but the pitch was becoming steeper like a hill and every time I kicked the ball it went back into my goal or for a corner and I was losing 20 nil. Dad was referee and I tried to tell him about the pitch being a hill getting steeper but he said Bad footballers blame the pitch Philip. Bad footballers blame the pitch.
And then I heard the school bell in my dream but it wasnt really a school bell and the pitch went very steep like a trap door opening and I fell and landed in bed.
It was still dark and my alarm clock said 04:27 and I heard the noise again. It was downstairs. It was a smash and tinkle noise like someone breaking glass.
I got up and out of bed and out of my room in the dark.
I went downstairs on the bit of the stairs closest to the wall because it doesnt squeak and I walked down and there was another smash noise but it wasnt a window. I waited on the stairs and I didnt know what to do and I saw Dads Ghost for the first time since Hadrians Wall and Dads Ghost said Stop them.
I said How?
He said Scream.
I said I dont want to.
He said Scream.
I said I dont want to.
He said SCREAM.
I said I DONT WANT TO!!!!!!
And the men smashing up the Pub must have heard me because they said something and I saw one of them through the wobbly glass in the door and he was wearing all black even on his face which is called a
balaclava
and then they ran out of the Pub and my body couldnt move not even my fingers and the next thing Mum was behind me at the top of the stairs with her sleepy hair and her hand on the front of her neck and a scared face.
She ran down the stairs past me and past Dads Ghost without noticing him or me and I didnt hear anything for a second and then her voice through the door said Bastards the bastards the fucking bastards.
And then my Dads Ghost went to be with her and I went too and that is when I saw the Pub.
The Pub was all smashed all the bottles and the door and the till was open and all the money was gone. Mum was sitting under the till on the floor behind the bar.
Dads Ghost was there and he said Tell her to stand up.
I said Why?
Mum didnt notice me talking to no one.
Dads Ghost said Shes going to cut herself on the glass.
I said Mum stand up. Youre going to cut yourself on the glass.
She looked at me as if she hadnt known I was there and then she stood up and she was shaking.
Dads Ghost said Tell her to phone the police.
I said Shall I phone the police?
Mum said No. No. Ill do it.
And she walked between the smashed glass with her bare feet and when she was on the phone Dads Ghost said They must have changed their minds.
I said What?
And he said They must have put it back a month. But it was definitely them Philip.
I said Yes and I said to myself I was going to believe in Dads Ghost from now on.
Barbarism
The next day when I got home Uncle Alan was there putting wood in the smashed window and banging nails.
He said All right son.
The word son itched me inside and I looked at the black on his hands that he never washed off and I thought it will be hard to kill someone with massive hands who hammers in nails really hard. His hands are as big as Queen Angelfish which is the biggest type of Angelfish and too big for my tank.
I went upstairs and Mum was making tea in the kitchen.
I tried to act normal and so I had my book on The Romans in Britain by Graham Fortune but I could only read one sentence. The sentence was
For the Roman soldier Hadrian’s Wall was more than just a defence against the Caledonian tribes – it also represented the dividing line between the known world of order and civilisation, and the unknown world of chaos and barbarism.
I didnt know what barbarism meant. It sounded like something to do with haircuts but that didnt sound right. The picture in the book showed the tribes with long messy hair and the Romans with short hair or helmets so maybe barbarism was to do with haircuts.
I couldnt read any more so I fed my fish.
I had just finished feeding them and I was watching the five Guppies and I was watching them come to the surface and take the biggest flakes which are too big for them. Then the Neons below them fed on the bits that dropped out of the Guppies mouths and fell slowly through the water. And I was sitting on the bed and watching the flakes and rubbing the smell of them off on my trousers and I saw Dads Ghost in the glass.
I turned round and he said Hi son.
His face was sadder than it was before and I knew it was because he had spent all the time in the Terrors.
Then he said Im sorry.
I said Why?
He said About the mini bus. About getting the wrong day.
I said Its OK.
He said Your Mum wasnt in danger. Even last night you and your Mum were safe.
I said The men smashed up the Pub. They could have smashed us up.
He said No. It wasnt his plan. He just wanted to scare you both. He must have sorted the CCTV out. He knew the police wouldnt be able to do anything.
I said There were three men.
He said Yes. But it was one mans idea. He paid the other two. He will probably just add it to their wages. They work for him in the Garage.
I said No.
He said Yes. My brother. My blood.
I said Why?
He said He wants the Pub Philip. He wants your Mum. Dads Ghost started to flicker out but I got his last words before he went which he said in his serious ghost voice
fear
brings
him
near
And then Dads Ghost was gone.
Sin
Mum called Alan! Philip! Teas ready!
I didnt want Uncle Alan to stay
