Tiny looked at the letter again, and winced. The last thing she wanted to do was bat-sit for Professor Castleclaw’s boys. She had nothing against the bat twins, they were actually quite sweet. No, it was the creepy old house that Tiny disliked. It gave her the heebie-jeebies with its creaking floors, ghostly howls and cold, candlelit rooms. But like it or not, she found herself perched on the bed, cradling a candle which flickered and hissed in the growing darkness.
The house was very quiet: a creak, a groan, a scurry of footsteps. Tiny’s heart quickened. A shadow scuttled through the light beneath the door. Her eyes grew wide. Ghostly shadows danced about the room. “Go away Fear-Goblins!” she cried.
And then she heard the tap-tap-tap. “I said go away!” Tap-tap-tap. She felt very afraid.
Tiny looked about the room, the sound seemed to be coming from inside the wall itself. She gave it a gentle knock, and to her horror the tap-tap-tap came in return.
Tiny grabbed the peeling wallpaper and ripped as hard as she could. Behind the wallpaper sat a young woman, looking quite cross and wearing a crumpled Victorian dress.
“Oh my!” gasped Tiny, extending her hand, “are you alright? Let me help you out!”
“I cannot thank you enough!” said the lady, a little
embarrassed, “I’ve waited 130 years for this moment, please excuse my appearance.”
Tiny was speechless.
“My wretched sister drew a picture of me and put it in the walls before Papa
had our rooms decorated. The next day I woke up and found myself trapped! I
can’t wait to give that scoundrel a piece of my mind. Thank you Tiny!”
Tiny watched in bewilderment as the lady clambered out, scampered across the room and disappeared into the shadows. The tapping had stopped, and in its place she heard a rustle. She turned to see the bat-twins tucked up under her covers,
“Tell us a scary story Tiny!” they squeaked.
“I have the perfect one,” she replied, “It’s called The Lady in the Wall.”