Gruesome Grubbiness
Gem gave a yell, making Georgie jump. ‘What’s up with you?’ she said, turning sharply.
‘There are faces on the wall again – and one of them moved.’
Georgie froze. ‘You’re scamming me.’
‘I’m not. Look!’
Georgie didn’t want to look at the faces on the wall so she looked at Gem instead, but that was almost as bad because Gem’s eyes were nearly popping out of her head. Taking a deep breath, Georgie ran back to bed and scrambled under the duvet.
‘I knew you’d be scared when it got dark,’ said Gem.
‘And you’re not?’
‘At least I’m not hiding under the cover.’
Georgie ventured a peep over the top of the duvet. Just like on the first night, the moon had cast tree-shadows on the wall.
‘You were scamming me,’ she said crossly. ‘I can’t see any moving faces.’
‘It’s stopped now,’ said Gem. ‘But it’s not a scam, honestly – I did see it.’
Georgie was about to tell her it was just the shadows when she saw something forming out of the light and shade on the wall – a roundish, misshapen head with random tufts of hair and ears like teacup handles. The rest of its features were all crowded together in the middle of its face.
As soon as Georgie had spotted it, several more appeared. They stared at the girls with their round bug eyes and one even poked out a little black tongue. Georgie screamed and dived under the duvet.
‘I don’t want them to be there,’ she said in a muffled voice. ‘Make them go away!’
‘Ha, ha, ha!’
‘It’s not funny, Gemma.’
‘That wasn’t me laughing. It was Them.’
‘Oh my gosh! Tell me when they’ve gone.’
Georgie huddled tensely under the duvet, her heart hammering, sweat sticking her nightie to her back. She longed for fresh air and a drink of water, but she was determined not to come out till Gem gave the all clear.
‘Georgie, you’ve got to see this,’ said Gem in a low, wobbly voice.
‘No way. I’m not coming out till those things have gone off the wall.’
‘They have! Look!’
Georgie peeped over the duvet again.
Sure enough, they had gone from the wall – they were now in the room.
Top image not mine – found on Photobucket
The Literate Lurcher 