Tick Tock (Storage Ghosts) Read Free Page B

now.”
    “Are
they worth anything?” Grace said. She was itching to move closer, to look at
the ghosts more closely.
    Big
Bob shrugged. “No commercial value, they’d be better off in a museum. Not worth
bidding on.”
    As
nonchalantly as she could Grace said, “I think I might have a closer look. I
studied the industrial age at university, I like seeing things in the flesh.
Well, not in the flesh! They’re made of metal! And wood! You know what I mean.”
    Realising
she was rambling Grace moved forward. Big Bob called out, “See if you can peel
your brother away from Sylvester Sylver’s side. He’s so close he’s almost
become a shadow.”
    Grace
queued behind some other bidders as they moved towards the locker. When it was
her turn Grace didn’t look at the items. Her eyes looked over the ghosts. She’d
never seen ghost children before. It was obvious from their grubby faces and
tattered clothes that they were mill workers. Grace’s heart ached as she
remembered the stories about how children as young as 6 would work in the
mills, some for as long as 14 hours a day. Their small frames were perfect for
grabbing fluff from the fast moving factory machines.
    The
children were running around the small unit area, playing chasing games and
laughing. Their laughs sounded like echoes as the sound bounced off the metal
walls. Grace winced when she noticed the injuries on the children. One of them
had fingers missing, one had a whole arm missing. A little girl had a red bald
patch on one side of her head. Grace assumed that she had got her hair caught
under one of the machines. Grace sighed, what a waste of young lives. But the
children didn’t seem sad, they laughed loudly as one of them tagged the other.
    The
bald headed girl suddenly noticed Grace. She called out to the others and
pointed straight at her. The other children moved to the front of the unit and
stared at her.
    Grace
discreetly put her hand up at the side of her head and gave them a little wave.
The children jumped up and down with joy. “She can see us!” a small boy said.
    The
children waved back and broke into smiles, showing crooked and missing teeth.
    When
Grace had seen ghosts before in these units they had needed help. Did these
children need help?
    She
was pushed out of the way by the other bidders.
    The
bidding began. Should she bid? What would they do with these old machines? She
could give them to a museum. Where was Frankie? She’d need to speak to him, try
to convince him to buy this locker.
    Grace
searched the crowd. Where was he? She looked over at Sylvester Sylver, Frankie
wasn’t at his side.
    She
stepped backwards so that she could scan the crowd better.
    “Whoa!”
she fell over someone who was crouched down behind her.
    She
collapsed onto the gravel floor and turned to glare at the person who had been
stupid enough to trip her up. It was Frankie. He was crouched down next to a
closed locker.
    He
grimaced at Grace. “Watch where you’re going, you nearly pushed me over then.”
    Grace
hurriedly got to her feet and glared down at him. “You tripped me up! What are
you doing? Are you peeping in that locker? You’ll get thrown out.”
    “Sylvester
would never throw me out,” Frankie said with a confident air. “I can hear
something in this locker. Listen.”
    Grace
threw a look over her shoulder. No one was paying them any attention. She
hunkered down next to Frankie and turned her head towards the locker door. Her
eyebrows raised when she heard something.
    Frankie
nodded and said, “Can you hear it too?”
    “That
ticking sound? I can? What do you think it is?”
    Frankie
pressed his lips together and gave her a serious look. “I think it might be a
bomb.”
     
    Chapter 6
     
    “A
bomb!” Grace screeched. She straightened up and took a step backwards.
    “Shh!”
Frankie waved a hand at her. “A bomb, or a loud clock. People have set bombs
before in storage units, they set them to go off when the doors are