The Crowmaster. Barry Hutchison

up.’

      I heard her gasp quietly. The bed gave a sharp creak as she sat quickly upright. ‘What?’ she said, more loudly than I’d have liked. ‘What’s wrong?’

      ‘Come here, quick.’

      ‘What is it?’

      ‘Just come and look!’ I hissed, giving her an imploring look. She muttered faintly beneath her breath as she threw off her covers and came to join me by the door.

      She needn’t have bothered. The spot where Caddie had been standing was empty. I cursed myself for glancing away.

      ‘Gone,’ I said. ‘She’s gone.’

      ‘Who’s gone?’

      ‘Caddie.’

      ‘Yeah, four days ago,’ Ameena said.

      I shook my head. ‘No, not four days ago. Now. A second ago.’

      I marched across the landing and into my room. Empty. Ameena sauntered in behind me.

      ‘You were probably just dreaming.’

      ‘I’m telling you she was here,’ I said, pointing to the foot of my bed. ‘Standing right there.’

      Ameena opened my wardrobe door and peeked inside. ‘Not in there,’ she said, closing it again with a click. ‘You sure you weren’t dreaming, kiddo?’

      I flopped down into a sitting position on my bed. First Mr Mumbles and then Caddie. What was happening to me?

      ‘I saw her,’ I said, my voice coming out as a quiet croak. ‘I saw her as clearly as I’m seeing you.’

      ‘Maybe you just imagined—’

      ‘No,’ I snapped, ‘she was here.’

      ‘You didn’t let me finish. I’m not saying she wasn’t here, I’m saying maybe you imagined it.’

      I looked up at her and blinked, even more confused than I had been. ‘How do you mean?’

      ‘Remember in the garage?’ she said. ‘When we fought Mr Mumbles. You told me you thought about a light coming on, and what happened?’

      ‘A light came on,’ I frowned, ‘but—’

      ‘And you thought how handy it would be to have a weapon, didn’t you? And then…’

      ‘I found the axe.’

      ‘Exactly,’ she nodded. ‘So what happened downstairs? Just before you saw Mr Mumbles.’

      ‘I dropped a glass,’ I told her.

      ‘And?’

      I hesitated, having already realised the road this conversation was taking me down. ‘And I remembered him coming through the window.’

      ‘And I’ll bet just before your other guest turned up you’d been thinking about her too.’

      I looked from Ameena to the spot where Caddie had been standing. Though I didn’t realise it, I must’ve nodded.

      ‘Thought so,’ Ameena said. She looked pleased with herself. I felt like she’d just kicked me in the stomach.

      ‘So, what,’ I began, ‘every time I remember them they’re going to come back, is that it? Every time I think about what happened they’re going to come leaping out of the shadows?’

      ‘There’s a simple solution.’

      ‘What’s that?’

      ‘Don’t think about them.’

      Easy for you to say, I thought, but I didn’t say it out loud. I looked down at the floor. Was this it? Was I doomed to a life of running from ghosts of monsters past? I had to know. One way or another I had to find out for sure.

      ‘You might be right,’ I nodded, standing up.

      ‘Of course I’m right. I’m always right.’

      ‘But let’s do a test,’ I suggested.

      Ameena’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. ‘What kind of test?’

      ‘I’ll think about one of them and see if I can make them appear.’

      Ameena didn’t say anything for a moment. I saw her look over at my bedside alarm. The LED display told her it was well before five. She sighed as she realised she wouldn’t be getting back to bed any time soon. ‘OK,’ she nodded. ‘Let’s give it a try.’

      ‘Close the door,’ I instructed. I bounced up and down on the spot a few times, taking four or five big, deep breaths.

      ‘Ready?’ Ameena asked.

      I stopped bouncing and nodded. ‘Ready.’

      We stood there for a long time, neither one of us saying anything, until Ameena eventually broke the silence.

      ‘You started yet?’

      I winced. ‘I don’t know which one to think about.’

      ‘Good grief,’ she muttered, shaking her head. ‘Think about whatever one scared you the least. I don’t want you freaking out on me if you do make them appear.’

      ‘Right,’ I said. ‘Good idea.’

      I closed my eyes. It was a close-run thing, but I found Mr Mumbles marginally less scary than Caddie, even though it probably should have been the other way around. There was a vague familiarity to Mr Mumbles that Caddie didn’t have, and I think that’s why he didn’t terrify me quite as much as the girl with the doll did.

      Lost in the blackness behind my eyes, I tried to picture my old imaginary friend. It wasn’t hard. He had a face that wasn’t easy to forget, and I’d seen it up close so many times it was burned into my memory for ever.

      Almost straight away, Mr Mumbles stumbled from the fog inside my head, arms outstretched, hands clawing at thin air. Instinctively I opened my eyes and pulled away, although there was nothing to pull away from. Only Ameena and I were there in the room.

      ‘What happened?’ she asked.

      ‘I thought about him,’ I said. ‘I could picture him coming at me.’

      ‘And what about now?’ she asked, casting her eyes around the room. ‘Can you see him now?’

      I shook my head. ‘Maybe I should try again.’

      ‘If you like,’ Ameena nodded, before she gave a yawn so big it threatened to swallow her own head.

      ‘Let’s try in the morning,’ I suggested, taking the hint. ‘It’s late. Or early, depending on how you look at it.’

      ‘Good call. You be OK?’

      ‘Course,’ I said with a smile, as I guided her towards the door. ‘I’ll be absolutely… Wait. Did you hear something?’

      We stood listening to the silence.

      ‘Nope.’

      I hesitated, then reached for the door. For a moment there I’d thought I heard…

      ‘Footsteps,’ I whispered. ‘Listen.’

      We leaned closer to the door. Ameena stared down towards the end of her nose, the way she always did when she was listening hard.

      Thup. The sound of the footstep on the hallway carpet was almost too soft for us to hear. Almost.

      Ameena’s eyes met mine. She gave a brief nod and we both stepped back from the door.

      Thup.

      ‘Now do you believe me?’ I whispered as I looked around for something to use as a weapon. The only thing close to hand was a pillow, and I couldn’t see that being a lot of help.

      Thup.