonight and there were no crowds. The lake dribbled down from the high hills and through the murky moors and down into a massive mass down in the centre of the campsite. Janis said that sometimes, if the ghosts were restless, they would light up in the lake, cries echoing, luring those who had walked alone only to drown... I shook such thoughts out of my head, went into the dormitory and pulled on my coat and off we went around the lake. It was nice and peaceful, nothing like Janis said. Hermia seemed disappointed until... “Look!” she cried in sheer delight, dancing on her tiptoes. Out of the lake, shivering and dancing and rising upwards were wisps of curling smoke. Turquoise and lilac lights- the colours of my and Hermia’s souls (all magical people have soul colours that form around their eyes)- alongside blues and greens, glowed enticingly from under the lake. THUD, THUD went my heart. I clutched Hermia. “No, Hermia!” I screamed but a moment later the lights faded- from both the lakes and Hermia’s entranced eyes. I shuddered. And then suddenly.... WHOOSH, BANG! Sparks were flying, new wisps of greyish smoke soaring through the air. Shimmers of gold and silver sparkled through the air and faded seconds later. I couldn’t feel my legs and my head felt light. “It was just a firework.” Hermia giggled. “The ghosts were in the water.” she added, as though it’d make anyone feel any better. “I’m sure they were just the lights used with the displays, Hermia.” Mr Snakeskin said but he sounded uncertain, remembering the unnaturalness and randomness of it all. Hermia just shook her head and giggled again. She sounded giddy and strange and I couldn’t help but feel upset about the conversations I’d be too scared to join in tomorrow whilst she grew closer to Janis. We were being quickly herded back to the cabin by a jittery Mr Snakeskin but as we got there... The cabin door was ajar and each of the dormitory doors wide open. But that wasn’t the worst of it. As we went to inspect the damage, I saw all of our rooms were completely wrecked, even mattresses thrown off... and Miss Dale came caterwauling out to announce: “My jewellery!” she wailed, thrusting the empty jewellery box under Mr Snakeskin’s nose. “Oh dear.” he muttered, perhaps thinking about the paperwork he might have to file. And maybe what Ofsted might say to boot. Miss Dale turned an unhealthy shade of puce with an inkling of purple. “It must be here somewhere.” said Helen helpfully, Hermia’s officious sister. Hermia looked as though she didn’t want to but Miss Dale’s complexion was now dark mauve.
As I searched the dormitory with Hermia and Lilith I went to check under my bed (although goodness knows why it’d be there) I saw, out of the corner of my eye, a lime, plastic circle. Inspecting it, I realised it was one of the flimsy, cheap, ugly badges the Ranger wore on their uniforms. How on earth did it get here? It wasn’t here forty minutes ago, when we went to walk around the lake! “You must hand it in tomorrow.” Hermia said. “Miss Dale will want all attention upon her tonight.” “Hmm...” “I’ll take it in. You wouldn’t get into trouble anyway.” Hermia said happily enough, mistaking my feelings and drawn face. She was probably hoping Janis would congratulate her. She held her hand out but I clenched my fist around the badge so hard my knuckles went pale. “Have you found anything Lilith? Oh!” she started sulkily but as she focused on what Lilith was gawping at, her dark, badly cut hair over her face, her grey-ringed eyes wide... it was Miss Dale’s small pearl earring. Just then Miss Dale came storming in to check our progress and then she saw the earring... By the time two Rangers arrive- one of them Janis coincidentally- Lilith was in disgrace, everyone having turned on her and accused her of taking the things. The other Ranger was named Mark and he looked like Mr Snakeskin but grumpy. Lilith protested stormily and mulishly that she knew nothing about the jewellery. To my shock, even Adam supported her. “I’m sorry, Adam.” Mr Snakeskin said gruffly. “You insult Lilith, you insult me and my bloodline.” Adam snapped, puffing his chest out and exaggerating his words as though he were the hero in a movie saving Lilith. Mr Snakeskin buried his head in his hands and began to file paperwork for lost items with Mark. Janis was comforting Miss Dale, which made sense as jewellery was the only thing Janis acted sincere with. But this time she seemed to be exaggerating, as she often did. I’m not sure why it stuck out to me... “I’m sorry, Narcissa.” she said loudly to Miss Dale. Even from three metres away I could smell her nose-tickling perfume. “You know what these things are like. There are all sorts of ghosts hanging about, ready to wreak-” “DO YOU THINK I’M SILLY?” Miss Dale screamed so loudly my hearing aids squealed in terrified alarm. “THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS GHOSTS!” that wasn’t what she said to us, especially Hermia, before bedtime. If she knew Hermia liked it, she would’ve stopped but Hermia always made out she was scared. She was making out she was sorry now, but I could practically hear the gears whirr in her brain as she privately scribbled down detective notes and showed them off proudly to me. “Yes, thank you Janis.” Mark snapped and I decided I liked him. “I don’t think you should tell the guests silly rumours or insinuate ghosts are taking items. We’ll be doomed. Besides, don’t you usually leave the site at this time of the night?” “Oh, but Mark!” Janis said, quickly avoiding his question as though it were a deer in the road. “YOU aren’t insinuating that one of us could’ve taken it.” “That seems to be the case from that little-” Miss Dale stuttered, gasping, choking on her words. Lilith, who was in the timeout corner, was angled perfectly in the direction of the TV. Holding the TV remote. No one dared attempt to take it off her, for Appletons, as you have already seen, have a brutal, infamous temper. “Janis!” I said as my eyes slid back to the main attraction - “Janis!” I held up the badge. “You’ve lost yours.” “Oh, thank you, yes that must be mine.” Janis said quickly. She held out her hand. Things were falling into place in my mind. No one else would think much of it. They all thought logically. I thought in what-ifs? “It was in my dorm, Janis.” “Oh, I must’ve dropped it.” “But you haven’t been in my room since arriving. And I didn’t see it in my room before we went out.. So... why would you be in this lodge, peering through the dorms, not realising when your badge came loose and fell off? and why when we were all out? Rangers have keys to the cabins.” I spoke louder than I knew I could. “And you tell stories Janis. Like me. But your stories are nasty and scare people and not for fun, to trick. You want to trick us into getting scared in the wrong way and make us panic, Janis. The Rangers have keys to everything. What if you set the firework off at the lake, hoping to scare us to the cabin and for us to call for help so you could check everything was covered up and secure your innocence so no one could suspect you, Janis. You grew close to us because you knew Miss Dale had fancy jewellery and you like fancy things. You have fancy perfume! You stole the jewellery. You set the lights off on a timer for when we planned our walk we mentioned to you, grabbed a firework and waited until we went out and snuck in to take what you were looking for. You then snuck out, left the door ajar to suggest a hurry even though you knew you could take your time, snuck around, set off the firework just after the lights and made your way off. You then made sure you were on the scene to take our call although you would usually have gone home by this time, just so you could clear the remaining evidence against yourself!” I finished. Everyone was looking at me. Janis didn’t say a word. Ryan gawped, Miss Dale was on her feet, glaring at Janis, Mark disappointed, also glancing at Janis, and Mr Snakeskin was looking hopeful- setting aside the paperwork in hopes we could still find the jewellery without it. Lilith and Adam looked excited and hopeful too. I didn’t dare look at Hermia. “Oh, I do hope that’s right.” I added anxiously.
What happened next happened all rather quickly so I shall write it down directly. Mark kept an eye on a stunned Janis as he sent other Rangers to search her car. She didn’t even protest, not even when they came back with all the jewellery. Miss Dale and Mr Snakeskin were incredibly happy, as was Lilith, who was apologised to by everyone but horrid Miss Dale. Janis, now looking white, wide eyed and slack-jawed like a dead fish, was taken away by the police. Adam and Lilith made pax and then the next day he and Ryan were now the ones arguing again. I was applauded and I was happy, but I also felt very breathless. Only Hermia wasn’t happy. She didn’t even look at me. At first, I thought she was angry at me, although everyone told me that she was being silly and to ignore her. This continued until we boarded the coach to go back to school. Suddenly she leapt up and embraced me on the curb just as we were boarding. She had tears in her eyes. “Oh... I’m a horrible friend and a useless detective!” “Not really. You were very quick on the case and you were nice to Janis.” I said, hoping it would please her. She sobbed harder. “Exactly! And I was horrible to you because you disagreed with me. She had me hook, line and sinker!” she wailed. I had never seen anything like this before, Hermia was usually unflappable. “Well, that’s quite fitting, as she looked like a stunned mullet.” I said, hoping to make her laugh. She snorted and we hugged again. “Hurry up!” barked Miss Dale, fiddling with one of her earrings, breathing down my neck yet again. I noticed everyone else was on the coach. Hermia and I ran ahead, hand in hand.
THE END
If you enjoyed that haunting tale, click here to read another short story featuring Hermia and her friends from the St Nicholas School for Magical Children http://www.sycamoretrust.org.uk/latest/article/The-case-of-the-ghostly-child
