The Dead Fathers Club (3 page)

I didnt say anything because I didnt understand. I just stared right through Dads Ghost and watched the black Mollies and the five Guppies in the fish tank swimming together like a cloud.

He said All ghosts were murdered.

I heard Mum get out of the shower and she said Philip? Are you all right? Philip?

And Dads Ghost said Say yes Philip.

I said Yes in a loud voice.

Then Dads Ghost said I have to tell you Philip. I have to tell you because you are the only one who can see me.

I said in a whisper On the news no one was there.

He shook his head and said They werent.

Then he said The brakes on the car didnt work. I pressed down and it was just air.

And I said Oh.

And he said Someone did it. Someone broke the brakes on purpose Philip. Someone who knows a lot about cars.

The words went into my head two times. The first time they were just words and the second time was after Dads Ghost had said them and they went one sound at a time

 

some

 

one

 

who

 

knows

 

a

 

lot

 

a

 

bout

 

cars

 

The last word sounded louder like it had capital letters like CARS.

And then he said what I was thinking just at the same time as I was thinking it so at first I thought the voice was in my head and he said It was your uncle Alan.

And I said No.

Then he said He wants this place. He wants your mum. He was always jealous.

And I said No.

And Dads Ghost said I have seen him. I have seen him Philip. I have seen him saying sorry. Saying SORRY Philip. I have seen him drive over the bridge looking for signs. I know it was him Philip.

And then he looked at me and said it again.

I know it was him.

You have to trust me.

I know it was him.

And I said No no no.

He said Uncle Alan is dangerous. He will kill anyone who stands in his way Philip. That includes you Philip. And what happens when he gets bored of Mum? He will kill her too Philip.

The words were squashing on my chest and I had to think of my breathing to get the air inside me.

He said You have to stop him Philip.

I said Ill tell the police.

He said You cant tell the police Philip theres no evidence.

I said But youve seen him.

He said Ghosts dont count as evidence.

I said Ill tell Mum.

He looked really angry and said You cant tell Mum anything Philip. It will put you both in more danger.

I said Ill tell him to leave us alone.

He said No Philip no. He wont listen to you.

I said What shall I do?

He stood there and his face didnt move for ages like he was a see through photo and then he said in a voice that squeezed my chest even harder You must kill him Philip.

You must get my Revenge.

After Dads Ghost had gone I went downstairs and I went to the bookshelf in the office and got the book called Murder Most Foul. When I came out of the office Mum was on the stairs and she had all her Make Up on and her tight jeans and her white top with the little crocodile on it and she said Whats that behind your back?

I said Its a book on Romans.

She clapped her hands and said in her Pulling Herself Together voice Well come on youve got to get up. Weve got to get you some money for Hadrians Wall.

I went upstairs and hid the book under the bed and then I got ready.

When we got to the Hole in the Wall she typed the numbers and made a noise and typed the numbers again and made another noise and then she typed the numbers again and said No.

I looked at her and she said in a whisper voice No. Why? No.

And we went inside the bank and stood in the line and waited and a big fatso woman came and said Is anyone paying in a cheque?

Mum said No but the machines just swallowed my card.

The big fatso woman said Youll have to go to the Enquiry Desk.

Mum said Money went in three days ago theres nothing wrong with the card.

The big fatso woman said Theyll be able to help you at the Enquiry Desk.

Mum said It normally clears straight away.

The big fatso woman said The Enquiry Desk is just over there.

She pointed to the Enquiry Desk and me and Mum went to a sign that was like a big black lollipop and we waited behind it and we waited a long time because an old man in an old man coat was getting cross with a woman who was nodding at the old man and saying things that made him more cross.

And I looked round at all of the people and all of the people looked very sad except the people behind the desk and the people in the banks posters and the banks leaflets. All the poster people looked very happy and they all smiled and they had all white behind them like they were in Heaven.

Mum got to the woman with the big smile and robot eyes behind the desk and said The machines just swallowed my card. I dont know why its

The woman said Right is this your bank?

Mum said Yes I was trying to get money out of my

The woman had a name badge that said Janice Green-field. She said Right if I can take some details Ill check it on the computer.

Janice Greenfield asked questions and Mum said her answers.

Janice Greenfield said Carol Noble right? Mrs?

Mum said Yes.

Janice Greenfield smiled and typed on the computer and said Right yes youre actually over your limit.

Mum said No I cant be no I

Janice Greenfield said Right according to the computer youve made a number of payments over your limit.

Mum said Money went in yesterday.

Janice Greenfield said Right.

She typed more things on the computer and said Right. Yes its here. But it still doesnt cover the payments.

And Mum looked behind her at the line of sad people and then said to Janice Greenfield in a quiet voice How can I get my card back? I need it today.

Janice Greenfield said Right well Ill see if we can squeeze you in with a Customer Advisor.

And she looked in a big book and she nodded into the book and then smiled at Mum and said Yes if youd just like to follow me Mrs Noble.

And we followed Janice Greenfield to some chairs and she went and then a man in glasses and weird shoulders came out of a door and said Mrs Noble and Mum went in the room and I was left on my own on the chair.

And then Dads Ghost flickered on right in front of me in the bank and he said There is not much time.

I said For what?

He said To kill Uncle Alan.

I said Why?

He said Every year of my life becomes a day.

I said What?

A man with a briefcase and a long umbrella like a sword walked through Dads Ghost and he looked at me like I was mad and then he went outside.

Dads Ghost said This is the No Time.

I said Whats the No Time?

He said The period when Revenge must be taken.

I said What if it isnt taken?

He said My spirit will never rest and I will always suffer the Terrors. Ray Goodwin says they get worse until every ghost ends up as quiet as the Victorian. Ray tried to escape the Terrors but he couldnt. No one could see him. Not even his daughter. But Ive got you Philip. You can help me escape Philip. Youve got to help me Rest In Peace.

I didnt want Dad to suffer the Terrors so I said How long is the No Time?

He said It lasts until my next birthday.

Dads Birthday was December the 10th. It was September the 25th today.

Dads Ghost said Youve got 11 weeks Philip.

I did a sum in my head and said 77 days.

Dad said Yes.

I said Im going to Hadrians Wall.

He nodded and said You must go. You must act as if everything is normal or youll place your mum in great danger Philip. You must do it when you come back.

Then he said December the 10th. That is when we run out of time.

I said December the 10th.

Dads Ghost said If you ever loved me Philip. If you ever loved me at all you will let me rest.

I didnt want Dad to feel the Terrors for ever so I said I will.

He said Youre a good son.

And Mum came out of the room and said Philip who on EARTH are you talking to?

Dads Ghost was looking at me and he said Dont tell her Philip she cant know.

I didnt say anything and she looked at my face and saw something in it that made her not cross with me and she walked out and I walked out with her and she said Stupid bloody bank.

Dads Ghost had flickered out when we got to the Ka car and Mum had sort of flickered out because she wasnt saying anything. She drove the wrong way and I wondered where we were going and then we parked outside of Uncle Alans Garage.

Uncle Alan owns the Garage with another man who is called Mr Fairview. Mr Fairview is a Bible Basher but Mr Fairview never goes to the Garage because he is not a MECHANIC like Uncle Alan.

Uncle Alan has got a lot of money and so has Mr Fairview and when you have a lot of money you are friends with other people with lots of money like in a club.

Uncle Alan once wanted to give Dad some money to get half of the Castle but Dad said No and Mum and Dad rowed and Mum smashed the blue and white salad bowl they got on holiday in Majorca. That was the holiday we went in a Glass Bottom Boat and saw the fish under water.

Mum looked in the mirror in the car and said I wont be a minute Philip.

I was scared of Mum seeing Uncle Alan because he was a murderer but I tried to act normal like Dads Ghost told me and I said to Mum OK.

Mum likes Uncle Alan because he is a Charmer. A Charmer is a type of man that women like and it is men who look in womens eyes and smile with only one half of their mouth normally the right side. A Charmer is normally divorced and Uncle Alan is divorced to a woman called Trisha who isnt murdered. Trisha lives in Devon and Mum says she takes painkillers even when she doesnt have a headache.

Uncle Alan wears a blue uniform and he always has black on his hands from the cars and he is 50 which is older than Dad but he is bigger than Dad because Dad was only medium.

I watched and could see Uncle Alan giving Mum something and I saw another man in a tracksuit who was bent inside an engine.

Mum came out of the Garage after six minutes not one minute and on the way back she gave me the money for Hadrians Wall at the Traffic Lights and she didnt tell me it was from Uncle Alan but I knew it was and I hoped that Dads Ghost wasnt watching me.

Mrs Fell said Many Romans believed that Hadrians Wall was near the end of the world because in those days everybody thought the world was flat and if you went too far you would fall off the edge and die.

Then she said Where you are standing now was the most northern part of the Roman Empire and so it was a very scary place for a lot of the soldiers who worked here.

It was cold and the wind was making whistle sounds like our coats were musical instruments and I think everyone wanted to go back and get warm even Mrs Fell who had an orange coat that said QUIKSILVER but Charlotte Ward had her hand up.

Mrs Fell said Yes Charlotte.

And Charlotte said Were all the soldiers from England or were they from Rome?

Mrs Fells collar on her coat flapped in her face and she put it back and said Most of them came from outside Britain not always Rome but warmer places in the southern parts of the Empire. Imagine what it must have been like! After years spent in warm sunshine having to cross the rough English Channel to a country which was known to be very unfriendly. There was not only the bad weather and the hills but many Britons hated being part of the Roman Empire and would throw stones or vegetables or even spit on the new soldiers.

Right then I felt someone gob on the back of my neck and I touched it with my hand and turned round and saw Dominic Weekly and Jordan Harper laughing at me through closed mouths. Mrs Fell couldnt see them laughing but she could see me turning round.

She said in a soft voice that was very small and quiet in the wind Philip is something the matter?

I said No Miss.

Her curly hair was blowing across her face and she pulled it behind her ears and then she carried on talking.

Dominic said Helmet hows your dad?

Jordan giggled behind me and Dominic kept saying it dead quiet.

Hows your dad?

Hows your dad?

Hows your dad?

Hows your dad?

Mrs Fell said And the soldiers knew that over this wall was not only the end of the world but also some of the most violent tribes they had ever heard of.

I wiped my hand on my jeans and then Charlotte Ward said How long was it Miss?

Hows your dad?

Hows your dad?

Hows your dad?

Hows your dad?

Mrs Fell said The wall went right across the country from east to west and it was 80 miles long and it was 15 feet high which is three times the height of me.

Hows your dad?

Hows your dad?

Hows your dad?

Hows your dad?

Mrs Fell said Dominic is there something you want to share with us?

Dominic said No Miss.

Jordan giggled a fart out of his mouth.

Then Mrs Fell said Where we are now was one of the watch towers. Can you see the stones in the ground curve round? These watch towers were used to send signals up and down the wall if any invaders were coming. Most of the time though the soldiers were not fighting. Most of the time they did more boring jobs like working on repairs or checking who was passing through. Like when you go on holiday and have to show your passport! There were villages nearby and places where the soldiers could eat and drink but it still must have been very hard for them coming to this harsh world away from their families to start again.

 

this

 

harsh

 

world

 

Charlotte said Would they ever see their families again?

Mrs Fell said Sometimes they saw them again but they had to serve 25 years in the army and after that some stayed here and some went home but Roman men on average lived until they were 41 and they didnt finish their service until they were at least 43 because the earliest age to join the Roman army was 18 so many of them didnt get the chance to see their families again Charlotte.

And she carried on talking but I wasnt looking I was thinking that 41 was the age Dad was when he died and I thought that was weird.

Where we stayed was in a youth hostel and it was in the middle of nowhere and there were three buildings. One of the buildings was big and that was the main building and that is where we ate. And in that building we had mashed potato which was served out of the biggest pan ever and it tasted DISGUSTING and it had lumps in.

I sat on the table with the Teachers and Mr Rosen said All right Philip?

And I said Yes.

And there were two more buildings and one was nice and it was where the girls slept and some of the boys but the other one was horrible and made out of dark brown wood and it used to be a stables where they used to keep horses and there were eight beds in it and they were bunk beds.

Mrs Fell and Mr Rosen told everyone where they were sleeping and I was sleeping in the stables and I had to sleep above Dominic Weekly. And I couldnt get to sleep for ages and ages and my mind kept moving really fast and I kept seeing different things flashing like photos in my brain. I kept on seeing the circle of stones on the ground and different other things like the field of cows which we passed on the way in the mini bus. And then I kept thinking of Dad and wondered if he was with the Dead Fathers Club or if he was off in the Terrors. I worried about Mum and I hoped Uncle Alan wasnt there and I hoped he wouldnt hurt her.

And then I started to go to sleep but it wasnt like a real sleep. It was somewhere in the middle of being asleep and being awake and after a bit I heard myself talking and I was talking rubbish and very fast and what I was saying was

kelhamisinnewarkkelhamisinnewarkkelhamisinnewark which is a stupid thing to say anyway because Kelham is not in Newark it is two miles away where Dad died. But I was getting louder and even though I could hear myself I couldnt stop because I wasnt properly awake and then I heard really loud laughing and it was Dominic and I woke up then and I was scared because he had heard and he started saying

kelhamisinnewarkkelhamisinnewarkkelhamisinnewark and then other boys were laughing in the dark and there was nothing else in the UNIVERSE just the laughing.

Dominic said Helmets gone Skitso.

Jordan said Skitso Skitso Skitso.

But that wasnt the end because my eyes were heavy even though my brain was moving fast and I went back to sleep but bad sleep and I had nightmares but I dont know what about and when I woke up I was standing on the wooden floor and the window was smashed and there was blood on my hands and I was screaming something and the light was on and the next thing Mr Rosen was holding my shoulders and saying Its all right Philip its all right calm down and I looked round at the faces and all their eyes were scared even Dominic and all the eyes added up and added up inside me and made my legs weak and I fell onto the floor and there was blackness again.