Katy Parker and the House that Cried

 

 

Contents

1
The Crying Child

2
History Mystery

3
Date with Destiny

4
What Next?

5
Old School

6
Friend or Foe?

7
Settling In

8
The Answer

9
The Plan Unfolds

10
Reunion

Chapter 1

The Crying Child

Adrenalin surged through Katy's body as she ran towards the bike lying on the pavement. Reaching down, she picked it up and in one swift movement leapt onto the seat. Turning around, she called out urgently to an unseen companion,
“Hurry up! Faster! Follow me!”

For a moment, she faltered, feet slipping off the pedals, losing precious seconds, before righting herself, then pedalling furiously ahead. The thud of her heart filled her ears.

“K-a-a-a-t-y!”

A terror-filled voice howled out her name as time and space seamlessly merged. Everything began to move in slow motion and all at once a mighty whoosh of blistering heat, choking smoke and blinding white light engulfed her. Katy felt herself lifted up into the air, gliding through it, weightless, limp and out of control. Within seconds she felt herself falling down, further and further into the void below.

Katy was braced for impact, fists tightly clenched, eyes squeezed shut, when with a sharp intake of breath, she jolted upright, suddenly awake.

Opening her eyes, she saw with relief the familiar surroundings of her bedroom. Sunlight seeped in beneath her curtains, casting a comforting, warm glow over the room. Katy turned to look at her bedside clock. The luminous yellow figures read six o'clock. Almost time to get up.

Sighing deeply, she sank back onto her pillow. Her body, still rigid with tension, began to relax as relief gently washed over her. It was, after all, just her dream.

Ever since her tenth birthday she had been tormented by this recurring nightmare. It followed the same pattern every year, beginning in spring and becoming more frequent, more vivid until mid-May.
Then, simply disappearing. Katy never saw who was with her or what it was she was trying to escape. Instead, she woke at precisely six o'clock every morning, just as she began to plummet into the unknown void.

Gradually, as her heart rate slowed and her breathing relaxed, Katy's mind began to wander away from her nightmare and she began to recall the previous afternoon's events with Lizzie, her best friend. They had called into the local library after school to do some research. Lizzie had found an ancient, dusty reference book, too enormous to carry, called
Dreams Unlocked
.

“Read this Katy, it fits your dream perfectly.”

Katy leant over and began reading aloud, “Recurring dreams should never be ignored; they are the subconscious mind's way of trying to communicate an important message to you.”

“Your message must be really important if you're having your dream so often. I wonder what it is?” said Lizzie.

Katy read on. “Dreams in which you are running away from an unseen danger are common. You must stop yourself running, turn around and face what you fear. It is your destiny. You cannot escape it.”

“That's just like your dream,” said Lizzie, “We've just got to figure out what you're escaping from. Are you sure you can't see who's with you? Or even recognise their voice?”

Katy squeezed her eyes tightly shut, running through the vivid images in her head. “It's hopeless,” she sighed in frustration. “I've no idea. They're always just out of sight.”

“Well, if what the book says is true, then a really important event or person is awaiting your arrival and, in the meantime, they're desperately trying to get your attention. You've just got to face your fear,” reflected Lizzie, giving a self-satisfied smile, clearly pleased with her deductions.

Easier said than done
, thought Katy, huffing crossly and pummelling her pillow.

Feeling utterly exhausted and frustrated, she pulled the covers up over her head. None of it made any sense. Last week her mum had even taken her to the doctor to see if he could help. But he had just said that she would outgrow the dream eventually and suggested a milky drink and a warm bath at bedtime, none of which seemed to make any difference. In desperation, her mum had started to sprinkle lavender water on her pillow. Apparently
it was meant to promote a peaceful night's sleep. What a joke! If anything, the dream had become more frequent and even more real. Katy knew it was impossible but she was sure she could even taste smoke at the back of her throat and smell its acrid scent lingering on her nightclothes and in her hair.

Determined to make the most of the little time left before she had to get up, Katy resolutely pushed all thoughts of her dream aside. She slid her hand under her pillow and retrieved The Card. She had found it pushed under the door of her school locker and hadn't told anyone but Lizzie about it. The front of the card showed
The Kiss
by Klimt, Katy's favourite painting. She even had a poster of it on her bedroom wall. It showed a gilded couple, draped in a brilliant golden quilt. Opening it, she re-read the words written inside.

To Katy,

Meet me in room 76 tomorrow at the start of lunch. I need to talk to you. Come on your own
.

T.A xxx

Her heart began racing again but this time with excitement. Could it really be from
Tom Austin
? Would he really be waiting for her at lunch? She could see him clearly – tall and athletic, with tousled, blonde hair – he looked effortlessly cool, even in his school uniform. She imagined him inviting her to see his band playing a gig at the upcoming school talent show.

Her daydream disappeared when the all too familiar morning call from her mum interrupted her thoughts,
“Katy! Time to get up. You'll be late again if you don't get a move on!”

Katy groaned, reluctantly rolling out of bed. Why hadn't she got up earlier? There was no time for a shower now. Wearily, she picked her uniform off the floor, where it lay in a messy heap, and quickly dressed. Still half asleep, she slammed her bedroom door behind her and raced down the stairs two at a time into the kitchen where her mum waited, wearing her usual harassed expression.

“Katy, you look as though you slept in those clothes! How many times have I told you to hang
them up? Get some breakfast quickly or you'll miss the bus again.”

Grabbing a piece of toast, Katy quickly waved goodbye to her mum and ran to catch the bus.

Just as Katy reached the end of the road, she turned to see her annoying little brother chasing after her down the street. Patrick ruled his year with his mad practical jokes. His unusual height made him slightly awkward and his floppy blonde fringe obscured most of his face. His current obsession centred on science fiction and he would bore you for hours, given half the chance, with his theories on time travel and parallel universes.

As Katy and Patrick got on the bus, Katy spotted Lizzie. Her hair was smooth and shiny and she even managed to look amazing in her pea-green uniform.
How does she do it?
thought Katy – and then quickly reminded herself that Lizzie probably hadn't dragged herself out of bed only moments ago. Not even Lizzie could pull off the crinkled uniform look.

* * * *

Soon the bus pulled up outside the gates of St Hilda's, a large Edwardian building in the gothic style, with
hundreds of leaded windows and unusual turrets and gargoyles. Everything about the school breathed old-fashioned: from its out-dated science labs, to its hideous pea-green uniform complete with blazer. Until the 1990s boys and girls had been kept apart. They had separate entrances, classrooms and playgrounds, even eating in separate dining halls.

That morning kicked off with double science. Lesson one was a practical and in lesson two they had to write up their findings.

“Wake up, Katy, have you put the magnesium in the test tube yet?” asked Lizzie, sounding more than a little tetchy.

Katy rubbed her eyes. “Sorry, I'll do it now. I'm so tired; my stupid dream woke me up at six again this morning.”

Katy picked up a bottle and haphazardly spooned some magnesium powder into the test tube while Lizzie lit the Bunsen burner and said, “Hold it over the flame until it begins to change colour. I'll be back in a minute.”

Yawning, Katy did as instructed. She stared mesmerised into the flame and her surroundings seemed to melt away. A loud bang sounded, as a
white light flashed in front of her eyes, followed by a strong smell of burning. Katy panicked and found herself once more in the midst of her dream. The screaming voice still called her name, getting louder and louder.

“K-a-a-a-t-y!”

Slowly, Katy shuddered back to the present, a cold sensation seeping over her body. Looking down, she saw her shirt was soaked through and the bottom of her tie was singed.

“W-w-hat happened?” she asked, looking around in confusion and feeling more than a little bewildered. She looked at Lizzie, who was staring back at her in astonishment. “Katy, you were on fire! Your tie was dangling in the flame – you didn't even notice!”

Katy shuddered. This was getting worse. Her dream no longer confined itself to her restless nights. It was now creeping into her waking hours. Katy, still startled, found her voice and whispered, “It was my dream. The white light took me right back into the middle of it. I could even smell burning.”

Lizzie giggled, “But that's because your tie was burning, silly. You definitely need some sleep.”

“Katy Parker! Stay behind when the bell goes,” an icy voice cut through the crowd. Katy looked up to see Miss Harrison glaring at her.

“I can't stay behind,” whispered Katy desperately to Lizzie, “I've got to meet Tom!”

“Please Miss,” said Lizzie putting up her hand, “It wasn't Katy's fault, it was mine. I must have put too much magnesium in by accident.”

Miss Harrison stared at Lizzie in clear disbelief before replying, “Very well, Lizzie. Write out the lab safety rules fifty times and hand them in to me in the morning.”

Phew! That was close – Lizzie to the rescue again. Lizzie and Katy had met on their first day at nursery and had immediately become best friends when Lizzie heroically rescued Katy from Thomas Brown, a horrible, snotty little boy, who had been terrorising her with his dinosaur in the book corner. Lots of people commented on the unlikely pairing. Lizzie: neat and very studious. Katy, the complete opposite: always scruffy, with something ripped or in need of a wash and constantly daydreaming. But somehow they had clicked and had been inseparable ever since.

As they left the science lab, Lizzie hugged Katy. “Good luck. Meet me outside the lunch hall at one. Don't be late – I'm desperate to know what's going on!”