His Name Was Walter chapter sampler

greasy hair of the chained mice. He could almost hear the scratching of pens and the scuffling sound of bats flapping in the shadows. ‘Oh dear, that’s not very happy-looking, is it?’ said Mrs Fiori, glancing anxiously at Tara. ‘It’s probably just how it seemed,’ said Tara, who looked quite composed. ‘To Walter, I mean.’ ‘Let’s see!’ Grace begged. And reluctantly Colin turned the book around to show her. She looked at the picture and made a face. ‘Are those bats in the corners? Erk! I hate bats!’ ‘How many do you know?’ asked Lucas, and she made a face at him. And at that very moment there was a mighty crash of thunder directly overhead and the lights went out. Grace screamed. Tara whimpered. Lucas swore. Mrs Fiori groaned. Colin, thinking loftily that he’d obviously lived through a lot more blackouts than these city people had, turned in his seat and felt for the torch he’d put in an outside pocket of his backpack. He flicked the torch on, and everyone exclaimed with relief. It’s such a little light, Colin thought, holding the beam steady. It shouldn’t make such a difference. But, he had to admit, he felt better, too. ‘There’s a candle on the sink,’ said Lucas. His voice was a bit shaky. Colin turned the beam of the torch towards the sink. On the draining board, sure enough, was a long white

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