The Goodacre Chronicles #1: The Piper Quest

5. Let's Read!

The next thing she knew, they were all in another room - this one filled with shelves and shelves of books.

As Jenny and Julie looked around, they realised that it could be that their dream has just come true-of being in the largest library on the planet!

"Whoa!" cried Julie in astonishment. She had long ceased to be scared - her sister wondered if she had even forgotten about their tryst with death twice before, which would be normal for her.

"I agree," said Jenny, round-eyed and staring in awe. "I've never even seen such a large collection before in my life!"

Benjamin chuckled beside them. "I'm sure you haven't," he said in an amused tone of voice. "This is a collection spanning generations of the Goodacre readers and writers!"

"I see," said Jenny is a hard voice; she still had not let her guard down. "So, you are a family that adores books. Not bad."

"'Not bad'?" he echoed, eyeing her coolly. "Are your standards that high?" When she did not lower her suspicion, he nodded once. "I see."

Jenny wondered what he was getting at, but did not voice her thoughts in case she would end up sounding alarms. She needed him for a little more time, just so she would be able to figure out how she could get herself and her sister away from this maniacal man.

"So," she said, changing the subject, "you say your family has been living here for generations. Where is everybody now?"

Julie spoke up for the first time: "Yes, where are they?"

Benjamin tore his gaze away from Jenny and looked down at Julie.

"I see it runs in the family," he observed, quietly, a reaction that took Jenny by surprise. "This sarcasm and no-nonsense manner of speech."

Jenny narrowed her eyes now. "What do you mean? Have we been acquainted before?" Instantly, something hit her: 'Acquainted?! Are you kidding me, Jenny!? Must not get caught in his net!'

However, the man seemed to think it natural. He replied, noncommittally, "No, we haven't."

The tone in his voice sounded alarm bells all over her head so much that it began aching a little. She frowned to keep it under control.

"Well then, what kind of a grudge do you have against my family?" she asked him through gritted teeth.

"Nothing. It was simply an observation."

"I see. So, where is the rest of your family?"

"Jennifer, do you think that all the generations of my family would still be here? They have - to be mild - moved on."

She stared at him in stunned silence.

He frowned. "Your name is Jennifer Lockheart, isn't it?" he asked. "And your sister is Julianne?"

"How do you know our names?" she asked. "We've never told you!"

He spread out his arms as though they would capture the entire room. "This is my house and I know everything inside it."

"We weren't inside this house to begin with," she told him, flatly.

"No, you weren't. But, if you are, then I would know."

She stared long and hard at him. She saw something like guilt cross his face, but it was only for a second. It gained a neutral expression.

"All right," she said, cautiously. "So, shall we begin?"

At first, he frowned in confusion, before he remembered. "Oh yes, let's!" He cleared his throat and began: "First, you should know that this house has been here for as long as I can remember. I was brought up here my whole life. But one day, when I was but a child, the Plague hit the town and more than ten families witnessed death of their members by the filthy rats!" The man seemed to be growing more and more agitated by the minute. "Mayor Weston heard of the famous Pied Piper, the Rat-Catcher of Hamlin, and decided to employ his services.

"The Piper had removed the rats, but people still died. It was believed that although there were no longer any rats, they had left behind their disease. The Piper then requested the Mayor to keep the children out of the town for their own safety, which Weston refused. He refused to keep the children away from their parents. And so, the Piper took the matter into his own hands-he lured us away from the town."

"Wow!" exclaimed Julie, her eyes shining in excitement. "You saw the Pied Piper?! That's so cool!"

Benjamin chuckled... that is, until he met Jenny's furious gaze: she looked like she was just about to burst into flames of anger. She had her arms folded across her chest, as though to bottle them up.

He sighed. "Well, it's true, you know."

"Oh, I have no doubt of that!" hissed Jenny, acidly. "It's your age I'm worried about."

This rattled Benjamin so much that he was rendered speechless.

She narrowed her eyes and moved her face close to him, till their noses were almost touching. "You better not do anything to us, all right? I'll be watching out. You won't even lay a finger on my sister, you hear me?"

He actually gulped, but he did shake his head. "No. But why?"

"Because," she worded her sentence clearly, though still in low tones, "for all I know, you are this fabled Piper!"

***

Author's Note:

Whoa... Jenny has some serious accusations here... *shudders*

Right, question time: Do you think she's right to think so? - that Benjamin is the Pied Piper, after all?

Oh - and what do you think of the picture in the header? Cool? Exactly where you hope to live??