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minutes left Castlerock were 13-9 down.
    ‘Come on, Castlerock!’ came the high-pitched call from the touchline, and Eoin grinned at Dylan as his sister waved a home-made banner.
    From the next line-out Eoin gathered the ball and, spotting a gap, decided to make a run through midfield. He rode a tackle and was only ten metres from the try-line when one of the Savage brothers came crashing in from his left. As he fell he twisted and spotted two team-mates chasing hard in support: Duffy to his left, Dylan to his right.
    ‘Pass!’ roared Duffy, but Eoin slipped the ball to Dylan who was very fast over short distances and nipped over the line and touched down under the posts.
    ‘Hooray!’ shrieked Caoimhe, and the rest of the Castlerock supporters joined in with her celebrations.
    Eoin knocked over the conversion and with a three-point lead Castlerock concentrated on closing the game down for the last couple of minutes. At the final whistle he shook hands with the Rostipp boys and his team-mates and walked over to where his family were standing.
    ‘Well done, son,’ his father said, clapping him across the shoulders. His mum and grandad also congratulated him, and both slipped him some pocket money.
    ‘Any sign of your phone?’ his mother asked.
    ‘Not yet, but I hope we’ll get them back soon,’ replied Eoin.
    A loud whistle called him back to the field where Mr Hoey wanted to have a warm-down and short discussion on how they had played.
    Duffy continued to give Eoin daggers, but Mr Hoey was full of praise for Eoin’s late burst and the quick decision that saw him pass the ball to Dylan.
    ‘You’ll be back at out-half next week, Mr Duffy,’ he said, ‘but we need the sort of speedy decision-making that Mr Madden showed today from now on. Now, get yourselves changed and we’ll be back on the bus in twenty minutes.’
    Eoin hurried over for a quick farewell to his family, and also thanked Caoimhe and Dylan’s mum for theirvocal support.
    ‘See you at Hallowe’en, Caoimhe,’ he called out as he was leaving. ‘What are you dressing up as?’
    ‘She doesn’t need to dress up!’ laughed Dylan, as they clambered onto the bus.

Chapter 14
    . . . . . . . . .
    T HE trip down the country had heartened Eoin. Although he enjoyed life in Castlerock, still missed his mam and dad, and his grandfather, of course.
    Back at school the history teacher, Mr Dunne, had informed them that even though it was fantastic that Eoin had won the Historian of the Year competition the previous year, there just wasn’t enough time in the school timetable to defend his title. Eoin was secretly happy; he had worked very hard on the project, but he knew the reason he had won was the advantage he had been given by his ghostly friend Dave Gallaher.
    Mr Dunne wasn’t letting them totally off the hook, however, as a project was part of the preparation for the state exams and he expected them all to come up with a strong topic by the next History class.
    He collared Eoin as the class broke up.
    ‘I know you’re busy with rugby and everything else, Eoin,’ the teacher started, ‘But you really have a talent for history and I’d like you to spend a bit of time working out a good topic. You could be in line for an A nextyear if you get the right idea for a project. See what you come across and we’ll talk next week.’
    It was a warm day so after school Eoin and Alan went for a ramble down to the woods. Eoin told Alan how Dylan had also been able to see Brian, but was a bit rattled by the experience.
    Alan laughed. ‘I wish I could see Brian more often. He seemed like such a nice lad. And knowing a ghost is so cool …’
    They stepped into the bushes and walked past where the stream flowed, where they saw someone digging at the base of the Rock.
    ‘Hello?’ Eoin started.
    The young man stood up, and Eoin realised he had seen him some weeks before. Up close he recognised the Belvedere College rugby jersey that he was wearing.
    ‘Excuse