Wullie agreed with this sentiment wholeheartedly but it was with many a fearful glance into the darkness that he continued to shift vast piles of rubble while Murdo, heaving thick sacks of the stuff down another passage, got rid of it.
At this stage, the ghosts would probably have given up trying to get rid of Murdo and Wullie but it so happened that their prime concern wasn’t really whether or not the Bank of Scotland was reduced to insolvency.
None of the ghosts ever mentioned them but they were all aware of the other inhabitants of the Underground City. The ghosts of the Plague People! For the cellars that held them were dangerously close to where Wullie was so enthusiastically wielding his pick, and this was the real reason that the ghosts swept frantically along the tunnels every night. They were petrified that the Plague People might escape and bring the Black Death back to the streets of Edinburgh!
7. Ali Baba
Neil hurried home that afternoon, anxious to tell Clara what had happened at Mary King’s Close. Graham had made such a fuss that it had taken them ages to walk all the way back down the High Street to the school. By the time they reached the gates, they’d found the playground empty and the janitor, Mr MacGregor, waiting for them.
“Right,” Miss Mackenzie said, “straight to the classroom and get your bags. We’re a bit late but Miss Alison will still be there when you go up.”
“Thought you were never coming,” MacGregor said dourly as Miss Mackenzie shepherded them through the playground towards the school door.
“Ocht, that Graham Flint’s been playing me up all the way back,” she said, watching as a cowed Graham, surrounded by anxious friends, made for the classroom. “Swears he was pushed by a ghost in Mary King’s Close!”
MacGregor laughed, not a thing he did often. Even Miss Mackenzie grinned but she shook her head, nevertheless. “The thing is, though, that the tour guide happened to be looking at him when he hit the wall and he told me later that … well, he says that no one pushed him!”
MacGregor’s eyes sharpened. “Aye, weel! You never know,” he said thoughtfully. “There’ve been rumours that it’s haunted ever since it opened.”
Neil hurried up with his bag slung over his shoulder.
“Has Clara gone home on her own, Mr MacGregor?” he asked. “I thought she might have waited for me.”
“The lassie said she had a lot of homework, Neil. She’ll be home by this time.”
“Thanks,” Neil grinned. “Bye, Miss Mackenzie!”
“He looks all right now,” Miss Mackenzie said, her eyes following Neil as he made his way down the High Street towards Holyrood Palace, “but he was another one that was as white as a sheet in that Close. And to tell you the truth,” she said, meeting MacGregor’s eyes, “I didn’t feel at all happy down there myself!”
Neil pulled the hood of his anorak over his head as it started to rain but as he came near his house, he almost ran the last few yards, for Sir James’s car was parked outside the door and that meant news of the pantomime.
“It’s on!” Clara said, rushing into the hall when she heard him open the door. “Ali Baba’s on, Neil! Isn’t that fab-u-lous!”
“Great!” Neil replied, going into the living room.
“I see you’ve heard the news,” Sir James smiled. “Everyone is happy about it and it means that we’ll still be able to raise a sizeable amount for Children’s Aid.”
“Which theatre is it going to be in?” asked Neil, mindful of what his mother had said. “I mean, all the big theatres have their own shows and we couldn’t think of anywhere else big enough.”
“We approached the Church of Scotland, Neil, and they have given us permission to use the Assembly Hall.”
“The Assembly Hall?”
“You know, that enormous building that sits at the top of the Mound. They wouldn’t normally have allowed us to put on a pantomime there but it’s for charity and a very good cause!”
“When will the next rehearsal be?” asked Clara.
“Saturday evening, perhaps. We don’t usually have them at the weekend, I know, but we’ve missed a lot of rehearsal time because of the fire. The biggest job is going to be moving all the props and costumes from The King’s Theatre to the Assembly Hall.”
“Were any of them damaged by the fire?” asked Mrs MacLean, who had Mischief on her lap.
“Some of the scenery was damaged, that’s all. It’s being replaced and they say it’ll be ready in time for the opening night.”
Neil jerked his head at Clara and, taking the hint, she followed him to the kitchen where he made himself a warm drink. Kitor was perched on the back of one of the kitchen chairs but fluttered to Clara’s shoulder when she entered the room.