Ghost Bell Read online

  A wave of rank breath passed over Tamsin. She grabbed the bony arm in both hands, trying to pull herself away from the vice-like grip.

  “Let. Me. Go!” she shouted as loudly as she could, muscles straining. With a sickening, snapping crack of bones, Tamsin wrenched the arm away. The bleached white hand opened and closed frantically, trying to grab her again, then, with a crack of energy, it was pulled back to whichever dimension it had come from.

  “Nooooooo!” wailed the spirit as time started again. Light exploded from the gem at the heart of Mr Brandy’s device. With a crack that drove the breath from Tamsin’s body, the bell tower was silent.

  Nobody spoke. Sunlight streamed in shafts through the narrow windows, all traces of cold and ice gone. Somewhere, they could hear a bird singing.

  Tamsin ran to Paul and wrapped him into a big hug. He let it carry on for a few seconds before saying, “Tam, I can’t breathe!”

  Tamsin let him go, smiling.

  “How was your adventure?” Chase asked, punching him playfully on the shoulder.

  Paul grinned. “I’d rather have an ice cream.”

  Mr Brandy coughed and all three turned. He was placing the books and device back into his satchel. He nodded at them, smiling. “Ice cream. Yes. I think I can oblige with that.”

  CHAPTER 8

  “I think,” said Paul, giving an experimental lick to the enormous cone of strawberry ice cream, “this is the best ice cream I’ve ever had!”

  “A brush with the spirit world will do that to you,” said Mr Brandy, clutching a smaller cone of chocolate chip.

  Tamsin grinned as she watched the two of them. Paul was now a bit in awe of Mr Brandy as he’d been told the whole story. He’d looked around the secret room behind the bookshop with wide eyes, running from one shelf to another. Mr Brandy had laughed as he was bombarded with questions about all the monsters he’d faced.

  “Your brother’s found a new bestie,” said Chase with a smile.

  “Yeah,” laughed Tamsin. “I’m waiting for him to ask if he can be a Guardian when he grows up.”

  Tamsin looked across to the bell tower. Just a normal building with a dark secret. After a few seconds of silence, Tamsin said, “Thanks for helping to save Paul.”

  “What else was I going to do,” said Chase, smiling. “If I didn’t have Paul, I’d have to make fun of you instead.”

  Paul and Mr Brandy wandered over, their ice creams nearly finished.

  Mr Brandy’s face grew suddenly serious. “Now listen to me, you three. You’ve experienced something today that you cannot tell a living soul about. The Guardians sometimes depend on others to help in their fight against evil, and you have all shown great courage today.”

  “When I was little,” said Tamsin, “mum and dad always used to tell me there were no such things as monsters if I had a nightmare.”

  “There are though, aren’t there?” said Chase.

  “Yes, I’m afraid so,” replied Mr Brandy. “All over the world, there are weak points between the different planes of existence. Corridors for evil to travel through. The Guardians do what they can to stop that.”

  “If you ever need our help again, we’ll be here,” said Tamsin. Paul and Chase nodded.

  Mr Brandy smiled. “I’m very grateful. But for now, you have the rest of your summer holiday to enjoy. The ghosts and monsters have been sent home – you three go and have fun!”

  THE END

  Ghost Bell ISBN 978-1-78464-251-8

  Text © Mark Wright 2014

  Complete work © Badger Publishing Limited 2014

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be

  reproduced, stored in any form or by any means mechanical,

  electronic, recording or otherwise without the prior permission

  of the publisher.

  The right of Mark Wright to be identified as author of this Work has

  been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and

  Patents Act 1988.

  Publisher: Susan Ross

  Senior Editor: Danny Pearson

  Publishing Assistant: Claire Morgan

  Copyeditor: Cheryl Lanyon

  Designer: Bigtop Design Ltd

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  Titles in Teen Reads:

  Copy Cat

  TOMMY DONBAVAND

  Dead Scared

  TOMMY DONBAVAND

  Just Bite

  TOMMY DONBAVAND

  Home

  TOMMY DONBAVAND

  Kidnap

  TOMMY DONBAVAND

  Ward 13

  TOMMY DONBAVAND

  Deadly Mission

  MARK WRIGHT

  Ghost Bell

  MARK WRIGHT

  The Corridor

  MARK WRIGHT

  Death Road

  JON MAYHEW

  Fair Game

  ALAN DURANT

  Jigsaw Lady

  TONY LEE

  Mister Scratch

  TONY LEE

  Stalker

  TONY LEE

  Dawn of the Daves

  TIM COLLINS

  Joke Shop

  TIM COLLINS

  The Locals

  TIM COLLINS

  Troll

  TIM COLLINS

  Insectoids

  ROGER HURN

  Billy Button

  CAVAN SCOTT

  Mama Barkfingers

  CAVAN SCOTT

  Pest Control

  CAVAN SCOTT

  The Hunted

  CAVAN SCOTT

  The Changeling

  CAVAN SCOTT

  Nightmare

  ANN EVANS

  Sitting Target

  JOHN TOWNSEND

  Snow White, Black Heart

  JACQUELINE RAYNER

  The Wishing Doll

  BEVERLY SANFORD

  Underworld

  SIMON CHESHIRE

  World Without Words

  JONNY ZUCKER

  Badger Publishing Limited, Oldmedow Road, Hardwick Industrial Estate, King’s Lynn PE30 4JJ

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