Read He Called Me Son (The Blountmere Street Series Book 1) for Free Online Page A

you the willies.   There was no moon, only the light that seeped between cracks in the curtains that hung in the windows of the prefabs which surrounded the bombsite.   The broken walls that sprang up in front of us looked like a monster’s teeth.
    ‘D’you reckon there are ghosts here from people who were killed in The War?’ I asked.
    ‘Not scared are you?’
    ‘Course not.   What about you?’
    ‘It’d take more than a few stupid ghosts to put the wind up me.’   Just the same, Angela hung on to my jersey.
    I heard a rustling sound, followed by the noise of stones crunching together.   I stopped and looked around to see a slit of light moving towards us.
    Angela heard and saw it too.   ‘What’s that?’ She asked, screwing a handful of my jersey into a ball.
    I made a grab for her hand. We moved closer to each other as the sound of a voice floated towards us.
    ‘Blimey, it is a ghost!   Clear off.   Leave us alone,’ she shouted, but her voice shook.
    I felt the edge of a broken-down wall beside us, and pushed Angela behind it, then practically fell on top of her.   ‘Keep your head down and the ghosts might not be able to find us.’  
    From behind the wall we heard footsteps getting closer and I tightened my grip on Angela’s hand.
    ‘Don’t touch the ducks,’ she cried out.   ‘Please, please don’t touch them.   They haven’t done you any harm.   Don’t kick’em with your boots ‘til their eyes drop out.’  
    ‘It’s all right, wherever you are.   It’s us, Mrs Dibble and Paula!’
    ‘I told you there weren’t any such things as ghosts, didn’t I.’ Angela hissed.   ‘You’re nothing but a cry baby.’   She shook off my hand.
    ‘But it wasn’t me who … and who was it who ...’
    Angela ignored me.   ‘We’re here, over here.’
    ‘We’ve almost broken our necks trying to find you two,’ Mrs Dibble stumbled over to us.   She held on to Paula to keep steady as she bent to rub her ankle. ‘Paula knew you stayed over here.   She said you were guarding those blessed ducks, and she thought we should give you a bit of company.   She wanted to come on her own, but I wasn’t having any daughter of mine wandering round a bombsite alone at night.   She could have broken her neck or fallen in that crater and drowned.’  
    ‘We’re not guarding the ducks .   Fred said they were safe enough at night.   It’s their eggs we’re protecting.   We don’t want them getting nicked.’  
    ‘Mr Dibble and I think it’s too early for ducklings.’
    Angela’s sniff was enough to tell Mrs Dibble what she thought of that.
    The Dibbles stayed for a while.   I liked their company.   Having an adult with us made me feel less afraid of ghosts.  
     
    When we had to leave, it took a bit of persuading to get Angela to come home.
    ‘You have to be prepared for those ducks to fly away whenever the instinct takes them, or in fact if the water in the crater dries up.’ Fred told us the next morning as he spread a thin layer of marmalade on his toast, and Angela stirred another spoonful of condensed milk into her cup of tea.
    Mum tapped Angela’s hand to indicate that it was to be the last spoonful and said, ‘That’s exactly right.   And you certainly can’t take time off school to stay with them, Angela.’
    ‘What if someone tries to hurt them or takes them to … to eat?   Mavis Dodds said her brother has a duck’s egg for breakfast every morning.’
    ‘I’m sure nothing will happen.’   Fred tried to assure Angela.
    ‘You’re not taking a day off school and that’s flat,’ Mum said.
    The sound of a knock at the door interrupted what looked as if it was going to be one of Angela’s outbursts.
    I jumped down the stairs three at a time – my record – I was aiming for four, but I hadn’t quite made it yet.   The last time I tried, I ended up in a pile at the bottom and Mum was certain I’d broken my ankle.  
    Paula Dibble was at the door hovering