Page 18 of Secrets and Seashells at Rainbow Bay
‘This way, then,’ I say, taking the lead, and we make our way slowly along the dim corridor using Tiffany’s phone for light this time. At regular intervals along the walls there are wrought-iron sconces that must once have held candles to light the way; obviously the electricity never reached this far down.
‘I don’t like it down here,’ Tiffany says apprehensively. ‘It’s spooky.’
‘Neither do I particularly, but if Charlie came down here then we have to find him.’
‘You don’t think this leads to thedungeons, do you?’ Tiffany says, her voice trembling a little. ‘Cos Ireallydon’t want to go down there.’
The dungeons! Of course, that’s exactly where Charlie would try to explore given the chance.
Suddenly we reach the end of the corridor, and in front of us is a huge wooden door with black iron bars nailed horizontally across it. There’s an equally sturdy-looking bolt to pull it open, but also an extremely large padlock.
‘He can’t have gone through there,’ Tiffany says, stating the obvious. ‘He wouldn’t have the key.’
‘Really?’ I reply scathingly. Usually I’m not prone to sarcasm, but I’m starting to get really worried now. These areas aren’t open to the public; in fact, I doubt anyone visits them these days; they could be dangerous and unsafe – especially for a ten-year-old boy. ‘Whatisthrough there, then – why is it locked up?’
‘I dunno; like I said, we’re not allowed down here. I think Arthur is the only one who ever comes down here, and that’s not very often.’
Hmm . . . ’ I look around. ‘What about this way, then? What’s through here?’
Tiffany holds up her phone and through a small archway we see another stone staircase, this time winding its way tightly upward. ‘Come on,’ I say to an even more worried-looking Tiffany. ‘He must have gone up here.’
‘What if he never came down this far in the first place?’ Tiffany says as she passes me her phone so I can lead the way up the narrow staircase. ‘He might have been hiding in one of them rooms with all the junk? That’s what my little brother would do – he’s a right little shi— I . . . I mean scoundrel.’
‘No, Charlie is obsessed by gory stuff like dungeons; I’m sure that’s where he would have tried to go.’
‘But we’re going up now, ain’t we? Dungeons aren’t up.’
She’s right, but what choice do I have? Charlie might not have the key to that door back there, but neither do we.
We climb a little higher until suddenly I spy light up ahead – daylight, I realise, as we climb a few more of the stone steps – and then there in front of us is another stone archway leading out into the castle courtyard.
‘Phew,’ Tiffany says, gulping deep dramatic breaths. ‘It’s good to be able to breathe fresh air again.’
‘We were only down there a few minutes,’ I tell her. ‘You’ve hardly been incarcerated underground for years.’
Joey comes rushing over to see us, closely followed by Dorothy.
‘Did you find him?’ he asks anxiously.
I shake my head.
‘Damn, we’re doing our best, but this castle is a big place. He could be anywhere, and there are only a few of us here today to look. If we don’t find him soon I’ll call in some back-up from the village.’
Joey’s radio crackles on his belt and he swiftly pulls it loose. ‘Arthur, how’s it going?’
‘No sign here in the north wing; you haven’t found him yet, then?’
‘Negative to that. The others the same.’
Suddenly before Arthur has a chance to reply we hear a distant voice.
‘Mum! Up here!’
We all swivel around on the gravel of the courtyard and look up.
‘There!’ Tiffany says, pointing. ‘Up on the tower.’
We look to where she’s pointing and see Charlie waving at us. He’s standing on the topmost part of the tower, in a similar place to where I’d stood surveying the surrounding countryside on my first visit.
