Our jaws dropped.
We stood staring at the ghost of Zayn Malik, Her Majesty's hangman, our minds in shock and turmoil.
Believing in justice was one thing.
But letting a haunted hangman into our homes was another!
I mean, how could we?
What would our parents say? We'd have to tell them. We'd have to get their permission. We couldn't just smuggle a ghost and his cat into our homes without someone seeing them - no way!
And where could we hide the hangman and his cat in an apartment? Like, at my place, there was barely enough room for us! We had no spare rooms. All our cupboards were full of junk. And our toilets were always being used.
And worst of all, it was too dangerous. What if his five hundred enemies did track him down? What if they came to our homes seeking revenge?
Our families would all be in jeopardy. They might even be killed!
It was a crazy idea. Impossible. Out of the question!
But how could I tell the hangman that?
We had given the ghost our word, and I didn't want to let him down. And I didn't want him to think we were liars.
"Mr Malik," I began, choosing my words carefully. "There are some things that I don't think you will understand."
The hangman raised the remains of an eyebrow. "Such as?" he asked suspiciously.
"Well, you see, our homes are very small. Very small, and they're in buildings like those," I said, pointing at the huge apartment blocks across the canal. Their lights blazed out of the darkness. The black water in the canal reflected them like a mirror.
"And that's not all, Mr Malik," Harry went on gently. "We'd love to have you come and stay with us, we really would, but we'd have to ask our parents for permission, and I don't think they'd agree... "
His voice trailed away as disappointment spread across the hangman's battered face.
We'd let him down, and I don't know what else to say-
Except-
"I'm sorry Mr Malik, but it's just not going to work. We'll have to think of somewhere else for you to hide."
He gazed in silence across the inky water, surveying the apartment blocks on the other shore.
Suddenly he brightened.
What else could it be?
"I've got it!" he said cheerily. "I won't hide in your homes. I'll hide above them. Up on the roof!" he turned to face us. "What do you say to that?"
iLoveCarrots_1D
YOU ARE READING
The Haunted Hangman
HorrorLouis Tomlinson wants to see an Asian ghost. But a visit to a spooky canal puts his life in the hands of THE HAUNTED HANGMAN. Is he doomed? Or can he save his neck? *This book is one of the Mr. Midnight series but we made it as a 1D version. Hope y...