Dot and Mr Mouse are exploring the dirty, deserted attic floor above her room, at the very top of Dendringham Hall. Could the spooky image of the ghostly rider be coming from one of the rooms up there? But they soon find out they’re not alone!
This time Dot DID scream!
Or, at least, she tried to… but nothing came out. It was just TOO scary!
She froze to the spot. So did Mr Mouse. She could hear him muttering to himself “Oh no… oh no… we’re gonna die… we’re gonna die…”
Funnily enough, it was his totally spooked reaction that gave her some courage.
No we’re NOT going to die, she said to herself, clenching her teeth. No WAY! Mr Holmes is relying on me!
“Who are you?” she said loudly. “Why did you blow the candle out?”
Silence. No reply. Then, out of the darkness of the attic floor – Dot hadn’t dared light her candle again, and it was pitch black – came a long, sad sigh. It sounded like someone who was in trouble, and couldn’t see any way to get out of it. It made Dot feel sad too – and then she wasn’t scared any more - she just wanted to know what troubled this person, and how she might be able to help.
“Tell me who you are” she said, trying not to sound the way she felt – scared and not at all sure of herself. “I might be able to help. Or Mr Holmes could, he’s a famous detective – he always knows what to do… ”
There was still no reply. But then, suddenly, Dot felt a hand gently touch her face, brushing across her cheek. It made her jump – but it wasn’t a scary feeling, she found to her surprise: the hand was warm and soft, and it felt like when her Mum came into her room sometimes when Dot was half asleep, and stroked her cheek, ever so gently, just like that.
Once she’d woken up when her Mum was doing that, and had been really surprised to see tears in her eyes. When she saw Dot was awake, she’d smiled and said “You are just my perfect girl”, bent down and kissed her, and left the room without saying a word.
Grown-ups were so weird sometimes!
“Please tell me who you are!” she said. All that came back was another long sigh. And then –
“Dorothea! DOROTHEA! Where ARE you!”
Oops! It was Miss Walsingham! WHAT was she going to do!!
Her mysterious friend knew what to do all right – there was a rustling of clothes and creaking of floorboards, and whoever it was had gone!
FOODLES, thought Dot. The best clue yet, lost! GRRRR and DOUBLE GRRRRR!
“DoroTHEA!!!!”
How was she going to get back to her room without being seen! Miss Walsingham must have looked in and seen her bed was empty – and by the sound of her voice, she was waiting in the corridor outside her room, right where she’d be seen if she came back down the narrow stairs!
“We’re doomed!” moaned Mr Mouse. “Toast! We’ve had it! We - ”
“Shut UP, Mr M!” hissed Dot. “Let me THINK!”
But then she heard someone else speaking – a woman’s voice!
Dot crept to the top of the narrow stairs to listen – the door at the bottom was still slightly ajar. She just had to hope Miss Walsingham wouldn’t notice, and put two and two together to make four and guess where she was!
Now she could tell who it was - Laetitia Langton!
“It’s all right Miss Walsingham” she heard Laetitia say. “I have an idea where your young lady has got to – I think I heard her going past my room downstairs just now. Let’s go and look!”
“Oh dear, oh dear” Dot heard Miss Walsingham say. “She really is such a naughty girl, getting out of bed at this time of night! I really must have a good talk with her! I don’t when I’ve ever had…” - and her worried voice faded away as she followed Laetitia back down along the corridor.
The coast was clear! As quickly and as quietly as she could, Dot crept down the narrow stairs. Slowly opening the door at the bottom, she peeped down the moonlit corridor outside her room. Not a soul!
With a hop, a skip and a jump she was back in her room – jumped up into her bed – and snuggled down under the covers. She’d have to think of something to say to Miss Walsingham, but she was safe!
Mr Mouse pattered across her shoulder and down her arm to his little bed on the bedside table. He did a monster yawn. “Enough already!” he said. “Me for sleep! Tell you about what I found in the other room in the morning!” And with that he was fast asleep.
But Dot hardly heard him. She was suddenly wide awake, and thinking.
Why had Laetitia happened to come by at just that moment?
And why had she made up that story about Dot passing by her room? She hadn’t been anywhere near it!
