The Mystery of the Tomb: A Scary Story About Ghosts, Burglars and a Midnight Adventure

The Mystery of the Tomb

Chapter 1: Friday Afternoon

It was four o'clock on Friday afternoon. The bell rang and the students in Class 5 started running out of the classroom. Their teacher, Miss Wilson, was at her table.

• Teacher: Wait! Don't forget about your homework! You must all write a scary story for me. Remember that I want all the stories on Monday morning.
• Boy with black hair: OK, Miss Wilson!

Jack ran quickly out of the classroom with his friends, Danny and Tom. The boys liked Miss Wilson, but they were very happy that it was Friday afternoon and that it was time to go home. Friday was always the best day of the school week.

Chapter 2: A Problem

"What are you going to write about in your story?" Jack asked Tom.

"I don't know," said Tom. "It's difficult for me to think of a scary story. I'm not frightened of anything! What can I write about?"

Jack thought for a moment. "I don't know what we can write about," he said. "What are we going to do?"

"I've got an idea!" said Tom. "Let's do something scary this weekend! We can do something on Saturday night! Then we can write our stories on Sunday."

"Yes, that's a good idea!" said Danny. "But what can we do?"

Tom and Jack thought for a moment.

• Fair-haired boy: We must find a haunted house or a witch!
• Boy with black hair: I don't know any witches. Mrs Martin lives next door to me and she's very strange. But I don't think she's a witch!
• Red-haired boy: And there aren't any haunted houses in our town.
• Fair-haired boy: Maybe we can frighten other people! We can be ghosts. Whoooh!
• Red-haired boy: I don't think that's a very good idea.

Suddenly, Jack had an idea.

• Boy with black hair: I know! Let's explore the cemetery at midnight! That's scary, isn't it?
• Fair-haired boy: That's a fantastic idea! But wait! I don't think our parents will like that idea.
• Red-haired boy: No problem. We'll put pillows in our beds and they'll think that we're sleeping!

"OK. Let's meet outside the cemetery before midnight tomorrow and we'll try to find something scary—maybe a ghost!" said Jack.

The boys smiled. They were very happy with their plan, and there was nothing to be frightened of. After all, ghosts don't exist, do they?

Chapter 3: In the Street

The next night, at 11:45, Jack, Tom and Danny were in the street outside the cemetery. It was very dark and there weren't any lights in the houses. The boys looked through the gates of the cemetery.

• Fair-haired boy: What do we do now? What's your plan, Jack?

Jack didn't have a plan. "I don't know," he said. "Let's wait ten minutes. Maybe I'll think of something. Then we'll go into the cemetery."

The moon appeared from behind a cloud and the boys saw strange figures near the gates. Jack tried to be brave. "There's nothing to be frightened of," he thought. "It's only a cemetery, with lots of trees, grass, long paths and graves..."

"Aaargghh!" shouted Tom, suddenly.

Jack and Danny jumped. "Tom! Are you OK?" asked Danny.

"Something bit my leg," Tom answered. He examined his leg. "It's nothing. I'm OK," he said.

"Phew!" said Jack. "You frightened me! Don't do that again!"

"Are you frightened, Tom?" asked Danny.

"No, I'm not," answered Tom. "Why?"

"Because I can see something in the trees!" said Danny.

Tom looked.

• Fair-haired boy: Where? I can't see anything!
• Red-haired boy: There, in the tree near the big grave! Something is moving. Can you see it? It's got very big, bright eyes!
• Boy with black hair: Danny's right! There's something in the tree! And look! It's coming towards us!

The boys looked at the tree and saw... a small black cat. The cat jumped from the tree and ran past them.

"We're being stupid," said Jack. "There's nothing to be frightened of, OK?"

"OK," said Tom and Danny.

• Boy with black hair: It's only a cemetery. My Grandma Mackay died two years ago and her grave is in this cemetery. She doesn't come back to haunt us. So it's probably OK in the cemetery.
• Fair-haired boy: I liked your grandmother. She baked good biscuits.

"I know," said Jack. "She baked the best biscuits in the world. She was a fantastic grandmother."

He was sad for a moment, then he asked, "Did anybody bring a torch?"

"No," said Tom and Danny.

"Hmmm, I forgot to bring a torch, too," said Jack.

"But it's not important. Let's make a plan."

"How many paths are there in the cemetery?" asked Tom.

"Three," answered Jack. "One path goes round the cemetery and two paths go through it. We can each take a different path. Then we can meet at the big, black tomb in the middle. It's bigger than the other tombs. You'll recognise it easily."

• Fair-haired boy: How long will we need to walk round the cemetery?
• Boy with black hair: Five minutes, I think.

The moon appeared again. "I can see now!" thought Jack. But when he got near the big, black tomb, he started to imagine things again.

• Boy with black hair thinks: Is the door of the tomb opening? Is somebody going to jump out? Is somebody watching me?
• He says: Phew! There isn't anything there! Everything is OK!

Then suddenly, he heard a noise. The noise came from the tomb!

Chapter 4: In the Cemetery

It was very dark and silent inside the cemetery. Jack looked at his watch.

Tom took the path on the left. "See you later!" he said and walked quietly along the path.

• Boy with black hair: It's 11:55. See you in five minutes.

Danny pointed to the path on the right. "I'll go that way, round the cemetery, Jack," he said. "But I'm frightened. Maybe I'll see a ghost. What will I do?"

"Shout loudly and run very quickly!" said Jack with a smile.

"Good luck!" said Danny. "See you soon!"

"I must take the middle path," thought Jack. "I don't like this!"

Jack tried to see into the darkness. Then he started to walk along the middle path.

Suddenly, a cloud passed in front of the moon. Jack stopped and waited. "It's so dark without the moon!" he thought. He started to hear noises all round him.

• Boy with black hair: Tom! Danny! Is that you?

But there wasn't anybody there. Jack was alone.

• Boy with black hair thinks: I'm imagining things. I'm being stupid!

Then he remembered a scary film about a cemetery he once saw on television. He remembered the scary book he read the week before, too.

Suddenly, something touched his head and he jumped, but it was only the branch of a tree.

• Boy with black hair: Ghosts don't exist!

Chapter 5: The Ghost

Jack was terrified. Suddenly, he heard a noise and the door of the tomb started to open slowly. A white figure appeared at the door.

Suddenly, Jack heard the church clock.

• Boy with black hair thinks: 1. Oh, no! It's a ghost! 2. It's midnight. Where are Tom and Danny?

Jack ran very quickly to a big tree. He jumped behind the tree and tried to hide, but he bumped into something behind the tree. The thing moved!

"Aaargghh!" Jack shouted. "What... what are you?"

The thing put a hand over Jack's mouth.

• Boy with black hair: Mph! Let me go.

Jack tried to escape.

• Fair-haired boy: Sh! It's only us!

Jack looked and saw that the "thing" was Tom and Danny.

• Boy with black hair: Did you see the white figure?

"Yes!" said Tom and Danny. They were very frightened.

• Red-haired boy: We can see it now! There it is! Look!

The three boys watched the white figure come slowly out of the tomb and move towards them. They heard loud noises. CLANK! CLANK!

"It's a ghost!" said Tom. "And it's got lots of chains!" CLANK! CLANK!

Tom and Danny were worried. Five minutes was a long time in a dark cemetery.

"And remember," said Jack, "we must all be at the big, black tomb in the middle at midnight!"

The boys climbed over the gates: first Jack, then Tom, then Danny.

Chapter 6: An Idea

The boys heard another man's voice near one of the tombs. "Is that you, Bill?" said the voice. "Quick! We haven't got all night!"

Bill, the burglar, walked towards the tomb.

• Bill: Where are you, Joe?

The boys saw the other man, Joe, standing near the tomb. Joe was tall and thin and he wore black trousers and a black sweater, too.

• Joe: I'm here, Bill! Let's go.

Then the two men started to run to the gates.

The boys watched the two men.

• Fair-haired boy: What are we going to do?
• Boy with black hair: We must stop them, but how?

Then Jack saw the white sheet on the grass. "Hm," he said. "I've got an idea."

The two burglars, Bill and Joe, often worked together. The week before, at night, they went into the houses near the cemetery and they stole lots of things.

Then they hid everything in one of the tombs.

• Bill: A cemetery is a good place to hide things. Nobody comes to a cemetery when it's dark. Maybe they're frightened of ghosts!
• Joe: Don't be stupid! Ghosts don't exist.

Now the two men were at the gates. Joe climbed over the gates. Bill started to follow him but suddenly, he heard a noise. "Whooh!"

Chapter 7: Jack and Tom Try to Escape

"Argh!" said Bill. A tall white figure stood in front of him. It made a loud noise again: "Whhoooohhh!"

Bill fell on the grass and looked up at the "ghost".

• Bill: What... what... do... you... want?
• The ghost: I want the bag!

Bill was very frightened. He didn't believe in ghosts, but the white figure was very tall and scary.

"OK! Take the bag!" said Bill. "Take it! I don't want it!"

"Bill! What are you doing?" shouted Joe from outside the gates. "Don't be stupid! That isn't a ghost! It's two boys and they're wearing your white sheet!"

Bill stood up and looked at the "ghost". He walked all round the tall white figure. The "ghost" didn't move. Then Bill saw a pair of legs under the sheet.

He pulled the bottom of the sheet very hard.

The sheet fell on the grass and Jack and Tom fell on the grass, too. Bill was very angry.

• Bill: You're right, Joe! It isn't a ghost! It's only two stupid boys! What will I do with them?
• Joe: Nothing! We haven't got time. Give me the bag and let's go!
• Bill: No! Those boys tried to make a fool of me! I'm going to teach them a lesson!

Jack and Tom stood up quickly and tried to escape from Bill. They ran round trees and climbed over tombs, but Bill followed them. He was fat but he ran very quickly.

Bill was very near Jack and Tom. Suddenly, Jack fell over a stone on the path.

• Jack: Run, Tom! Find somebody to help us!

But Tom didn't see the stone and he fell on the grass, too. The boys tried to stand up. Bill came towards them. He had a horrible smile on his face.

"You can't escape now," he said. "I'll teach you a lesson! You won't go to a cemetery in the middle of the night again!"

Chapter 8: Strange Events

Suddenly, there was a bright light all round them and an old woman appeared in front of the boys. She was small and thin, she had white hair and she wore a red dressing gown. There was a bright light all round her head and she was very angry.

Jack and Tom were very surprised.

Bill put his hands in front of his eyes. "Who are you?" he asked.

Jack looked carefully at the old woman.

• Boy with black hair: It's Grandma Mackay! Grandma, is it really you?

Grandma Mackay opened her mouth. "DON'T TOUCH MY GRANDSON!" she said to Bill in a terrible, loud voice.

"Argh! It's a ghost!" said Bill and he tried to escape. But Grandma Mackay raised her arms above her head. All the trees in the cemetery started to move from side to side and there was a loud, strong wind. Suddenly, the wind caught Bill and took him towards the cemetery gates.

• Bill: Help me!

Grandma Mackay pointed her long, thin finger at the top of the cemetery gates. Surprised, Jack and Tom watched the wind take Bill to the top of the gates. Bill's black sweater stuck to the top of the gates and he hung there, very frightened. Jack and Tom started to laugh.

"Grandma, you're fantastic!" shouted Jack.

Jack looked out of the cemetery gates. He saw Joe running down the road. "Quick, Grandma!" said Jack. "You must do something! The other man is escaping!"

"Oh no, he isn't!" said Grandma Mackay and she smiled at Jack. Then she pointed her finger again. The wind followed Joe down the road, caught him and took him back to the cemetery gates.

• Joe: Help! What's happening?

Joe's black sweater stuck to the top of the gates too, and he hung there, next to Bill.

• Boy with black hair: Well done, Grandma! They can't escape now!

Suddenly, the wind disappeared. "I hope that was a lesson for them!" said Grandma Mackay.

At that moment, Danny appeared from behind a tree and ran towards the boys.

• Fair-haired boy: Is everything OK, Danny? Did you phone the police?
• Red-haired boy: Yes, I did. I phoned them from the phone box in the street. They're coming now.

Then Danny saw the ghostly figure of Grandma Mackay, and he stopped. "Wow!" he said. "You're Jack's grandmother! You always baked delicious biscuits for us when we visited you."

Grandma Mackay smiled at the boys affectionately.

"Can you stay and talk to us for an hour or two, Grandma?" asked Jack.

"No, I can't. I must go now," answered Grandma Mackay. "The police are coming. I don't want to be here when they arrive. Goodbye, Jack." Grandma Mackay disappeared.

Chapter 9: The Police Arrive

The boys watched two police cars arrive at the cemetery. The cars made a lot of noise and the noise woke up most of the people in the houses.

The people saw Bill and Joe on the cemetery gates and the big black bag on the grass next to them. One of the people saw a gold necklace at the top of the black bag.

• Someone: What's happening?
• Father of the fair-haired boy: That's my mother's necklace! Somebody stole it last week!
• Mother: And those are my silver candlesticks! I bought them in London two years ago.

Everybody was very angry. Four policemen got out of the police cars and walked to the gates.

• Police officer: It's Bill Watson and Joe Prescott! How did you get there?
• Joe: It was an old woman. She put us here. Please help us!
• Bill: The old woman was a ghost! Please save us from the ghost!

A policeman saw the white sheet. He took it and showed it to the other policemen.

Everybody started to laugh.

Two policemen took Bill and Joe from the gates, put them into one of the police cars and left.

• Police officer 1: Look! This is their ghost!
• Police officer 2: You watch too many scary films! But you won't see any films in prison.

The other two policemen stayed with the boys. The boys were tired now after their adventure in the cemetery.

"Can we go home now?" asked Jack.

"Yes," said one of the policemen. "We'll take you home. And there will be a reward for you, too. You caught the two burglars! Bill Watson and Joe Prescott burgled lots of houses. You'll be heroes at school on Monday! You're all very brave. Now let's phone your parents and tell them what happened."

The boys smiled.

• Fair-haired boy: Well, now we can write our scary stories. It was very scary in the cemetery!

Chapter 10: At Home

On the way home, Jack was very sad. He missed Grandma Mackay very much. "I wanted to talk to her in the cemetery," he thought. "I wanted to tell her things, but she disappeared." He looked out of the car window for a moment.

• Boy with black hair thinks: I miss you, Grandma.

"Goodbye," said Danny. "See you tomorrow." He got out of the police car and went into his house.

"Yes, see you tomorrow," said Jack and Tom.

• Boy with black hair: Did we really see Grandma Mackay's ghost?
• Fair-haired boy: Yes, we really did.

When Jack got home, he told his parents about the burglars, but he didn't tell them about Grandma Mackay.

Jack went upstairs to his bedroom and got into bed. "I can smell perfume, the perfume of roses," he thought. He remembered that Grandma Mackay always used rose perfume.

Jack was tired, but it was impossible to sleep. He looked out of the window at the stars.

• Boy with black hair thinks in bed: We must all write a scary story for Miss Wilson. I know that we saw a ghost, Grandma Mackay's ghost, and ghosts are usually scary. But Grandma Mackay's ghost wasn't scary. Bill ran after Tom and me in the cemetery. So what will I write about, the ghost or the burglars?

Jack sat up, turned on the light and read a book for a few minutes. When he lay down again, he felt something under his pillow. He looked under the pillow and he saw a silver box.

"Where did that come from?" he thought.

Jack opened the box carefully. "Wow!" he said, surprised.

The box was full of Jack's favourite biscuits.

Jack smiled, took one of the biscuits and ate it.

• Boy with black hair thinks in bed: Mmm... Grandma Mackay bakes delicious biscuits.

Then he lay down in bed and fell asleep.