Hastings UK: Next chapter of The Phantom of the Hastings Caves

Hope you enjoyed yesterday's short story for adults. now it's time to remember you're young at heart. Here is Chapter 3 of Phantom of the Hastings Caves. If you didn't read chapters 1 and 2, you can find them on amazon

Chapter 3 The disappearing dress

The next evening, James, Luke and Aidan made their way through the caves to the cavern where they were having Madeleine’s birthday party. Steve was there when they arrived. He was putting candles on a birthday cake on a tablecloth on the cavern floor. The only light in the cavern came from a small, flickering electric lamp on the floor.

While James, Luke and Aidan were taking their guitars out of their cases, Emma came into the chapel.

“Has anyone seen Black-eyed Meg’s dress?” she asked. “We can’t find it anywhere. Dave is still looking for it.”

“Black-eyed Meg’s dress? ” said Aidan.

“Yes, it’s a beautiful, old-fashioned dress I wear when I’m haunting the caves. I can’t haunt the cavern in my jeans and Smugglers Adventure sweatshirt.”

“Emma?” said Dave, feeling his way into the cavern.

“What?”

“How did you get there?”

“What do you mean, how did I get here? “

“I passed you just now on my way in. I checked the cupboards for the dress, but I couldn’t find it. Then I came here. And I thought I felt you pass me in the dress. I thought you’d found it and put it on.”

“Well, you didn’t pass me.”

“But I felt Black-eyed Meg’s dress as I passed you. I said hi to you …”

“You felt the dress? Well, I wasn’t in it.”

“Emma’s wearing her jeans and sweatshirt,” said Steve.

“So who did I pass?” asked Dave.

“I don’t know. But it wasn’t me.”

“No, I know. I can smell your perfume now. And I didn’t smell it when the person in the dress went past. Oh, I can hear footsteps. I think it may be time to sing Happy Birthday.”

Madeleine and Jack came into the cavern.

James, Luke and Aidan picked up their guitars and everyone started singing Happy Birthday.

“Wow, thank you,” said Madeleine.

“We’ll sing it again later when we’ve lit the candles on the cake,” said Aidan.

“OK… Oh, what was that?”

She looked round. Trevor was standing behind her. He was dressed as a smuggler.

“You scared me when you brushed past me,” she said.

“You didn’t see me emerging from the shadows...” said Trevor in a husky smuggler’s voice. “I’m Hairy Jack. And that’s Black-eyed Meg. We’re ghosts of the caves.”

Trevor pointed to the other side of the cavern. As he did so, a figure in Black-eyed Meg’s silky black and white dress swished out of the cavern and disappeared. Emma turned to look to where Trevor was pointing, but the figure had gone.

“Let’s have some music, boys!” shouted Emma.

Aidan started playing Apple Tree, a song he’d composed himself.

Trevor walked over to Emma.

“Emma … If you’re here in your jeans, who was that dressed up as Black-eyed Meg? I was sure it was you over there.”

“I didn’t see anyone,” said Emma. “And it wasn’t me. I was going to do some haunting at the party, but I couldn’t find the dress. ... What’s wrong, Steve? You look worried.”

“Joy should be here by now,” said Steve. “She was going to come here soon after us. She couldn’t go with us, because then Madeleine would have guessed we were planning something.”

“I’ll see if I can find her,” said Dave. “If she’s lost in the dark, I can guide her to the party.”

He started feeling his way along the sandstone wall of the cavern.

“We can’t cut the birthday cake without our foster mum,” said Steve. “And she’s bringing the sandwiches.”

Aidan put down his guitar at the end of the song.

Everyone clapped loudly.

“Over to you, James and Luke,” Aidan shouted.

They started playing a song called Silly Games, which James had composed.

Emma came over and said, “Help yourselves to something to drink.”

She put a crate of lemonade and a crate of beer on the tablecloth on the floor.

“Are you OK, Emma?” Trevor asked. “You keep looking over there...”

“Well, I’m a bit worried about Joy ... and who was that person you saw wearing the dress?”

“Don’t worry. It was probably just the ghost of Black-eyed Meg. We need a few ghosts. They bring in the tourists.”

Emma frowned.

“Hey, I’m only joking, Emma. You know I don’t believe in ghosts. And I’m sure Dave will come back with Joy in a minute. We’ll soon be eating her sandwiches.”

But Dave hadn’t found Joy. He was walking along the Monks’ Walk with the girl in the disappearing dress.

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