his mother. “But I’m not so sure. Anyway, we’re trying to help Father Peter get rid of his bats.”
“Hmm. I hope you three aren’t making a nuisance of yourselves,” his mother said, frowning. “I was on the phone to Mr Wallace for almost half an hour, trying to calm him down. I don’t want an angry call from the local priest next.”
Giles nodded and sighed. It seemed that every time something went wrong with the genius business, everyone forgot all the successes they’d had, and only remembered the bad things. It wasn’t much fun being thought of as a pest.
“You’d better give him some garlic,” Mr Barnes said to his wife, winking at Giles.
“Humph,” said Mrs Barnes, but started rooting around in one of the drawers. “I think I’ve got a few cloves around here somewhere…here.”
She put half a bulb of garlic on the kitchen table. Giles looked at it dubiously.
“That’s it?”
“Yes, that’s it.”
“I was kind of hoping to make a big chain, like you see in the old movies. The kind you wear around your neck.”
“Well, you’ll just have to make do with that, I’m afraid.”
“What makes you think there’s a vampire on the loose?” his father asked.
Giles told him about the spooky man he and Kevin had seen on the church tower, and about his strange reappearance last night.
“And you think he’s a vampire,” said Mr Barnes.
“I’m just keeping an open mind,” said Giles.
Mr Barnes looked at the garlic on the table. “Do you think you could spare a clove or two?”
Chapter 4
A Critical Stage
“She still won’t let me into the workshop,” Kevin told Giles when he arrived at the Quarks’ later that day. “She says she’s at a critical stage with this bat project.”
“Ah.”
“She’s usually at a critical stage,” Kevin said with a sigh, “or at least that’s what she says whenever I want to get in and help. She thinks I’m a pest, Barnes—just like Mr Wallace said.”
“Well, he called all of us pests,” Giles pointed out, “even Tina.”
This seemed to cheer Kevin up a bit. “Well, as long as we’re all pests, I guess it’s not so bad.”
“Let’s go see if she’ll let us in now,” Giles suggested.
“Okay.” Kevin frowned and sniffed the air. “What’s that smell?”
“Garlic,” said Giles, and told Kevin about what he’d seen last night.
“This is getting pretty freaky,” said Kevin. “I think we’ve got a vampire out there, Barnes. Um, do you think you could spare some of that…”
Giles dug the garlic out of his jeans pocket and broke off a few cloves for Kevin. It didn’t leave a lot for him. He hoped it would be enough if he ever came face to face with the vampire.
“Thanks,” said Kevin, smearing some garlic across his neck and under his arms.
Downstairs in the basement, they knocked on the workshop door.
“Who’s there?” came an impatient voice.
“It’s Barnes,” said Kevin, and then after a pause, “and Kevin.”
There was a long silence. “You can come in— if you don’t touch anything.”
They found Tina hunched over a small piece ofmachinery that looked like a cross between a calculator, a beat-up alarm clock, and an old MP3 player.
“I believe I’ve come up with the answer to Father Peter’s bat problem,” she said.
She tightened the last screw and turned around to face them, wiping a smudge of grease off her face.
“Bats use sound to find their way around. Very high-pitched sound. Our human ears can’t pick it up. But bats send out millions of little sound pulses that bounce off whatever’s in front of them.”
“Like an echo!” said Kevin excitedly.
“Yes,” said Tina, “though I prefer the more scientific term, echolocation.”
“So what’s this gizmo do?” said Giles, pointing at Tina’s latest invention.
“Barnes, I’d really prefer that you didn’t refer to my invention as a gizmo. ” She uttered the word as if it left a particularly revolting taste in her mouth.
“Hmm. I hope you three aren’t making a nuisance of yourselves,” his mother said, frowning. “I was on the phone to Mr Wallace for almost half an hour, trying to calm him down. I don’t want an angry call from the local priest next.”
Giles nodded and sighed. It seemed that every time something went wrong with the genius business, everyone forgot all the successes they’d had, and only remembered the bad things. It wasn’t much fun being thought of as a pest.
“You’d better give him some garlic,” Mr Barnes said to his wife, winking at Giles.
“Humph,” said Mrs Barnes, but started rooting around in one of the drawers. “I think I’ve got a few cloves around here somewhere…here.”
She put half a bulb of garlic on the kitchen table. Giles looked at it dubiously.
“That’s it?”
“Yes, that’s it.”
“I was kind of hoping to make a big chain, like you see in the old movies. The kind you wear around your neck.”
“Well, you’ll just have to make do with that, I’m afraid.”
“What makes you think there’s a vampire on the loose?” his father asked.
Giles told him about the spooky man he and Kevin had seen on the church tower, and about his strange reappearance last night.
“And you think he’s a vampire,” said Mr Barnes.
“I’m just keeping an open mind,” said Giles.
Mr Barnes looked at the garlic on the table. “Do you think you could spare a clove or two?”
Chapter 4
A Critical Stage
“She still won’t let me into the workshop,” Kevin told Giles when he arrived at the Quarks’ later that day. “She says she’s at a critical stage with this bat project.”
“Ah.”
“She’s usually at a critical stage,” Kevin said with a sigh, “or at least that’s what she says whenever I want to get in and help. She thinks I’m a pest, Barnes—just like Mr Wallace said.”
“Well, he called all of us pests,” Giles pointed out, “even Tina.”
This seemed to cheer Kevin up a bit. “Well, as long as we’re all pests, I guess it’s not so bad.”
“Let’s go see if she’ll let us in now,” Giles suggested.
“Okay.” Kevin frowned and sniffed the air. “What’s that smell?”
“Garlic,” said Giles, and told Kevin about what he’d seen last night.
“This is getting pretty freaky,” said Kevin. “I think we’ve got a vampire out there, Barnes. Um, do you think you could spare some of that…”
Giles dug the garlic out of his jeans pocket and broke off a few cloves for Kevin. It didn’t leave a lot for him. He hoped it would be enough if he ever came face to face with the vampire.
“Thanks,” said Kevin, smearing some garlic across his neck and under his arms.
Downstairs in the basement, they knocked on the workshop door.
“Who’s there?” came an impatient voice.
“It’s Barnes,” said Kevin, and then after a pause, “and Kevin.”
There was a long silence. “You can come in— if you don’t touch anything.”
They found Tina hunched over a small piece ofmachinery that looked like a cross between a calculator, a beat-up alarm clock, and an old MP3 player.
“I believe I’ve come up with the answer to Father Peter’s bat problem,” she said.
She tightened the last screw and turned around to face them, wiping a smudge of grease off her face.
“Bats use sound to find their way around. Very high-pitched sound. Our human ears can’t pick it up. But bats send out millions of little sound pulses that bounce off whatever’s in front of them.”
“Like an echo!” said Kevin excitedly.
“Yes,” said Tina, “though I prefer the more scientific term, echolocation.”
“So what’s this gizmo do?” said Giles, pointing at Tina’s latest invention.
“Barnes, I’d really prefer that you didn’t refer to my invention as a gizmo. ” She uttered the word as if it left a particularly revolting taste in her mouth.
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