Free The Little Vampire by Angela Sommer-Bodenburg Page A

stakes. Tony raced over to Anna and slid down into the vault, pulling the stone over the entrance after him.
    “Phew!” he gulped, leaning against the cool stone wall. “That was close!”
    “What was?” asked Anna.
    “The Nightwatchman,” said Tony, still out of breath. “He nearly caught you moving the stone!”
    “The Nightwatchman?” gasped Anna. “Did you see him?”
    “Yeah – but he didn’tsee me.”
    “Where is he now?”
    Tony grinned. “Looking for a stone!”
    “What?”
    “I chucked a stone to distract him, and now he’s on the wrong hunt,” explained Tony.
    Anna breathed a sigh of relief. “Don’t you think he looks like a rat?”
    “Mmm,” agreed Tony. “Hideous.”
    “I quite agree,” giggled Anna. “We vampires look really quite sweet in comparison. Do you know what his name is? Mr. McRookery!”
    “No!” laughed Tony.
    “It is!” Anna grinned delightedly and hopped from one foot to the other chanting: “Silly Mr. McRookery. You don’t know where us vampires are, do you?”
    A rasping cough from the vault interrupted them.
    “Rudolph!” cried Tony. “How is he?”
    “Him?” scoffed Anna. “He’s all right. He’s already up and about. But now Gruesome Gregory’s got it.”
    “Gruesome Gregory?” Who on earth wasGruesome Gregory? Of course, their elder brother.
    “Does he know that I’m ...?”
    “Of course,” nodded Anna. “But don’t worry. We vampire-kids stick together!”
    “He ... er ... won’t do anything to me?”
    “No!” smiled Anna. “At least, not with us around.”
    They went down the steps. One candle was burning, and by its light they could see Rudolph sitting in his coffin reading, while in the coffin nextto him a bigger, stronger vampire was tossing and turning. Rudolph looked up from his book and laid a finger across his lips. “He’s asleep,” he whispered, and motioned to them to come and sit on the edge of his coffin.
    “What’s wrong with him?” asked Tony.
    “’Flu,” replied Rudolph, “and no wonder, out in the damp air every night.”
    Tony looked furtively at the slumbering form. A certain similaritywith Rudolph was unmistakable, but Gruesome Gregory’s face was paler and the hollows of his eyes even more pronounced. “He looks ill,” said Tony.
    “Mmm,” nodded Rudolph. “Drained of blood, poor thing.”
    A deep growl came from Gregory, making Tony shrink back in fright. He hoped Anna had been right about how harmless her elder brother was!
    “I wanted to come and see you, Rudolph,” he explained,“but since you’re better ...”
    “You’re not going already?” cried Anna.
    “I-I ought to get back home,” said Tony. “I haven’t got my key.” He had to get out before Gregory woke up!
    But already, it was too late. Gruesome Gregory opened his eyes. He sat up, grumbling, and stared at Tony. “Who is this?” he asked in a menacing voice.
    “Oh, Greg,” crooned Anna. “This is Tony. Don’t you remember, wetold you about him.”
    “Oh, yes,” said Gregory, sounding disappointed. “Tony. I’m hungry.”
    “You can go out again tomorrow,” soothed Anna.
    Gregory yawned. His mouth opened so wide that Tony could see the rows of gleaming pointed teeth; his eye teeth were over an inch long! Tony shivered. He wished he could get out of the vault, but of course the worst thing he could do would be to show he wasfrightened: that would make him easy prey.
    Gregory was smiling now. “Don’t come too close to me,” he said. “You might catch something you don’t want!”
    “Er – quite,” said Tony, who had no intention of getting any closer to Gregory. “Perhaps it would be better if I went home.”
    “Why?” sniggered Gregory. “Don’t you like it here?”
    “Y-yes,” Tony protested, stuttering. “Of course I do. It’s justthat I don’t want to get ’flu.”
    “Let’s play ludo!” proposed Gregory, and he pulled a long, slim box out of his coffin.
    “Yes, let’s!” agreed Anna