Crow Hall by Benjamin Hulme-Cross

 
    Chapter 1
    The Letter
    Mr Blood, Edgar and Mary stood outside the gates to Crow Hall. Mr Blood shouted again and again. Nobody came to let them in.
    Up in the sky, a pale moon shone down on the hall’s black towers.
    â€œAre you sure this is the right place?” Edgar asked.
    â€œThis is the right place,” Mr Blood replied. He pointed up at two large stone crows that stood on top of the gateposts. “The letter told us to come to Crow Hall.”

    â€œWho sent the letter?” asked Edgar.
    â€œAt the bottom of the letter are the initials, ‘C. H.’” Mr Blood said.
    â€œThe letter said the house was haunted,” said Mary. “Maybe C. H. is in trouble inside the house.”
    â€œWe will have to climb over the gates and bang on the door,” said Mr Blood.

    Mr Blood began climbing up the black iron gates. Mary went after him. Edgar looked up at the sharp metal spikes on top of the gates. “Are you sure this is a good idea?” he asked.
    â€œCome on!” Mr Blood called from the other side of the gates.

    They walked up the path to the main door. There were two more crows carved into the black wood of the door.
    Mr Blood banged on the door with his stick. There was no answer.
    â€œThere is no-one here,” said Edgar. “Let’s go home.”
    Mr Blood ignored him and knockedagain.
    Mary turned to Edgar. “Don’t you want to know what’s going on?” she asked.
    â€œI’m not bothered,” said Edgar as he turned around to stare back at the gates. He couldn’t see the stone crows on top of the gate posts.
    â€œThat’s odd,” he thought.

    â€œRight,” said Mr Blood. “We will have to force our way in. C. H. could be in danger and we must act.”
    He turned the heavy iron door handle. Edgar held his breath. To everyone’s surprise the door swung open with a loud creak. It sounded like the screech of a crow.
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    Chapter 2
    Dust and Darkness
    It was pitch black inside the hall.
    Mr Blood lifted three candles out of his bag. He lit them and gave one each to Edgar and Mary. Everything was covered in dust. Nobody had been there for a very long time.
    Edgar looked out of one of the windows. He saw a pair of crows in a tree. It looked like they were watching him. He looked away and then looked back again. The crows had gone.

    â€œIf the house is haunted we must find the place where the ghost is strongest,” said Mr Blood. “What have I told you about where a ghost has the most power?”
    â€œThe place where the person died,” said Edgar with a shiver.
    Mr Blood smiled at Edgar and nodded.
    Suddenly, there was a loud bang. Edgar and Mary jumped with fright. The front door had slammed shut. All three candles went out.
    â€œIt was just the wind,” said Mary. Shedidn’t sound very sure.

    Then they heard a strange sound in the dark.
    â€œWhat’s that?” asked Edgar. At first the sound was a gentle flutter. Then the noise grew louder.
    â€œIt sounds like the beating of wings,” whispered Mary.
    The sound grew louder and louder. It was as if the room was full of huge birds. Mary felt feathers brushing against her face. She screamed. A terrible screechfilled the air.
    Then the room was silent again.

    Mr Blood lit his candle and found Mary. She lit her candle and they looked around the room. The dust had not been disturbed. There were no birds in the room.
    But something was missing. Mary gave a cry. Edgar had gone!

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    Chapter 3
    The Search
    â€œEdgar? Edgar!” Mary called. There was no reply.
    Mr Blood pulled out a length of rope from his bag. He tied one end of the rope around his waist, and the other end around Mary’s waist.

    â€œWe must stay with each other,” he said.
    â€œWhere can he be?” Mary asked. “Can ghosts make people vanish?”
    â€œI don’t know,” said Mr Blood. “This is a