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Description
Illustration for chapter nine of 'Danny & the Dinner Ladies'.
Media: pen, ink, watercolour.

Chapter Nine

Trick or Treat

“Mr Grimly the caretaker must have finally caught the stray,” Jessica said, pointing to the small black cat trapped inside the cage. “But I wonder what’s happened to Mr Scarman? I hope he hasn’t been harmed.”

Danny wasn’t listening. He was looking at the three rag dolls lying on the tabletop. There were expressions of pain and anguish on their faces, and he felt a sudden stab of conscience. Leaning forward, he carefully pulled the pins out one by one and then tossed them aside. It made him feel better.

Jessica was wandering through the kitchen again. “Danny, I think I’ve found him,” she suddenly said. She was stretching on her tiptoes and peering through the kitchen window. “He’s in the schoolyard outside. I saw him moving about in the shadows.”

“Are you sure?” asked Danny. He was standing next to her now and looking through the window. A blanket of thick cloud was still blocking the moonlight and a pitch-black darkness was pressing against the glass.

“Positive,” Jessica replied, heading for the door. “Come on, Danny, we’d better hurry. It’s almost midnight.”

Feeling nervous, Danny followed her out of the kitchen, along the corridor and into the schoolyard outside. The wind was getting stronger now and the rooftop was creaking and groaning. He looked around. They were standing in the middle of the yard, but it was still too dark to see anything.

“I could have sworn I saw him,” said Jessica, peering into the shadows.

At that very moment a gap suddenly appeared in the blanket of thick, dark cloud above. Bright silver-blue moonlight suddenly flooded through, illuminating the schoolyard like an enormous celestial spotlight.

Danny and Jessica both gasped in horror.

They were standing in the middle of a large magic circle. It was glowing mysteriously in the moonlight as if it had been drawn in bright fluorescent paint.

“Jessica, run!” Danny shouted. “I think we’ve walked straight into a trap!”

But neither of the children could move.

“Danny, I can’t move!” cried Jessica in terror.

“Neither can I!" Danny cried. "My legs are frozen stiff!”

“What’s happening?” wailed Jessica.

With fear bubbling up inside him, Danny slowly turned his head. Three sinister figures had emerged from the shadows and were moving slowly around the circle. There were wearing long black hooded robes and were chanting and mumbling strange words.

“It’s them!” cried Jessica. “The unholy trinity. Mrs Weaver, Mrs Fungus and Mrs Nettle! Danny, you were right! We’ve walked into a trap!”

One of the figures shuffled to a sudden standstill and slowly pulled back its hood. A beautiful woman with long, wavy blond hair was smiling at them in a very unpleasant way. Danny felt his heart sink.

“Happy Halloween,” said Mrs Miranda Lear the history teacher. There was something sly and wheedling about her voice. “You thought you were in for a treat, but we’ve tricked you instead.”

She laughed darkly and tossed back her head.

The second figure pulled back its hood. He was a balding man wearing a hearing aid and he was grinning at them maliciously.

“I hope you like my handiwork,” said Mr Albert Grimly the caretaker, waving his arm to indicate the magic circle he had painted on the concrete. “I had to paint over the netball court and it took me two nights to finish it. I used a special glow-in-the-dark paint too. You can only see it when a full moon is shining.”

The third and final figure eventually pulled back its hood. He was a very handsome man with eyes as bright and blue as sapphires.

“Good evening,” said Mr Scarman the headmaster, grinning from ear to ear. “How lovely to see you again. I’m glad you could make it on time.”

Description
Illustration for chapter nine of 'Danny & the Dinner Ladies'.
Media: pen, ink, watercolour.

Chapter Nine

Trick or Treat

“Mr Grimly the caretaker must have finally caught the stray,” Jessica said, pointing to the small black cat trapped inside the cage. “But I wonder what’s happened to Mr Scarman? I hope he hasn’t been harmed.”

Danny wasn’t listening. He was looking at the three rag dolls lying on the tabletop. There were expressions of pain and anguish on their faces, and he felt a sudden stab of conscience. Leaning forward, he carefully pulled the pins out one by one and then tossed them aside. It made him feel better.

Jessica was wandering through the kitchen again. “Danny, I think I’ve found him,” she suddenly said. She was stretching on her tiptoes and peering through the kitchen window. “He’s in the schoolyard outside. I saw him moving about in the shadows.”

“Are you sure?” asked Danny. He was standing next to her now and looking through the window. A blanket of thick cloud was still blocking the moonlight and a pitch-black darkness was pressing against the glass.

“Positive,” Jessica replied, heading for the door. “Come on, Danny, we’d better hurry. It’s almost midnight.”

Feeling nervous, Danny followed her out of the kitchen, along the corridor and into the schoolyard outside. The wind was getting stronger now and the rooftop was creaking and groaning. He looked around. They were standing in the middle of the yard, but it was still too dark to see anything.

“I could have sworn I saw him,” said Jessica, peering into the shadows.

At that very moment a gap suddenly appeared in the blanket of thick, dark cloud above. Bright silver-blue moonlight suddenly flooded through, illuminating the schoolyard like an enormous celestial spotlight.

Danny and Jessica both gasped in horror.

They were standing in the middle of a large magic circle. It was glowing mysteriously in the moonlight as if it had been drawn in bright fluorescent paint.

“Jessica, run!” Danny shouted. “I think we’ve walked straight into a trap!”

But neither of the children could move.

“Danny, I can’t move!” cried Jessica in terror.

“Neither can I!" Danny cried. "My legs are frozen stiff!”

“What’s happening?” wailed Jessica.

With fear bubbling up inside him, Danny slowly turned his head. Three sinister figures had emerged from the shadows and were moving slowly around the circle. There were wearing long black hooded robes and were chanting and mumbling strange words.

“It’s them!” cried Jessica. “The unholy trinity. Mrs Weaver, Mrs Fungus and Mrs Nettle! Danny, you were right! We’ve walked into a trap!”

One of the figures shuffled to a sudden standstill and slowly pulled back its hood. A beautiful woman with long, wavy blond hair was smiling at them in a very unpleasant way. Danny felt his heart sink.

“Happy Halloween,” said Mrs Miranda Lear the history teacher. There was something sly and wheedling about her voice. “You thought you were in for a treat, but we’ve tricked you instead.”

She laughed darkly and tossed back her head.

The second figure pulled back its hood. He was a balding man wearing a hearing aid and he was grinning at them maliciously.

“I hope you like my handiwork,” said Mr Albert Grimly the caretaker, waving his arm to indicate the magic circle he had painted on the concrete. “I had to paint over the netball court and it took me two nights to finish it. I used a special glow-in-the-dark paint too. You can only see it when a full moon is shining.”

The third and final figure eventually pulled back its hood. He was a very handsome man with eyes as bright and blue as sapphires.

“Good evening,” said Mr Scarman the headmaster, grinning from ear to ear. “How lovely to see you again. I’m glad you could make it on time.”