Free The Serpent in the Glass (The Tale of Thomas Farrell) by D.M. Andrews Page B

black-clad, wiry man replied.
    Jessica nodded. ‘Yes, at the Manor?’
    A broad smile appeared on Mr Clear’s stubbled face. ‘Oh, I not be teachin’. No, no. I do be the Undertaker.’
    ‘The Undertaker?’ Penders said, swallowing hard. ‘Does the school need one?’
    ‘Oh, yes,’ Mr Clear said emphatically. ‘There do be a very great need, especially with so many young’ns about making a mess — and that ‘as to be dealt with. And there’s no ’alf measures taken at the ol’ Manor y’know. We go all the way.’
    Penders’ mouth hung open. He looked as if he wanted to get off the train. Jessica looked more confused than afraid.
    ‘Especially those crisp packets,’ Mr Clear went on. ‘They stuff ‘em everywhere y’know — but as I always says, you can’t pull an ol’ woolly jumper over Stanwell’s ‘ead without him findin’ an ‘ole.’
    ‘Erm, Mr Clear, did you mean that you’re the Caretaker?’ Jessica asked.
    Mr Clear shook his head as if displeased with himself. ‘Yes, yes! Darn it, I do be always getting those words mixed up!’
    Thomas heard Penders give a sigh of relief, one Thomas echoed less audibly. It wasn’t long before Mr Clear was off in the land of nod again, or at least that is what the three of them supposed as his fedora had fallen over his eyes. Jessica had gone back to her crossword.
    Thomas watched Penders as he stuck a stick of gum in his mouth. ‘Do you play marbles?’ It wasn’t an invitation of course. There was nowhere to play marbles on a train.
    Penders’ eyes lit up. ‘No, but I’ve always wanted to. Never had any marbles though.’
    Thomas smiled. Pulling out the bag of marbles from his pocket, he eagerly opened it so that Penders could see his collection.
    Penders eyes widened. ‘Craters! That’s the biggest marble I’ve ever seen! Is that thing inside real?’
    In his excitement Thomas had forgotten that he’d put his father’s orb in the bag. He liked to keep both the marbles and the Glass on him, so it seemed only natural to keep them in the same place.
    ‘I don’t think so, it’s a serpent — a sort of dragon,’ Thomas explained.
    Penders nodded his head. ‘Where’d you get it?’
    ‘It was my father’s,’ Thomas said.
    Penders raised his eyebrows. ‘Your dad played marbles?’
    ‘Oh, it’s not a marble. I’m not sure what it is exactly, but I’m pretty sure it’s not a marble.’
    Penders frowned at the Glass. ‘It looks a bit creepy if you ask me.’
    After Thomas showed Penders his favourite marbles they ate their packed lunches. The came to a stop in Newcastle as Thomas bit into an apple. He idly wondered if there was an Oldcastle too. As the train leapt into action again, Thomas cast his eyes about the compartment. Stanwell Clear appeared to still be asleep. Penders chomped on the chewing gum he’d removed temporarily while he ate his sandwiches. Jessica had her head in a book she’d pulled from her luggage. Thomas didn’t notice its title. He was too busy thinking.
    He didn’t think quite as fast as Jessica, but he tended to think longer, which sort of compensated. Penders’ words about the Glass seeming creepy floated around in his head. There was some truth to it. The Glass did look a little weird. Why would anyone make such a thing? And what was its purpose anyway? Perhaps it was just an ornament. The movement of the train lulled him from consciousness so that his thoughts shifted more and more into the world of dreams. His hand drifted to his pocket and as his eyes closed his fingers slipped almost unbidden into the bag of marbles and gently wrapped around the Glass.
    Thomas opened his eyes. The others all seemed to be asleep. He looked out the window. The trees and meadows outside were still. The train had stopped, and they weren’t even at a station.
    He stood and asked Mr Clear what was happening, but he didn’t wake up. He tried to rouse Penders and Jessica, even prodding them. Neither of them stirred.