Chapter 10
Ella was running, running for her life along the coast path, into the storm. Someone was chasing her. She came to the edge of the cliffs and looked down at the angry sea far below her. She screamed and woke to find the boy bending over her.
"No!" she screamed. "No! No! No!"
"You were dreaming" he said in a low voice, watching her.
"It wasn't a dream," she said. "It was a nightmare." "I know about nightmares," he said, and suddenly walked to the far side of the chamber and lay down again. He turned away. Ella was still shaking with fear. The boy terrified her. What had she done and what did he want? Part of him wanted to touch her, part of him wanted nothing to do with her, and part of him wanted to kill her. She knew it, she felt it. She saw it in his face.
She didn't want to sleep when the boy was there. She thought of Mum and Dad and Fin and Sam. Sam's soft hair and bright eyes.
"Are you sleeping Sammy?" she whispered to herself.
But Sammy was sitting up in bed. The little girl in the white dress was there again, speaking to him in that strange, musical voice that seemed to come from inside his own head. She smiled. She had golden hair, just like Ella. She looked like Ella, though she was only his age - about three. She was so beautiful.
"What's your name?" he asked as usual. But she didn't say.
“Come and play”, said the voice in his head.
"I can't come. I've promised Mummy I won't run away."
We're not going to run away. We're just going to play.
He climbed out of bed, leaving Teddy behind, and followed her downstairs. Fin's door was closed, but he could hear Mum and Dad talking in their bedroom. The little girl turned and put her finger to her lips.
“Let's play in the garden”, said the girl.
They walked to the back door and Sam opened it. The girl ran out and Sam ran after her, hut she always ran too fast for him. He wanted to catch her, to touch her, but she never let him get close. Already she had hidden somewhere at the bottom of the garden.
“You can't see me!” said the voice in his head.
"Yes, I can!" he called. But he couldn't. It was dark and cold outside. He wished he had brought Teddy with him.
“Catch me! I'm behind you!” said the voice. Sam turned round and saw the girl running back towards the house. He followed her. He didn't like all this running and chasing. He wanted to sit down and talk to her. Where was she now? He ran round the house and suddenly she was standing right in front of him.
“Let's play out in the lane.”
"I can't. I promised Mummy."
“We're only going to play. Come on.”
He followed her. This time she didn't run so fast. She was smiling and laughing now. Sam was happy not to be alone.
“Let's go to the coast path and play.”
"I mustn't," he said. "I mustn't." He stopped. The girl smiled.
“There's a storm coming. Can you feel it? Let's go and catch it.’’
"You can't catch a storm."
“You can. If you jump up into the sky. But you must be careful. You've got to catch the storm before the storm catches you!”
And she ran on towards the coast path. He took a deep breath and raced after her.
Fin sat up in bed. He had heard something. Aclick. Or had it been part of his dream? He had been dreaming about the kidnapper. He lay there for a while, thinking of Ella then he jumped out of bed and walked over to the window.
The gate was open. Perhaps that had been the click. Had someone come in or gone out? He walked onto the landing and saw that Sam's bedroom door was open. Teddy was still in bed but there was no sign of Sam. Fin ran downstairs. The back door was open.
"Oh, no," Fin murmured. "Not again!"
He ran back to his room, dressed, picked up his torch and raced towards the coast path. Sam would probably hide again. He reached the cliff. Which way? Towards the village or towards...
Then he saw him. Up near the old lighthouse. A small figure running straight towards the cliff edge.
"Wait! Wait!" cried Sam, but to someone Fin couldn't see.
Fin ran after Sam as fast as he could and caught his brother just before he reached the edge of the cliff.
"Let me go!" Sam struggled for a while, staring towards the lighthouse, hut suddenly, as if a spell had been broken, he buried his head in Fin's chest and began to sob. Fin held him close until the sobbing stopped.
"All right now, Sammy?"
"There's a storm coming. We're going to catch it!"
"You can't catch a storm, Sammy," said Fin.
"You can. If you jump up into the sky."
Fin thought of Sam's wild run towards the cliffs and frowned. He carried Sam home. By the time they had reached the house, the little boy was fast asleep. Fin put him to bed and decided not to tell Mum or Dad anything if Sam seemed OK in the morning.