Chapter 17

The doors to the haunted house were guarded by Miss Matthews and Miss Carlson, both armed with vicious looking swords which they crossed until we had paid the entrance fee. They were both dressed as geishas and looked as if they had stepped straight out of a Chinese action movie, apart from the fact that they weren’t Chinese that is.

“Have fun.” Miss Matthews giggled as we passed, closing the door behind us with a resounding thud.

Her giggle was distorted by the closed door, transforming it into a sinister chortle – as if she knew the secrets of the house which we had yet to come across. The path was lit with small lights which had been hung up on the ceiling to resemble stars. Potted palms encroached and added to the aura which made us feel as if the house had been abandoned and the garden had begun to suffocate the mansion. So far, no creepy beasts had jumped out of the trees so we assumed that they’d saved the best for later. We crept f