Ghost of a Chance Read Free Page B

water.
    Hannah looked up at the lighthouse again. It stood at the edge of the cliffs, shining white in the early morning sun. Not creepy at all now, thought Hannah; not from this distance. She headed back up through a small rise of sand dunes to the guesthouse.
    By the time she returned the others had got up and were sitting in the dining room.
    ‘Geez, is there anything better than waking to the smell of cooked bacon?’ Angus said, looking up as Hannah entered the dining room.
    ‘Eating it,’ E.D. said, grinning. ‘Hey, Han, I drank your orange juice. Thought you were still asleep.’
    ‘I’ve been up for the last forty minutes walking along the beach and exploring round the lighthouse.’
    ‘Nice,’ said Ling. ‘You should have woken me; I would have come with you. It’s a beautiful morning.’
    A woman came bustling into the room carrying a tray covered with plates of steaming food.
    ‘Ling dear,’ she said, placing the tray down and lifting Ling off her feet.
    ‘Hello, Aunt Susie,’ Ling gasped, her face turning red. Extricating herself from her aunt’s crushing embrace, Ling introduced her friends to her aunt.
    ‘Lovely to meet you all,’ Aunt Susie said, beaming, crashing plates down in front of each of the children. ‘Call me Mrs D. D for Dalrymple. Everyone—except Ling—calls me Mrs D.’ She ruffled Angus’s hair. ‘Don’t count on this weather lasting. The forecast isn’t good, I’m afraid.’
    ‘Oh, I’m vegetarian,’ Gabby lied, leaning away in horror as Mrs Dalrymple placed a plate in front of her piled high with sausages, bacon, egg, toast and tomato. ‘Could I just have a slice of toast?’
    ‘You’re not vegetarian,’ E.D. cried, glaring at Gabby. ‘That’s your twin sister. It’s alright,’ he said, waving away Mrs Dalrymple. ‘It’s still a little early in the morning.’ E.D. rolled his eyes dramatically, gathered up Gabby’s plate and plonked it alongside his own.
    ‘I’ll leave you to sort it out.’ Mrs Dalrymple winked at E.D. and walked back to the kitchen.
    ‘E.D., you can’t eat all that,’ Gabby said, getting up and walking over to a huge silver toaster on a trolley beneath the window.
    ‘You’re right, Gab, not without toast! Whack a couple of pieces in for me as well,’ he grinned, tucking a napkin into his collar and reaching for his cutlery.
    Ling said goodbye to her parents, watched them drive off towards the city, and joined the others.
    ‘You’ve all got sunscreen on?’ Mrs Dalrymple called from an upstairs window as the children walked outside.
    ‘Yes, Aunt Susie,’ Ling replied, waving. ‘We’re just going to walk into town.’
    Town turned out to be surprisingly quiet. What had once been a thriving and bustling community was now only a shadow of its formerself. The school had closed and weeds had taken over the asphalt playground, and the children passed a number of houses and shops that looked run down and neglected.
    A few neat little houses lined the main street, along with a fish and chip shop, a milk bar that appeared permanently closed, a broken telephone booth, two other stores with boarded-up windows and what looked like a small town hall.
    ‘There won’t be much nightlife happening here,’ Gabby said, gazing down the empty street.
    ‘I’m more worried about the lack of day life,’ E.D. said, banging on the fish and chip shop door. The children looked up suddenly as a small window upstairs opened with a screech and they were blasted by a tirade of garbled Italian.
    ‘Signora spiacente—non ho significato svegliarlo,’ E.D. said, immediately.
    The lady paused, staring at E.D. Her lined face softened briefly.
    ‘Attendere un momento,’ she replied, a broad smile lighting up her face.
    ‘What did you say, E.D?’ Ling laughed.
    ‘Just said I was sorry to have woken her. She’s coming down. Maybe we’ll get a free feed. It’s been a long time since breakfast.’
    A moment later they heard a key rattle in the lock,