The Body at Auercliff by Amy Cross Page A

asks cautiously.
    “Here died the prisoner of Auercliff,” I read out loud. “Neglected and forgotten by all.”
    “What does that mean?”
    “Maybe it means there was someone kept prisoner here once,” I reply.
    “Don't be silly.”
    “Why's it silly?”
    “People don't really get held prisoner in houses,” he says confidently. “That only happens in stories.”
    “Are you sure about that?”
    He nods, although I can see a hint of doubt in his eyes.
    “It's so weird how parts of a house can be completely abandoned,” I continue, stepping over to the window and looking out at the lawn. “This could be such a cool -”
    Suddenly I hear a loud bumping sound from somewhere else in the house, like metal hitting wood. My heart is racing as I spin around, and when I look at Nathan I immediately see that he heard the same thing.
    “What was that?” he stammers. “Becky, I'm scared. Was it a ghost?”
    “No,” I whisper, suddenly wanting to cut out all talk of freaky things. “It's probably just Aunt Emily, she probably got up and -”
    I flinch as we hear the sound again, although this time it seems much closer, almost as if it's just outside the room. Maybe at the other end of the corridor.
    Once the moment has passed, Nathan and I stand in complete silence. We're both watching the doorway, both waiting to see if anything appears.
    “Go take a look,” he says finally, nudging my arm.
    I shake my head.
    “Becky!”
    “You go!”
    “No. You're older.”
    Realizing that it really should be me, I take a deep breath while telling myself that there can't be anything too bad out in the corridor. Auercliff is simply an old, creaky house, and sometimes these types of houses make weird noises. I kind of wish I hadn't hyped up the idea of ghosts earlier, though, because now my own words are making me feel a little nervous.
    “Are you scared?” Nathan whispers.
    “Of course not. Why would I be?”
    “Maybe it's the prisoner!”
    Sighing, I realize that he's prone to taking things far too literally. “I don't think there's an actual prisoner,” I tell him. “At least, not anymore. That was probably carved into the table a long time ago.”
    “Why are you scared, then?”
    “I'm not scared!” I reply.
    “So go take a look.”
    Watching the dark doorway for a few seconds, I try to drum up the courage. Finally I take a step forward, although my legs feel weak and I'm starting to think I can hear something else out there. It's as if there's some kind of faint scratching sound coming from low down, maybe from the level of the skirting boards. Clearly Nathan hasn't heard it, however, because I know he'd have asked me by now.
    I take a couple more steps forward and place a hand on the door-frame, just to steady myself, and then finally I peer around the edge.
    The scratching sound stops at the exact moment I look along the dark corridor.
    “Becky?” Nathan hisses. “What do you see?”
    I pause for a few seconds, before stepping all the way out.
    “Nothing,” I tell him, turning and looking the other way before glancing back at him. Suddenly I feel relieved, and much braver. In fact, I can't believe I was scared, even for a second. “There's nothing here.”
    “Then what was -”
    “I dunno,” I reply with a shrug. “Mice?” I even manage to crack a smile. “Come on, dumbass, what did you think it was? A ghost? The infamous, hideous prisoner of Auercliff?”
    “You were scared too,” he says quietly.
    “Hell no! I was just trying to freak you out.”
    “Don't say rude words like that!”
    “Mum does,” I point out.
    “Yeah, but you still shouldn't,” he mutters under his breath.
    “Come on.” Holding out a hand, I wait for him to join me in the corridor. Now that I've faced my fear and shown that there's nothing here, I feel braver than ever before in my life. “Don't be a scaredy-cat, Nathan, just come on! We've got loads more rooms to explore.”
    “I don't want to,” he replies, coming