Translated from Spanish to English - www.onlinedoctranslator.

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THE FIVE

AND THE SECRET OF THE MOUNTAIN

This book
belonging to
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 THE FIVE
AND THE SECRET OF THE
MOUNTAIN

A STORY BY ÓSCAR PARRA DE CARRIZOSA BASED ON THE CHARACTERS CREATED

BY ENID BLYTON

REVIEWED BY GEMA G. REGAL

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 INDEX OF CHAPTERS

Yo AN EXCITING PLAN 4

II THE PREPARATIONS eleven

II WEDNESDAY 18

IV. IN THE STORM 29

V A NIGHT IN THE OLD HOUSE 37

SAW EARLY MORNING 46

VII A WALK THROUGH THE PARAMO 51

VIII THE BLACKBERRY FARM 59

IX VISITORS AT NIGHT 66

X NIGHT EXCURSION 74

eleventh A terrifying encounter 83

twelfth BEDTIME 89

XIII AN UNEXPECTED BATHROOM AND SAD NEWS 94

fourteenth AN INTERESTING DISCOVERY 102

fifteenth LOTS OF FINDS 108

16th THINGS GET COMPLICATED 115

seventeenth DICK 122

XVIII A BUGGED END 132

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 FIRST CHAPTER

AN EXCITING PLAN

- What a bad luck! With the desire that I had to spend all Easter with the boys and it
turns out that they will not arrive until Wednesday. Wasted half a week! —Exclaimed Jorge
rather sulking while she made a ball of paper with the telegram that she had just read and
dropped into her bed.

Ana, her cousin and Julián and Dick's sister, looked at her with a certain amused air.

"Well, look on the bright side, Jorge, so we'll have more time to prepare for the
excursion," Ana replied as she folded some t-shirts on her bed.

—This year it hasn't rained yet and the temperature is still very pleasant. I'm thrilled at
the thought of going out on the moors together, the five of us!

- Wow! Jorge's dog Tim barked, implying that he loved the idea too. Jorge smiled and
caressed the head of the faithful animal.

"You'd better keep your word and show up here on Wednesday!" Otherwise I am quite
capable of catching the first train in the morning and making off to London to drag them
back.

The two girls laughed heartily at the idea and Tim, of course, barked loudly, putting his
paws on Harry's knees. Suddenly a powerful and thunderous voice was heard coming from
the lower floor of Villa Kirrin.

— But is it impossible to have more than ten continuous minutes of peace in this house,
Jorge? -At the moment a loud slam was heard.

JorgeHe frowned.

—If it were up to my father, we would spend the day with a tape covering our mouths.
I'm crazy for Wednesday to arrive! George whispered.

"How about we go on an excursion to Kirrin Island?" Ana asked excitedly.

- I would like to! But I still have the boat in Alfredo's workshop, don't you remember the
storm last Christmas? George replied.

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 Anne agreed.

"Well, although here, at home, nothing serious happened because Mom had secured all
the windows well, in the bay many boats ended up with great damage when they were hit
against the rocks by the waves," Jorge continued. Ana listened with her mouth open.

— And your boat was one of them? the girl inquired.

Yes, but I was lucky. Alf told me that that night a small fishing boat was wrecked off my
island. Fortunately no one died, but they must have had a terrible time. To make matters
worse, the storm destroyed the small power station in Winterfield, which provides
electricity to the town of Kirrin, and they were without power for three days, so we can
forget about the island this vacation.

Kirrin Island really belonged to Jorge. This had been in his family for years and George
loved rowing across Kirrin Bay to the little island he gladly shared with his three cousins.

Timhe howled sadly. Jorge smiled and patted the dog's head affectionately.

— Don't I always say that Tim understands everything we talk about? He has become sad
to know that we will not be able to go! George exclaimed proudly.

"Tim is always ready to go to the island for the rabbits," said Ana. But he'll never
understand why you won't let him hunt them, Jorge. It's the only thing you and Tim don't
see eye to eye on.

Timit was Jorge's beloved dog. He had an extremely long tail that he rarely stopped
wagging. He had found it when he was a cub, lost in the wastelands that stretched for miles
around Kirrin.

At first Jorge's father had refused to have Tim at home, so Alfredo, a good-hearted young
fisherman, took care of him for almost a year. But when Mr. Kirrin learned that the dog had
protected the boys from dangerous men on their first adventure together, he allowed Harry
to keep him with her. Thus, Tim and the boys formed The Five.

—Hey, do you want us to look at the map now to plan the excursion a bit? said Jorge,
standing up suddenly.

The girl bent down and took out a wooden box that she kept under the bed. Ana
watched her with great interest. Jorge opened the old drawer and took out an old and
yellowed map from inside.

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 —?Will there be a sea where we are going? I love sunsets on the beach, watching the
foam of the waves break against the rocks and the sky turning orange. Isn't it delicious?
Anne exclaimed.

—Well, the truth is that there is no sea, but there is a large lake surrounded by
mountains. And the best thing is that the nearest town is about ten kilometers away! We
will be totally at our ease! Jorge exclaimed suddenly, happy.

—?And where are we going to get the food? You know that when the five of us are
together we need as many provisions as for an army," insisted Ana.

Jorgehe opened the map and searched with his finger.

"Yeah, I know, but I thought I saw a farm nearby."

Ana also crouched down and began to browse.

—?Is this the lake? Rockstream? asked Anne.

Jorgeagreed.

—Yes, that's it, but now I can't find the farmhouse.

Ana pointed to a specific point on the map.

“Here is a little house relatively close to the lake. Look, it's the Blackberry farm, isn't that
the one you said?

—Yes! Wow, I think I'm losing my famous eagle eyes! George said.

—?Do you think it will be very far from the lake? I am unable to calculate on the map, it
seems that everything is so close... —Ana pointed out.

The two girls spent the rest of the afternoon making lots of plans. Ana wrote in a small
red school notebook a list of everything they would have to bring to make the excursion a
success.

—?When would we have to return? —She asked Jorge, while he tapped his teeth with
the pen.

—I suppose that on Sunday; that is, we have four days ahead of us. Why? George
answered.

"To calculate the amount of food we have to buy," answered Ana, delighted to be in
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charge of taking care of everything related to feeding the five of them.

—?But have we not said that we will acquire what we need in Blackberries? Jorge asked,
puzzled. Also, we should not carry a lot of luggage because the idea is to have a good
excursion, and if we have to carry too much load we will not endure the walk. How will you
like that! Right Tim? —Jorge said, while the dog seemed to listen to each of his words with
interest. Tim thought about the dozens of rabbits he could chase down the road. It was the
only reason he found to go out into the field. Otherwise, what was the point of him walking
for the sake of walking?

—?Where are we going to sleep? asked Anne.

"I had thought about taking our tents and sleeping in them," Jorge answered.

"But it's still too cold to sleep out in the open." Maybe it would be a good idea to ask at
the farm to see if they can accommodate us, they may have a spare shed,' continued Ana.

—Bah! I see no reason to waste time on it, surely Julián can think of somewhere better. I
vote to go there only to buy meat, eggs, tomatoes… I don't know, whatever we fancy, and
some bones for Tim,” Jorge proposed.

- Wow! Tim approved. Naturally, it seemed like a fantastic idea to him! Rides and Bones!
Was there anything better in the world?

Someone knocked on the door. Moments later, Aunt Fanny's head appeared.

—?Girls? In ten minutes I need you to come downstairs to help me set the table. By the
way, what are you doing here in the dark?

The two girls looked at each other and burst out laughing. They had not noticed that,
slowly, the afternoon had been falling and it was true that they could barely see each
other's faces!

"Okay, mom, we'll go down on time to set the table," Jorge answered reluctantly.

Aunt Fanny smiled and quietly closed the door. Jorge got up and went to the window.
Night was closing in on Kirrin Bay and a huge full moon was rising behind the island,
illuminating the outlines of the old castle with its silvery light, giving it a gloomy air. Some
clouds crossed the horizon, momentarily darkening the landscape.

—?Aren't you afraid of the castle like this? Ana asked, sidling up to her cousin and
placing one of her hands on Tim's reassuring head.

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 JorgeHe shook his head as he opened the window. A soft sea breeze reached her face.
Some crickets, in the distance, sang, putting her particular music at night.

"I wouldn't be able to stay alone on the island for even one night." I think I would die of a
heart attack as soon as the sun went down,” Ana whispered, very serious. George frowned.

—?Why would I be scared? Right now there are only crickets, cormorants and rabbits.

—Wow! Tim barked. Did they talk about rabbits? Finally an interesting topic!

"Well, it would scare me." To think of all the people who lived there centuries ago... Have
you ever wondered how strange it is that we've never found a graveyard on Kirrin Island?
asked Anne.

JorgeHe couldn't help but feel a chill running down his back.

"I suppose when someone from the castle died they would bring them to the mainland,
to the little graveyard in Kirrin," George explained.

"Yes, that should be it." But even so, it scares me, at night, so lonely… —Ana answered.

The two girls were silent for a few minutes. The waves beat furiously on the rocks that
surrounded the island, raising large amounts of foam. From time to time a cloud tried to
hide the moon and then the darkness spread its black mantle over the horizon again, giving
the impression that the island and the castle were engulfed by the sea.

"Let's go downstairs," said Ana, as she headed for the door. If I keep looking out that
window for ten more minutes I'll end up seeing an eighteenth-century ship crashing noisily
against the rocks. Mom always says that I have a very fertile imagination.

Jorgehe also withdrew from the window. She loved her island above all else. Fear? That
was something typical of girls. The truth is that it was very pleasant to be with the scared
Ana, but when the five of them got together the fun multiplied. It had been several months
since she had seen the boys. Jorge admired Julián, his resolute gaze and his intelligence
gave him an authority that not even she dared to question. Dick, who was the same age as
him, was also a very intelligent boy, with a sense of humor that made it almost impossible
for you to get mad at him. Yes, she was definitely looking forward to seeing his cousins.

The rest of the evening passed pleasantly. Aunt Fanny prepared a hearty dinner of fresh
tomatoes from her own garden, sausages, and ham. Uncle Quentin had dinner in his office,
it was impossible for him to leave his work for something "so stupid" as dinner. So, the girls
and Jorge's mother sat down at the table. For dessert there was a splendid hot honey and
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cheese cake that delighted the girls.

—How Dick would like to be here, now! Jorge exclaimed fully convinced, as he helped
himself to another generous portion of the orange cake.

"No, Tim, stop whining, you've already eaten more cake than me," said Ana, pushing the
animal away.

When the clock in the living room struck nine o'clock at night, Ana could barely suppress
a yawn.

"I think it's time for bed," said Aunt Fanny, getting up and beginning to clear away the
dishes.

"Help me clear the table and go to bed, I'll go pick up Quentin's tray." Jorge, have you
taken Tim for a walk this afternoon?

—I forgot, poor Tim! Let's go right now! —Exclaimed Jorge, while he stood up dragging
the chair with a great noise, which caused a reproachful look from his mother.

Anne said goodbye to Aunt Fanny and went up to the bedroom. It was exciting to think
about the excursion of the next few days. The girl took off her clothes and put on her
pajamas. She parted the window curtains and she could see Jorge and Tim bathed in a huge
moon that was already rising majestically on the horizon. A meandering lightning
illuminated, for a few moments, the Isle of Kirrin, the castle and the coast, which made the
girl shudder.

The night was a bit cold and Ana got into the covers of her bed, snuggling up with
satisfaction. Soon after, she fell into a deep sleep. She didn't even listen when Jorge
returned. Or Tim settling on the foot of her darling little mistress's bed.

—?Are you awake? —Jorge whispered from his bed. Seeing that her cousin didn't
answer, the girl turned around thanking the warmth that Tim gave her at her feet and,
almost without realizing it, she fell asleep too.

Only Tim stayed awake in the quiet of the house. Half an hour later, the animal opened
its huge brown eyes upon hearing Uncle Quentin leave his office and enter the bedroom.
After a while, the animal raised one of his ears when it heard a distant thunder. Everything
was fine. He could sleep peacefully. And so he did.

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10
 CHAPTER II

THE PREPARATIONS

The next day a few more clouds appeared on the horizon, which worried the girls. During
the night there had been a light storm, although now it was no longer raining. Was the
excursion going to spoil at the last minute?

"Well, I don't care if it rains or if it snows, for my part I plan to go anyway," Jorge
commented as they went out into the garden. Also, they don't look like very threatening
clouds either. After all, in April you can't expect a scorching sun to shine.

—We'll be watching the ten o'clock news to find out what kind of clothes we should
wear, I hope the boys bring a bit of everything. The truth is that it seems that the weather is
crazy, yesterday a heavenly day and today dawns with this gray and stormy sky,” Ana
commented.

Certainly, a good storm was foreshadowed. The air smelled of wet earth, and as the
morning wore on the wind became more and more present. He seemed to be gathering
strength to vent all his fury at the end of the day.

During the meal, despite the fact that it was delicious, the girls remained silent and
somewhat dejected. Aunt Fanny tried to cheer them up.

—?What happens to you? Is it because of the storm? the woman asked. Don't worry, it
will pass in a matter of hours, or that's what they said this morning on the radio news. So,
cheer up those faces, your excursion will not be spoiled. Have you already decided where
you want to go?

Jorgeand Ana felt more encouraged when they heard the news. "Yes, we'll go inland, on
the moors, near Rockstream Lake." It's the loneliest place we've been able to find without
being too far from here,” Jorge replied, helping himself to a copious helping of scrambled
eggs.

Anne intervened. —Aunt Fanny, this morning we have to go to Kirrin to buy some things
that we will need during these days, do you want us to bring you something from the town?

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 —No, dear, on Monday I went with Juana and we made a good purchase. Although now
that you mention it, I'm going to order a couple of oil lamps just in case the storm leaves us
without power tonight. Your Uncle Quentin intends to spend it in his office and would be
furious about having to go to bed if we lost power.

The girls smiled; Aunt Fanny was always in on everything. After clearing the table, the
two went up to their bedroom, put on a wool jacket and went back downstairs, going out
into the garden, already accompanied by Tim.

The two girls and the animal headed for the town of Kirrin along the cobbled path in
front of Jorge's house. The certain thing is that the environment presaged a ferocious
storm. Some sparrows flew low and bathed in the puddles that had formed along the way.
Tim was looking at them curiously. Did those little animals also take baths? And who would
brush their feathers afterwards?

"When I have my own house, I want to be like Aunt Fanny." She is always attentive to
everything, it must be very complicated! Anne exclaimed with admiration.

—Bah! I will live on Kirrin Island, life is easier when you don't have to worry about
keeping the house clean. Sometimes I think that Mom would like to have a museum, always
neat and tidy, instead of Villa Kirrin,” Jorge replied, with a grimace.

"You and the boys would dare to live in a cave." What would become of us if I did not
take care of maintaining order and cleanliness on our excursions! You would end up eating
from the same plate as Tim and drinking water from the puddles between the rocks! What
do I say! Tim is cleaner and tidier than you! Ana reproached him, pretending to be
indignant.

—Wow! Tim barked. Of course he was a neat and tidy dog! He knew very well where he
buried each bone!

—Look, Jorge, the bus! Ana exclaimed, pointing to the limping vehicle heading down the
narrow road toward Kirrin.

They ran after the small country bus. This one picked up people going to market and
served as a link between the tiny villages scattered across the moors and the coast. He
politely stopped to pick them up and they hurried up.

—Good morning, Mr. Jorge! Tim will also pay a ticket, right? the driver commented
seriously. You know that the company obliges me.

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 —But if Tim doesn't sit down and doesn't bother anyone! replied Jorge, who had taken
the joke completely seriously. Ana smiled and paid for her ticket and her cousin's. The bus
was busier than usual.

Shortly after, the three descended. Several women carried huge baskets to go to the
market with them.

—?Is it that everyone has given to go shopping today? Jorge growled annoyed, because
he didn't like crowds.

"Tomorrow is Wednesday and some stores close for Easter," Ana explained. That must
be the reason.

"It's true, how stupid I am," Jorge answered, somewhat embarrassed. Well, let's see...
There's the store where we should buy mom's lamps.

The girls entered, leaving Tim at the door, since animals were not allowed in the
establishment, which caused Jorge to make an annoyed face. The place was impregnated
with that characteristic smell of new things.

"Good morning, Mr. Jorge. Hello Miss Anne! What do they want? asked the shopkeeper,
a thin man with a gaunt, gaunt face, dressed in a pale shirt that he adorned with a sad
grayish tie, which was almost hidden by a smock.

“Hello, Mr. Andrews. My mother has ordered us a couple of oil lamps, with their
respective wicks. He's afraid that the storm will leave us without light like other times,”
Jorge explained.

The man looked with interest towards the window.

- Oh! Does it look that bad? She asked-. Well, I'll bring them to you right away. Do you
want anything else? I have to go down to the store and I don't want to have to do it several
times.

"Yes, bring four oil lamps instead of two, please, Mr. Andrews," answered Ana
surprisingly.

The man smiled. Immediately afterwards, he opened a wooden hatch in the floor, behind
the counter, and descended into the basement of the store.

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 "I thought maybe it would be good for us to have a couple of them, they're safer than
candles and they also make such beautiful light... It'll be great to take them out at dusk
while we eat dinner," Ana explained.

"Yeah, that's not a bad idea," agreed Jorge, who had come over to take a look at the hole
through which the shop owner had disappeared.

—Grandfather always said that the town of Kirrin is completely perforated by

underground passages that communicate a large part of the houses with each other. In the
war years, families practically made their lives in those basements for fear of bombing.

—How awful! —Asserted Ana, while she looked towards the window to see Tim, who
was watching them from the other side of the street, somewhat annoyed at the fact that he
had to stay out of it. Not that it was a store owned by rabbits!

Downstairs the man could be heard messing around in the basement.

"I've always thought that Mr. Andrews looks more like an undertaker than anything
else," whispered Anne, almost inaudibly.

A man entered the store. The two girls looked at him curiously. He had a thick dark beard
and thick eyebrows that almost completely covered his small pale eyes. At first he glanced
around him. Surprised at not seeing any clerks on the other side of the counter, he looked
impatiently at the watch on his wrist and made a disgruntled gesture, tutting unpleasantly.

"He'll be up soon, Mr. Andrews has come down for some things we've asked him for at
the store," Ana explained to the newcomer. He just nodded his head without saying a single
word.

"You're welcome," Jorge commented somewhat annoyed. Ana couldn't help but laugh at
her cousin's reaction. Shortly after, footsteps coming from the hole through which Mr.
Andrews had disappeared indicated that he was returning.

—Finally! He exclaimed triumphantly, placing four oil lamps on the counter top. I've had
a hard time finding them, most people prefer electric lanterns by now, but I knew I still had
a few of these left somewhere. Here you have them, four splendid oil lamps, special for
stormy nights,” he added, winking at them, causing dozens of wrinkles to furrow his
parchment face.

-Thank you, how much is it? George answered.

14
 "Because it's for two very polite little people, we'll lower the rate a little," Mr. Andrews
replied, delighted with the girls.

"Hey, I'm in a bit of a hurry," the man complained in a deep voice, who had been
watching the scene with obvious signs of annoyance and nervousness. Do you have black
acrylic paint? he asked, as he stepped forward to the neat wooden counter.

"Yes, but you'll have to wait your turn, I'm taking care of two clients who have arrived
before you," replied Mr. Andrews.

The man snorted angrily, but said nothing more. Ana paid the amount of the purchase
and they both left the store, saying goodbye to the good merchant.

—What a sullen and disagreeable man! Jorge exclaimed aloud, as soon as he set foot
outside the establishment.

"She seemed very impatient," said Ana, eager to calm the overheated girl.

—Impatient? Well, go to hell! How stretched! It's times like this I wish I had Tim's teeth,”
George continued when suddenly his cousin kicked him covertly. Jorge was going to tell Ana
what he thought of people kicking for no reason, but the serious face of her cousin made
the girl turn around.

Behind her, the man with the dark beard glared at her as he carried two large buckets.

—Have they not taught you education? —Said the man with his powerful voice, while he
advanced a few steps menacingly towards Jorge. Because you might need some lessons,
you conceited, rude boy.

The man, visibly angry, left what he had bought on the ground and was about to
confront Jorge, when Tim streaked across the street, erupting into furious barking that
made the man pale and drew the attention of all passers-by.

TimHe kept barking like a madman while Jorge held him by the collar. The animal was
struggling to break free and drooling with sheer fury.

—Whoa, whoa! the shopkeeper exclaimed, emerging from the shop. Good old Tim!
What's going on here, Master George?

—Oh, nothing important, Mr. Andrews! It's just that this unpleasant man wanted to give
me some lessons, but he seems to be thinking better of it, seeing that Tim also has
something to explain to him.

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 The red-faced man looked scornfully at the grinning merchant.

"Mind your own business, busybody!" yelled the man with the beard, full of rage. And,
taking the buckets from him, he hurried down the street. Mr. Andrews shook his head in
disapproval and, smiling at the girls, went back to his business.

"Jorge, you should hold your tongue," Ana scolded him, a little annoyed by the scene.
And you too Tim, any day you're going to drop it! Her," she added with a laugh, seeing the
dog with its pink tongue hanging out of its mouth.

The rest of the morning was spent buying food, refreshments, some ropes for the tents,
and a couple of huge bones for Tim.

When they got home it was almost time to eat. The girls helped Aunt Fanny to serve at
the table and dispatched their respective dishes as soon as possible, since Uncle Quentin
had sat next to them and was certainly not the best company, especially when he was not in
the mood, as he was that day. .

During the afternoon, the sky had finished clouding over and there, behind the Isle of
Kirrin, some lightning could be seen shining, heralding a strong night storm. The town's
sailors had firmly secured their boats lest they break loose from their moorings and smash
against the sharp rocks of the shoreline.

At six in the evening, the girls decided to have a frugal dinner in their bedroom.
Downstairs Aunt Fanny and Uncle Quentin were left chatting calmly in front of the fire.
Jorge's father tried to explain to his wife the development of his complicated work, but,
although the woman paid full attention, after five minutes she changed the topic of
conversation and went on to tell her husband some of the news in the town that he had
met through Juana, the cook.

Already in the room, Jorge looked out the window with a very serious face. Some thick
drops of water began to hit, little by little, against the glass.

—I hope Alf has insured my boat well —said Jorge observing his island in ecstasy, while
Ana read a book lying on her bed.

-Surely yes. Come on, it wasn't the first storm in Kirrin! — The girl replied, without taking
her eyes off her reading.

Timhe remained with his tail between his legs, next to Jorge's bed. Of course, she didn't
like storms at all, and he didn't understand who was making such terrifying noises either.

16
 It was dusk and the wind was whipping Villa Kirrin hard when suddenly there was a loud
bang from the floor below. Tim barked loudly and Ana jumped.

—Jorge, shut up that dog! yelled Uncle Quentin.

—?What was that? asked Ana, somewhat alarmed.

"Probably the kitchen window, which must have been opened in this air," Jorge
explained calmly. I'll go downstairs to close it,” he concluded, while he slipped into his robe.

—Blow! If it's almost half past eight, that's why I'm so tired! I think as soon as I get up I'm
going to go to bed,” Jorge commented, already at the door.

Downstairs, in the living room, the voice of his parents could be heard. Jorge entered the
kitchen. Sure enough, the strong wind had blown open the small window and was
threatening to blow again. He closed it and bolted it to avoid a new scandal.

When he went back up to the bedroom, Ana had fallen asleep on her book. Jorge woke
her up and minutes later, once they had both put on their pajamas, the two girls were
resting, peacefully, dreaming of bearded men, storms, Tim and the next day's excursion.

17
 CHAPTER III

WEDNESDAY

Timhe was the first to hear the boys coming up the narrow stone path that led to Kirrin
Villa. It was after half past eight in the morning, when Julián and Dick opened the door that
led to the garden of their uncle's house.

—?You see? I told you, it smelled like sausages,” Dick asserted, looking at his brother and
comically inhaling the air.

—What a stupid thing! You've been saying that ever since we got off the train at Kirrin
station. Even Tim wouldn't be able to sniff at this distance.

Dick shrugged, but the truth was that the air was thick with the delicious aroma of crispy
sausages wafting from the house's chimney.

—Why didn't you notify us that we were arriving at this time? Knowing Jorge it is very
possible that he still sleeps. With such a wonderful day that he makes...! Dick assured.

"Because I wanted it to be a surprise, although I did tell Aunt Fanny the time anyway, I
just asked her not to tell the girls anything." Look, there is the aunt! Julián exclaimed, happy
to see Jorge's mother.

Indeed, the good woman had just come out, smiling, to receive them at the door.

—How was the trip, dear ones? she asked them, as he gave them a welcoming kiss. You
both look very good. Is everything okay at home? We intend to visit your parents after
Easter,' Aunt Fanny remarked.

—In London everything is fine, thank you very much. Dad and mom will be delighted
with your visit. And as for the trip, the truth is that it has been very enjoyable for us, we
have been reading and chatting almost all the time. And how about Uncle Quentin? Julian
asked politely.

—Oh! Very good, working tirelessly. You know, he spends all day in her office,' Aunt
Fanny explained to them as they passed into the drawing room, where she was already
crackling a hearty fire.

18
 Suddenly, Ana, Jorge and Tim appeared running down the stairs at full speed.

—Hello! Have you heard us coming? Dick asked, as he gave his little sister Ana a big hug.

“Not really us, but Tim nearly barked the door down, so we woke up. What a joy to have
you here! —Exclaimed Jorge, who felt true adoration for his cousins.

They all gave each other friendly pats on the back. It was great to have the five of us
together again! During the past quarter, they had barely been able to exchange a few
letters and the occasional isolated phone call. Tim kept licking them all, jumping around
them, mad with joy.

—We missed you too, old friend! But stop licking my hands or you'll end up erasing
them! said Dick, stroking the dog's shaggy head.

—Damn, how you've put on Tim, almost as fat as Jorge! —Assured Julián, feigning
surprise as he took off his coat.

—He hasn't put on weight, and neither have I! Jorge protested, who always took Julián's
jokes seriously.

—?Don't you know Julian? Anne intervened, smiling. Dick, if you don't take off your
jacket, you're going to get measles in here.

- Yes mom! Dick mocked, as he unbuttoned his pack and began to unbutton his coat.
Well, and when do we leave? Already? A fabulous morning has come out.

At that moment, Uncle Quentin came out of his office, smiled at his nephews, and shook
hands with the boys.

"George, if you can't stop Tim from breaking my eardrums every time he gets excited, I'll
send you both to sleep in his garden shed." Everything okay guys? How about the studies?
the man asked, going to the table in the living room, where several dishes were already
waiting for lunch.

Everyone took a seat. The warmth of the fire made the room even more welcoming and
joy floated in the air. Even Uncle Quentin didn't frown once the whole time. The food was
'crushing', in Dick's words: fried eggs, bacon, fresh lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, honey cakes
and a large jug of creamy cocoa milk satiated everyone's appetite.

—Mother, these honey puff pastry cakes are fit for the queen herself! Jorge commented,
helping himself to one more.

19
 —Oh! Then you'll complain if I tell you that you've put on a lot of weight,” Julián
commented with a grimace.

The boys made breakfast quite lively by recounting some hilarious anecdotes that had
happened to them in recent months at the school where both boys attended.

In turn, Ana told them about the incident they had had in Mr. Andrews' shop and how
Tim had come to protect them.

—By the way, old Sooty sends his regards to all of you. He was about to come on the
excursion, but his father didn't let him, having failed almost all the subjects this term,”
Julián recalled.

—?Do you still call the son of my good friend, Mr. Lenoir, by that silly name? asked Uncle
Quentin, very surprised.

Julián smiled and told them Sooty's latest jokes, so that, almost without realizing it, time
passed quickly.

—Come on! But it's already almost ten o'clock,” Julián exclaimed, looking at his
wristwatch. We have to go, we've spent too much time entertaining ourselves with this
magnificent lunch,” he assured, while the four of them got up almost at the same time from
the table.

—Jorge and Ana, have you already made your respective beds? asked Aunt Fanny. Ana
nodded with a smile and Jorge bolted up the stairs.

Sure enough, it was almost mid-morning. The sun had begun to peek timidly behind the
clouds, giving way to a beautiful and bright day.

Soon they were all in the room again.

—Well, if you have your luggage ready, we'll leave. I'd like to take advantage of the
daylight as much as possible,” Julian said, excited at the prospect of the five of us going
camping together.

Ana and Jorge took their belongings while the boys went out into the garden, already
loaded with two heavy backpacks.

"It's great to be here again, Villa Kirrin always has such a distinctive smell of the sea..."
Dick said, trying to scan the bay.

20
 "I thought you were going to say that you smelled like sausages," Julián replied with a
certain sarcasm.

Indeed, the day had cleared. The April sun was still not very hot, and a myriad of small
raindrops glistened on the grass, giving it a pleasant, fresh appearance.

"I hope it's not too hot after all, we've brought more warm clothes than summer clothes
and if this goes on we're going to bake like Aunt Fanny's scones," said Dick, a little worried.

"I don't think so," Julián replied, carefully observing the horizon. If you look closely, there
are cumulonimbus clouds in the direction we're heading.

—?Cumulus what? asked Dick, puzzled, looking up at the sky with great interest. I only
see clouds.

—Of course, they are cumulonimbus type clouds, we have studied them this year at
school. Those kinds of clouds are an indicator of bad weather, in other words, that we could
have a storm this afternoon, but don't say anything. You already know that Ana isn't very
fond of thunder,” Julián warned.

Two minutes later, Jorge and Ana left the house. Each one of them carried a backpack,
somewhat smaller and less cumbersome than those of the boys, who were the ones
carrying the two tents. Tim was jumping around, they were finally out!

Aunt Fanny opened the little metal door of the garden gate for them.

"I know that with Julián I don't have to worry, but anyway, if you can, let me know by
phone when you arrive at your destination, whatever it is," Jorge's mother asked with a
serious gesture.

'I'm afraid it won't be possible, Aunt Fanny,' Julian replied. We head into the moors and
the nearest town is just over ten kilometers away, assuming there is a public telephone.

"Besides, Tim's coming with us." What better guardian? Just yesterday we had the
chance to check it out with that rude man,” Jorge pointed out, that she was sure that her
dog could defend them from anyone.

Aunt Fanny smiled.

—Okay, be prudent and enjoy nature. And, for God's sake, don't get involved in any of
those horrible adventures, at least not this time. In agreement?

21
 —Oh! We won't. Don't worry, Aunt Fanny, I think we'd all like to rest these days,”
answered Anne, as she closed the door.

The other three looked at each other pointedly. Of course they wanted to rest, but if
some exciting adventure presented itself, they weren't going to turn their backs on it!

The five of them headed up the cliff path to the nearest bus stop. The lavender blue of
the sea beautifully colored the steep rocks between which the boys walked. Truly, the
gentle sea breeze was delightful at this time of year. They all looked towards the lonely Isle
of Kirrin.

"It's a pity I can't go to the island this Easter, every time I see it it seems more mysterious
to me," Dick commented, exposing the thought that everyone had at that moment.

The eleven o'clock bus passed on time. It was half empty and the group was able to
accommodate themselves in the old wooden seats of the vehicle. Half an hour later the five
got off in the small town of Noisy.

A great cloud advanced in the sky covering at times the sun and darkening the day.

"I think we're having a bad time, we must hurry because it's better for us to get to the
camping site with light, I'm not enthusiastic about the idea of having to pitch the tents by
the light of the oil lamps," Julián warned, as he settled his backpack on your back.

—Oh what a beautiful place! Look, the town is next to that huge lagoon! Which will be
his name? It has the bluest water I've ever seen in my life,” exclaimed Ana, enthused by the
landscape.

Noisy was really a pretty town. A great lake of deep waters was located at his feet. Some
boats were fishing, although most remained moored on the shore.

—Jorge, can you take out the map? It's better to take landmarks now that we're in a
recognizable place because, if I'm not mistaken, we won't pass through any more populated
places, except for the Blackberry Farm,” Julián said.

JorgeHe took the map out of one of his pockets, unfolded it, and spread it out on the
floor. The four of them sat down so that they could better study the route they should
follow.

"Look, we're right here," said Dick, pointing to a particular spot on the map. In other
words, what we have behind us is Laguna del Rey. I guess we'll have to take this path that

22
comes out on the other side of the road and runs parallel to the river. What does it say
there?

"Municipal cemetery," Jorge answered. No, a little further,' Dick corrected.

-Collapse. It must be some peculiar spot in this area,” Julián commented.

"Or maybe an old sunken house," Dick suggested.

"Well, we'll see it shortly because we have to pass by, so let's get moving," Julián
encouraged, standing up with a vigorous jump.

The five of them crossed the small road that bisected the town of Noisy. As soon as they
crossed an old bridge under which a narrow stream ran into which the Laguna del Rey
emptied its waters, they located the dirt road they had seen on the map, next to which the
stream flowed, singing.

The path, in its first meters, passed next to a tiny cemetery with whitewashed walls.

"What a sad place," commented Ana, who couldn't help shuddering as she passed
through the black metal gate of the cemetery.

Julian put his arm around the girl's shoulders.

—It is a resting place Ana, if you look at it with different eyes you will see that it is happy.
It has hundreds of flowers and the sound of the water here is enchanting. Doesn't it seem
like an ideal place to rest after a lifetime?

The girl nodded not too convinced and continued walking briskly. A few meters ahead,
the air was filled with an intense aroma.

—It smells good! What is? George asked curiously.

- It's rosemary. Look, there are thousands of bushes around here,' said Dick, pointing
towards the hills that spread across the moor.

Indeed, the field was littered with small rosemary plants whose fragrance floated in the
air; In addition, its purple flowers drew a really beautiful landscape.

A young rabbit emerged from its burrow, pricking its large ears and looking at the group
curiously. Tim saw it and launched into a frantic run towards the cute creature. The little
animal, terrified by such a large dog, turned around and disappeared into another hole,
under a showy gorse bush.
23
 —Tim! You know very well that you are forbidden to chase rabbits! I am very
disappointed in you! Jorge yelled at him, while the animal returned with its tail between its
legs.

—But Jorge, poor Tim is just doing a little sport! In fact, I think you should chase a few
rabbits to get yourself back into shape, too,' said Dick, mocking his cousin, who punched
him in protest on the shoulder.

—But how can you have the courage to speak like that, if I have never seen anyone eat
like you do, in all my life! the girl protested with false indignation.

"Look, that over there is El Hundimiento, let's take a look," Julián said, pointing to a
detour that was a few meters away.

—What's that noise? asked Ana, when they were already entering the fork. They all
stopped to listen carefully.

"It must be a waterfall, I don't see any other reason for such a noise," said Julián, who led
the march.

Indeed, a few meters later they found themselves contemplating a wonderful spectacle.
A great cascade of water more than ten meters down fell in front of them, making a
considerable ruckus.

—It's crushing! Dick exclaimed. Who could have imagined that here, in the middle of the
moor, there would be a waterfall?

JorgeHe firmly grabbed Tim by the collar. They were on the edge of a precipice and he
was frightened by the idea that he might slip and plunge into those raging waters.

"Of course the view is heavenly," confirmed Ana. And how cool this place must be in
summer! Do you think we take the opportunity to eat here? I can't think of a better place.

"Maybe we should go a little further, but it's true that the environment deserves it,"
Julián replied.

Everyone agreed that El Hundimiento was a superb place to eat and rest a bit. Ana
unwrapped two sandwiches for each of them, including Tim. In turn, Jorge took several
bottles of ginger beer out of his backpack, which everyone welcomed with enthusiasm.

—Ginger beer should be a national treasure! I don't think there is a better soft drink in all
of England, and perhaps even in the world,” exclaimed Dick, after taking a generous

24
swallow from his bottle. Don't you feel terribly tired? the boy asked, as he fell back onto the
soft grass.

"We've been up since dawn, but they've been up relatively late." What do you think if we
take a little nap here, before continuing? Julian suggested. Dick and I are the ones who carry
most of the weight.

"Then give me one of the stores," Jorge protested. I have no problem carrying one.

"It's not necessary, we just need to rest our backs a bit before going into the moors,"
Julian replied, in a conciliatory tone.

The five of them stretched out on the cool grass, making themselves as comfortable as
possible. The sound of the water was an excellent relaxant and, in a matter of minutes, they
fell into a restful sleep.

As the sun slowly sank below the horizon, the sky had been covered with dark clouds. A
drop in temperature and a sudden wind woke up Ana.

—Julian! We have slept too much! the girl exclaimed, alarmed. Look how dark it is
already!

"That's true," Julian answered, sitting up. It was my fault. Let's see, it's four in the
afternoon, although the clouds have made the day very dark. Let's not waste another
minute. Come on Dick, Jorge, get up, the afternoon has fallen upon us.

Once the eating utensils were collected, the five of them, with Tim in the lead, left The
Dunk to get back on the main path as soon as possible. Julián felt terribly guilty for his
carelessness. In a scant hour it would be dark and they were still several kilometers away
from the prearranged camping site.

"This air is stormy," Jorge warned, who understood a lot about these matters.

—?Now? Are you sure George? asked Anne.

"Yes, completely sure. It may take half an hour or a few minutes, but it will rain. How
glad I am that we brought the raincoats!

"We'll walk briskly, maybe we'll reach our camp before the rain starts to fall," Julián
suggested, more to reassure Ana than out of conviction.

TimHe was in the middle of the boys. It was also bad luck, two storms in two days, with
what little he liked.
25
 They hadn't been walking for more than twenty minutes when some thick drops
announced what everyone feared.

—Get out the raincoats! —Julián said, while he himself got rid of his backpack and
started to look for his own.

It was barely visible when a flash of lightning illuminated the entire field with its white
and ghostly light.

BROOOOOOOOOOMMMM!

The sound of a huge clap of thunder caused Tim to yap in fright.

—Quiet Tim! Don't be an idiot, it's just a storm! exclaimed Dick, who had already put on
his raincoat and was helping Jorge put his on.

—Oh Julian! Professor Duffy told me that the storms in the countryside are very
dangerous! What are we going to do now? Anna moaned.

"Don't worry, it's only dangerous if we stay under tall trees, and there aren't any around
here." We shouldn't run either, currents attract lightning. Come on, let's go! From the road I
glimpsed a building that could serve as a refuge, it seems to me that it must be less than a
kilometer from here.

The five set off again, protected by their colorful raincoats. Soon the rain began to pour
down hard; it was certainly not the kind of excursion they had expected.

26
 CHAPTER IV

IN THE STORM

They had been walking for a while in that torrential rain without finding any trace of the
house that Julián thought he had seen from the road.

—Behold! There, on that small hill, must be the little house that I tell you about. If we
hurry we might not get soaked to the skin,” Julian announced, quickening his pace.

"Possibly," Dick agreed. Now let's just hope the owners want to open us up.

The group left the main path and began to climb, with some difficulty, up a narrow path
on the slope of the hill, on top of which would be the house to which Julián was referring.
The boy, in his heart of hearts, hoped he hadn't been wrong. It seemed pitch black and it
wasn't very encouraging to be lost in the moors. A new thunderclap made Ana's heart
shrink. Julián shook her sister's hand to reassure her.
27
 They had already traveled a good part of the journey, when they sighted a construction
just above the mountain.

—It's demolished! What a bad luck! exclaimed Ana, completely discouraged.

—It's okay, we just want to use it until this storm subsides a bit. Come on, there's not
much left, sometimes things aren't as you want,” Julián said.

Indeed, the house was an old building from the nineteenth century. In its heyday it must
have been a beautiful country villa with marvelous views over the town of Noisy and its
lagoons, but today, the result of many decades of neglect, it presented a desolate and
gloomy appearance. The windows no longer had glass, part of the roof had caved in, and
the door of the house lay smashed on the ground, next to its frame. It was definitely not the
right place.

—It is awful! Anne complained. This place is awful!

"It's just an old ruin, rickety with the passage of time." Come on, let's go inside, at least
we'll be covered there,” said Dick, wanting to calm the anguish of his little sister.

—Are we really going to ride out the storm in this horrendous place? Ana insisted that
she did not want to stay there for a single second.

Well, you have another option. Stay out here in the open and come in just to let us know
that the rain has stopped,” Julián replied, somewhat annoyed by Ana's childish attitude.

The truth is that none of them liked that so lonely and inhospitable place too much, but
it was what it was. Julián took the initiative and, pointing to the door, headed towards it
decisively.

Despite the unpleasantness of the place, the boys were eager to take shelter from the
rain that, at that moment, was already pouring down on all of them. Once inside, Tim began
to growl.

—What's up, old friend? asked Dick, groping for the animal's head.

—One moment! First of all take out your flashlights, here you can still see less than
outside and it can be dangerous to walk in the dark in a place like this,” said Julián, who
always tried to be cautious.

Moments later everyone, except Tim, directed the beam of light towards the corners of
the room in which they were. This one had a gloomy appearance. The walls covered with

28
dirty paper reflected the passing of the years and only the remains of an armchair gave
clues that, one day, this had been a hall.

In front of the main door, through which they had just entered, they saw a staircase that
was to go up to the upper floor and, immediately next to it, another small door opened that
led to a large patio partially covered by vegetation, which grew without control everywhere.
The two boys entered. The patio occupied the central part of the building and in the middle
of it was a well covered by a small metal lid.

"Let's open it," Julian said. Maybe it still has water, we could use pearls.

Dick and Julian easily removed the cover, and moments later shone their flashlights into
the shaft.

"Seems pretty deep." Isn't that a cube at your feet, Ju? Dick asked.

“Yes, yes it is. Well, at least we know we can count on water. I suppose it will be
drinkable —Julián concluded.

"Come on inside, we're getting like soups."

They went back to the hall where the girls and Tim were waiting.

"It's a patio with a well," Julián explained. Let's take a look at the rest and see if we can
find somewhere more comfortable.

The five explored the place in complete silence. The rain was pounding on the roof,
making a series of uneasy sounds.

To the right of the hall was another door that led to a large room completely empty,
except for an ancient wardrobe that was still attached to the wall.

From the other wall, opposite the closet, hung two thick metal rings. On the third wall,
they observed a door, apparently quite new, which remained closed. Jorge tried to open it.

"Either it's locked or it's dislodged from the frame," he said, pushing hard.

- Shall we tear it down? the girl proposed, always looking for adventure.

"Not at all," said Dick. Even if this is just an old dilapidated house, it's still private
property. They could accuse us of vandalism. Let's go back to the hall. We only have to go
up the stairs and see where the door on the left leads.

29
 The second floor was totally demolished. The staircase that started from the hall was
interrupted in the second flight, making it impossible to continue.

Finally, they took the door on the left, which communicated with another room
somewhat larger than the entrance hall.

"This must be the kitchen and it still seems to have a pretty firm roof," Jorge announced.
Let's take a look.

The five entered what had once been a huge kitchen. The walls here held numerous tiles,
now dirty and broken, and even an old sink with a brass faucet that hung from one wall. The
ceiling was in better condition than any they had seen so far, except for a gaping hole in one
side. Lightning briefly illuminated the scene and Ana shrieked loudly.

—?What's going on, Anna? Julian asked, alarmed. Why have you screamed?

At that moment, a clap of thunder made all the walls rumble. Tim started to growl.

—I've seen a face in that window! said the girl, who felt like crying. Dick directed the
beam of his flashlight where Ana indicated and laughed.

—What a fool! It was your own reflection in the glass! She said, unable to contain her
laughter. Look, it's one of the few windows in the house that still has the glass on it,” she
explained, as she tapped him gently with her flashlight.

Everyone laughed heartily at Ana's fright, who had turned red as a tomato.

—I'm sorry I scared you, it's just that this place is so hateful...

"We're going to continue exploring the house, surely the innermost rooms will be less
deteriorated," Julián proposed.

But there really wasn't much else to see. From the kitchen five steep steps led down to
what must have been the living room of the villa. This, like the kitchen, also kept a slightly
sagging ceiling, although without holes. A large moldy wooden sideboard occupied
practically the entirety of one of the walls, leaving only the space where a closed door could
be seen. The old piece of furniture showed its dilapidated interior, and on its rotten shelves
still rested some perfectly placed dishes.

In front of that wall, at the other end of the room, there was a window with several of its
broken glass, which revealed the path they had climbed a while ago. On the far wall of the

30
kitchen, a large fireplace dominated the living room. On the shelf of this one, traces of wax
revealed the location of old candles.

"Their owners must have been such careful people that they even took the trouble to
clean the ashes from the fireplace before leaving forever," Ana pointed out, who didn't miss
these kinds of details.

—Ana, you would do the same, confess it! said Dick, amused.

The girl nodded and everyone laughed. Dick was great to have around, his good humor
was as contagious as the flu. Julian intervened.

"Okay, let's study the situation. The bad weather doesn't seem to be letting up this
afternoon, so the best thing would be to try to accommodate ourselves as best we can and
tomorrow, depending on how the sun rises, we'll decide to return to Kirrin or continue our
excursion. With this horrible storm, there are no more possibilities, as I see it,” Julián said.

—?And sleep here? asked Anne, anguished.

Julian agreed.

—Sure, but you shouldn't worry, we'll sleep next to each other, inside our sacks. We just
have to find a minimally safe room, although in the worst case this room would be worth it.

"Besides, having Tim with us, no one would dare come within ten kilometers in all
directions," Jorge confirmed.

—Wow! Tim barked. Naturally they wouldn't take chances with him there!

"It'll be fun, let's get organized." Dick and I are going outside to get some firewood, we
need to build a fire to dry our clothes or we'll catch a bad case of pneumonia,” Julian said.
Ana, why don't you go fix something for dinner? We'll be hungry when we get back.

"I'm going with you, between the three of us we can bring more firewood," Jorge
proposed defiantly.

"I don't doubt it, Jorge, but I would prefer that you stay so that I can take care of Ana. I
don't think she would like to be left here completely alone," Julián argued intelligently.

"Then Tim can take care of her, can't he, dear?" replied Jorge, who seemed determined
to get his way.

"Well, if you're scared of the house, too, you can come," said Dick, with a wink.
31
 —Of course it doesn't scare me! I could stay by myself and feel as comfortable as if I
were in my own bedroom at Villa Kirrin! George counterattacked. It's okay, I'll stay with
Ana. You don't have to look for excuses for me not to accompany you,” he replied,
frowning.

"Don't be unfair, you know very well that's not the reason," Julián protested.

"Thank you, Jorge, I'm sorry to be so annoying, but the truth is that having you here with
me makes me feel much better," Ana said gratefully.

"Don't worry, it's not like the idea of going out there with the one who's falling is going to
drive me crazy," replied her cousin, smiling.

Sure enough, the storm did not seem to abate. Quite the opposite. The wind was
blowing hard, causing every window in the house to bang against its frame, making a very
unpleasant sound. In addition, the air leaked through a multitude of cracks and holes in the
building, making a noise very similar to a huge wail. Even Tim was silent, his tail between his
legs.

"It seems that the whole house is complaining," Ana said sadly, while the boys got rid of
their heavy backpacks.

Lightning briefly illuminated the room in which the five were. Julián took the initiative,
seeing Ana's frightened face.

"Come on, let's not stop. Dick, let's get out there. Jorge and Ana, could you go looking for
a more comfortable place? I agree that what we have seen so far is not very welcoming, but
we don't have much to choose from either.

The boys came out covering themselves with their raincoats. Those dark clouds had
turned the peaceful spring afternoon into pitch black night. A thunder sounded very close.

"Wow, that's not a good sign, the storm doesn't seem to be going away," said Dick,
pulling his hood as close as he could.

—At least we have found this big house, it would be much worse to stay out in the open.
We're going to split up and go around the house, I'm sure I've seen a lot of wood around
here,” Julián explained, determined to get this over with as soon as possible.

Indeed, on one of the sides of the building they found a large pile of vines and dry olive
branches. The two boys gathered wood and, with great difficulty, since they had both arms
occupied with a large pile of firewood, they went back into the house.
32
 —?What does it smell like? Dick asked.

—I think it's wax, the girls must have lit some candles to see better. Look,” Julian said,
nodding toward a faint glow coming from the kitchen.

The boys headed towards the light. The kitchen remained in the dark, but through the
opening of the door that communicated with the living room, a glow was appreciated.

Ana had placed a few candles on the mantelpiece that, when lit, gave the room an extra
touch of warmth.

Meanwhile, Jorge had been spreading the sacks, completely open, in front of the
fireplace, so that, once the fire was lit, they would catch heat and thus be able to sleep
warm.

—Oh! This already has another aspect! exclaimed Dick, entering the drawing-room with
joy. Ana, as soon as I leave this pile of firewood, I'll go out and get some flowers to finish
decorating the living room. Go find a couple of china vases.

—Don't be an idiot, I only lit some candles that we found lying around. By the way, how
much firewood you brought! —Ana said, secretly pleased by her brother's comment.

Suddenly, a crack was heard throughout the room.

—?What was that? Anne asked, frightened.

Julian and Dick deposited the wood on the side of the fireplace, while Tim began to bark
furiously.

—Tim, calm down! You're going to make us deaf! —Exclaimed Jorge, while he grabbed
the animal by the collar to calm him down.

—What made that horrible noise, Ju? —Ana repeated again, while she approached Jorge
and Tim.

"I haven't the slightest idea, it seemed to come from the upper floor," the boy replied,
directing the beam of his flashlight towards the ceiling.

"Maybe it just seemed to us like it came from upstairs," said Dick. Maybe it was a tree
that fell here, near the house.

33
 Dick peered through one of the holes in the large window. He passed the light of his
powerful flashlight among the trees that could be seen a few meters away, but he did not
observe anything that could clarify the mystery.

—Let's not think about it anymore, we are in an old, half-demolished house in the middle
of a fairly intense storm. We shouldn't worry so much about every little noise we hear or we
won't be able to sleep tonight,” Julián suggested, smiling as he rubbed his hands together to
get a little warm. Let's build a nice camp fire.

Half an hour later, a large fire crackled merrily in the old fireplace. The vines took a while
to ignite when they were completely soaked in water, but only until the fire dried them and
took hold of them.

The five of them settled in front of the fireplace, sitting on their sleeping bags. Tim was
lying next to George, his head resting on his front paws, utterly dejected by the storm.

Jorgehe began to tell them about some of his father's most peculiar forgetfulness.

“My mother told me that last winter Dad sprained his ankle taking a walk on the Kirrin
cliffs. After Mom's pleas, she went to the doctor, who prescribed pain-relieving spray and
plenty of rest.

—Don't tell me more, he didn't even get to put it on the first day, right? Dick asked,
smiling.

"Yes, yes, he applied it." She spent a full week spraying her ankle with the spray but with
no apparent improvement, which began to worry Mom. Finally, she unraveled the mystery.
Daddy had been spraying Mommy's can of hairspray on his ankle!

They all burst out laughing when they imagined good Uncle Quentin sulking because he
wasn't getting better and continuing his hairspray treatment.

—And he even told mom that it already seemed to him that the sheet was sticking to his
foot every night! Jorge concluded, with tears in his eyes.

Ana, much more relaxed after the laughter, unwrapped some of the supplies they had
brought and made a couple of sandwiches for each of them.

The combination of ham, lettuce and tomato seemed absolutely delicious.

34
 —It is a pity that Uncle Quentin has not yet invented plants that produce ham and
tomato at the same time! It would be wonderful to have a few in our dormitory at school!
Don't you think, Julian? said Dick, his mouth watering at the very thought.

'You scare me sometimes, Dick,' Julian said scornfully. Any day I wake up without an arm.

The five of them laughed heartily at Julián's occurrence. Shortly after, Jorge proposed to
play cards and everyone agreed.

Outside it had not stopped raining. At times it seemed to, but minutes later she would
unload with even more force, and the boys continued to jump when some thunder rumbled
closer than normal.

—Does anyone want a soda? I think we have a bottle of orange concentrate,' said Dick.

Naturally, they all thought it was a fabulous idea.

"Don't worry, Anne, I'll go out to the patio to get the water," said Dick, getting up.

Anne smiled. Of course, the idea of going out into the well of that horrible patio had not
crossed her mind. And much less alone.

Dick picked up his lantern and left the room. As soon as he set foot in the kitchen, he was
disturbed by a new creak that, undoubtedly, again came from the ceiling. He looked back,
but saw that the others must not have heard him, for they were still busy with their game of
cards.

He left the kitchen behind and entered the hall. From there she could no longer hear
anything other than the sound of the rain hitting the roof.

"The truth is that I don't like this place at all. The sooner I get back to the rest, the better.

The boy pulled his hood up over his head and went out into the courtyard, determined
not to spend any more time there alone than necessary.

He pushed the metal lid aside with an effort and picked up the bucket they had seen
earlier, at the foot of the shaft, surprised at how new the rope to which it was attached
looked. Carefully, Dick leaned over the curb and then felt his heart stop.

Voices! She had heard voices coming from inside the well! How was that possible?

35
36
CHAPTER V

A NIGHT IN THE OLD HOUSE

Dick turned off the flashlight immediately as a precaution. Whatever it was, he would
rather find out than be found out.

Carefully he leaned back into the blackness of the well, this time trying to listen as
sharply as possible. But now she couldn't hear anything other than the noise of the rain.

—Would it have seemed to me? she wondered, quietly. The boy decided to wait a little
longer. Any. Already much calmer, he picked up the rope again and began to lower the
bucket down the well. A few seconds later he heard the soft thud as it hit the surface of the
water. When he sensed that he would have already loaded a good amount of it, since
nothing could be seen, he began to pull hard on the rope to hoist the bucket up to the curb
again.

—Dick!

Poor Dick gave a start that almost made him fall down the well. Someone had called him
by his name! And this time there was no doubt, that voice had come from inside. At full
speed, despite his weight, he pulled out the laden bucket of water, huffing and puffing with
the effort.

—Dick!

Again that voice rising from the depths! Without looking back, she grabbed the container
and ran into the hall. That didn't make sense! Who could hide in a well on a night like that?
She had no explanation, much less that she knew his name.

Frightened as he had rarely been, he stormed into the kitchen. He was about to go down
the steps that led to the living room, when he again heard a great creak in the ceiling of the
room.

The boy stopped. He looked up the small staircase that led to the living room and could
see Julián standing and the two girls still sitting in front of the bonfire with absolute
tranquility.

CRACK!

37
 There was no doubt that something serious was happening on the upper floor. Dick put
the bucket down and, climbing on the rickety kitchen sink, stuck his head through the big
hole in the ceiling. At first he didn't discover anything that particularly caught his attention,
he took his flashlight and swept through what was left of the upper floor with its beam.

At that moment he heard the crack again. When Dick pointed to where the strange
sound seemed to be coming from, he could immediately understand what was happening:
the upper floor of the room, where the others were, was completely inundated with water
and the floor was sagging dangerously under the rain! pressure of this one!

With a jump he dropped down and went down the steps that led from the kitchen to the
living room as fast as he could.

—Julián, Jorge, Ana, Tim, get out of there immediately! The boy yelled excitedly, while he
gestured to them with his hands.

Jorge and Tim jumped towards the stairs, while Julián grabbed Ana and sped off in the
same direction.

BRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOMMMM!

A large piece of the roof collapsed, falling on the same place where, moments before,
the boys were.

Immediately, another large piece of roofing fell off, crashing against the old sideboard,
which collapsed with a terrible crash of broken wood and china. The old piece of furniture
was completely destroyed.

Ana squealed as they all took a couple of strides up the steps that separated them from
the kitchen.

Moments later, only the sound of the rain was the owner and lord of that terrible place.
Anna burst into tears.

—Oh let's go home! This is the worst adventure we have ever had. Please Ju, let's go
home right now,” the poor girl begged, her face pale and trembling. Julián put his arm
around his sister's shoulders.

—Ana, there are no buses at this time; besides, we would have to get to Noisy, with the
night of dogs that makes. I'll think of something.

38
 They all remained silent, looking at the pile of rubble that lay on their sleeping bags,
barely believing what had happened.

"Listen to me, everyone," Julián began, gravely. I'm so sorry to have brought you here.
I'm sorry I didn't know how to save you, because of my stupidity one of us could have died. I
will never forgive myself.

—Come on Ju, don't be an idiot, you couldn't have known that the upper floor was
flooding. You're a very smart guy but you don't have the gift of divination, do you? George
protested warmly. For my part there is nothing to excuse, let's try to spend the night as best
we can and tomorrow we decide.

'I think we all think the same thing, Julian,' Dick agreed, as Anne nodded. Also, those bags
were already very old, it will be great as an excuse to buy new ones! she pointed out, giving
her brother an affectionate punch on the shoulder.

"I appreciate it, but I still think I'm responsible for what happened," Julián insisted
stubbornly.

"Well, if that's the case, you can purge your guilt by rescuing our sacks from that pile of
stones, while we sit comfortably on these steps and drink our orange juice watching you
work from here," continued Dick, trying to cheer up the atmosphere. Ana, is there any
candle left? The ones in the chimney have been put out by the water.

"At least the fire is still burning, although the ground must be completely soaked," Ana
said, not wanting to see her older brother so dejected. We have two lamps that we bought
yesterday in Kirrin. Also, I'll look for an extra candle among the remains of the cupboard.
With a little more light we can think better.

Julian descended the steps cautiously.

"Wait for me to take a look before you go downstairs." The boy reached the rubble. To
his surprise, there was hardly any water on the floor. How was it possible? There must have
been a lot of it spilled right there, specifically all the stuff that was stored upstairs that had
caused the ceiling to cave in. And yet, only a small puddle evidenced the presence of the
liquid.

—Guys, you can come, there is no danger. Actually, there isn't any ceiling left to fall,” the
boy assured, looking up with interest.

39
 Everyone came and immediately began to remove the rubble so they could rescue their
sleeping bags.

"My, I'm glad I wasn't down here," Dick commented, pulling back a large slab of cement.

—Why is there hardly any water here? George observed. It's a real mystery, shouldn't all
this be flooded? he asked, looking at the small amount of liquid left by the fireplace.

"I was thinking the same thing," Julián agreed. It seems as if it has leaked, which is
impossible on this cobbled floor.

After a few long minutes of exhausting work, everyone managed to free their respective
bags. Unfortunately, Jorge's had had a worse luck than the rest and had a break that made
it completely useless.

—Oh! I'll have to sleep in the open and wrap myself in Tim's tail! —Said the girl, to the
delight of her cousins.

"We can both fit in mine, Jorge," offered generously Ana, who was finishing placing the
two oil lamps on the mantelpiece. I'm going to see if I can locate any more candles to
brighten up the rest of the night a bit. Julián, when you finish, can you light the wick for the
lanterns?

The boy nodded while Ana went with Tim to the place where the old cupboard lay
crumbling.

—What is this? —Said the girl, rummaging through her remains. Dick came over with the
lantern. A solitary wooden panel on the white wall had caught the girl's attention. Jorge also
came, overcome by curiosity.

—Was it before? said Jorge, feeling the panel with his fingers.

"No, we didn't see it because the sideboard covered it," said Dick.

—What happen? Julian asked, walking toward the group.

—Ana has discovered a wooden panel that doesn't match the rest of the wall, which is
made of stone.

Julian crouched down and rapped on the panel with his knuckles.

"It seems to be hollow, there must be some way to open it."

40
 CLICK!

As if obeying Julián's words, Jorge managed to find a small slot and the panel slid to the
right, revealing a hole inside which they found a metal lever.

—Blow! Who would have thought, right? exclaimed Dick, crouching down next to
George.

Ana, moved by the discovery, urged the others.

— Shall we activate it? the girl proposed.

—Go with little Ana! She spends her life running away from adventures, but when she
meets them head-on, she's the first to poke her nose in! said Julián, much more encouraged
by the circumstances.

—I'm going to try to move it, I think it's fair that I'm the one to do it; That's why I was the
one who managed to open the panel,” Jorge exclaimed, already reaching for the lever. The
girl knelt down, gripping the cold metal hard and trying to turn it in some direction, but her
peg seemed to be fixed to the rock.

"I don't see where to take it, do any of you want to try it?" Her,” she asked irritably,
frowning.

Dick grabbed the lever and pushed in. The crank slid into the wall with astonishing
smoothness, and presently they heard a noise somewhere along the wall, as if two great
masses were being dragged, followed by a deep sound from the chimney.

At that very moment, they heard a thud and darkness took over the place. Something
had suddenly put out the fire in the fireplace!

—Let's not move! Julian exclaimed. Dick, do you have your flashlight here?

"Yes, wait a minute," the young man replied.

Dick switched on the lantern and, rising to his feet, directed the light towards the
fireplace. The bonfire had disappeared as if by magic!

—Where is it? Jorge inquired astonished, getting up from the ground.

"Let's go see it," answered Julián, who went towards the fireplace followed by Ana,
Jorge, Dick and Tim, who walked next to Jorge without understanding anything that was
happening in that mysterious house. What strange tastes his friends had!
41
 As they approached, they saw that, in the place where the fire had been, now a square-
shaped trapdoor had opened. Julian carefully approached the edge.

—This is incredible! Look, there's a metal ladder leading down into the passage! He
exclaimed excitedly. In fact, I can still see the remains of the bonfire below!

"That's why we didn't see the water that had rushed from the ceiling." It must have
slipped through the edges of the trap door and we didn't even notice it,” Jorge concluded,
also peering into the dark hole.

—?Shall we go down to explore, Julián? asked Dick anxiously. I think it can be exciting.

—Yes, it will be an entertaining way to pass the time; besides, with a bit of luck we could
find a dry room to sleep in.

—And what do we do with Tim? He can't go down a ladder,” Jorge said.

"We'll empty one of our rucksacks and I'll lower it into it, I don't think it'll weigh more
than the tents," Dick replied.

-Good idea. Let's get down to it right now, I'm getting impatient,” Julián confessed,
continuing to study the curious hole that the lever had discovered in the floor of the
fireplace.

Dick emptied his backpack completely, leaving its contents scattered in a corner of the
room.

—Dick! Can't you see how dirty the floor is? At this rate you'll end up wearing rags,” Ana
shouted, shocked at how little attention the boy paid to that kind of detail.

While the girl was preparing to collect all her brother's belongings, he, with the help of
Jorge, put poor Tim in the backpack, leaving only his head outside.

"Don't move, Tim," Jorge ordered, to which the animal responded with a mournful wail.
He definitely didn't understand anything, but if the guys thought it was funny, he'd get into
that enchanted sack.

Julián went down first, using his flashlight. Behind him, Ana began to descend followed
by Jorge and, finally, Dick and Tim.

The shaft was about twenty feet deep, and it was no easy task to climb down in the dark
holding onto those steps. Julian had his flashlight held in his mouth and Dick's in one of his

42
pockets, since he needed both of his hands. After a few meters, which to all seemed
eternal, they heard Julián's voice.

—I've already reached the ground! the boy yelled as he hit bottom. He is wet and
slippery a lot, be careful.

One by one all the boys were arriving. Dick finally appeared, flushed with exertion.

—Why wouldn't Tim be a kitten instead of such a big dog? —He said snorting, while they
took the animal out of the backpack. I thought it never ended.

A deaf rumor reached the ears of the five. It was like a muffled roar, which came from
the depths of that place.

—Do you hear that? It seems as if there was a giant snoring somewhere around here —
said Jorge, displaying, once again, his acute hearing.

—Could it be an earthquake? Ana asked, beginning to regret having suggested opening

the living room panel.

—No, it's a continuous sound; Besides, we haven't felt any tremors. Julián replied with a
tone of absolute security. Look, a passageway starts from here that goes even deeper into
the earth, we are going to follow it to see where it leads us.

From that point on, the roof of the gallery, carved into the rock, sloped quite a bit,
forcing the group to walk with their heads bowed.

They walked for approximately four hundred meters to find, at the end of the passage, a
room about ten meters long by ten wide. There the roar was much louder.

"Well, it ends here." What will this room be? Dick asked, interested as he looked at the
rocky walls of the room.

"I have no idea, but it certainly makes a great hiding place," Julian replied, stunned by
the discovery.

Two old barrels and a strong smell of vinegar made one think that this was an old
abandoned cellar. Jorge looked up at the ceiling of the room with interest.

- What's that? It looks like a hole. Can you light it up, Dick? George asked.

—Wow, of course it is! the boy exclaimed. Where will he go?

43
 Sure enough, a dark hole opened up just above them, disappearing into the heights.

"There's no visible stairway or anything like that." It's like a huge well,' said Dick,
intrigued. Well, on the other hand I think we can spend the night here perfectly, the floor of
this room is dry and the hole will serve as a vent. Do you know what time it is now? the boy
asked them, looking at his watch. "A quarter past nine at night." Time has flown by!

Ana intervened, speaking like a little mother.

—The best thing will be to make ourselves comfortable and go to sleep, I'm exhausted
and I imagine you are too.

They all laughed at Ana's joke. But the truth was that, in a matter of minutes, they were
spreading their battered sleeping bags on the rocky ground.

—Ana, do you have the oil lamps handy? Julian asked.

“No, I left them upstairs on the mantelpiece. I had completely forgotten about them.
Don't even think about asking me to go up for them,” the girl warned.

Julian smiled, shaking his head.

"Then let's just keep a flashlight on, I'm not excited about the idea of being completely
dark in these basements," Julián proposed, while he waited for the others to finish
preparing their beds.

Ana offered to share her jacket with Jorge and, once inside, they used the remains of the
torn jacket to cover themselves. Jorge yawned, immediately infecting Dick, who was making
a pillow out of one of his sweaters, much to the annoyance of his sister.

—Blow! What a dream I have, it seems that we left Kirrin hours ago.

—It's been hours, donkey! Jorge answered with a mocking face.

—Well, our first night of hiking and sleeping indoors. It finally hasn't been so bad, has it?
said Dick pointedly, to cheer up Julian, who was still slightly downcast. Are you going to
stand there all night watching over us, Julián?

Julián smiled and also wrapped himself in his own sack.

"Tomorrow will be better," he assured. Let's hope the storm calms down a bit overnight.
Can you sleep with this noise? —She asked, referring to the rumor that was continuously
being heard in the distance. Where will it come from?
44
 "Maybe an underground river runs near here," Jorge ventured.

Anne shuddered.

"Julian, could that be it?" What if we are surprised in the middle of the night by a flood
here? It would be terrible!

"Don't worry, the ground in this place is perfectly dry, which means we're not in any river
bed." It is probably an underground waterfall that is heard.

Julian finally decided to turn off the flashlight, plunging the room into complete
darkness. The boys remained silent, imagining all kinds of dark, cold waterfalls.

"I'm sorry to tell you that I'm very glad that your jacket has been damaged, Jorge," Ana
confessed, comforted by the presence of her cousin.

"I think I'll go to sleep any minute," Dick announced. Goodnight everyone.

The others said good-bye as well, even Tim barked politely good night. Moments later,
the five of them were sleeping peacefully in their sacks. Tim, at Jorge's feet, was the last to
surrender to sleep. But he was also the first to wake up in the middle of the night.

CHAPTER VI

EARLY MORNING

At first it seemed to Tim to be just another mouse crossing the room, but a few seconds
later the dog opened its eyes and stood up, growling slightly and waking George up.
"What's up Tim?" —She asked, still half asleep, the girl.
The animal growled again, louder this time, which woke Julian and Dick up too.
"Is something wrong, George?" Julian asked as he stood up and Dick switched on his
flashlight.
“I don't know, Tim is growling. Maybe the storm scares him, you know he doesn't like
them at all —Jorge answered, somewhat alarmed because the animal kept growling.
"I thought I heard something a while ago, but I don't know if I dreamed it or if it was
real," said Dick. I'm going to wake up Ana.
Once the five were completely awake, they chose to remain silent to see if they were
able to hear any strange noises. Suddenly Tim growled loudly again.
—Jorge, take him by the collar and make sure he doesn't bark. If there's someone lurking
around here, we don't want to be found out,” Julián said, getting to his feet.
The others followed, trying not to make too much noise. The sound of the water
45
prevented them from hearing clearly. However, they had not been silent for a minute when,
coming from the upper floor, they heard what sounded like footsteps.
"There's someone upstairs!" exclaimed Dick, frightened and his heart pounding in his
chest.
That's how it was. Directly over her head, someone could be heard moving through the
house. Ana was very nervous, the girl clung to Julián while Jorge held Tim firmly by the
collar, who, grunting, tried to break free of his mistress's hand.
—Yes, I think there are at least two or three people. What are they doing at this hour in
such a lonely place? Julian wondered.
"I don't want to find out," answered Ana.
"Let's go to the entrance to the passage and see if we can learn anything." Maybe they're
just lost hikers like us —Jorge proposed, with little conviction.
"Go ahead, I'll go first," Julián said.
The boys walked down the long corridor, being careful not to hit the ceiling in the lower
areas, and then approached the place where they had descended into the cellars. When
they reached the hole through which they had descended and which ascended to the
chimney, the five looked up, perceiving, fleetingly, a little light. The footsteps continued to
be heard, now more clearly.
"I'm going to take a look," Julian announced, his voice low.
The boy began to ascend the stairs before the watchful eye of his companions. As he got
closer to the entrance, at the base of the fireplace, he could clearly make out the sound of
footsteps in the room. Prudently, he reached the bottom step and looked out, but saw no
one. He remained silent for a few seconds. Yes, in one of the adjoining rooms there was a
noise of people going in and out.
- You see something? Jorge whispered from the darkness.
Julian went down a couple of steps to make sure no one would be able to hear him.
-Anyone here. Not in the living room, but I think they are in the kitchen or by the
entrance of the house.
"I propose to do some digging," said Dick, starting to climb the ladder. Julian interrupted
him.
“Wait, we can't get Tim on board without making too much of a fuss, and without him
we won't be safe at all with those people around here. Honestly, I would prefer that the
girls stay downstairs,” Julián suggested, convinced.
— And miss the adventure? No way! answered Ana, to the general astonishment.
- What a surprise! —Exclaimed Jorge amused, patting his cousin on the back.
— Are you crazy? Lower your voice! Julian chided, looking up apprehensively.
Immediately everyone fell silent.
—Okay, the four of us will go. Ana, you go up first. Jorge, you will go behind. Dick, wait
until we're all at the top to start climbing, I'm not sure this rusty ladder can hold our
weight,” Julian explained, looking much older at times like this.
So it was done. Julián went up again a couple of meters and ended up going out through
the hole in the chimney, making sure there was no one in the room.
Moments later, Ana appeared, quite frightened and secretly regretting that outburst of
46
courage she had had. Behind her Jorge, somewhat worried about having to leave good old
Tim down and, finally, Dick.
Once they were all upstairs, Dick stayed with his sister and Jorge left with Julián towards
the door that communicated with the kitchen. The two cousins saved the little steps and
peeked into the room as stealthily as they could, but they couldn't hear anything.
"Have they already left?" the girl asked.
—I don't think so, in any case they will have gone outside. It seems to me that it's not
raining anymore, let's take a look,” Julián replied, while he made a sign with his hand for the
others to come closer.
What's going on, Julian? asked Dick, in a low voice.
"It looks like they've gone, but I'm not quite sure." We should split up and explore the
house and its surroundings. We don't know if they are dangerous, but it is better to know
who we are sharing a home with,” Julián answered.
- And Tim? George said. It would be better to have him up here; Besides, he's one of us
and I don't think we should go on an adventure without him.
Anne agreed. She was completely on board with the idea!
"We can't hoist him up now, you know it would take a long time and make quite a bit of
noise," said Dick. We'd better be careful, I'm also not excited about meeting strangers in the
middle of the night without Tim by our side.
JorgeHe frowned. Ana put her arm around his shoulders.
"Why don't we go through the rooms while the boys examine the outside?" I'll feel
better if we go together.
"Come on now, I'm not going to leave Tim alone in the basement any longer than
necessary," Jorge replied as he entered the kitchen, followed by Ana.
"Okay, we'll go outside carefully. They may still be around,” Julian said.
The two boys decided to leave the house through one of the windows as a precautionary
measure. It had stopped raining and a pleasant smell of wet earth floated in the air. Some
crickets began to sing. The stars trembled in the firmament that, now, was with few clouds.
In the distance was the great Rockstream Lake, on the surface of which the moon made a
beautiful path of silver light. The gentle breeze made them shiver.
"There's no one to be seen," Julian whispered. Still, we must not show ourselves openly.
—The scenery is incredible, isn't it? —Dick answered, ignoring his brother's explanations.
Julián affirmed and spent a few seconds contemplating the serenity of that majestic
view. Suddenly, they heard something. It was like a rumor behind the house. They both
looked at each other, startled.
- Do you hear that? They look like horses pulling a cart! Dick exclaimed. I think he can be
heard from the back.
Julián ordered him to be silent and, trying to contain their excitement, the two boys
began to accelerate around the ancient building. As they approached the south face of the
house, the sound grew louder.
"Now we have to be careful, I get the impression that whoever it is won't like seeing us
here at this hour," Julián whispered, about to reach the corner.
They both crouched down and carefully leaned out. What they saw left them petrified.
47
 Less than thirty feet away, a hearse, drawn by two headless horses, was rolling down a
lane, away from the house.
"Whew!" Look at the horses! They have no head! Oh Julian! It's a ghost carriage! said he,
trembling, poor Dick.
— Don't say stupid things, ghosts don't exist! It must have been an effect of light and
shadow. The moon had just hidden behind a cloud.
Julián had not finished speaking when another horse emerged from the darkness, equally
decapitated and mounted by a man who also seemed to be missing his head. This time
neither of them had any doubts.
- It is impossible! Julian almost yelled, panicked and clutching Dick's hand, which was
already shaking violently and unable to speak in terror.
The horrible sight of the carriage and that terrible horse disappeared down the road. At
the moment, only the song of the crickets and some owl, interrupted the silence of the
night.
Julian, I can't move. I really can't take a single step,” Dick stammered, completely
drenched in sweat.
—Come on, you have suffered a strong shock, but nothing is wrong with you. We have to
go back to the girls. I hope Anne didn't witness this,' Julian concluded, tugging on Dick's arm
and looking toward the house for a window through which the girls might have seen the
horror.
The two brothers returned to the front door and entered, with some apprehension, into
the house. They called the girls, who were examining the ground floor, and minutes later,
the five of them found themselves in the old kitchen.
- Have you seen anything? We've heard a huge noise behind the house, but we haven't
been able to see anything,” Jorge said, with a sparkle of excitement in his deep blue eyes.
"What's the matter, Dick?" Asked Ana, noticing the strange silence of her brother.
"Nothing, I guess I'm tired of so many emotions," the boy answered, trying to manage a
smile. For nothing in the world did he want to alarm his little sister. He knew Ana well and
knew that by telling her about her macabre vision, he would only ensure that the girl did
not sleep for a single minute in that unpleasant house.
“We haven't seen anything interesting, just the wind whipping through the treetops. The
best thing would be to go back to bed, it's almost certain that it was just a group of
homeless people sheltering from the rain,” Julián said, trying to redirect the situation.
Besides, Tim must be miserable down there.
Jorgehe agreed immediately.
"It wasn't a good idea to leave him alone." He is one of us," said the girl with conviction.
The group crossed the room and slipped back through the chimney hole. Julian secretly
regretted not having brought Tim with them. The animal would have known whether or not
that was supernatural.
Soon they were all back downstairs, with Tim jumping up and down with joy and licking
each other non-stop.
"Take it easy, old Tim, anyone would say we haven't seen each other in ages," joked Dick,
who had already recovered his usual humor.
48
 "I think it will take me forever to fall asleep with so many emotions," said Ana, as she
climbed into her sack.
Minutes later the five of them were settled in their bunks, and Ana was the first to fall
exhausted; indeed, the day had been a long one.
"I know you've seen something and you're hiding it from us," Jorge whispered in Julián's
ear.
He looked at her perplexed. How could he know? Of course, Jorge was made of a
different material.
"If you don't tell me now that Ana has fallen asleep, I'll wait until you're asleep and I'll go
upstairs to investigate myself," she finished defiantly.
The boy smiled. Brave George! She had no doubt that he would carry out his threat. In
truth, the girl was worth as much as any boy her age, or even more than most of them.
"Okay, listen. Dick and I have had a terrible vision,' she confessed, lowering her voice for
fear that Anne would wake up.
"We heard a noise behind the house and, as we went around it, we caught a glimpse of a
hearse drawn by two decapitated horses and followed by a third horse, also headless,"
Julian explained, knowing how incredible everything that had just come out sounded. from
his mouth.
JorgeHis eyes widened so much that it seemed they were going to pop out of their
sockets. Dick joined the conversation.
—It's been terrible, Jorge, I've never been so scared. In fact, I can't sleep, I'm afraid we're
in a haunted house and…
- Don't talk nonsense! Ghosts do not exist! Jorge snapped. You're kidding me with one of
your stupid jokes. It's okay, if you don't want to share your secret you can keep it, I'll go
myself to see what's behind the house,” he concluded, frowning.
—We are not lying to you, Jorge, that is exactly what we have seen. You know very well
that we never lie,” Julián said, in a tone so serious that it left no room for doubt.
I don't believe in ghosts either. Those are just stories to scare the locals, but the reality is
that, tonight, we have seen exactly what I have related to you, which is why, as soon as
dawn breaks, we will move away from this place.
Jorgeshe was pensive. How could that story the boys had just told be true? Certainly her
cousins weren't in the habit of lying, but could there be ghosts?
"Good night everyone, I'm going to try to sleep." Please, Julián, leave one of the lanterns
on. I don't care if the battery dies if I feel a lot more comfortable in return,” Dick demanded,
as he snuggled into the bag from him. Julian nodded gravely.
"I'm sorry I doubted you," Jorge muttered, settling in turn next to Ana, who was sleeping
peacefully oblivious to all those stories.
"Don't worry, it actually sounds like an outrageous hoax, but I assure you that it has been
like that," Julián answered.
Soon everyone was asleep. Even Tim relaxed and ended up closing his big brown eyes. It
had been an exhausting night for everyone and there were barely two hours left until
sunrise. What was that that the boys had seen?

49
CHAPTER VII

A WALK THROUGH THE PARAMO

The next morning, everything seemed to be part of a bad dream. Julián was the first to
wake up. At first he had a hard time realizing where he was, but he quickly realized it. Yes,
they were in the basement of that house where they had taken refuge from the storm. He
switched on his flashlight and checked the time. At once Dick woke up.

- Oh! Every bone in my body aches, including some I didn't even know I had.

"Actually, we've only slept a few hours," Julián said, helping his brother to get up. Jorge,
Ana, it's time to get up. We must get on our way if we want to reach the planned camping
site —explained the boy, while Ana widened her eyes and Jorge snuggled a little more into
the sack.

TimHe jumped to his feet and began to wag his tail vigorously, managing to wake up his
mistress completely.

—Tim! Stop moving like that, you're stepping on me,” Jorge exclaimed angrily.

—Shall I make some breakfast or shall we have lunch on the way? asked Anne.

"Make some sandwiches and we'll eat them while we walk, we'll benefit from a bit of sun
and exercise," Julián concluded, as he finished packing up his sleeping bag.

Minutes later, the boys left through the battered door of the house. Certainly, by day
things seemed very different from night. A radiant sun shone on the moors and everything
invited to quickly forget the vision of a few hours ago. The smell of wet earth that was in the
air, mixed with the soft aroma of vanilla given off by the golden gorse, would turn the walk
into a real delight.

— Oh! Look at the lake. Is beautiful! cried Ana, contemplating the bluish surface of it in
the distance.

Everyone agreed on the girl's assessment.

50
 "I propose to continue across the country instead of going down to yesterday's road."
After all, we carry maps and compasses. It will be a very interesting orientation exercise, do
you think? said Dick, already with his compass in hand.

Indeed, it would be a lot of fun trying to reach your destination through the mountains
without following a predetermined path.

Anne and Tim were especially pleased, they both loved the idea of going out into the
heather and looking at the graceful little rabbits which, at this time of year, roamed the
moors in great numbers. Naturally, the reasons for one and the other were very different.

"Tim, I forbid you to run after those rich little animals," Ana told the dog sternly.

—Wow! Tim barked. "Without a doubt they are rich," thought the dog, licking its lips.

-Let's go then. We'll start behind the house, it's a good starting point,” Julián explained.

The five surrounded the mansion. Once in the back, Dick's face took on a seriousness
uncharacteristic of the boy. Carefully, so that Ana wouldn't notice her, she nudged Julián,
pointing out some deep wheel marks that started from that same direction.

Julian smiled and winked at her. Good old Julian! In other words, the choice of the
starting point was by no means accidental.

"Let's continue down," Jorge commented distractedly, who had also noticed his cousin's
cunning.

They all walked following the marks of the wheels but without making any allusion to
them, although even Ana ended up noticing.

—?Have you seen these marks? They seem quite recent —the girl commented,
addressing her brothers.

"I think they're from some kind of wagon," Dick replied, matter-of-factly.

The ruts went down through the gorse and seemed to follow no particular path. So much
so, that it was hard to think where a car could go through that wild landscape.

Timhe was sniffing here and there without moving away from the mysterious marks, as if
the dog knew that they were following those grooves.

"Tim seems to know where we're going," Jorge commented, amused. I always say it, he is
the best dog in the world.
51
 Soon the heat began to be sweltering and the boys took off their sweaters, leaving them
in shirt sleeves.

—Blow! If you told me I was going to be wearing a T-shirt this time of year, I would have
laughed,” said Dick, rolling up his shirt sleeves.

"Take care, Dick, it would be a shame if you caught a cold." You're sweating and there's a
bit of a breeze,” Ana warned, once again acting like a little mother.

—Go with Anna! Julian laughed, patting his little sister on the back in a friendly way.

—?Where is Tim? asked Jorge suddenly, stopping suddenly in the middle of the road.

“I was here a moment ago. Look, my legs are still wet from his licking,” Dick explained,
showing one of his calves.

—Tim! The boys yelled almost in unison. Jorge put his fingers to his mouth and gave a
sharp whistle. Moments later, around a nearby bend, Tim trotted up, looking as happy as
ever.

—Tim! Where were you? We thought that you had lost your way or worse, that you
would have been trapped in some burrow like other times,” Jorge scolded him.

The poor animal watched her with his big eyes completely saddened.

"Don't be so harsh, George," said Dick, stroking the dog's head.

—You have to educate him! If I scold him and you make love to him, we only manage to
confuse him. Besides, I am responsible for her education and you don't have the right to tell
me how I should do it,” Jorge answered angrily.

"Well, if he's one of us, I have as much right as you," Dick replied, still smiling. In fact,
maybe I should consider whether to educate you before Tim.

"Try it," Jorge challenged, frowning.

"Okay, that's enough for today. Shut up, both of you,” Julian ordered. After all, nothing
has happened, just that Tim has been a little behind. Which is normal, since he goes sniffing
everything he finds. Do not lose more time.

"That's fine by me, I just wanted to see if Jorge had all his teeth in place and I couldn't
think of a better way for him to show them to me," said Dick, giving his cousin an
affectionate punch on the shoulder.
52
 She returned it to him unable to help but smile. It was so hard to be angry with that boy!

The five followed the markings for approximately ten more minutes. It would be around
ten o'clock, when they decided to stop for a snack, choosing a small bridge next to a
crystalline river that flowed almost parallel to their path.

Ana carefully unwrapped the sandwiches prepared for the occasion, two apiece
counting, of course, Tim.

—Oh, egg and ham! exclaimed Dick excitedly, opening one of his.

"Dick would be able to live on ham and egg for the rest of his life," commented Anne,
laughing.

Julián took out a ginger beer for each of us from inside his backpack.

“No, Tim, for you there isn't. You know you don't like it and it would be a waste to open
one for you,” Jorge commented, moving the dog away from Julián. The animal went to the
stream and drank noisily.

The four boys yelled delighting in the unique taste of the beer.

—It's an amazing flavor! TRUE? George exclaimed.

"In September of last year, when Dick and I traveled to Spain for three weeks for that
intensive Spanish course, we couldn't find ginger beer anywhere," Julian commented, taking
another swallow from his bottle.

'True, the closest thing was to a drink they call fizzy there, but the unique flavor of ginger
is simply unmatched,' said Dick.

The other sandwich was tomato, lettuce and a generous helping of smoked pork.

"This is great, I can't imagine the Queen of England having a better lunch than us,"
George correctly stated, as he gulped down his second sandwich.

—Wow! Tim barked as if to say that indeed he was of the same opinion.

—?Do we have some dessert, Ana? Dick asked, lying on his back on the cool grass.

—Yes, baked apples made by Juana. Although of course, they are no longer hot.

When everyone had eaten a good meal, they drank water from the cheerful stream,
making a hole with their bare hands.
53
 —?Shouldn't we boil it? Ana asked anxiously, who was always attentive to that kind of
detail. At school they warned us that, despite its clean appearance, it is necessary to boil
the water because, upriver, there may be some dead animal and we run the risk of getting
sick,” the girl stressed seriously.

"Well, it's true," said Julián, with a somewhat worried expression. From now on we will
take more precautions. Nothing has ever happened to us so far, but it doesn't hurt to listen
to those tips.

—?Shall we leave? I'd like to get to the planned camping site before the sun sets on
these places,” said Jorge, standing up.

They all agreed that it was for the best. They were about to leave when Dick noticed a
strange spot on one of Jorge's legs.

— What happened to your leg, Jorge? You have something there, on the right thigh.

Jorgeshe looked at herself, surprised. Indeed, she had a dark spot of about three
centimeters, between her knee and her thigh.

—Oh! She hadn't seen him before. What is this? the girl exclaimed, somewhat surprised.

Jorgehe put his finger to the stain, rubbed but didn't come off. Immediately the girl
smelled a bit of what had stuck to her index finger.

—Maybe you have to spend more time on hygiene! said Dick, amused.

"It looks like paint or something," the girl explained.

Julián took out his handkerchief, dipped it in the river water and vigorously rubbed his
cousin's leg. At the moment, his stain faded, although it still left traces on the girl's skin.
Holding the handkerchief to his nose, Julián nodded.

—Yes, it's painting, but how did it get there, Jorge? the boy asked, puzzled.

"I haven't the slightest idea," Jorge answered, as perplexed as the others.

—Look, Dick has a similar mark on his calf too! Anne pointed out.

That's how it was. The boy sported a dark patch just below the back of his knee.

'Well, yes, although I haven't the slightest idea how it got to me, either,' said Dick,
cleaning himself with his handkerchief and some water.

54
 Julián went to Tim, grabbed him by the collar and ran one of his fingers along the
animal's snout. At once, the dog gave him a grateful lick.

—Wait a minute Tim! Indeed, here you have the culprit of the matter - exclaimed Julián,
laughing -. Tim has traces of paint on his nose, he must have gotten it somewhere and it got
smeared, though I wonder where. I can't imagine a place with fresh paint in the middle of
the field.

Once Jorge had cleaned Tim's nose, which the animal did not like very much, they all set
off again.

"Let's cross this little bridge," Ana suggested. So we can explore the other side of the
stream.

They were about to do so when, at the other end of the bridge, they saw a girl appear.
With brown skin, tanned by the sun, the girl had splendid straight hair styled with bangs.

—Hello! He greeted politely as he caught up with the boys. Can I help you with
something?

"Actually, we're going to camp near the lake and we're taking a walk on the moors." I am
Julián, this is Dick, this is Ana and there is Jorge. Well, and our dog, whose name is Tim,” the
boy explained politely, with a wide smile.

"Charmed, I'm Gemma." I live at Blackberry Farm, over that hill. Are you from around
here? the girl inquired, watching them with huge, deep brown eyes.

“From Kirrin, just off the coast. Do you know him? said Jorge, who was looking at the
newcomer with some suspicion.

Yes, I've been there several times. My mother was very friendly with a woman who lives
in the village. She has a son your age, maybe a little older. His name is Alfredo and he is a
fisherman, do you know him? He's a strong-looking boy, just like you,” Gemma explained.

JorgeShe was delighted that a stranger had mistaken her for a boy, and she hastened to
answer.

—Of course I know him! He is our friend. He was the one who took care of Tim when dad
wouldn't let me keep him home.

—Oh! Is this precious dog yours? He has a tremendously intelligent look! Gema
exclaimed, with a special sparkle in her eyes. It was obvious that she loved dogs.

55
 —Hey Gem, could we go to your farm to buy supplies? We had thought to arrive before
lunch at our camping spot, but perhaps it is better to buy what we are going to need for
these days,” said Julián, who also liked the girl.

—Of course, yes, Papa will be delighted to serve you. And me too, you are very educated
people and it is a pleasure to deal with you! Gema answered, enthusiastic about the idea of
being able to share a good time with those nice guys.

—?And where do you plan to sleep? I imagine that you have reserved rooms in one of
the farmhouses that border the swamp.

"Actually, we were going to do it out in the open, in our tents," Dick explained, as the six
of them began to cross the secluded little stone bridge. Gemma suddenly stopped.

—You are kidding, right? —She said, looking very serious at his face.

"No, not at all," Julián answered, strangely. Why would we?

—Haven't you been warned about Rockstream's ghost carriages? Gemma asked, her big
eyes wide.

Ana shuddered and, imperceptibly, moved a little closer to Julián.

—What are you talking about? Julian said somewhat annoyed, although tremendously
intrigued.

"I think it's better that Grandpa tell you." Let's go to the farm, it's something you should
know about,” Gema replied seriously.

The small group set off, following that beautiful and enigmatic girl.

56
57
 CHAPTER VIII

THE BLACKBERRY FARM

The road to the Blackberry Farm ran parallel to the bank of the stream, so the walk was
very entertaining. Wild poppies added a touch of red to the green banks, thick with reeds,
cattails, and primroses.

—The landscape really is colossal. Heavens, how I would like to live in a place like this!
Julian exclaimed enthusiastically.

—Yes, now in spring the views are beautiful, but don't believe it, it also has its
drawbacks. Sometimes I find myself very alone, with no one my age to talk to,” Gema
replied.

—Don't you go to school? asked Ana shyly, who found school extremely fun and
enriching.

—No, the town of Noisy is too far for me to go and return daily; Also, I have to help my
father with his homework. A farm like ours requires a lot of work. But anyway, three times a
week a private teacher, Mr. Grapevine, comes and he explains to me what they are studying
in town,” explained Gema.

"My, it must be a big farm if it needs so many people," said Dick.

—Don't believe it, there are three of us with our grandfather, but he isn't much help
anymore. He is very old and since mom died she barely gets out of bed,” the girl explained,
while she tore off a twig from a tree.

They all looked pityingly at the girl. Not having a mother was a horrible thing! Ana,
approaching her, took her in a friendly way by her arm.

"Hey Gem, what's this about Rockstream ghost carriages?" the girl asked to change the
subject.

—Well, it's a very old story, grandfather knows it well. Apparently it comes from the
times when he was a young man, although it is possibly older —Gema answered, speaking
in a lower tone of voice than normal.

58
 Julián, Dick and Jorge looked at each other. Could it have something to do with the scene
from the night before? At first glance, it was obvious that it was.

"Generally, all those stories are fabrications to entertain the local people," Julián said
with a smile, trying not to make Gema feel upset.

"They're not stories, Julián," the girl answered immediately. I myself have seen the
carriage of the dead several stormy nights and I am not lying,” she argued in a much harsher
tone than usual.

"I didn't mean to say that," Julian explained. Forgive me if I've offended you, what I was
trying to say is that things like this usually have a good rational explanation —the boy
concluded.

Gema smiled pleased, she liked those boys so educated.

"Don't worry, you may be right and everything responds to scientific reasoning, but I can
tell you that I've seen the ghost carriage several nights throughout my life," Gema clarified.

"Look, we're here. Welcome to the Blackberry Farm,” the girl exclaimed, much more
animated and with a big smile, which produced two beautiful dimples on her face.

The house was not as big as they had imagined. At two stories, it seemed no larger than
Kirrin Villa, though unlike Kirrin Villa, the farmhouse had its walls whitewashed a brilliant
white that gleamed brightly in the morning. Next to the main building was a barn or
warehouse.

Two huge dogs came out the front door of the house barking furiously when they sniffed
Tim, which prompted Jorge to grab the animal by the collar.

—They are dangerous? the girl asked, holding Tim firmly by the collar, who had also
started barking loudly.

—Orbit, Wizard! Stop barking, Tim is a friend and you must be courteous. Silence!
Gemma yelled.

As if by magic, the two dogs fell silent and happily approached their mistress, wagging
their tails.

“Look, this big dog is called Tim. You must be polite with him because he is my friend
Jorge's pet. That confusion made Jorge grow fonder of the girl. Moments later the three
animals were running around, playing one after the other, all over the farm.

59
 "Come, let's go look for Grandfather Patricio," she said, as she began to run toward the
house, followed by the others.

The old man was prostrate in a large dark leather chair. A large blanket covered him from
the waist down. The man was next to a small stove in his bedroom. A brown skin furrowed
by dozens of wrinkles and very white hair, gave him a relaxed and affable countenance. He
would not be less than ninety years old.

The old man smiled when he saw his granddaughter enter. The room consisted of an
ancient wrought iron bed, a dresser and a few chairs, as well as a simple wooden desk.

"Gema, won't you help your father today?" the man asked, a glint of illusion in his gaze.
It was obvious that the girl had inherited her grandfather's large brown eyes and that he
was very fond of his only granddaughter.

—Grandpa, we are at Easter and today you don't work, don't you remember? —She
answered, amused, the girl.

"It's true, forgive me. For an old man like me, every day is the same," the old man
apologized.

The man had a strange accent that the boys couldn't recognize. Gema cleared their
doubts.

—My grandfather is Spanish, like my mother. He has been a sailor his whole life. His
family comes from the north of the country, from an area called Galicia. On one of his trips
he landed in Bournemouth, he fell in love with a beautiful Englishwoman, granny Mary Ann,
and they got married. That's why he has the accent you hear,” Gema explained to her new
friends.

"That's right, guys, I've been on this earth since I was twenty years old and I don't regret
it," he said, smiling shyly.

"Hey, and who are your friends?" she asked, as she smoothed the blanket that covered
her legs.

—Oh, I just met you! They come to spend a few days camping,” Gema said.

"Delighted, youngsters." My granddaughter can use a little company, it's not good to
always be surrounded by fussy old men like me. My name is Patricio González —the old
man politely introduced himself.

60
 "Grandpa, my friends are planning to set up camp by the lake, and seeing as the weather
is, I thought you should tell them about Rockstream's ghost carriages," the girl explained
seriously.

The man's face changed into a serious and sorrowful expression.

"You must not sleep by the lake on nights like these," the old man said, lowering his
voice as if afraid someone else might hear him.

—History is lost in the mists of time. When I arrived in this region, many parents did not
allow their children to go out if the sky threatened a storm,” she continued.

Ana felt a slight chill running down her spine, she was not liking how that story began; on
the contrary, Julián, Dick and Jorge looked at the man with wide eyes so as not to miss a
single word. Tim sat at Grandpa's feet, near the warm stove.

“According to old Sanders, a real sea dog I met aboard an English fishing boat, at the end
of the nineteenth century, in the time of Queen Victoria I, there were two families of
farmers in Rockstream who were the envy of all the neighbors. from town. The Loopers had
hundreds of cows supplying milk to the entire county, while the Brandons owned vast tracts
of land dedicated to agriculture. It was said that, between the two families, they owned
more land on these moors than the Queen of England herself.” The old man paused for a
moment, looking closely into the eyes of the boys. One day, dozens of cows entered a field
planted by the Brandons and destroyed much of the crop. One of old Brandon's sons went
to Looper Farm to ask for an explanation and never came back. Some said he was robbed by
robbers on the road, but the boy's family was sure the Loopers had done something to their
son, and that same night they set fire to the fields around Looper Farm,” the old man went
on. , enjoying the horrified faces of the boys. The fire spread rapidly, reaching the farm, and
the entire family perished in the fire. It was one of the greatest tragedies experienced in the
region,” explained Mr. González, with great calm and seriousness. The fire spread rapidly,
reaching the farm, and the entire family perished in the fire. It was one of the greatest
tragedies experienced in the region,” explained Mr. González, with great calm and
seriousness. The fire spread rapidly, reaching the farm, and the entire family perished in the
fire. It was one of the greatest tragedies experienced in the region,” explained Mr.
González, with great calm and seriousness.

"I imagine that the culprits would pay for that crime," Julián interrupted.

'Wait till I finish, boy, don't be impatient,' said the man, causing Julian to turn red as a
tomato and Dick to smirk.
61
 "The next day, when the police went to visit the Brandon Farm, they didn't find anyone,
but in the stables they found the six children's horses decapitated," the old man whispered.

—Oh, it's a terrible story! Ana moaned, throwing her hands to her face, on the verge of
crying.

—No doubt it is, sweet child, but listen well, it has been a long time since those events
occurred; However, on stormy nights it is said that the headless horses of the Brandons can
be seen riding pulling a funeral cart inside which travels the body of the son who never
appeared -the old man concluded, with wide eyes.

Julián, somewhat annoyed when he realized that Ana was very scared, tried to downplay
the matter.

"But that's just a legend, right, Mr. González?" Tales to entertain the long winter nights.
Ghosts don't exist, it's that simple,” Julián said forcefully, while he wrapped one of his arms
around Ana's shoulders, protectively.

"You are too young to express such a categorical opinion," the old man replied, with
some irritation. I never lie and I tell you that these tired eyes have seen those horrible
spectral horses dozens of times throughout my life, believe it or not,” the old man declared
defiantly.

There was an awkward silence in the room, broken only by the crackling of the stove.

"I've seen them too," Gema said surprisingly. This same month I saw them from my
bedroom window. I could not fall asleep because of the thunder and I was looking at the
moor in the light of the lightning when suddenly I saw two headless horses pulling a black
carriage, galloping through the rain. You must believe me,” the girl stated, without a hint of
doubt in her voice.

"Thank you very much for the information, Mr. González," Julián replied, standing up and
ending the talk. We will take his recommendations into account. Now we must leave to
reach our destination before the sun is at its highest point,” he said, with a smile.

"Yeah, and we'd like to buy something on the farm, too, if possible," said Dick.

—Oh, wait till he tells us another story! exclaimed Jorge, who loved those stories.

"No, Jorge, we've already fallen a long way behind schedule," Julián replied with
authority. Thanks again for everything, we will visit you on our return. You are an excellent
storyteller, sir,” Julián said politely, shaking the old man's hand.
62
 "Guys, if you want, I can bring you more food tomorrow if you tell me where you'll be,"
Gema said, genuinely sorry for the departure of such a nice group.

"We don't want to bother you, if we run out of supplies we'll come to the farm and take
the opportunity to visit you," Julián insisted, clearly intending not to explain where he
planned to set up camp.

Minutes later, once stocked with cream, tomatoes, eggs, smoked meat, bacon and two
large bottles of milk, the five of them left the farm, waving to Gema, who could not hide her
sadness at the departure of her new friends. .

"You've been absolutely rude to her, Julian, I'm surprised at you," said Dick, when they
were already heading up the gate to the estate.

“I know, and I'm not particularly proud of it, but I don't like people who believe in such
gossip. Ana was tremendously scared and she seemed to me that old Mr. González enjoyed
it.

"I wasn't that scared," the girl answered, somewhat annoyed. The story was interesting
but very scary, that's all,” the girl concluded.

—What do you think, George? Dick inquired.

JorgeHe tossed Tim a stick to go get it.

"I think that after what you saw last night in the old house, Julián shouldn't be so
surprised by what they told us, I also think that you've been very rude to the old man and to
the girl," he said, not noticing that Ana I knew nothing of the matter.

—What is George talking about? Anne asked quickly. Are you hiding something from me?
If you want, next time I'll stay in Villa Kirrin so you won't have to hide anything from me,”
she said, sulking and about to cry with rage.

"Ana, we thought it was not convenient to tell you so as not to alarm you," Julián
explained, feeling terribly bad. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. You're right, you're one of us and
we shouldn't have left you out, I beg you to forgive me,” said the boy.

The two brothers updated Ana who, with her mouth open, couldn't believe what she was
hearing.

—Did you see it too, Jorge? the girl asked, with interest.

63
 —No, I was with you, don't you remember? —Jorge said, with a point of anger in his
voice.

"That being the case, it's clear that the story Gema's grandfather has told us has a very
real basis. After all, there was a storm last night and we saw that terrifying scene," Dick
pointed out. I think that adventure is knocking on our door and for my part I am not going
to let it pass, what do you think?

Naturally, none of the five was against the proposal.

"Okay, let's get to it." Tonight we will camp somewhere, near the house where we spent
the night yesterday. We have to be able to find a place that keeps us hidden and from which
we can easily see the old house,” said Julián. In the end we are obeying Mr. González, we
will not camp near Rockstream Lake!

"Come on, let's hurry up, it's almost one in the afternoon and I'm hungry enough to bite
Tim at any minute," Dick teased.

And they headed for the old bridge that could be seen a few meters away, with
excitement in their eyes.

CHAPTER IX

VISITORS AT NIGHT

In just over half an hour, the five of them walked the path that separated them from the
House of Noises, which was the name the boys gave it. This one offered an unthreatening
appearance in broad daylight. Rather, it was sad to see how that huge house languished
with the passage of time.

64
 "Before we go in, we should eat," Ana said, stopping a few meters from the back door of
the house.

"I agree, I think better on a full stomach," said Dick.

"Any excuse is perfect for you if it's about eating," Ana replied, amused.

Julián intervened, without taking his eyes off the house.

"Good idea, the sooner the better." That way we'll have all afternoon to take a look and
see if we can find somewhere nearby where we can hide.

Immediately, Ana began to unwrap packages and soon everyone was sitting on the floor
tasting the exquisite products purchased at the Blackberry Farm.

—Ana, please, pass me another egg. This combination of bread, egg and bacon is simply
unbeatable,” said Jorge, chewing on two cheeks.

"Oh, that's because you haven't tried the Tomato Bread and Smoked Meat!" Dick replied.

It was delicious to be there, feeling the warm rays of that April sun and listening to the
sounds of nature. A small fox dared to approach, attracted by the smell of food.

"Tim, stay by my side, don't even think about chasing that poor little animal," Jorge
warned, seeing that the hairs on the back of the dog's neck stood on end.

Ana got up and tried to approach the fox, but as soon as he saw that the girl was taking
two steps towards him, he ran away at full speed, getting lost in the vegetation.

—I have seen that on this side of the house there are wild strawberries, we could pick
some and have them for dessert with cream, what do you think? said Anne.

Julian was immediately on his feet offering to pick the fruit, but eventually everyone set
about selecting the strawberries that appeared to be ripest, except for Tim, who didn't like
them very much and who amused himself by having some vigorous runs around the field
with hoping to meet a rabbit far from his mistress's gaze.

After dessert, which Dick thought was overwhelming, Anne, accompanied by Tim, went
off to wash the dishes, and the others went to work looking for a good hiding place.

"It must be comfortable enough for the five of us to spend the night and at the same
time it would have to allow us to see this part of the house without too much difficulty,"
Julián explained.
65
 But time passed and when it began to get dark around tea time, they still hadn't found
the right place. Ana, who had already returned with everyone, went with Julián, while Jorge,
Dick and Tim scrutinized another part of the field carefully.

"Blow, it looks like it's getting more complicated than we thought," said Dick, checking
out a bush that looked quite leafy.

"Dick, don't bother looking in there," George warned. Even if we all fit, it is not a good
location. If it rains we would eat soups.

An hour later, tired and annoyed by the fruitlessness of the afternoon, they stopped
looking, since they could hardly be seen anymore and it was evident that they would not
find anything interesting at that point.

"Well, nothing, we'll camp somewhere nearby and we'll move in the dark of night to
stand guard here, I don't see any other way out," Julián concluded, a little disappointed.

"Wait a minute, why don't we look inside the house?" After all, we were there the other
night and we went completely unnoticed," Ana explained.

—Ray! What a good idea! I wonder how he hadn't thought of that before,' said Dick,
giving Anne a friendly punch on her shoulder.

The five went back into the house. At night, it again showed a ghostly aspect, which did
not make it exactly welcoming.

With their flashlights on they headed straight for the front door and, once in the hall,
they took the door on the left, which led to the kitchen. From there they went down the
small staircase that communicated with the living room.

—Heavens! This morning we forgot to lock the secret entrance to the cellars again! Julian
exclaimed. I trust that the mechanism continues to work.

Sure enough, as they pulled the lever out, they heard a scraping sound again, and the
large slab under the fireplace slid noisily away, completely covering the opening in the floor.

"It's a pity he's making such a racket, if he'd be softer we could hide in the cellars and
come and go as we please without being seen," said Dick.

—I don't think it was a good idea, do you remember that downstairs there was some
mechanism to activate the hatch? George asked.

66
 "No, there wasn't, and if that was the case, anyone could easily lock us up." I'd be
surprised if we were the only ones to know about the existence of this mechanism,” Julián
concluded.

"Well, remember that before the panel was covered by an old sideboard," Ana pointed
out. It was not easy to notice it.

"Right, I didn't remember. It wouldn't be a bad idea to hide the panel a bit! Julian said.

They all began to look for something to cover the small wooden panel that stood out on
the stone wall.

—?And this door? Was it closed yesterday? Dick asked, pointing to the door to the right
of the paneling.

"Yes, yes it was," Jorge confirmed. It's just that with everything that happened
afterwards, we didn't pay much attention to it.

At once, Jorge grabbed the handle and opened it.

"Let's go inside!" —She exclaimed, hardly able to contain herself.

A small room in which there were no more than two chairs, a table and an ancient trunk,
all of them dilapidated and fragile-looking.

"It looks like no one has been in here in years," Jorge commented.

"I don't think so, look there," Julian corrected, aiming his flashlight beam at the ground.
The boy crouched down and peered at something by the table. There are several remains of
cigarettes and they don't look very old, probably a few days old,” he deduced, turning to the
others.

—Let's open the chest! Maybe we'll find something useful," Ana suggested.

But he was soon disillusioned. Inside they only found remains of newspapers, a pair of
old gloves and some useless-looking brushes.

"This looks like a storage room," said Dick, disappointed. Not much to see, old clunkers. I
vote to continue exploring the other part of the house.

"Yes, it will be for the best." We haven't seen anywhere to hide yet, if the time comes,”
Julian said, looking uneasily at his wristwatch.

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 "George, help me, we're going to move this table into the living room, so we'll hide the
panel that hides the lever," Dick commented.

Immediately, between them, they dragged the table into the living room and placed it so
that the small square of wood could not be easily discovered.

"Let's keep going," Julián ordered, once the door was closed again.

The five of them left the living room, crossed the kitchen and returned to the hall. Once
there, they headed towards the large empty bedroom. Everything was the same as the day
before, the old closet and nothing else noteworthy, except for that locked door.

—Maybe we should try to open that door too, the truth is that it's very strange that
there are closed doors in a place like this —Julián commented, approaching it.

The boy tried to push hard a couple of times, but the door didn't budge one bit. Dick and
Jorge joined in the attempt, but no matter how hard they pushed, it didn't wobble in the
slightest.

“Look, it doesn't even have a lock on this side. I wonder how they'd open it,' said Dick,
totally puzzled.

"Of course, it can only be opened and closed from the other side," Julian replied. Which
indicates that there must be some other way to get into the next room.

The boy scratched his head thoughtfully. How was it possible? Who would have the
slightest interest in keeping a room sealed in an abandoned house in the middle of the
moors?

“Okay, let's go around the room. You must be able to enter from somewhere,” Julián
said.

"I'm sure it has something to do with the scene we saw last night."

—?And from above? Maybe there's a ladder that goes down to the room on the other
side of that wall,” Ana pointed out.

"Let's go see it," exclaimed Dick.

The five of them left the bedroom and headed for the shattered staircase that, painfully,
ascended a few steps only to be cut in half. The group began to go up, except Tim, who was
bored and decided to stay downstairs watching his friends go through that strange house.

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 Once they had passed the first flight of steps, the boys found themselves stopped. Julián,
who was the first, directed the beam of his flashlight a few meters above his head.

"You can't go any higher," Julián told them, annoyed. Maybe we could climb with the
help of a rope, but it seems too dangerous to me.

And that's when Tim started growling.

—What's up, old friend? Jorge asked, starting to descend so fast that he almost knocked
Ana over.

The animal growled a few more times, and finally fell silent. The rest had already gone
down as well when the dog growled loudly again, showing its white teeth.

—What do we do? asked Dick, a little nervously. It's clear that Tim has sniffed something
or someone and is warning us.

—Let's go to the courtyard of the well! There's a lot of undergrowth and we'll be able to
go more unnoticed than here, in the middle of the hall,” Julián proposed.

Immediately, the group entered the patio and hid in the undergrowth that literally
invaded what in other times must have been a cool and secluded place. Anne, George and
Tim crouched behind the well, while Julian and Dick crouched behind a large chunk of
collapsed wall and in the heather respectively.

—Tim, hush! Don't make any noise,” Jorge whispered to his dog. He licked his face as a
sign that he had perfectly understood the order.

Two or three minutes passed, but nothing alarming was heard, only an owl hooting in
the distance.

They were about to leave their hiding places when Tim suddenly gave another short
grunt. They all fixed their eyes, which had already become accustomed to that darkness, on
the entrance door to the courtyard. A slight click confirmed to them that, near that point,
there was something or someone. Ana was shaking with fear and she decided not to look
any further. She did not even want to think about the possibility of seeing a decapitated
horse or, what is worse, a person.

The seconds seemed endless and, despite not being too hot, Julián felt his forehead
soaked. He was afraid that he had led everyone into too dangerous an adventure.

And then a long, silent shadow appeared in front of the front door.

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 They all held their breath. For an instant Dick thought they could hear his heartbeat. The
shadow remained motionless for a few seconds and then it slid to the left of him. Each of
them breathed a sigh of relief, although they continued not to move an inch for fear that he
would return. After three or four minutes, Julián came out of his hiding place.

"I think he's already gone," he told the rest, taking the precaution of keeping his voice
low. I'll go take a look. Jorge, I would feel better if Tim came with me.

But at that moment Tim snarled again, this time louder than before. Some deep and
irritated voices reached the patio, so Julian, finding himself unable to reach his hiding place
in time, decided to throw himself to the ground and he almost fell on poor Dick.

—WHO'S THERE? one of the voices rumbled throughout the house. The boys did not
even dare to look.

A tall, fat man appeared on the threshold of the courtyard entrance and, moments later,
he was seen being swept by the light of a powerful lantern. Ana was about to burst into
tears from fear, but seeing Jorge and Tim next to her, she felt better. The stranger took a
few steps in the direction of the boys. Jorge considered the idea of allowing Tim to jump on
him; yes, he would do it as soon as the man reached the rim of the well.

—QUICK MIKE, COME HERE! Hey you, stop it! Mike, there's someone here! a man yelled
from another part of the house.

This made the corpulent man, who had been about to discover the boys, take a revolver
from his pocket and quickly leave the place.

A sound of running, blows and shouts, coming from the kitchen, broke the silence of the
night, or so it seemed to them. Then all was silent.

After a few minutes, the five came out of their respective hiding places and, in complete
silence, left the patio.

"Let's go immediately, I don't like to get involved in matters with armed people," Julián
said. Wait for me a moment and stay tuned, I'm going to make sure there's no danger.

Nobody objected. The cautious footsteps of the boy, faithfully followed by Tim, were
heard, getting lost in the distance, while he walked away from him.

"I don't understand what they can look for here," Dick whispered. Are they ghosts?

—Oh please shut up, Dick! Ana moaned, tears in her eyes.

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 —Okay, forgive me, Ana. Actually, I don't think such ghosts exist, but I can't find a
convincing explanation for all of this either. Maybe when Ju gets back he can clear
something up for us.

—Have you ever heard that ghosts carry guns? Jorge commented intelligently. Dick
shrugged; Certainly, the guy who had been in the courtyard did not look like a spirit.

Shortly after, the sound of footsteps made them take their guard. The three young men
cautiously hid.

"It's Tim," Jorge said, stepping out of the shadows.

—Julian, is that you? asked Dick, in a low voice.

-Yes, we are. Now you can speak in a normal tone, there's absolutely no one here
anymore,” Julián replied, while he turned on his flashlight.

—I went to the living room and through the window I could see some lights coming
down the path, I don't think they plan to return soon; obviously, they are from this world,
there is a cigarette butt at the entrance of the house and the smell of tobacco is still
perceptible throughout the floor.

"So what do we do now?" Do we stand guard in case they return or wait to see if events
like those of last night take place? George asked.

"The best thing would be to get out of here, tonight the sky has some clouds, but we
don't know if it will end up raining or not and, apparently, it's only on stormy nights when
we've seen them," Julián replied. We have to think about all of this, and off this site we will
do so much more clearly.

"Julian, let's go to the Blackberry Farm for the night, please," begged Ana.

—Yes, it will be the best; besides, we can ask Gema about this old house, maybe it will
help us,” said Dick.

"I wonder what's going on here," Jorge said. Whatever it is is a real mystery. Is what
happened last night related to what happened today?

"I don't think it's a good idea to go to the farm, it's too late and it wouldn't be polite to
arrive so late at night." Let's find somewhere to camp. It will do us good to take a walk, the
night breeze will clear our ideas,” Julián replied.

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 Minutes later, the five of them, in the light of the lanterns, left the old house and began
to walk through the moors, again, under that starry sky in which a bright moon was already
rising. Some clouds on the horizon slightly obscured the incredible spectacle of the Milky
Way that was otherwise spectacular before the eyes of the boys.

CHAPTER X

NIGHT EXCURSION

They had been walking for a few minutes when Jorge's sharp eyes distinguished
something in the distance.

"Turn off the lanterns!" Have you seen? A glow in the middle of the moor! —She
exclaimed, pointing to a point on the horizon, about two hundred meters down the road
from where they were.

At once they all turned off their flashlights.

I don't see anything, what about you? asked Anne.

"Be patient, let's wait for our eyes to get used to the dark," Julián replied.

— How I would like to be an owl now! said Dick, his eyes widening. Good, but eating the
delicious delicacies that Juana prepares instead of field mice, of course.

Everyone laughed at the boy's occurrence.

"Yes, now I can see it, it's a few tiny points of light," Ana assured.

- Of course! They are the men who have been in the old house. They have lit a cigarette;
That's the glow you've seen, Jorge, and the little lights that go up and down in intensity are
the embers from the cigarettes. The guys must know these roads perfectly, because they
don't need to use any bluff or anything like that,” Julián explained.

72
 "Which means they're from the area." Let's try to follow them! Dick said.

They all broke into a run, led by Tim, who loved those mysterious walks. Soon they were
just a hundred meters from those shapes, which they could distinguish perfectly by the tiny
shine of their cigars.

Julián signaled for silence and Jorge grabbed the dog by the collar, because it had the
hair on the back of its neck standing up and had begun to growl.

"They're heading into the moor and I'm afraid we may lose them around a bend in these
roads." Maybe we should split into two groups. Some of us will follow the same path as
them, at a prudent distance, and others will go up this small hill next door; That way, we
won't lose sight of them at any time,” Julián explained.

Dick, Jorge and Tim began to climb the hill next to which the road ran. It was a scrubland
and it was not a great difficulty to reach the top; from there, both enjoyed an excellent
view. Without a doubt, it had been a wonderful idea.

Meanwhile, downstairs, Julián and Ana tried to get a little closer to the men. Soon they
were close enough to be able to hear their voices, though they couldn't make out anything
they were saying.

- They are three! Two of them look very angry,” whispered Ana.

Yes, that's how it seemed to me too. Now let's keep our mouths shut, the wind is behind
us and they could hear us,” Julián said.

When they had covered about two kilometers in complete silence, one of the people
they were following made a strange movement and, turning around suddenly, began to run
towards where the boys were.

Julián and Ana barely had time to react and they threw themselves to the ground, one on
each side of the path. The other two men went out after the first and, when he was about
to reach Julián's level, they caught up with him.

- Where do you think you're going? Come here! I assure you that you will not want to
meddle in other people's affairs,” they heard one of the men say.

At that moment, from somewhere on the hill, two loud barks were heard. "It's Tim, now
they'll discover us all," thought the two brothers, who remained a few meters from that
strange scene. The boys hardly dared to breathe.

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 - Have you heard that? asked the fattest of those guys. I trust that he is a stray dog and
not a wolf.

"Are there wolves in these lands, Mike?" said the other man with a slightly scared tone.

— Whoa! From time to time one has been seen, but we have nothing to fear,” she
concluded, while taking out the revolver that the children had already seen in the courtyard
of the House of Noises. And you, take a good look at it, if you do something stupid again I
won't have any problem using it, you know that. Now, come on, we don't have all damn
night.

Julián waited for them to get far enough away and, crouching down, he approached the
point where Ana was. The girl was still trembling with fear.

"Don't be afraid, they're already gone, they've just disappeared around that bend." I
guess Dick and Jorge will have them under control.

"It's been horrible, Ju." Have you managed to see their faces? I haven't even dared to
look up,” Ana whispered as she stood up, brushing the sand from her clothes. And why
would Tim have barked? He's not used to doing things like that. Has he seen a rabbit,
perhaps?

-I think not. They sounded like angry barking to me, he didn't seem to be playing at all. I
am also very intrigued by it, then the others will tell us about it. Let's continue, for a
moment I thought they would discover us. Why would one of those people have run
backwards? Of course, it would not be said that there is an excellent atmosphere between
them.

Anne shrugged.

They resumed walking at a slow pace. They didn't want to risk as much this time, so they
let the men get just enough ahead of them so they wouldn't be surprised again.

Truly, if it were not for the circumstances, the walk was very pleasant. A soft spring
breeze caressed their faces. The crickets sang non-stop and a delicious smell of wet earth
permeated the atmosphere.

"These walks are fantastic, when I'm older I plan to buy a house somewhere like this,
away from any civilized place," Ana whispered, to whom the crickets' chirping made her
forget the fear that had happened minutes before.

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 Little by little, the path was beginning to ascend. The boys continued walking a while
longer when, after one of the curves, slightly out of the way, the silhouette of a large house
appeared. The two stopped immediately. Of those men there was no trace anywhere.

The boys looked for their companions on the hillock that ran parallel. Obviously, they
were not able to see anything. The fact of not seeing his pursuers was clearly not very
reassuring; so, as a precaution, they both left the road and hid behind a nearby oak tree.

—They must have gotten into that house. The path continues ascending in a straight line,
we would see them if they had continued, Julián mused.

—?Where will the others be? We should have foreseen how to meet again," lamented
Ana.

Julian agreed. It would certainly have been a good idea.

"Well, I think the best thing will be to wait here hidden," the girl continued. I'm going to
sit down, my feet hurt a lot, I think I haven't left a stone unturned tonight.

The two brothers settled next to the trunk of the old tree.

Julian, have you noticed? This is the only big tree in all these surroundings," said Ana.

- Oh! Well, it's true, all the others are much smaller. Hey Ana, is a house like that the one
you would like to buy? Julian asked sarcastically. The girl quickly shook her head.

Suddenly, they heard a loud bang and, immediately, some voices. One of them was the
fat guy, there was no doubt about it.

"Let's go, tomorrow at sunset someone will have to come take a look at the bird," they
heard him say to someone.

The two men began to walk down the path, and soon passed the old oak tree in which
the boys were hiding.

— Now there were only two! Where have they come from? Julian exclaimed, once he
had made sure they couldn't hear him.

"I think that from the house, that knock we heard must have been the door closing,"
answered Ana, who, for once, felt at the same level as her older brother in terms of
deductive capacity.

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 - Certain! Go with little Ana, she has left me ironed! Julian said, smiling. Let's see what
Dick and Jorge can tell us. Let's go to the house, I've thought about how to meet them. Be
careful where you put your feet, the third of them may be around here.

Once, with all stealth, they reached the house, they stood next to one of the walls. They
waited a couple of minutes to make sure there was no one else around, and then Julián
turned his flashlight on and off three times, pointing it directly at the mountain that was in
front of his position.

Seconds later, from the other side, they could perceive three identical light signals.

"That's it," Julian said. I trust you have understood that we are waiting for you here. Let's
take a look at this site in the meantime.

The house was quite big. It had at least two floors. Below, a central door and three
windows on each side of it occupied the front. To the rear they found three more windows,
but only on the top floor. You could tell the whole building had once been painted white,
though now dark stains were coming out of the windows and it looked derelict. The entire
complex was topped by a battered gabled roof that was already missing a large part of the
tiles. Two large chimneys completed the construction.

A few meters away, attached to the main building, you could see the crumbling walls of
what must have been a large stable in its day. Now only two of the walls were painfully
standing, the rest resting on the ground in a great pile of rubble. The weeds had taken over
the place and some empty buckets, old bottles, tobacco wrappers and a dirty plank of wood
were all that could be seen in the place that had been the old stable.

"What an awful smell of burning!" exclaimed Ana, approaching one of the lower
windows. This one, like the other five on the floor below, had been bricked up with much
newer building materials.

Julian tried to give the front door a little push but, as expected, it had been closed, and a
thick lock testified to it.

'It's an old abandoned country house, though its colossal size makes it look like a large
farmhouse. I wonder what those guys have come here to do at this hour of the morning,”
the boy mused aloud.

Dick, Jorge and Tim ran out of the shadows. They seemed excited.

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 - Hello! George said. You have seen it, right? The girl exclaimed, her face flushed from
her run.

"We've seen a lot of things, but what are we supposed to have seen?" Julian answered,
puzzled.

— To those three men to enter this house! said Dick, still panting with the exertion. They
have been inside for a few minutes and then they have gone down the road, how strange!

"Actually, we've only seen two of them leave," answered Ana.

— Two? It looked to us like all three of them,” said Dick. Of course, to tell the truth, we
were far enough away to see clearly if there were two or three of them.

"When Tim started barking we decided to stay a little further away," Jorge explained.

- Wow, that's right! Why was old Tim barking? He was about to get us into a lot of
trouble,” Julián said.

"I don't know," Jorge muttered. I have been very angry with him, sometimes he behaves
like a silly dog. It may have sniffed out some nocturnal animal.

"Strange, though, because he did it just as one of the men caught up with another who
had started to run backwards," Dick remarked, hand to chin. We thought they would find
out!

"It didn't take long, we barely had time to lie down on the sides of the road," Julián
assured. All this is very strange, I can not find any link between each of the events. Perhaps
today has nothing to do with the ghostly events in the House of Noises, although I find it
hard to believe.

The five were silent for a long time. None of them managed to fit the pieces of that
puzzle. It was maddening. Who were those guys? Could they have something to do with the
scene the boys had seen the night before? What had they come to do in that old house?

"Have you explored the building yet?" asked Jorge, always eager for this kind of
adventure.

—The truth is that little can be seen, the door is closed and the lower windows boarded
up. There's no way in unless we get to the windows at the top, those seemed to me to be
unlocked,” Julian said.

Dick took out his canteen, and opening it poured some water on his handkerchief.
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 "Help me, Julian. Please, I need you to give me a hand to get to that sign over the front
door, next to the stone shield. I would like to read what it says.

Julian took Dick on his shoulders and he began to clean the dirty sign that hung over the
lintel of the entrance.

— You should eat less from today! —Julián complained, staggering slightly from the
weight of his brother.

Dick ignored the boy's recommendation, busy as he was cleaning the sign. After the job
was done, he read aloud.

“Looper Farm… Oh! This is the old burnt down house of the Loopers, the owners of the
cows! —The boy yelled, causing Julián to stumble that he nearly hit with both of them on
the ground.

Jorgeand Ana helped Julián get Dick down.

-Horrible. Let's get out of here right now, I have remembered the history of this place
and, if I could, right now I would be several hundred miles from this place," said Ana.

—Anyway, I think that, in reality, there isn't much to do here anymore. Let's find some
place off the beaten path, camp and think about all this,” Julián concluded.

—Wow! Tim barked, seeming to have understood every word the boy had spoken.

"Well, since Tim agrees, let's talk no more," said Dick, smiling. Let's find our camp.

It didn't take them long to find, behind the main gate and the road, a small clearing
where they were sheltered from prying eyes.

They pitched their two tents, being careful to put the doors away from the wind, and sat
down, with two of the lanterns burning, on their sleeping bags, stretched out outside. None
of the five seemed sleepy at all. Emotions kept them wide awake.

—?How about we build a small camp fire and have some dinner? I'm hungry and it's hard
for me to think like that,” Dick suggested. I think a few slices of fried bacon would help me
solve this riddle.

Everyone laughed at the boy's occurrence.

"There's not much dry wood around here," Julian said. We can take a walk to see if we
find something that works for us; otherwise, you would be able to eat the meat raw.
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 Immediately, they began to look for wood or some type of material that could be used to
light a small fire.

Jorgeand Tim entered the ruins of the barn, while the others inspected the surroundings
of the main building of Looper Farm. Suddenly, they heard Jorge scream.

— Quick, come, look what I found!

The three ran to the forlorn walls of what had been the corral. There, with eyes wide
open and his voice shaking with emotion, was Jorge. The girl held in her hands an old and
rotten plank of wood.

"Did you scare us to death because you found a gnawed plank?" asked Dick, with some
annoyance.

- Do not be silly! Look down! Jorge exclaimed, frowning.

Indeed, at Jorge's feet, a dark hole opened in the ground. The others came closer. Julián
directed the beam of his flashlight towards that point and they could all see a series of
stone steps that descended, losing themselves in the darkness.

— Blow! Looks like you've found the entrance to a basement.

Unexpectedly, Tim barked and launched himself down the stairs.

"Tim, come back!" Tim! Harry yelled, dropping the plank, which made a crash as it hit the
floor.

The girl did not wait a moment to start down the stairs.

— Wait Jorge, don't do stupid things! Let's all go, but with flashlights,” Julián yelled at
him.

Jorgehe came to his senses and waited for his cousins to start down those old steps.

They went down about ten steps and found themselves in a rectangular room with a
door in front. The whole room was littered with old sacks.

"It smells terrible," said Ana.

- What could this be? Dick asked, shining his flashlight on each wall of the place.

"I suppose it's just a cellar that they would use as a warehouse to store the wheat,"
Julián said.
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 —Tim! Where are you? Tim! Jorge yelled, making his voice echo down there in a peculiar
way.

- Wow! —She was heard, a few meters from there.

Ana pointed her flashlight towards the door that opened in the back wall. The dog's
bright eyes gleamed in the darkness, staring at them.

- There is! It seems that she wants us to follow her. What's up Tim?

CHAPTER XI

A terrifying encounter

The four boys followed the animal. The door led to a corridor carved into the stone that
seemed to go into the very bowels of the earth.

—Shall we continue? Julian asked his companions. It seems that Tim wants us to follow
him.

"Go ahead, at least we won't have taken this walk in vain," replied Jorge.

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 They all agreed to continue with the exploration. They decided to keep only one of the
lanterns on, Julián's, who took the lead.

A few meters further on, the passage forked into two others. The one on the left
continued to descend while the one on the right was seen to rise slightly.

"I vote to take the one on the right, it's the one with the direction of Looper Farm," said
Dick, who had taken his compass from his pocket and was consulting it eagerly. Besides,
he's the one Tim has chosen.

The five took the indicated detour and soon found themselves in a cave with no apparent
exit.

- Wow, what a nuisance! This one ends here,” Jorge exclaimed, fainting.

"It's not like that, look up," Julián answered, focusing on the ceiling.

Indeed, about two meters above the ground, in the ceiling of the cave, a rather old-
looking wooden trapdoor could be seen, embedded.

“We're right under Looper Farm. I've calculated the distance and I'm sure it is,” said Dick,
still holding his compass. All this is terribly exciting!

Timhe jumped and moaned pitifully, something that greatly missed the boys, especially
Jorge, who knew him perfectly.

"What's up, Tim?" the girl asked, puzzled. It is clear that there is something or someone
up there; otherwise Tim wouldn't be like this.

- And what can we do? I don't see a way to get to the door, and even if we could, we
haven't the faintest idea what's waiting for us on the other side. It wouldn't be wise to even
try. If Dick is right, and I'm sure he is, the third person may be on top of our heads,' Julian
concluded. Let's retrace our steps and continue along the corridor on the left.

"But why doesn't Tim growl?" If there was any danger he would warn us, don't you
think? Anne observed.

"Tim, old friend, who is he?" Jorge asked, kneeling down and trying to calm the dog
down.

"It's a real shame he doesn't talk, but that's how it is." Let's not waste time, follow me,”
Julián ordered.

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 The five returned to the fork and took the detour to the left. The passageway dropped
sharply, so much so that everyone had to be careful not to trip on the slope of the floor. A
few meters below they were forced to skirt a small pool of water that they found in the
middle of their path. They did it very carefully, because the rocky edges of it were extremely
slippery.

"Watch where you put your feet, that hole looks pretty deep and I bet no one wears a
bathing suit under their clothes," Julián warned, having already gone through some
difficulties. Tim jumped across it in one clean, grand leap, much to everyone's envy.

- Ray! You could have offered me to ride on your back! I took you yesterday," Dick
protested, amused, causing the rest to laugh.

They continued entering that underground but, a few meters below, the path cut off in
front of a rocky wall, clearly impassable.

- Oh! This really is good! The corridor ends here,' said Dick, surprised by the shortness of
the route. What's the point of digging a passageway that doesn't lead anywhere?

"Maybe the person who did it got tired or discouraged when they found themselves in
front of this huge rock," Ana opined.

—I don't think so, but the truth is that you don't see that there is any trap door like in the
other one. Neither up nor down —Jorge commented, surprised.

They all spent a few minutes scrutinizing that site to the millimeter. It was maddening to
think that it led nowhere.

"I think there is nothing more to see in this hole." Let's admit we don't have the faintest
idea what's going on here,” Julian said. Let's go outside, I feel like getting some fresh air, to
see if that clears up our ideas.

Soon, the five of them were climbing the ten steps that led to the hole in the floor of
what had been the corral or perhaps the Looper stables. Once outside, they observed that
the night was extremely dark, as the sky had once again been covered with black clouds and
a gusty wind threatened a storm not long after.

"It's going to rain again, like the first night," Jorge warned. Another storm is brewing and
judging by the way the air is blowing, I'd say soon.

A few drops began to fall, agreeing with the girl. A flash of lightning momentarily
illuminated the moor. Old Looper Farm looked much worse in the white light of it.
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 "Let's go back to the basement, at least we won't get wet there," Julián said. I will go last
and so I can place the wooden plank that covered it over the entrance. That way the water
won't get in, and if anyone knows this place they won't suspect that we're inside.

One by one, the boys made their way back down the stairs. They decided to stay in the
first room, the one with the sacks.

—Let's look on the bright side: this time we won't get soaked. Listen, it's raining real
hard,” Dick commented, making a comfortable cushion for himself with several empty
sacks.

The rain hit the board located at the entrance, giving an idea of the force with which it
unloaded. A thunder rumbled over his heads causing Tim to groan and go to lie down at
Jorge's feet. This was definitely not the adventure he was enjoying the most. Another
second thunderclap seemed to crash a few meters away.

"It's horrible, it had never rained so much on any excursion," Ana murmured.

They all agreed. The weather was turning out particularly bad these days.

"Maybe it would have been a better idea to stay at Villa Kirrin," said Jorge, a little
embarrassed. Although I don't know which is worse, this thunder or Dad's slamming doors
when he gets angry.

Suddenly, above the sound of the rain, a shrill, distant sound rose. It was like a horrible
scream.

- What's that? Are you listening? Ana exclaimed, her heart pounding in her chest.

They sound like screams. They come from abroad, don't worry, we're safe here,” Julián
tried to reassure her.

The sound grew in intensity. Seconds later, another clap of thunder roared into the night,
and instantly, a piercing, piercing cry chilled their blood. A sound like horses came muffled
to his ears. Julian and Dick immediately looked at each other and, without saying a word,
they ran up the stairs, closely followed by George, Anne and Tim, the latter with his tail
between his legs and wailing. Julián pushed aside the wood that served as a door and
cautiously stepped outside. The others did the same. And there it was.

Barely a hundred yards from them, a black hearse was speeding down the road. The
horses that pulled it were completely headless and the same was true of the driver. Four
torches, one at each corner of the cabin, flamed in defiance of the falling water. At regular
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intervals, a horrifying shriek emanated from that demonic chariot. The spook stopped in
front of the Looper Farm.

Two more beings descended from it, also decapitated. They went to the door of the
building, opened it and went inside.

Another scream, much higher pitched than the first, was heard from within the
farmhouse. Moments later the two who had come downstairs left, closed the door and
returned, climbing back into that nightmare.

The coachman urged the beasts on, and presently they were off again in a frantic race
down the road.

Jorgehe had to cover Ana's mouth, who could not suppress her screams at that macabre
spectacle.

- Oh my God! Don't make noise, if they discover us they might come at us! the girl
exclaimed, as frightened as her little cousin. Tim! Get back here! Don't leave us alone! Come
on, fool!

The poor animal had descended at the speed of light into the cellars, frightened by that
hideous sound.

"Dick!" Let's get out of here, we have to see which direction the carriage takes,” Julian
shouted, terribly excited.

- Re crazy? Leave? —His brother answered him, who did not feel the slightest desire to
leave the basement, despite the fact that he was not able to take his eyes off that
nightmare that was already lost from his sight.

- I'm going! George answered suddenly. Dick can stay with Ana and Tim.

Julian agreed. Between the two of them they pushed the plank completely aside and
they both ran out into the storm, in the direction of the path where that vision had just
been lost. Thanks to the torches he was carrying, it didn't take long for them to catch a
glimpse of him a few hundred meters down the road. Seconds later, he left the road and
started up the middle of the mountain. From time to time he kept emitting that unpleasant
sound that, even at the distance he was, caused fear.

— What direction would you say they are heading now, Julián? Jorge asked, completely
drenched in water.

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 "I would venture to swear that it is going to the house from which we came," the boy
replied.

"Ju, now I don't know what to think about the existence of ghosts," Jorge moaned.

"They don't exist, that's all there is to think about," Julián declared, without an iota of
doubt. It is true that horses do not have heads, and neither does the driver. But I refuse to
believe in spirits. Ghosts simply don't exist. They are inventions for ignoramuses. Let's go
back to the basement, I can't imagine how poor Ana will be.

The two cousins retraced the few meters that separated them from the corral. They
pushed aside the wooden doorway and descended the stairs in complete silence.
Downstairs, with both lanterns burning and sitting side by side, Dick, Anne, and Tim greeted
them with obvious signs of relief.

"Thank God you're back," the girl exclaimed, happy to be back together, the five of them.
It was the ghost carriage that Mr. González, Gema's grandfather, told us about.

-That's how it is. Only there are no ghosts, Ana. That car is as tangible as you and me, I
can assure you. When dawn comes we'll go to the road and you'll be able to see the deep
ruts in the mud,” Julián explained with a smile, which reassured Ana and, secretly, the rest
quite a bit. Dick, can you lend Jorge some clothes? If it is not changed, it is almost certain
that he will end up with bronchitis or pneumonia. And Aunt Fanny's scolding scares me
more than twenty carts like that.

Everyone laughed heartily at Julián's occurrence. Sometimes laughter was a powerful

spell against fear. And, without a doubt, they would rarely find a better opportunity than
that.

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 CHAPTER XII

BEDTIME

Once Julián and Jorge dressed in dry clothes, it was decided that the best thing would be
to try to sleep down there and, the next morning, look for a new location to settle. Together
they carpeted the floor with dozens of old sacks, which constituted a soft mattress on which
to rest from all the emotions of the day.

— Ugh, how thirsty! Does anyone have some water? I have used up my canteen,' said
Dick.

—We can take it from that hole we've seen in the tunnel on the left, it must be from
some underground river and it's not easy for it to be contaminated. I'll go try it,” Julián
commented, already heading towards the door that communicated with the fork.

A few minutes later, the boy returned with an air of satisfaction.

"Yes, it's drinkable, it's not stagnant water," he told them. Although you have to be
careful, it is terribly cold.

Dick and Jorge took everyone's canteens and decided to go fill them up with that crystal
clear and icy water.

"I'm sure they are real people," said Jorge, as he bent down to fill Ana's container.
What's more, the smell of the pitch with which the torches were impregnated, was
perfectly perceived from the road.

"Yes, that's a fact, but how do you explain the beheadings?" I see no natural reasoning
for it, and yet we have all seen it with our own eyes,' objected Dick.

Jorgehe nodded silently. Certainly, she could not find an answer to that question. She
had been a few meters from the scene and, indeed, those animals had no head at all. The
girl was immersed in her thoughts when suddenly the penknife she was carrying in her shirt
pocket slipped and she landed in the water, making a slight splash.

— Oh! How stupid am I! Jorge exclaimed, upset. Dick, I just dropped the penknife your
father gave me last Christmas and it's stuck in the hole!

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 Dick shone his flashlight down into the water, trying to see the bottom of the hollow.

"I'd say it's not too deep, a couple of meters at the most, but the water is so cold I'm
afraid you'll have to wait until next Christmas to get another one," the boy observed with a
grimace.

"Nothing like that, right now I'm going to dive in and rescue him," Jorge answered
stubbornly.

"Have you lost your mind?" I warn you that I don't have any more dry clothes, if you do
you will have to spend the night soaked.

"I don't care, that's my business," Jorge insisted. It's a wonderful penknife, and I have no
intention of losing it forever six feet from under my nose.

- Heavens, what stubbornness! exclaimed Dick desperately.

Julián's voice came from the room with the sacks.

- Something wrong? Why are you taking so long? Do you need help? They heard her ask.

- Let's go! Dick yelled, cupping his hands. Listen, in my backpack I have a bathing suit, I'm
going to get it and I'll dive myself. There is no other solution, unless you want to catch a bad
pneumonia from sleeping in wet clothes.

JorgeHe was not too happy with the offer; however, he recognized that it was the best
solution. How she hated being a girl at times like this!

The two cousins returned with the canteens loaded along with the others.

—Ana, where have you put my things? I need my bathing suit,' said Dick, setting his and
Julian's canteens on a rocky ledge of the wall.

"Is it that you intend to take a bath?" Ana answered, her eyes widening.

"Well, the truth is that no, but we dropped Jorge's razor in that hole with water and I'm
going to dive to retrieve it," explained the boy, who had already begun to get rid of his shirt
and shoes.

"I would do it myself but I don't have extra dry clothes, you know I hate packing my
suitcase and I've packed the essentials," said Jorge, who felt a little compelled to explain.

87
 "And why don't we get it back tomorrow?" Anyway, we won't need it tonight and during
the day you can dry yourself in the sun,” Julián explained. Ana, is there any food left? I feel
like I haven't eaten a bite in years.

They all agreed that it was the best solution. Ana examined the bag of food and counted
a bottle of milk, some cream, four eggs, three tomatoes, a piece of bacon, two good slices
of smoked meat, and a large bone, Tim's own, of course.

They decided to leave the milk, the bacon, and a tomato for breakfast, and they helped
themselves to the rest.

— Why does food taste so good outside the home? Dick remarked, eating a good load of
smoked meat. Too bad we don't have any more ginger ale, it would come in handy right
now.

The others were in complete agreement with that observation. Tim barked showing his
agreement, although they well knew that the animal did not particularly like that drink.

After the frugal dinner, the boys brushed their teeth and got into their sacks. Tim settled
at Jorge's feet, as he always did. Julian turned off his flashlight and the room was plunged
into darkness. It had been a while since they had heard the sound of the rain hitting the
wood of the entrance, so they deduced that the storm would have passed by. They said
goodnight, and soon after, all five of them were fast asleep undisturbed.

The first to wake up was Jorge, she had felt Tim's absence and that woke her up. At first
she had a hard time recognizing where she was. oh! She was in the old stable cellar at
Looper Farm. She looked at the fluorescent face of her watch. Half past eight. The girl
groped for her flashlight and found it. She immediately turned it on and she searched for
Tim among her cousins, who were still sleeping. But she didn't see the dog around. Where
would he be?

"Tim…" he whispered softly, so as not to wake the others. Tim, where are you? she
repeated.

Seconds later he heard a sound of footsteps coming from the door that communicated
with the tunnels. The dog appeared and headed straight for his little darling.

- Where you come from? You've been in the trap door cave, right? George muttered.

The animal vigorously wagged its tail.

"Oh, Tim! If you could talk! the girl exclaimed.

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 - Oh George! If you could shut up! said Dick, from the other end of the room. You woke
me up, what's wrong?

—Nothing, Tim has gone back to the cave that is under the farm, I missed him and called
him. I'm sorry I woke you up," Jorge apologized.

"Don't worry, it's actually pretty late." Let's wake the rest of us,” Dick replied.

Minutes later, the five of them climbed the stone steps to the outside and, pushing aside
the wood, stepped out into the daylight.

A radiant sun peeked out, timid, between two nearby mountains. The sky was a luscious
blue, and there was not a trace of a cloud in it. The night's rain had cooled the air and a
delicate fragrance of lavender lifted everyone's spirits. Two flocks of pigeons flew through
the air, while dozens of sparrows huddled on the branches of the nearby trees, cheering up
the morning with their rowdy chirping.

"Finally a sunny day," Julian exclaimed, stretching the muscles in his legs. I'm totally
numb, it's too humid down there, isn't it?

"What do you think we do now?" Shall we go to the Blackberry Farm for food? So we
could try to find out more about this whole mystery,” Dick suggested.

"In daylight, old Looper Farm doesn't look impressive," said Ana, approaching the
building. It seems incredible how different everything looks at night.

Jorgehe went up the road. Upon reaching it, he nodded with conviction.

“Here are the wagon tracks. As we supposed, there is little ghostly about it.

They all came over to check it out. Sure enough, sunk deep into the mud of the trail, two
thick marks indicated the place through which the vehicle had traveled the night before.
The footsteps of the horses on the ground were also clearly visible.

- What is this? Julian asked aloud, as he bent down and touched a dark spot on the
ground with his finger. He is tar, it must have dripped from the torches that illuminated the
car. It seems that the other world is governed by laws remarkably similar to ours,' he
concluded, with a mocking wink.

—That there is nothing supernatural about it is clear, but what sense does all this have? I
don't see why someone would want to go to such trouble to keep alive an ancient legend of
the area,” Jorge asserted.

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 "To hide something." If you remember, old Mr. González told us that, on stormy nights,
people stay locked up at home for fear of the appearance of ghosts,” Julián said resolutely.
Perpetuating the legend is a great way to avoid prying eyes, especially if you want to cover
up some illegal activity.

— Look! Shoe prints! Dick yelled, pointing in the direction of the big house's front door.

"Yes, two people got out, got in, and shortly after returned to the carriage," Julian
confirmed. The boy looked at his little sister. Perhaps they were being too emotional for
young Ana, so she decided to change the subject. What if we take a walk to the lake to
freshen up a bit? Yesterday, from the House of Noises, it looked really beautiful.

- Oh yeah! Come on, it must be beautiful! agreed Ana, whose eyes had just lit up. Also, so
we can hang the clothes that got wet last night.

- Good idea! Do we leave the backpacks hidden in the basement? I don't see the point of
carrying them around all day,” said Dick. I vote to adopt this site as a camp. It's relatively
close to the lake and the House of Noises isn't too far either, is it?

-Yes. Also, we have water, the one from the small underground well was delicious,” Jorge
pointed out.

The others also thought that this was a very good solution; so they started down the
road, heading for Rockstream Lake.

CHAPTER XIII

AN UNEXPECTED BATHROOM AND SAD NEWS

They began to go down the same path that Julián and Ana had taken the night before.
They both looked at the old and solitary oak that had served as their refuge hours before.
For some reason that copy had been saved from the fire, so it was a unique witness to the
terrible story that Mr. González had told them.
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 The marks left by the cart were visible in the dried mud with absolute clarity. From time
to time, small patches of tar were also observed, which Tim sniffed curiously.

The landscape was wonderful. Hundreds of orange hyacinths mixed with the blue forget-
me-nots everywhere. All this land was covered with beautiful heather that dappled with
white the dominant green of the moor. As they descended, the fragrant gorse replaced the
heather, a fact of which Anne was particularly pleased.

"I still don't know what gorse smells like." I haven't quite made up my mind, sometimes I
think it's vanilla and other times I'm convinced it's coconut,” the girl commented, carefully
picking up a thorny twig.

"Try eating some flowers, maybe the taste will clear you up," said Dick, amused. I wonder
if we'll be the only ones to spot the carriage last night. When we go to the Blackberry Farm
for food, we can ask Gema's grandfather or her, to see if they saw anything strange.

"I bet you did," Julian exclaimed. Who wouldn't see it? The roar was to be heard in Kirrin
himself. Of course, someone puts a lot of effort into making it not go unnoticed at all. Are
you not terribly hot? Soon I will be competing with Tim to see who sticks out the most
tongue.

— Ugh, I thought I was the only one! If this continues like this, I'll dare to take a bath,”
Jorge commented, wiping the sweat from his forehead with his handkerchief.

"It's crazy, don't forget that we're in April," Julián asserted.

- And what is the problem? If it's hot, it's hot, it doesn't matter if it's April or August,
don't you think? Don't be so square, Julian,' Dick protested.

The five of them descended a few hundred meters and came to a detour where there
was a wooden signpost. One of the arrows, pointing to the left, had written by hand, with
an excellent and careful handwriting: “Blackberry Farm”. Next to it, another arrow indicated
in a northerly direction: “Rockstream Lake”.

"I bet Gemma wrote it," Dick commented, walking over to the sign.

"I think the same thing, there's a bunch of dried flowers tied to the panel that indicates
the direction of the farm," Ana observed.

—Look, from this point on the tracks go off the road and get lost across the field through
that small hillock —Julián commented.

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 "Exactly, at the top of that mountain is the House of Noises," Jorge commented.

"Yes, it seems quite evident that that was fate." What we don't know is the starting
point,” Julián assured. Let's continue, if we stop under this sun we will end up with a
headache.

The group took the path that led to the lake.

"Well, let's recap," said Dick. What we know so far is that the funeral carriage leaves
somewhere above Looper Farm, then stops at the farm, two people get out of the carriage,
enter the house, and leave after a short time to continue on their way to the farmhouse.
House of Noises. Once there, they do something unknown to us and return, just as we saw
two nights ago. But what? And where do they come from? From some third house on the
mountain?

"Maybe from the Brandon Farm?" Anne pointed out. Gema's grandfather told us about
two families, some were the Loopers, whose house we have already located. We still have
to discover where the one of his enemies, the Brandons, is.

"I'm sure it's up the mountain." I'd bet all summer sundaes that it is! George exclaimed.

'Or it may be the other way around, Dick,' Julian replied. And last night we just saw the
way back. When we return to our camp we have to examine the map to see what is up the
mountain.

They all continued walking in silence, each of them mulling over a possible solution to
that enigma.

After twenty minutes of grueling walking under a blazing sun, the path ended at a gentle
slope that reached the edge of a huge lake, which threw blue sparkles.

—Rockstream Lake! Isn't it magnificent? exclaimed Dick, starting to run towards the
shore.

—I rectify what I said before, I'm going to bathe right now —Julián assured.

— But we have not brought towels or bathing suits! replied Anne, to whom no one paid
the slightest attention, for they had all launched, Tim in the lead, racing towards the lake,
eager to plunge into its refreshing blue waters.

Julián, Dick and Jorge took off their shoes and, in a few seconds, they were soaking,
challenging each other in successive races, as the three of them swam very well. Ana

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decided not to bathe and she stayed on the edge of it, throwing sticks at Tim, who was
going to fetch it at full speed, and hanging the wet clothes among the bushes so that they
would dry more quickly.

- It's delicious! That was a barbaric idea,' exclaimed Dick. Have you noticed the
background? It is white sand. I'd say it's limestone, that's why the surface shines that way in
the sun.

The three of them would go out and return to the water immediately, as there was a
cool breeze outside that made bathing the best option. Once exhausted, they went outside
and dried in the sun.

"That's been great, if the weather is good we could go down again before we go home,"
Dick suggested.

"But next time better prepared, you can't imagine the envy I've had seeing you in the
water," Ana complained. Only she was not willing to ruin this skirt, she gave it to me at the
beginning of the course and she is one of my favorites.

"I think we have just enough time to go to the Blackberry Farm, buy supplies, talk to
Gema and her grandfather, and return to camp by lunchtime," Julian said.

—We could invite Gema to come to our basement this afternoon. It's terrible to spend
your life alone, without anyone your age to talk to,” said Jorge, who knew very well what it
was like to feel alone. For my part she would be delighted.

They all agreed that it would be the polite thing to do and decided to invite her to have
tea with them.

"Shall we update you on our discoveries?" Dick asked, finishing tying his shoelace.

I don't see the problem. She told us matter-of-factly that she had seen the damned car
many nights, it's always good to share points of view,” Julián affirmed.

The five set off toward the farm. Now it was time to go up and the uphill seemed heavy
and endless. When they reached the crossroads, they took the detour that would lead them
to their destination. They walked in silence, for talking made them terribly thirsty and they
had already exhausted their water reserves.

Shortly after they sighted the house. There was a lot of movement outside, and they
assumed that Gema's father and the girl would have visitors. A large dark car was parked
next to the access fence to the farm.
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 "Maybe we came at the wrong time," Julián said, weighing the idea of going in or not.

When they got close enough, they discovered that the car belonged to the police force.

— My goodness! What will have happened? George exclaimed.

"Let's not be alarmed, maybe the sergeant is a friend of Gema's father and he's just
paying a courtesy call," Dick replied, without much faith in his words.

The boys went through the front gate and headed for the main building. Orbit and
Wizard, Gema's little dogs, immediately came out to meet them, barking happily. Tim
politely gave a bark of greeting without leaving Jorge. A tall, middle-aged man with perfectly
coiffed hair came out of the front door. Seeing the boys he was slightly surprised. Moments
later, a police officer came out of the house, plump and round-faced and crowned with a
spectacular brown mustache, followed by two young policemen. Julián went ahead a few
meters ahead of his companions.

-Hello. We are the campers who were here yesterday, we wanted to know if you could
sell us more food," she explained politely.

The sergeant surveyed the group with undisguised interest.

"Good morning young man, I'm afraid the farmer won't be able to serve you," the man
replied.

Gema's father tried to smile, but couldn't.

—Leave them Mr. Howard, they are my daughter's friends. Come inside and I'll see what
I can do for you,” she stammered somewhat nervously. Where is Gem?

"I haven't the slightest idea, sir," Julian replied.

"Isn't he with you?" the man asked scared. Since when?

The boys did not understand anything of what was happening. The sergeant noticed this
and addressed Julián very seriously.

“The farm was robbed tonight, young man. We thought Miss Gemma was with you.

"We haven't seen her since yesterday," Julián answered, as surprised as the rest. In fact,
we came to invite her to spend the afternoon with us.

The girl's father threw his hands to his face, trembling.

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 — Sergeant! My daughter must have seen the thieves last night and they have taken her
away so she won't talk about her,” the man exclaimed, struggling to maintain his
composure.

"Young man, I trust this is not a joke," the policeman threatened, confronting Julián.

"We are not used to joking about serious topics, sir," the boy answered with astonishing
serenity, which dispelled all doubt.

Then the sergeant ushered everyone into the villa's little room. While the five quenched
their thirst, the officer explained that the farm had been robbed last night. The thieves had
forced Gema's bedroom window and taken all the jewelry belonging to the late Mrs.
González. Gema's father, Mr. Twyford, had not missed her daughter, as she had informed
him the previous afternoon of her intention to spend the night with her new friends,
camping.

"But Gemma didn't know where we were going," Dick pointed out.

"He told me you'd probably go to the area around Rockstream Lake." My God, my poor
daughter! What happened to her? the man said, his eyes shining.

"But we didn't go to the lake until this morning," Jorge explained, feeling really bad.

The sergeant cleared his throat for a moment and stated his theory.

"Probably Gema, when she couldn't find the boys, returned home last night. She would
go directly to her room and during the robbery she must have surprised the thieves, just as
you have supposed, Mr. Twyford, and they must have kidnapped her so that she would not
speak. Right now I'm going to put my best men in charge of this matter. You have my word
and my personal guarantee that we will find her and those scoundrels will find her bones in
prison,” the policeman explained firmly.

— What time did the robbery take place? Julian asked.

-We do not know. I went to bed around nine, I was tired and since I thought Gema was
with you I went to bed without worry. It was this morning when I realized it, I went up to
the living room and saw that everything was mixed up.

—By the way, where have you spent this night of dogs? the officer asked suddenly.

"We were camped out by Looper Farm," Julian answered quickly.

— And you didn't see or hear anything out of the ordinary? the agent continued to ask.
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 -No sir. With the noise that the storm produced we did not hear anything other than
thunder and rain. It was terrible —Julián said, to the surprise of his companions.

The man nodded slowly as he made some notes in a small notebook that he had taken
from his jacket.

"Okay guys, you better go home. We have spent several years with a veritable avalanche
of robberies at this time of year. More than thirty in the last six years. I wouldn't want you
to get involved in shady business for wandering the moors,' the sergeant concluded. This
very afternoon I will send a carriage to Looper Farm to take you home.

"Don't worry, officer, it won't be necessary. We will immediately pack up our tents
ourselves and go to Kirrin,” Julian said.

"That's how I like it, responsible and formal guys," the man commented, smiling. Mr
Twyford, we're leaving. I'll call you this afternoon to give you news.

The two men shook hands and the three policemen left the room. They all fell silent.
Moments later they heard the roar of the car's engine.

"Sir, we don't want to bother you anymore. With his permission, we're leaving too,”
Julián explained.

Gema's father dropped into an armchair, dejected. He nodded and buried his head in his
hands. With a gesture, Julián indicated to the rest that they were leaving. He stayed last.
They left the living room and crossed a small hall from which the main staircase of the
house led. Suddenly Dick stopped.

"Wait for me outside, I have to do something," he told them, and without waiting for an
answer, he began to climb the steps that led to the upper floor stealthily and quickly.

Once outside the house, Julián launched the question that everyone had in mind.

- Where has it gone? Has she lost her mind? she exclaimed, looking impatiently towards
the door.

Seconds later Dick appeared. In a hurry he saved the meters that separated him from his
friends and joined the group. Before anyone asked him, he questioned his older brother.

—Julián, why did you lie to the police?

- What could I do? Tell him we saw a funeral carriage drawn by headless horses? the boy
answered. I didn't think it was the most appropriate.
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 - Poor Gem! exclaimed Anne, saddened. Shall we go to Villa Kirrin?

'Not at all, Anne. Listen, I have a feeling these thefts are related to the ghost business,'
said Dick. The officer told us that they always occur at this time of year. Coincidentally it is
when more storms break out, right? By the way, how the weather has gotten worse. An
hour ago we almost got roasted and now the wind is picking up.

"I don't see the relationship, although I'm also sure it exists," Jorge pointed out.

"Let's go to the House of Noises, I have a presentiment, or rather a suspicion," said Dick.

- What is it about? Julian asked, puzzled. We shouldn't linger too long, we have to go to
Noisy to buy something for lunch and dinner. Tell us, what's on your mind, Dick?

—I think Gema has not been kidnapped from her home.

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 CHAPTER XIV

AN INTERESTING DISCOVERY

They all looked at Dick in surprise. The boy smiled triumphantly, delighted with the
expectation aroused in his companions.

- What do you mean? Julian asked impatiently.

"Well, I'm convinced that the third person of the three we followed last night was her."
Don't you remember how she tried to escape herself?

— Sure, that's why Tim barked so furiously! It was Gem! George exclaimed. Do you think
he'll stay at Looper Farm? We should go right now and try to get her out of there!

—We don't know if it's her, we're basing ourselves on a hypothesis, Jorge. It might be
prudent to tell the sergeant, but we really have absolutely nothing except Dick's intuition,'
Julian explained. To tell the truth, it is very likely that this is the case, that would explain
Tim's behavior in the basements.

— Oh! I hope you're wrong, I can't imagine how horrible it must be to be locked up in
that gloomy house,” exclaimed Ana, thinking of the spooky aspect of Looper Farm.

"In any case, we must go up to the House of Noises, I need to check something to give
my theory more strength," said Dick.
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 - Don't be pedantic! Julian protested. What are we searching for?

—Footprints, some footprint Gema left in the house the night before, so we can compare
and be one hundred percent sure that I'm not wrong. Look,” said Dick, taking a rubber
sandal from his jacket pocket.

— You took Gema's shoe from her bedroom! Harry yelled, his eyes sparkling with
excitement. Damn, what a wonderful idea! I reveal myself to you," the girl concluded,
curtsying comically.

Encouraged by what Dick had just told them, the five set out for the House of Noises. The
weather was getting noticeably worse. Until that moment the sky had remained blue but, to
the startle of the boys, it was darkening visibly. The wind picked up and made a mournful
sound. Besides, it was already lunchtime and they had nothing to satisfy their hunger.

"It won't be long before it starts to rain," said Jorge, looking up at the sky, saddened.

— And we have nothing to put in our mouths! said Dick, who thought the noise of his
guts could be heard in seven counties.

"How about we split up?" Some could go to Noisy and others to the House of Noises, so
we wouldn't waste so much time,” Julián proposed.

Ana jumped as if driven by a spring.

- No way! And leave me out of the adventure? Because I'm sure it would be my turn to
go shopping, right? The five of us are together for everything. We can easily get by without
lunch, checking on Dick is much more important.

— Is this our Ana or have they changed her? What a surprise you gave us,' said Dick,
amused by his sister's angry reaction.

"We'll have to hurry then, I don't want to see our shops closed in Noisy, tomorrow is
Sunday and that would mean going back to Blackberry Farm and bothering poor Mr.
Twyford." I'm not sure it's a good idea to all go to the old house together,” Julián argued,
not very convinced.

—Julián, and in that case that you propose, who would Tim stay with? George said slyly.
Nobody likes too much the idea of walking through these wastelands without his company
knowing the events that have just occurred.

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 That was a difficult problem to solve. Finally it was agreed that the visit to the house
should be as fleeting as possible. The boys quickened their pace and soon the dilapidated
building was in sight. The clouds had already overcast the sky almost completely and it had
acquired a leaden tone that darkened the day greatly.

Dick headed straight for the front door. He had barely arrived when his face grew
disappointed.

—It's all trampled on by ourselves; besides, last night's storm has turned all this into a
quagmire,” she said sadly.

Indeed, the entrance to the farm was a tidal wave of footprints in the mud in which it
was totally impossible to distinguish anything. The boys remained silent for several minutes.
It had been a serious blow to his hopes.

"Well, you have to accept the facts," Julián commented, his voice dejected. Let's get
something useful; Since we've come this far, let's check if there are carriage marks on the
back. I bet yes.

The five surrounded the house until they reached the back of it. As expected, the ground
was pierced by thick and recent ruts.

"There they are, the wagon came up here," Dick deduced, easily following the trail. Look,
right up to this wall.

"I wonder where it goes next," exclaimed Jorge. I mean, where will they hide it? It is a
rather bulky vehicle, it cannot be easily hidden.

Julián remained silent with his gaze fixed on that wall. There was something that didn't
quite fit, but he didn't quite see it.

"Maybe it really is a ghost car and can go through walls," Ana said, looking around
fearfully, as if expecting to see a headless horse emerge from inside some old building wall.

- That's it! Julian exclaimed suddenly. Ana, you hit the nail on the head!

The other three looked at him strangely.

"Doesn't this wall seem unusually whole to you?" Compare it to the rest of the house!
the boy clarified. I'm sure this partition is false.

- Certain! said Dick. Furthermore, due to the configuration of the building, I would say
that it communicates directly with that room that remains closed.
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 Jorgeshe intervened, excited by the news.

— Oh! Then we have to look for the mechanism that opens it, it can't be very far from
here,” the girl yelled.

Timhe joined in the joy of his friends, barking excitedly. They all went searching. It was
very difficult because, in truth, they did not know very well what they were looking for.

Suddenly, thick and widely spaced drops began to fall on the boys.

"It's starting to rain, let's go in the house," said Dick.

The five began to run, the rain was getting worse and it was not convenient to get wet
with that cold air that had made an appearance.

They entered the dilapidated villa, hurried through the hall and through the kitchen to
the great room with the fireplace.

Outside, the water fell furiously. The boys went to the large picture window to watch the
storm over the moors and Rockstream Lake. It looked gray and mysterious in the distance.
Lightning ripped the horizon violently. Seconds later, thunder resounded throughout the
house. It seemed as if a huge dog growled angrily. Tim, with his tail between his legs, lay
down next to his dear little mistress.

Ana, who did not enjoy the spectacle at all, because she was hungry, tired and scared,
decided to turn on her flashlight, since she could barely see anything despite being only two
in the afternoon. She swept the beam of light around the room and suddenly noticed
something. The floor of the room was stained with some traces of mud. She walked towards
them, being careful not to step on them, verifying that the area where they were most
evident was next to a dilapidated sofa.

"Dick, can you lend me the shoe you borrowed from Gemma?" said the girl. Only be a
moment.

Dick, who was absorbed in contemplation of the storm, took it out of his pocket and
tossed it to the girl.

"It's not your number," he added mockingly.

Ana caught it on the fly and, turning it around so she could see the sole, bent down to
check one of the prints.

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 — Oh! It's from Gem! exclaimed Ana, seized with emotion. — These footprints are from
Gema! the girl yelled, making the others jump, startled by the screams.

- What do you say, Anna? Julian asked.

Ana held Gema's shoe up and, pointing to the ground, answered with joy.

—There are brands here that correspond to this shoe size, you can come check it out for
yourselves.

They all rushed to go. Certainly, the print corresponded one hundred percent with that
of the sole. Julián gave his little sister an affectionate slap on the shoulder.

— Little Ana, who hates adventures! said the boy, proud of his little sister. And it turns
out that she is going to end up solving them by herself!

I don't hate them! In fact I love them! Of course, when they have finished and we count
them away from danger — Ana defended herself.

— With the five of us together, it's hard for us to miss anything! George pointed out with
satisfaction.

The girl felt a sudden heat rise to her face. She turned as red as a tomato, delighted at
the flattery of her cousin and her brothers.

"So the screams and blows we heard the other night from the patio of the well were
hers," Julián deduced. Poor thing! He must have assumed that we would come here and he
came looking for us. When she arrived she found herself face to face with the soulless ones
with the revolver. You were right Dick, Gem surprised those guys here and for some reason
they kidnapped her so she wouldn't talk about her. She was the third person we followed!
The police must be informed immediately.

Suddenly Tim disappeared behind the old sofa and immediately gave a joyous bark. The
boys looked puzzled, and suddenly the dog appeared, pulling a large oilskin bag.

- What is that, friend? said Dick, coming up to the dog. Let me see. It is food! Lots of
food!

— And what is a bag of food of these dimensions doing there? Julián argued, surprised
by such an unusual discovery.

Now it was Jorge who squealed, exalted by the events and beginning to speak hastily.

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 - I already know it! The girl must have brought us provisions and, in the struggle with that
mob, her bag was left behind that sofa.

"I can't take it anymore," Dick concluded, as he opened one of the papers that wrapped
several juicy sandwiches. The thought of having to go to Noisy for food was killing me.

Everyone agreed that it was the ideal time to have lunch. The sack contained several
cheese, ham, egg, and sardine sandwiches, two bottles of lemonade, twelve hard-boiled
eggs, several tomatoes, six large rashers of smoked bacon, and a huge meatloaf, plus a tin
of homemade biscuits.

— Oh! The meatloaf is delicious,” said Ana, helping herself to another slice of it.

The five gave a good account of those succulent delicacies; they were certainly hungry.
Once it was over, everyone felt much more encouraged.

"Now we have to go, every minute we can save Gema from suffering is precious," Julián
stated seriously.

The group rose to their feet. Dick stuffed what was left of him back into that rubberized
sack, slinging it over his back.

And, at that moment, Tim began to bark furiously, staring out the window.

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 CHAPTER XV

LOTS OF FINDS

The boys were paralyzed by the barking of the dog. Ana immediately turned off her
flashlight and the room was plunged into sudden darkness. Finally, Jorge managed to
silence Tim and everyone held their breath, straining their ears to see if they could hear
what had caused the violent reaction of the dog.

- Someone is coming! Quick, you have to hide —murmured Jorge, whose sharp eyes had
spotted two shadows that were going up the access road to the farm. He's the fat guy from
last night and his date!

Julián decided that it was best to try to hide outside the building, since there were few
good places inside, and it was not prudent to do it in the passageways, since they could
easily lock them up.

The five of them hurried out of the house and hid behind a large bush. The rain
continued to pour down and soon they all found themselves completely soaked to the skin.
Moments later, the two men appeared at the foot of the main façade.

"I'm sure it was a dog, Mike," one of them said.

"It must have been thunder," the fat man commented shortly. Have you gone to feed the
girl today, Grapevine? We will have to think about what we are going to do with her, she
knows you and if she denounces us we will all go to jail, which I am not willing to do.

So that scoundrel was poor Gema's private teacher! The boys continued to listen, it was
all very interesting and would be very useful for the police. The two men took shelter under
the threshold of the front door. The so-called Mr. Grapevine took out a cigarette and lit it
with a match. At that distance listening became more painful, so everyone put their five
senses to try to capture the conversation of those scoundrels.

"What time is Anderson scheduled to leave today with the car?" asked Mr. Grapevine
impatiently.

"We'll start the round at approximately nine." According to the weather forecast it will
be raining the rest of the day, which is very beneficial for us. It's going to be a very succulent

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blow, the Banerd have a veritable treasure trove of family jewels,” the fat man replied. By
the way, in a first appraisal, I calculate that the loot from last night at Twyford's house is not
negligible either, we will get several thousand pounds from all of it. What a nasty rain; We
go to the garages, we will be more protected.

The two men started walking toward the back of the house and disappeared around the
corner.

— Scoundrels! Julian muttered, full of rage. Now I understand everything, they use the
supposed ghost car to frighten simple people and keep them inside their houses so they can
commit their misdeeds without prying eyes.

— Let's keep an eye on them, any information will be welcome by the sergeant!
whispered Dick, tremendously excited.

The boys carefully got out of the thicket, not forgetting that one of those rogues was
armed and they were afraid of making too much noise. But no one could really hear them,
for the storm seemed to be getting worse by the minute. A bolt of lightning split the sky and
instantly the sound of thunder made their hearts turn over. They had the storm right over
their heads. With all the secrecy of which they saw themselves capable, they went around
the building until they were behind it. But they did not see anyone.

— Shit! Does anyone see them? Dick asked, puzzled.

The five scanned the terrain. Finally, Ana discovered the men a few meters from where
they were. They had lifted a large slab from the ground and one of them was manipulating
something on the surface of it.

Suddenly they heard a mechanical noise and the wall they had been examining for a
while began to rise, revealing a huge door. Fat Mike and Mr. Grapevine carefully set the
stone slab back on the ground and quickly climbed through the opening that had become
visible. A couple of minutes later, they both went back out and got lost on one of the sides.

"Let's go take a look, hope they don't come back too soon," Julian suggested.

The five came out of their hiding place and headed with great speed towards the gate.
They looked fearfully toward the corner through which the two men had disappeared, and
finally they entered with determination.

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 What they had before their eyes was the tangible proof of their hypotheses: the ghost
carriage was there, as solid and real as themselves. The room was quite spacious, the car
remained in the middle of it and dozens of buckets of paint were scattered everywhere.

"What do they need the paint for?" Dick asked curiously. I don't think they need to give
the vehicle a hand every night.

On the wall opposite the entrance, they caught a glimpse of a door that they all
recognized immediately; without a doubt, it was the one that remained closed and that
communicated with the empty bedroom of the house. Dick came over to investigate. It had
a lock and a thick padlock fully set.

- One moment! It's just after half past two. These guys said they'd be out robbing at nine
today, which gives us a head start of several hours. Why don't we go to Looper Farm and
rescue Gem? Then we can all go to the police together and tell them everything we know,”
Julian planned. It's our only chance.

The boys thought it was an extraordinary idea. Seized with great excitement, they
prepared to quietly leave the garage.

"Tim, darling, don't you bark now," George ordered the faithful dog.

Julián came out first, after scanning with his eyes that the men could not see them;
followed by all the others.

They decided to go down the field through the middle of the mountain instead of going
down the road, that way it would be more difficult to be discovered. It was still raining hard,
but none of them cared anymore: they were like real soups. Dark clouds covered the sky
completely, and fleeting lightning bolts split the horizon, illuminating for fractions of a
second the entire wasteland with a strange, eerie light. Seconds later, the horrifying sound
of thunder indicated that the storm had no intention of subsiding in the next few hours, just
as those rascals had predicted.

The boys were silent and with their lanterns turned off for fear that the men would see
their lights, so each of them kept their eyes on the ground to avoid tripping.

Tim thought all of this was a lot of fun. It was what he liked, and not those gloomy
tunnels full of hidden dogs that answered each bark with dozens of them!

106
 In a few minutes the group reached the detour sign that marked the direction of the lake
and Gema's farm. They continued up the muddy path up the mountain, and a short time
later, exhausted from their fast walk, they caught sight of Looper Farm.

- There is! exclaimed Dick, his voice shaking with the emotion of the moment.

"How are we going to get in?" George asked. The door seems quite sturdy. If we had
tools, like an ax or something, we could try to break the lock, but we haven't brought
anything.

—We'll try through the cellars, the wooden hatch we saw yesterday didn't seem overly
strong. Julian assured. Let's get to it, I'm dying to put on dry clothes.

They all ran toward the ruins of the Loopers' old stable. They easily pushed aside the
wooden plank that covered the entrance to the cellars and hurried down the stone stairs.
Dick and Julian finished shoving the log back into place to hide access, and joined the others
in the sack room.

Once everyone had changed their clothes, they headed for the door that led to the
passageways. Here, they ascended through the corridor on the right, arriving at the covacha
in which the door in the ceiling could be seen.

Timhe moaned sadly. Now they knew the reason for that behavior!

Dick climbed on Julian's shoulders, assisted by the girls, and tried to push hard on the
trap door, but nothing happened.

"It's locked firmly," he said, faintly. We will tie a rope to this small ring and we will pull
together, I don't see any other solution. I think I have one in my backpack.

The boy got out and ran to the room with the sacks. He soon returned triumphantly
holding a rope a couple of meters in length. He climbed on top of his brother again and
quickly tied one end to the ring on the small door.

Already on the ground, the boys gripped hard and gave a sharp jerk on the rope. The old
gate creaked painfully and pieces of it fell to the floor of the cave, but it didn't break
completely.

- Let's go guys! It won't take another tug like that,” Julián encouraged.

Sure enough, a second jolt split the wood and the door collapsed to the delight of the
boys.

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 - It is done! Jorge shouted, very happy. We will enter!

Again Dick was steep, and holding on to the edges of the newly discovered hole, he
climbed up without difficulty. Upstairs, he called for the rope to be thrown to him and tied
it securely to the leg of a huge cabinet a short distance away.

Julián and Jorge climbed up with agility while Ana had to be helped, since she was not as
agile nor did she have the strength of her companions.

"Tim, watch out!" —Jorge ordered his dog, who was looking at them sadly from below.

- Wow! he replied. Watch was a word the animal understood perfectly. Tim pricked up
his ears as if to say: "Look, I'm already fully dedicated to the task you have entrusted to
me."

- What site is this? the girl asked, once she was upstairs. It's horrible, how it smells like
burning!

Indeed, the smell was so strong that everyone was a bit dizzy from it. Dick turned on his
lantern and walked around the room. There was nothing noteworthy, except for the closet
where he had tied the rope they had climbed up.

"Look, there's a door there," Julian reported. Let's go find Gema, we don't have time to
waste. This Mr. Anderson could arrive at any moment, or what is worse, he could already be
in this very house. Be careful, we must not make the slightest noise.

As cautiously as they could muster, the boys made their way to the door. Julián grabbed
the handle and tried to open it. Fortunately it was not closed and they were able to cross it
without difficulty.

Then they entered another cabin, much smaller than the previous one, in which they
saw, horrified, a human form curled up on a dirty blanket. His hands and feet were tied to a
rusty bolt in the wall. A dirty water jug and a plate with the remains of bread completed all
the furniture in the room. Whoever it was, it didn't move. He seemed not to have even
noticed the boys' entrance.

— Gem? Julian inquired, as Dick focused the light of her flashlight on her.

Slowly, that person turned around and looked at them with his big brown eyes.

— Julián, Dick, Jorge, Ana! Is it you or is it a dream? the girl exclaimed in disbelief and
fear.

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 "It's you, Gem! Of course it is us! Do not be afraid, we have come to your rescue. Julián
answered, as they ran to help her.

With surprising skill, Ana undid the knots that imprisoned the girl's hands, while Jorge did
the same with those of her feet.

Gemma looked terrible. Her face was emaciated and covered by thick streaks, an
unequivocal sign that she had spent a long time crying.

— Oh! How did you know it was here? Her," she exclaimed, moved and on the verge of
tears.

"It's a long story, we'll tell it to you as we go," Dick replied. We must leave, the danger
has not yet passed.

Suddenly, they heard Tim's barking. Jorge ran into the next room and anxiously peered
into the hole.

— Tim? Are you okay? What happen?

But the animal was not. He could be heard barking from somewhere in the basement.
The others had also entered the room, uneasy. Julián helped Gema walk, since she was
extremely weak after two days of kidnapping and deprivation.

A huge noise reached the ears of the entire group, coming from the basements. Down
there, Tim was still being heard, barking like a madman and paying no attention to his
owner's instructions to keep quiet.

— If there is someone in these surroundings, they will discover us! We must leave now!
Julian yelled. Come on, go down to the cellars!

Suddenly the dog stopped barking and ran back to the small cave where Jorge was
already waiting for him, who had descended at the speed of light.

"What's up, friend?" —She asked, somewhat alarmed, the girl.

Dick began to slide down the rope when, from the next room, they heard the sound of a
key in the lock.

Someone was about to break into that room!

109
 CHAPTER XVI

THINGS GET COMPLICATED

Julian looked back, startled. He helped Gema down the rope and was about to do it
himself, when the door opened violently, hitting the wall hard.

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 Beneath the lintel appeared a man with a thick beard and large eyebrows. He seemed
very angry.

- Where do you think you're going? she yelled beside herself, reaching into a jacket
pocket and pulling out a revolver.

Julián did not think about it for a single moment. Convinced that he wouldn't give her
time to go down the rope, he jumped into the void, praying that he wouldn't break his leg in
the fall.

He was about to collapse on Dick, who was helping Gema at the time. The boy hit a
tremendous blow against the hard rock floor of the cave.

- Fast! Come out! There is an armed man! —Julián managed to yell at his bewildered
companions, while he got up hurting his right knee.

They all started running towards the main room of the cave, where the exit stairs to the
ruined Loopers' corral were located. Dick and Jorge protected Gema who, little by little, was
recovering mobility in her legs. Julian took a quick look over her shoulder.

"It's going down the rope, how I'm sorry I didn't remove it!" Turn off the lanterns! the
boy exclaimed, watching the man slowly lower himself down the rope.

Suddenly Tim lunged at the stranger, who was still hanging on the rope, barking in a truly
savage way. Julián burst into a shout.

— Jorge, hold Tim, that man has a revolver!

The girl turned pale, stopped, and turning around, managed to grab the animal by the
collar at the last second. The mere idea that something bad could happen to her beloved
dog made her sick.

"Come on, Tim! Let's go! the girl ordered as they left the small cave and followed the
others.

The man finished going down and immediately turned on a powerful flashlight that
illuminated that impenetrable darkness.

“It won't do you stupid children. You're going to learn what happens to nosy kids like
you, and I assure you it will be a hard lesson,' threatened the ruffian.

Meanwhile, already in the room with the sacks, the boys were in serious trouble. The
wooden plank that gave access to the outside was blocked and there was no way to move
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it. Julian and Dick tried to push with all their might but it seemed totally useless. Waiting
expectantly, on the last steps, Ana, Gema, Jorge and Tim looked fearfully towards the door
through which they feared they would see the man appear.

— Julián, don't move a single centimeter! Someone must have put something very heavy
on it! That must have been the noise we heard earlier! We're trapped! exclaimed Dick,
alarmed.

Jorgehe joined the boys and, between the three of them, they tried again to unlock the
exit, giving one final push.

"Nothing, let's not make an effort, the only thing we'll achieve is hurt ourselves," Julián
whispered, faintly. We're locked up and the guy won't take long to find us.

Sure enough, a few moments later the light of a lantern swept the room, stopping on the
desolate little group that remained on the stone stairs. Tim began to bark so furiously it
made his heart sink. Jorge could only hold him by working hard. Oh, how he longed for him
to let go and for Tim to give the scoundrel what he deserved!

"If you release that beast I'll shoot it, I'm warning you," he said, pointing at the dog. One
moment! I know you, you are the rude and conceited child with whom I argued a few days
ago in Kirrin. Wow, looks like I've had more luck than expected.

Jorgehe trembled with rage. She, too, had recognized that bushy beard and mischievous
beady eyes—she was the unpleasant shopper in Mr. Andrews's shop!

"You all come here or I'll kill the dog," he said aloud. "I don't have to repeat it, if you
don't all come right now, I'll open fire on the animal."

Julian took the threat seriously and started down the steps.

"You're going to regret what you're doing," the boy said, his face circumspect.

"We'll see who regrets it, dear, we'll see." Come on, all of you stand there against that
wall,” the man replied with a wicked smile.

Ana took Gema by the hand and followed Julián. The poor girl was so scared that she
didn't dare utter a word. Like her cousin, she had identified the individual.

"You, the one with the dog, tie him to that ledge on the wall and join the others." the
subject ordered.

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 Jorgehe obeyed, he had decided not to do anything stupid for fear of possible reprisals
on Tim.

“You are a bunch of rude, nosy children. Haven't you been taught not to meddle in the
affairs of elders? the man asked.

—You are right, in reality this is a matter for the police more than ours. After all, they are
just common criminals, a bunch of thieves who have used an ancient legend to frighten
simple people so they can commit their misdeeds with impunity,” Julián replied without
losing his gaze for a single moment, with astonishing tranquility.

That answer caught the man completely off guard, who had not expected such a forceful
answer. He looked at Julián for a few seconds with interest.

"Don't you ever talk to me like that again or you'll be up against me, boy." Now you will
stay locked up here for four or five days, then we will notify the police so that they can
come and rescue you. There is not much food, so the four of you will have to ration it or you
will have a hard time.

At that moment Jorge realized something: four? Of course! Dick wasn't with them and
that guy hadn't noticed!

"Please bring me some food for the dog," Jorge implored.

"Give him yours, if you love him so much," replied the criminal, laughing. You have water
in a hole at the fork on the left. Now put your hands behind your back, I'm going to tie you
up. And be very careful trying any trick, I'm armed.

One by one, the four of them were tightly bound. When finished, the guy ordered them
to sit on the ground and took their flashlights.

"Don't bother making noise, no one will be able to hear you." Bye.

"Aren't you going to leave us any light?" Julian asked.

"You don't need it at all," the guy said as he disappeared under the threshold of the door
that communicated with the other caves. I'll bring you some supplies later.

They all kept silent. They could hear in the distance how the man struggled up the rope
and, a little later, the noise made by placing a plank over the hole. Muffled by the distance,
they also heard him drag some heavy object over the trapdoor, so that it would be

113
impossible to open it from below. Then silence, and suddenly Dick's lively voice, which filled
everyone's heart with joy.

— Guys, I'm here, I'm going to untie you right away! Dick whispered from somewhere
across the room.

Everyone celebrated the sensational occurrence of the boy. Dick, groping and careful,
approached his companions.

— Is this you, Julian? He said, amused.

"I think so," the boy replied, cheerfully. It won't be easy, I think he has tied at least two
knots.

Dick struggled for a minute or two with the tether, but it seemed to resist. It was truly
terribly difficult to undo the lacing in that darkness.

"It's more complicated than it sounds," Dick sighed. I'm going to try it with Jorge.

But the result was the same. She finally tried her luck with the rest of the girls. Any.
There was no way to free anyone's hands, they had been conscientiously tied.

- It's desperate! I am not able to undo the ligatures! Dick confirmed, exhausted.

"Wait a minute, remember my penknife?" George said. He fell into the water in that hole
in the next cave, if you managed to rescue him, you could easily cut the ropes!

- Ray! It's true! I'm going to try to find it, although in the dark it will cost me more. Wait
for me here!

"Oh, don't worry, we don't intend to go for a walk!" Julian replied, amused.

Dick disappeared through the door. The others heard his footsteps getting lost in the
bottom of the cavern.

"This was all my fault." I'm terribly sorry,” Gema murmured.

"Don't say that, please," said Ana, saddened.

"It's no one's fault, except that crowd," Jorge asserted. Besides, you went looking for us
at the House of Noises, right?

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 —Yes, I went to bring you supplies and ask if you minded if I spent the evening with you,
I've never met such a friendly and polite group. I assumed you would go there, but
apparently I was wrong.

"No, you didn't." What happens is that you arrived almost at the same time as the
thieves, and that's why you ran into them head-on,” Julián corrected. You are a very brave
girl.

"Dick?" Is everything alright? Julian yelled.

- Yes! I just got to the branch on the left, now I'm on all fours, I wouldn't want to
suddenly fall into the flooded hole,” she heard herself in the distance.

Indeed, the boy was carefully groping the floor of the cave. After a few meters of
crawling, his hand finally touched the water.

"It is done. Now, let's get to work, ”she thought.

It was not pleasant to plunge into a well of icy water without light and without even
knowing its depth. Nor was he satisfied with the idea of touching the bottom with his bare
hands once she reached him. But there was no other choice and every minute was
important. The criminals could return at any moment and it was not convenient for them to
catch him too. He thought about taking off his shoes, but he thought better of it and told
himself that it was safer not to. Finally, carefully, he lowered himself into the water.

— Shit! She's cold! she exclaimed, though the others couldn't hear her. Go for it.

Dick sucked in as much air as he could and plunged into those dark, gloomy waters. It
was so cold that the boy felt as if thousands of needles were sticking into his body. He took
three or four vigorous strokes and soon touched the rocky floor of the pit. He quickly began
to feel around. The hole wasn't very deep, so it shouldn't take long to find the penknife.

But it was not an easy task. The boy surfaced again, panting loudly. When he recovered a
bit, he warned the others not to worry.

- Every thing is OK! It's not too deep, I'll find the razor shortly! she squealed loudly.

Julian's voice came from a distance.

— Great Dick, you're doing a great job! We are very proud of you!

That comforted him. Julián always made everything seem so much easier. He filled his
lungs with air again and sank again. This time he opened his eyes, he knew he couldn't see
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anything but it gave him a sense of security. He went down several meters when, halfway
down, he glimpsed some light on one of the walls of the shaft. Dick approached and was
totally surprised: there was a hole that communicated with another cave, also flooded,
from which came a dim light.

He returned to the surface to catch his breath, and after a couple of minutes, he dived
back to the cavity from which the light emanated. Without thinking about it anymore, she
entered through it and verified that it communicated with another cave. At the limit of her
endurance, she came up for air and marveled.

I was in a cave much bigger than all the previous ones! The roof of it was about ten
meters high and in it he could see a crack through which a ray of moonlight entered.

"Wow, this was not expected. I think the others are going to be tremendously happy. Of
course, if I don't find a way to cut their ropes, it's of little use.

Once more he submerged and, slipping through the opening, returned to the shaft, dove
down the shaft a little, and resumed his exploration of the ground. Suddenly, her hands felt
for a small, metallic object. She had found Jorge's knife!

Within seconds, Dick was out of the pit. He was cold but the joy of the discovery made
him barely feel it. He traveled several meters underground with the help of his hands and
managed to reach the room where his friends stayed.

— Guys, I already have the penknife! Also, I have something to tell you. We go!

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CHAPTER XVII

DICK

They all looked incredulously towards where Dick's voice was resounding, which brought
a special sparkle of excitement in their eyes.

- How are we leaving? Speak clearly, what's going on? Julian asked. Come on, now's not
the time to be interesting, dude.

—I have found an exit through the pool, you only have to dive a couple of meters, enter
through a hole that exists in the wall and you come out to a huge cave. I haven't had time to
explore it, of course, but I did catch a glimpse of a crack in the ceiling through which the
moonlight was coming in.

"Damn, that's fantastic!" Do not lose more time! Untie us! That guy can come back
anytime, remember he said he'd bring us some food,” Julian answered anxiously.

Dick walked over to his brother and quickly cut the ropes freeing his brother's hands.
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 —The tether was beginning to hurt me, that brute squeezed it too hard.

Soon everyone was rubbing their sore wrists.

— Shall we leave our backpacks here? asked Ana, always on the lookout for that kind of
thing.

"I think it's the most prudent thing to do, it's not convenient to waste time now," said
Jorge, as he untied Tim from the wall.

"At home we have a telephone set, we will call the police immediately to inform them of
all this," Gema pointed out, who was much more animated now that a solution was in sight.

"Let's line up, each with his hand on the shoulder of the one in front." It's not easy for us
to get lost from here to the well, but we have to stick together,' said Julián, taking the lead.
Ahead.

Jorgehe was last. At his side Tim, who was wondering what would be the point of
wandering through those horrible passageways all night.

In a minute they were taking the tunnel to the left.

"Now watch out, the hole's right here," said Dick. The water is freezing, but I don't think
anyone wants to stay here for that reason.

— How are we going to get Tim to pass? He doesn't know how to dive,” Jorge asked
anxiously.

"I'll take care of him, don't worry," Julián answered, trying to reassure his cousin.

- Who goes first? I think you should do it, Dick. You already know the way, Gema
suggested.

"Yes, that's what I thought," the boy said. Well here I go. Remember, the cavity is in the
front wall, approximately a couple of meters away. If you open your eyes you will perceive a
little clarity.

Without further thought, Dick stepped into the water, took a deep breath, and sank
silently.

"How brave he is," Ana commented admiringly. I would never have plunged there alone.

"Well, now you'll have to, little girl," Julian said.

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 "Yes, but I won't be alone.

At that moment they heard Dick's voice on the other side of the stone wall that barred
their way.

- I'm already! All good, go ahead!

"Now you, Ana," Julián ordered.

The girl sat on the edge and put her feet in the water.

"It's terribly cold!" Oh, it almost took my breath away! the girl exclaimed.

"Do you want us to go downstairs together?" Gem suggested. I don't like the idea of
diving alone in that dark hole either.

Ana smiled and held out her hand in search of Gema's. She sat down next to her, and
instantly they were both lowered into the well, filling their lungs with air, and disappearing
below the surface with a light splash. A few seconds later, which seemed eternal to Julián
and Jorge, the long-awaited response came from the other side of the wall.

- We're! Everything went well, we are waiting for you! the two cousins heard.

—Go ahead Jorge, now you go. Don't worry about Tim, he'll do just fine,' Julian said,
trying to cheer the girl up.

"I know, I have no doubt, it's just that I hate being separated from him for even a
minute," she murmured.

Jorgehe plunged into the water.

- For the love of God! She's really frozen! She,” he squealed. I'm going there! Until now
Tim!

The girl, like the others, disappeared into that unfathomable darkness. Julian grabbed
Tim's collar and squatted down, psyching himself up for what he had to do.

"It's just you and me now, old friend." Come here.

Julián grabbed the dog and, without further ado, jumped into the water with the
frightened animal clutched against his chest. Tim was greatly surprised by this mysterious
game. What was Julian up to? Go fishing? The dog began to shake vigorously as he felt that
they were descending. He couldn't breathe! Julián, aware of the bad time of his friend, took

119
pains to quickly locate the cavity. There he was! Holding Tim with both hands he pushed
him forcefully through the hole and it disappeared. The most complicated part was already
done. The boy passed neatly through the opening. The effort made with Tim was taking its
toll and he felt his lungs were about to explode. He struggled for the surface with all his
might, and finally came up gasping for breath, his face flushed red.

— Bravo for Ju! Why, anyone would say that you had to dive a hundred meters, hearing
you snort like that! said Dick, with a sneer.

Timand the others were already out of the water, when Julián swam towards the shore.

— Blow! This site is huge! Julian observed, marveling at the size of the cavern as he
climbed out of the water. There isn't much light, but I think that the light that enters from
the moon through the ceiling will suffice.

The cave measured about forty meters wide by forty meters long. In the middle of it was
a deep lake of icy and gloomy waters. In one of the corners they discovered the remains of a
rotten and parched wooden chest. They rummaged through the remains, but found nothing
out of the ordinary. At another point they found several empty bottles and remains of food
cans.

"We're not the first to come in here," said Dick, picking up one of the bottles from the
floor. Although if we pay attention to the label on this bottle, it has long since received a
human visit. Look, it was a wine from the 1856 vintage.

"A real relic, but it's useless to us, we'd better keep looking for a way out," Jorge pointed
out decisively.

The group continued exploring that strange site.

“There is a passageway that continues down in an easterly direction. If you notice, the
lake empties its waters into a little stream that runs down it,' said Dick, 'though I've seen
another running south. I'd say that one goes back to the farm.

“I think the priority is to stay safe, so in my opinion we should follow the eastern path;
the more we get away from these surroundings, the better,” Gema said.

They all agreed that this was the most reasonable. The six headed for the chosen
passageway. This one presented a certainly gloomy aspect. Dark as pitch, the underground
began to descend with a steep slope. An insignificant rivulet ran through the rocky ground,
no more than four inches deep, just as Dick had announced.

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 "Try to keep your feet out of the water, we could slip," the boy informed.

The group started walking but, a few meters later, Julián stopped.

"I'm not sure it's wise to go into these tunnels without any light." We could get lost and
never find our way out again. Or the torrent might deepen as we descended.

Anne shuddered. The idea of wandering in that darkness for days, perhaps never to see
sunlight again, seemed horrifying to her.

— And what do we do? We can't stay locked in the previous cave, nobody knows we're
there and I doubt we'll be able to climb to the roof to get outside,” Jorge said. Although I
recognize that going into the bowels of the earth without light is a temerity that could cost
us dearly.

It really seemed like an unsolvable problem. Everyone was silent for a few minutes.

"I don't see any other solution than to try to climb up to the crevice through which the
moonlight enters," said Dick. Julián, Jorge and I are good climbers. We could try, and if we
can get out, we'll come back with help to get the rest of you out.

Gema also had a great ability for that kind of thing, but she sensed that little Ana would
not consent to be left alone with Tim in that place and she decided not to say anything.

"Let's go back to the big cave," Julian said.

Once they had climbed the few meters traveled through that cave, they felt a special joy
in their hearts. It was very reassuring to see the moonlight that, although scarce, allowed
everyone to see each other's faces.

- One moment! Dick, do you have George's penknife? asked Anne anxiously.

-Sure here it is. What do you want it for? said Dick, handing it over.

Ana nervously opened several of the tools that the penknife brought. Finally, she found
what she was looking for and squealed with delight.

- Here it is! Is amazing! the girl cried, jumping up and down in excitement.

— What is so exciting, Ana? Jorge inquired, completely surprised.

- You do not remember? Your penknife has a small piece of flint that is used to make
sparks! We can try to make a fire with the pieces of wood from the old box in that corner!

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 - Of course! Gosh, what a great idea! Julian stated, already running towards the remains
of the rickety chest.

They collected three of the planks from it and, after discarding two of them for being
excessively rotten, they began to try their luck with the chosen one.

"Jorge, try it yourself, you're more crafty at this kind of thing," Ana said, happy to have
provided a solution.

Jorgehe knelt down and began rubbing the small piece of metal against the flint surface.
At the moment there were some small sparks that, although they touched the old wood,
did not ignite.

"I think it's going to be more complicated than it seemed," the girl reported.

"Wait a minute," Gem suggested. I think we can work it out.

The girl grabbed the hem of her dress and, giving a strong yank, ripped a generous piece
of fabric from it.

"It belonged to my mother and it hurts my soul to destroy it, but I don't see a better
opportunity than this to do it," the girl explained, somewhat ruefully.

At the moment, he squeezed the torn piece hard so that it lost all the water possible.
Within a minute the cloth was completely dry. Gema wrapped it around the board and
handed it to Jorge.

"Try now, it's our only chance," he concluded.

Julián admired that brave and courageous girl. He did not imagine what it would be like
to grow up without a mother by his side, although he sensed that people who suffer this
misfortune were stronger than the rest because they had to face life's difficulties without
maternal protection.

Jorgehe put the plank back on the ground and tried once more to scrape the metal stick
against the flint. Three, four, five sparks arose, and finally one of them caught fire on the
piece of cloth. Quickly, Dick and Julian crouched down to shield the fledgling flame with the
cups of their hands.

- Is working! the two brothers exclaimed in unison.

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 Certainly, the fire was taking consistency. Within a minute the cloth was on fire. Julian
picked up the plank and raised it above his head. The flame wavered for a moment but
continued to burn brightly, producing a warm, reassuring crackle.

- Let's go! The torch will not last forever, there is no time to waste! the boy stated.

They all rushed after Julián, beginning to go down the passageway that led east, trying
not to put their feet in the water so as not to slip away. In the torchlight it didn't seem so
daunting. They descended a few hundred meters and realized that the fire was rapidly
consuming the piece of cloth and the dry wood. Gema grabbed her dress again, but Dick
stopped her.

—Don't do it, we are five people and it is not fair that it is only you who destroys his
clothes to keep the fire alive. Now it's my turn,” the boy announced politely.

The boy took off his shirt and with a strong yank tore off one of the garment's sleeves.
He squeezed it dry completely and offered it to his brother to wrap around the stick.

Shortly after, the group continued its march through that tunnel drilled in the rock by
water for thousands of years.

Twenty minutes later, Julián had fed the fire a couple of times with the sleeves of his
jersey and was beginning to worry about the distance covered. If they didn't get to some
exit soon, he would end up consuming the log and there was no replacement for it.

At one of the stops to refuel the torch, when Jorge was ripping off the sleeve of his
jacket, they heard a rumor that seemed to come from somewhere not too far away.

"Listen, do you hear that?" said Dick. I'd say it's water, right?

The boys were silent. Indeed, somewhere nearby the roar of water was perceived.

“It's coming from the direction we're following. Stay tuned, it could be a much larger
underground torrent than the one we have under our feet, you have to go with your eyes
wide open —Julián warned.

They continued down the tunnel. As they advanced, the noise became much more
present and, a few meters further on, they glimpsed a great light at the end of the cave.

"There it seems that we have the exit!" exclaimed Dick enthusiastically.

They all forced the march toward the light. Now the sound was so loud that they were
forced to almost scream to understand each other.
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 - It's a waterfall! We are behind a waterfall! Julián announced, his voice cracking with
emotion.

That's right, the passage ended abruptly in front of a precipice before which a huge
curtain of water rushed, producing an extraordinary noise. The stream that had
accompanied them throughout their journey and that came from the underground lake,
also plunged dangerously into the void. Gema stepped forward and, very carefully, peered
over one of the edges of the ravine.

The girl turned her face, red with excitement, towards her friends.

- Do you know where we are? It's the Falling Waterfall! We are in The Sinking! A couple
of kilometers from my house!

Julián also got close to the edge, so close that the water splashed in his face. He explored
the ledge thoroughly and finally found what he was looking for.

— On this side there is a steep staircase, built into the rock, that goes down! Let's not
waste time! Be very careful, the steps are wet and if any of us lose our balance we would
fall into the water, which is not recommended, since there are at least twenty meters high.
Jorge, watch Tim.

With all the precaution of which they were capable, the boys began to descend those
dangerous steps. As Julián had announced, these were extremely slippery, so they tried to
hold on to the rock ledges that they found as they descended. The show was wonderful.
The water rushed barely a meter from them with a formidable force.

When they reached the bottom, they forded the river, which was barely three feet deep,
and finally came out on dry land. The moon hid a couple of times behind some dark clouds.
It was still a couple of hours before dawn.

"Let's go to my house, from there we'll call the police sergeant," Gema said, looking
really exhausted in the moonlight.

Everyone thought it was the most sensible thing to do. They soon discovered a small
path that ascended and they took it, there was no time to lose.

Suddenly, Tim began to growl, the hair on the back of his neck stood up and, perfectly
still, he was staring towards a point of the river.

"What happens now, Tim?" said Jorge, putting his hand on the animal's back.

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 — Look! There, on the opposite shore! Oh my God! They are the decapitated horses!
Dick yelled, pointing to a point in front of the boys.

And so it was. Barely thirty meters away, two headless steeds walked along the
riverbank. The five boys stared in astonishment at that ghostly vision. Suddenly, one of the
quadrupeds went towards the water and lowered its neck as if it wanted to drink water
with its nonexistent snout. At that moment, a ray of moonlight escaped from between the
clouds and Jorge perceived a small glow in the place where the animal's eyes should have
been.

- Can not be! Jorge exclaimed out loud, totally confused.

The animals, upon hearing the girl's voice, got scared, and one of them neighed loudly.

— How can they neigh without a head? Julian wondered. Here's something that doesn't
add up to me. I'm going to get closer. If you see something suspicious hoot like an owl, that
will be the alarm.

Julián left in the direction of those spectral creatures. His heart was pounding in his
chest. At once Dick and Jorge joined him in the race.

"Did you think we'd let you go alone?" said the boy. Because if it was like that, you don't
know us well enough.

Ana, Gema and Tim remained stuck in the same place. The little girl lacked the presence
of mind to follow the others and Gema stayed to accompany her.

As they got closer they wondered more insistently what kind of animals they were. Julián
was less than two meters from the animal that was closest to the shore. Suddenly, the boy
uttered a cry that made his companions jump.

I knew it wasn't possible! the young man yelled, his expression triumphant. The poor
little animals have their heads painted black! you see?

Julián carefully placed his hand on the horse's head and it moved away, fearful, when it
felt the boy's contact.

"Look," he said, showing them the palm of his hand, completely smeared with paint.

- Ray! Those wretches paint their heads with black paint so that, a few meters away, with
hardly any moon, between lightning bolts and at full speed, they appear to be decapitated!
exclaimed Dick, pleased to see that they were flesh-and-blood animals.

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 Suddenly, a sharp sound broke out in the middle of the night.

UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUuuuu
uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!
Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh!

The girls were making the agreed warning signal! At the moment the three looked
towards the path and saw two shadows go down it.

Someone was coming for the horses!

126
 CHAPTER XVIII

A BUGGED END

Julián quickly looked at Gema, Ana and Tim, but he couldn't see them. It was evident that
they would have hidden when they saw the men come down.

- What do we do? I don't see a place to hide here, they're going to discover us!
whispered Dick, looking around for some thick enough bush.

"And if we hide under the waterfall?" George suggested. There it is impossible for them
to discover us.

“No, it's too risky. Julian denied. Sometimes the water carries logs and even stones, it is
very dangerous to get inside a waterfall.

The boys soon discovered that the two people coming down in the direction of the ford
were Fat Mike and Mr. Grapevine.

Julián, Dick and Jorge couldn't find any place to hide. It was a matter of seconds before
they were seen there. Suddenly, Jorge rushed towards one of the horses. He touched the
animal's muzzle affectionately and, with a nimble leap, climbed onto the rump. Julián,
astonished at first, did not know what to do. Was his cousin crazy? What was she up to? Is it
that he always had to do what he wanted without measuring the consequences of him?

The boy signaled to Dick and they both crouched by the bank, waiting.

— She's stupid, I don't know what she's thinking acting like that! Julian whispered, visibly
angry.

The fat man and his companion came down chatting with absolute calm, oblivious to all
the bustle that was taking place just ten meters from them.

Then Jorge, holding on to the mane, urged the horse on and it obediently sped off
towards the road.

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 - Hey! What is happening here? Mike yelled as he reached for his revolver and scrambled
out of the way.

But Mr. Grapevine was not so lucky. Surprised by the disconcerting spectacle, he couldn't
get out of the way and the beautiful and powerful horse ridden by Jorge suddenly met him,
so he couldn't avoid running over the criminal. The animal lost its balance and, stumbling,
threw Jorge over its head. The girl fell violently to the ground, dealing a strong blow against
the stones of the path.

“Grapevine! Are you okay? yelled the latter's sidekick, now with the gun in hand.

"I think I broke my leg, Mike!" Damn, I can't get up! the man yelled, hands clutching his
right knee.

"Don't move, I'll call for help." The rider has also fallen, for which I am glad. He has tried
to steal our horse and I assure you that he is going to pay me back,” he said, with a
threatening tone in his voice.

Mike grabbed his revolver and advanced a few meters in the direction of poor Jorge, who
remained motionless a few meters away.

— Hey! Don't you think of doing anything to my cousin! Julian yelled, surprising the
villain.

The boy, with Dick, was coming up the path. The guy looked at them stunned. The
appearance they presented was pitiful.

- Oh! Some beggars who steal horses,' Mike roared. I don't think you imagine who you
are playing with.

"I think so, with a band of common thieves," Julián answered defiantly. Do you see? Yes I
know. Did you come to give another hand of paint to the heads of the nags? Of course, I bet
that tonight they are idle since they have not been able to commit their misdeeds, since
there has been no storm...

The man blanched. Who the hell were those kids? What were they doing at that hour of
the morning? And how did they know so much?

"What are you saying, brat?" the individual bellowed, completely enraged.

Dick intervened, grinning from ear to ear, which further puzzled the burly criminal.

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 "Hey, and haven't you thought about freeing these poor animals?" After all, what
difference does it make if the fake ghost cart is pulled by two horses or two donkeys like
you?

"Who are these kids, Mike?" asked Mr. Grapevine, from the floor. And why do they say
all those things?

"I don't know, but we're going to find out right now," he answered, pointing directly at
Jorge, who still didn't move.

—Speak clearly or your friend will regret it. I'll give you a minute to tell me who you are
and why you say those things.

But there was no time for anyone to explain anything. Out of nowhere, Tim charged at
the terrified man in a rage, who deflected the gun's trajectory and fired a shot at the dog.

Fortunately he missed, and Tim, howling horribly, snapped his sharp teeth into his
assailant's arm. They both rolled on the ground. The dog was searching eagerly for the guy's
neck while he growled and drooled with rage.

“Grapevine, help me, for God's sake! This beast is going to kill me!

Julián ran towards Jorge, who had begun to move slowly. Meanwhile, Dick picked up the
gun that had been lying on the ground and, throwing it with all his might, flung it into the
water. It sank with a loud splash.

But things were not going well at all. Hateful Mike had managed to grab a rock and
landed a terrific blow on Tim's head, opening a gaping gap from which he began to spurt
blood. Circumstance that he took advantage of the subject to get back on his feet. This did
not deter the dog, however, and it flung itself against one of the criminal's thick calves,
which, feeling Tim's teeth in its flesh, gave a shrill squeal and fell back heavily on the
cobblestone road again. .

— Tim! Tim, come here! called Dick, fearful that the enraged dog would seriously injure
the man.

Meanwhile, Jorge was recovering from the shock suffered by the tremendous impact
against the stones, helped by Julián. Dick, with Tim by the collar, joined the others. A few
meters away, the two men remained seated on the ground, both with their hands holding
their battered legs.

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 "You're going to regret what you've done for the rest of your life, I give you my word!" As
my name is Mike Brandon that you will remember me for the rest of your days! the guy
yelled, completely irritated.

"We'll remember, don't doubt it. Although it will be easier for you to remember us, you
are going to have many years ahead of you in jail,” said Dick, with a smile that made the
man even more unhinged. George, are you okay?

—Yes, it was a good blow, but I must have a very hard head.

"Of that you can be sure," Julián intervened.

"Oh, Tim! You are injured! What have those brutes done to you? the girl exclaimed,
making a great effort to hold back her tears.

Julian took good old Tim by the head and examined the wound carefully. The little animal
howled in pain as the boy touched the gap.

"He hit him with a stone." Fortunately he is no longer bleeding, although Tim will have to
rest for a couple of days.

Suddenly, the man with the thick beard appeared at the end of the path. He was coming
down with huge strides.

- Hey! Mike Grapevine! You won't believe it! The kids have evaporated and so has your
student! she squealed, as she approached the group.

"It's the guy with the beard!" Remember that he was armed! Julian exclaimed. follow
me!

The three of them and Tim ran towards the waterfall. When the bearded man saw them,
he stopped short, totally perplexed and stunned.

"Don't just stand there!" Are they! Catch them, Anderson! We are badly hurt! Mike
yelled, from the ground.

Julián entered the water, followed by Dick and Jorge. They forded the few meters that
separated them from the base of the waterfall and disappeared under the rough waters.

Moments later, the four of them were hurrying up the steep and dangerous stairs in the
direction of the passageways.

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 "It's our only escape!" Julian said, panting and struggling to keep his balance on those
slippery steps.

— Where will Ana and Gema be? My goodness, I hope they hid well! exclaimed Dick,
who was also making a real effort to climb as fast as possible.

From below, very confused with the thunderous sound of the water, they managed to
hear the voice of the one called Anderson.

- Get out of there! Come on, don't make me go after you or it will be much worse! she
yelled, fiercely.

— Do you think he will know of the existence of this entry? George asked.

"No idea, but I have no intention of checking." Come on Julian, get on faster please,' said
Dick nervously. Tim comes getting between my legs and will end up throwing me into the
void.

They soon reached the top. For some reason they felt a little safer there, standing there
looking down at the three men. Julián peered over one edge of the chasm while Jorge did
the same for the other.

"What are you supposed to do?" Dick asked. I don't think it's a good idea to stay here,
that guy could shoot blind and end up hitting us.

The other two considered Dick's opinion and went a few yards into the tunnel. Once
safe, they sat down on the rocky ground. Jorge hugged Tim, who looked very dejected and
downcast.

— My poor thing! How brave you have been! My dear Tim, you have been very
courageous! —The girl whispered, excited as she stroked the dog's furry head and he
looked at her with her big brown eyes.

"If it wasn't for him, I don't know what would have happened, that criminal had very bad
intentions," Dick confirmed, stroking the dog's back.

—I'm going to peek out, I prefer to have them controlled. I wouldn't want to bump into
Anderson up here,” Julian said.

The boy crawled to the edge. Once there he lay down on the ground and leaned out.

Below, the fat man and Gema's private teacher were sitting on the floor. Apparently,
Mike had made a tourniquet with his tie. Undoubtedly, Tim's bites were somewhat serious.
131
The third of them was waist-deep in water, gun in hand, looking around, unable to
comprehend where the boys might be. The horizon line was purplish, the sun would soon
break through the shadows.

"Everything remains the same, except that the day is beginning to lighten," Julián
commented. By the way, I'm totally numb. We're all going to catch a good cold, don't
hesitate.

Julián was returning to his companions when, suddenly, ferocious barking reached the
cave. Tim pricked up his ears, stood up, and started barking too.

What's going on, Julian? Jorge asked, getting to his feet.

Julián retraced his steps, looked into the void and burst into shouts.

"You wouldn't believe it!" Oh, it can't be true! Come see it with your own eyes! Julian
yelled, totally fired up.

Dick and Jorge looked at each other for a moment and ran to see what was so amazing.

And boy was it!

Starting down the path, Orbit and Wizard barked furiously while Mr. Twyford, Gema's
father, made strenuous efforts to keep them on the leash. Next to him, four strong
policemen under the command of which Sergeant Howard could be glimpsed. The agents
were accompanied by an imposing German shepherd who also barked impetuously. Finally,
closing the procession, old Mr. González, flanked by his granddaughter Gema de él and by
little Ana.

In an instant, one of the guards released the dog, which in a few seconds covered the
distance that separated it from the terrified Mike and Grapevine, going to position itself just
inches from both of them. Of course, they did not dare move a muscle at the growling of
the animal.

- Policeman! Do not move! You of the water! Raise your hands, drop your weapon and
head for shore immediately! yelled Sergeant Howard, cupping his hands.

Anderson obeyed with all alacrity. He dropped the revolver into the water and, head
down, walked ashore.

"My God, what a nice sight!" Right guys? —Dick managed to say, with an incomparable
sparkle of joy in his eyes.

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 The three of them, with Tim at their tails, went down the stairs, as always taking great
care not to slip.

Soon after they joined everyone else. Ana and Gema welcomed them with a big hug.
Orbit and Wizard began to jump around Tim, who seemed to be revitalized by so much
affection.

Sergeant Howard shook hands with all of them with a martial air.

“You guys are the kind of people our country needs. We are very proud of all of you. This
afternoon I will go with one of my men to take your statement. To do it now would be
outrageous, seeing how you all look,” said the officer. Guards, take these criminals away.
They spoil the scenery and don't deserve another minute of freedom.

"Wait a minute, Howard," said Mr. Twyford. I would like to express my disgust and utter
disappointment to Mr. Grapevine, to whom I opened the doors of my farm without knowing
that he was putting the fox in the henhouse. Grapevine, I hope a few years in prison will
make him the man he never was.

Mr. Grapevine didn't even dare look up from the ground.

The policemen helped the injured get up and began to walk up the road with the three
handcuffed men. When he came across the old Mr. González, he addressed the largest of
them.

—Mike Brandon, you don't know me, I'm Patricio González, the Spanish nickname in the
entire region. You don't know who I am, I say, but I do know who you are. I feel angry for
not having suspected you from the beginning, since you were always a scoundrel as your
father and grandfather had been before, who I imagine were the ones who taught you this
indecent business. We believed that your people had left these lands many decades ago,
shamed by the infamy committed at Looper Farm. But the wretches of your ilk do not feel
shame because they do not have it. Attacking and kidnapping defenseless boys, didn't you
think of more baseness?

"Helpless boys?" Is that what this old man said? Helpless boys? Mike answered, his eyes
widening as he was held up by two agents.

"Keep quiet and be respectful of older people," ordered one of the men guarding him.

Gema and Ana explained to the others how they had managed to flee across the bush,
when they saw Mike and Grapevine arrive. They reached Blackberry Farm and woke up the

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girl's father, who was scared to death. They immediately phoned Sergeant Howard, who
was with the four policemen at the farm in less than ten minutes. The rest already knew.

"Guys, I guess none of you will turn down a nice shower and a hearty breakfast at home,
right?" Gema's father said, exultant with happiness.

Of course not!

An hour later, the five boys and the three dogs were at the table, where an enormous jug
of creamy milk, various plates of scrambled eggs, sausages, smoked bacon, and various jars
of homemade jam ready to be spread on the table, were waiting for them. a steaming
bread fresh from the oven.

Tim, who was feeling much better, was trying to get hold of a huge bone that the farmer
had reserved for him as a token of admiration for his courage.

— These eggs are exquisite! It is my favorite dish! exclaimed Dick, helping himself to
another generous helping.

— Your favorite dish? But if every day I hear you say the same thing with every meal! —
Ana snapped at him, shocked at the gluttony shown by her brother.

"Well, actually I think I have over a hundred favorite dishes," the boy replied, beaming
with happiness. Now the only secret of these mountains will be the recipe to make the
sausages look so crispy on the outside and so soft on the inside.

They all laughed at Dick's quip, and he made a face of mock indignation.

'Dad, I think I'll be leaving the farm next term. I have to train and for this it is essential to
go to class. Jorge and Ana have told me about their school, a wonderful boarding school. It
would make me so happy to be able to learn hundreds of new things! the girl implored.

Mr. Twyford looked at his daughter visibly moved.

—Gema, you know that you are all I have in life, but it would be selfish of me to deprive
you of something that will do you so much good. Count on it, next Monday I will travel to
find out and formalize your registration in the next course.

"Oh, father, it's wonderful! the girl screeched.

Ana and Jorge were overjoyed at that news. Gema was a very nice girl and she would be
very welcome at school.

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 - Grandfather! Tell us another ghost story,” Gema said, besides herself with happiness.

- Other? No my God! You are capable of ruining it for me like you have ruined
Rockstream's mysterious headless horses! answered Mr. González, amused.

They all burst into joyous laughter. Every one of them felt tremendously happy. And by
faith, he had reason to be! It had been a dangerous and exciting adventure, but it had all
ended well.

After the sumptuous breakfast, everyone fell exhausted in their beds. They slept until
late in the afternoon. At the stroke of six Dr. Wright and Sergeant Howard arrived. The
doctor examined Jorge to make sure that the blow suffered was not serious. Once the girl's
good state of health was verified, she left, as she had other cases to attend to. For his part,
the officer took their statement and told them the news of the case.

Several boxes had been found in one of the rooms at Looper Farm, inside which were
found jewelry and money worth several tens of thousands of pounds. Now an arduous work
was opened to try to locate the owners of the same.

Once the officer had left, the five boys agreed to take a walk to the House of Noises.
Upon arrival they were met by several police cars. A dozen uniformed officers were
dismantling the false wall behind which the carriage used for the robberies was hidden.

“There is a mystery we haven't been able to solve. The first night, when I went to get
water from the well, I heard my name,” said Dick, at the gates of the old house.

— Oh! Don't worry, remember that a network of galleries is interwoven under the
building whose entrance is in the room with the fireplace. Possibly you heard me call you
and the echo sent you the distorted sound. It could have been that or it could have been
fear, which played a trick on you,” Julián concluded.

"Or a third option," Ana pointed out. The sound of your guts.

The boys laughed heartily at Ana's joke. They sure deserve a little fun, right?

Until next time dear five!

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