Mystery at Silver Spires
It was the middle of the night. I mean, the very middle of the night. Our dormitory was pitch black.
“Bryony, are you awake?” Izzy’s trembling whisper came out of the darkness.
“Yes,” I whispered back.
“Did you hear that noise?”
“I’m not sure…something must have woken me up…” I switched on my little night light. Then I looked round the other four beds in the dorm, but the rest of our friends were still fast asleep.
After a moment, when my eyes had adjusted properly, I could see Izzy’s pale frightened face. “Don’t worry, Izzy. It’s probably just one of those creaks you sometimes get in old buildings.” But even as I was talking, I was thinking, What rubbish, because our boarding house, Forest Ash, is only about forty years old. I mean, that’s not exactly ancient.
“Where do you think the noise came from?” Izzy whispered. “I couldn’t tell.”
I was about to say I wasn’t sure when it came again – a soft bump. Izzy looked terrified and, though my heart was beating faster than usual, I felt sure there had to be an obvious explanation. “It could be a mouse or a bird,” I said, trying not to sound too anxious. “After all we’re on the top floor here. There’s only the attic above us and nobody ever goes up there. I wouldn’t even know how to get to it.”
“But it didn’t sound like a scratchy, scrabbly noise, did it, Bry?”
“Well no, but…let me go and have a look in the corridor. Maybe it wasn’t coming from the attic at all. I’ll be back in a sec.”
I got out of bed, tiptoed across the room to the door and opened it as silently as possible, so as not to disturb the others. Matron’s room was just along the landing from our dorm and I didn’t want to give her a fright either. I looked right and then left in the gloom of the single landing light – it’s always on in case anyone wants to go to the loo in the night. There was no sign of any of the staff or students, which might make Izzy even more alarmed. As I crept back into the dorm, closing the door behind me softly, and tiptoed over to Izzy’s bed, I felt her fear lightly brushing me.
“I heard it again, Bry. Like someone treading really softly. I’m sure it’s coming from above.” Izzy fixed me with her frightened stare. “Do you think it’s…a…a ghost?”