Crow Hall by Benjamin Hulme-Cross Page A

very odd ghost. We must carry on. We must find the place where the ghost isstrongest. That is where Edgar will be.”
    Mary and Mr Blood walked along the ground floor going into each room. They looked in cupboards. They opened chests. They broke down the door to thecellar. There was no sign of Edgar.

    Mary and Mr Blood walked back to the hall where Edgar had vanished. Mr Bloodturned to go up the main stairs.
    â€œWait,” Mary said. She pointed at two large stone crows on short posts on either side of the stairs.
    â€œWere they there before?” Mary asked.
    Mr Blood frowned. “I can’t be sure,” he said. “It was so dark. I didn’t notice them. But come. We must carry on and searchthe rest of the house.”

    They began to climb the stairs. They had only taken three steps when Mary tripped on the rope and slipped back to the bottom.
    â€œAre you hurt?” asked Mr Blood. Maryshook her head and got to her feet.

    She looked at the stone crows and let out a scream. The two statues had turned around. They were no longer facing the door. They were staring at Mary. She felt sick with fear.
    â€œCome on!” shouted Mr Blood. “We must find Edgar.” Again they began to climb the stairs. As they did so, they heard the screech of crows.
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    Chapter 4
    The Painting
    As they reached the landing of the first floor, the sound of screeching stopped. In front of them was a painting of the head of a crow.
    Its beak was closed and its head was looking down. It looked as if it were about to stab down at something with its beak. Its huge, black eye stared at Mary.
    â€œLook,” said Mr Blood. He pointed at the bottom corner of the painting. The artist had marked the picture with his initials – C. H.

    â€œMaybe C. H. is the ghost,” Mary said in a low voice.
    â€œI don’t think that we are dealing with a ghost,” said Mr Blood. “I believe that something else has control of this place. Something... bigger.”
    â€œLet’s just find Edgar and get out of here,” Mary said.
    They went from room to room. They looked for secret doors behind shelves. They lifted carpets to look for trapdoors. They called out Edgar’s name over and over again. And every time they called, they heard the screech of crows in reply.

    They walked past two suits of armour, both holding spears. Mr Blood and Mary took a spear each and Mary felt a little safer.
    But, as they returned to the landing, Mary’s eyes went wide with terror.
    Again she screamed, and again they heard the screech of crows. Mr Blood looked up at the painting and his jaw dropped. The picture had changed.

    Now, the painting was not just of the crow’s head, it was of the whole of the crow. Its wings were spread out wide. Its beak was open. It stood over the body of a boy. And the boy in the painting was Edgar!
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    Chapter 5
    The Crow
    Mary burst into tears. Mr Blood put his arm around her.
    â€œI believe Edgar is still alive,” said Mr Blood. “But we must try to make sense of what we have seen.”
    â€œIt’s something to do with crows,” said Mary.
    â€œAnd art,” said Mr Blood. “The statues. The painting. This is no ghost. It may be the house itself that is doing this.”
    â€œThe letter and the painting were both signed C.H.” Mary said.
    â€œI’ve been a fool!” Mr Blood said. “C. H. must stand for Crow Hall! It is the house itself that is the evil here.”
    Mr Blood grabbed Mary by the hand and they hurried to the stairs.

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    â€œWe need to get to the top,” he said. “A creature with wings – it would live at the top!”
    They ran up as fast as they could up the stairs, gripping their spears.
    They raced from one room to the next until they came to the end of the corridor. In front of them was a huge mirror. Mr Blood ran his hand around the mirror