Page 30 of Secrets and Seashells at Rainbow Bay
‘Yes, he is a cute little dog,’ I agree, pleased I’ve led his thoughts away from Ruby. ‘Perhaps we can take him for a nice long walk one day on the beach.’
‘That would be great. But Chester is not the same as being with Ruby,’ Charlie says, staring out of the window. ‘She’s lots of fun.’
I sigh.
‘Tom was telling me the other day that when he was little he had an imaginary friend . . . ’ I venture. ‘Maybe Ruby isyourimaginary friend. Moving to somewhere new can sometimes be a bit tricky; I wouldn’t blame you for inventing a new friend.’
‘Ruby isn’t imaginary,’ Charlie says, looking at me with a steely gaze that immediately reminds me of his father. ‘I’ve told you she’s a ghost, and she’s not the only one here.’
‘Really? There’s more than one ghost at Chesterford?’
‘Uh-huh.’ Charlie nods adamantly.
‘Have you met any of these other ghosts?’
‘Not yet; Ruby said I might be able to meet them, but only if they wanted me to.’
‘I see. They’re picky about who they show themselves to, are they?’ Even though I’m trying hard not to, I can feel the corners of my mouth turning up.
‘It’s not a joke, Mum. It’s true. If the ghosts don’t want you to see them they won’t show themselves to you.’
‘Okay, okay. So how would I go about seeing one, then?’ I ask, deciding to humour him. ‘This is my castle, after all. I’d like to meet everyone who’s living in my home.’
‘You can believe in them to start with,’ Charlie says perceptively. ‘Because at the moment I don’t think you do, do you, Mum?’ He stares knowingly at me.
‘It’s difficult to believe in something when you haven’t seen it with your own eyes.’
‘What about gravity?’
‘What?’
‘Gravity. You can’t see that but you believe in it.’
‘That’s different. It’s—’
‘And radio waves,’ Charlie continues. ‘You can’t see them but you know they’re there. Otherwise we wouldn’t have had these baked beans tonight.’
‘How do you work that out?’
‘If you hadn’t had the internet you wouldn’t have been able to order them. The internet works by radio waves. We learned that at school.’
I shake my head. I know when I’m beaten.
‘Then there’s oxygen and—’
‘Enough, enough! Okay, you win, I’ll believe in your friend Ruby. But you and she will have to forgive me if I don’t mention her and any of herfriendsto anyone else just yet.’
‘Not until you’ve seen them.’
‘That’s right, not until I’ve seen them.’
Charlie holds out his hand. ‘Let’s shake on it.’
I take Charlie’s hand, but instead of simply shaking it, I get up and pull him off his chair towards me. Then I envelop him in a huge hug.
‘You are far too clever to have only been on this earth for ten years,’ I tell him. ‘But I love you all the more for it!’
‘Perhaps I’ve been incarcerated?’ Charlie suggests from the protection of my arms.
