Chapter 10

Explanation

"Good, now that everyone is back to normal, here are your torches and what's say we make our way down the castle stairs?" we could heard Beatice saying as we were handed back our torches that we came in with. She must have grabbed them from the ground floor where we left the rest of our belongings "Is the rest of our stuff still downstairs?" i ask Beatrice nicely, "Yes, i'm not your pack horse you know!" she answered sharply and sounding slightly annoyed by my question. I apologized to her and she acknowledged my apology "Sorry Ralphie, i didn't mean to snap, i just thought you would need your torches more then your backpacks right now, we shall we go down? Follow me and be careful!". We turned our torches on and could see each others faces (our now normal faces). Keesha, Jyoti and i were thankful that she has been helping us however we still wanted answers and an explanation for what had happened tonight. We watched as Beatrice's torch light begin to disappear down the stairs, the 3 of us stood still for a while. Everything seemed back to normal as we were back wearing our Halloween costumes. Our heads were still spinning from the magic events that had occurred "Who is she really and why is she helping us?" Keesha asks, "Be thankful she did help us, we might have been stuck as blood sucking bats forever!" Jyoti answers, "Yeah also how did she know we were here and know who we are?" i answer back. "Kids?" Beatrice's voice was coming from midway of the stairwell, "Coming!" we all shouted back to her as we pointed our torches towards the stairs and began to make our way down to catch up to her.

We stuck close to each other as we made our way down the stairs leaving the resident bats behind. As we climbed down each floor, we could feel the surface of the stairs begin to change on the soles of our shoes from stomping in slippery bat feces to treading onto soild stone. We noticed that Beatrice had already made her way to the bottom of the stairs as we could see the light from her torch "Come along kids! Quickly now!" she shouts as she heard our footsteps approach closer. That was when i asked her the burning question "Excuse me Beatrice but who are you really and how did you know to be here tonight, did you follow us, we want an explanation!" i screamed, "Shhhh Ralphie! You will disturb the bats!" Jyoti says as she taps me on the shoulder, "Haven't we already tonight?" Keesha adds. Beatrice stands still and shines her torch over our belongings but remains slient. We head towards our things and i begin to pack everything up including my notepad and pen that i was going to use to write notes for my comic. As i was packing my fake vampire teeth fell out from my mouth. Beatrice had noticed "Good to see that those vampire teeth are no longer permanent!" she says calmly to me with a giggle as i went to pick them up from the ground. I placed them in my backpack as quickly as i could! Was a little fearful putting them back in my mouth after what happened just moments ago "Its alright Ralphie, its all over now!" Beatrice then adds before pointing her torch towards her face "Right, have we got everything?" she asks using her calm voice again. Jyoti and Keesha both reply with a "Yes" but as for me she still hadn't answered my question so i ask her again but i then feel a tug on my sleeve from Jyoti. She whispers in my ear that we should prehaps ask the lady the question a little nicer this time. I whisper back to her going "Ok fine" but before i could even open my mouth to speak, Keesha jumps in for the kill "Excuse me Beatrice but would you mind explaining what really happened here tonight, how did you know to be here to save us?". I was not impressed that Keesha beat me to it! "Please follow me outside kids, quickly now!" Beatrice firmly tells us as she heads for the exit. We followed her.

All of us quickly exited the castle as instructed, thankfully all unharmed. I kept feeling myself just to make sure that nothing had changed. Beatrice waited for us to get ahead of her in slience before she went to close the doors and...lock them? How come she had keys to this place!? We then heard her mumbling to herself, what sounded like "This place is dangerous, why its not locked all the time, i really don't know!". Jyoti, Keesha and myself all looked at each other as we stood on the path to the front doors. We all wanted to know what she was really mumbling but maybe that question wasn't as important right now. Beatrice then turned round after locking up and stood still with her torch shining in her face with her eyes closed while placing what seemed to be a key in her jacket pocket. Her expression her face was a serious look as she took a deep breath "Stay calm Beatrice you can do this, inhale, exhale!" we could hear her whisper to herself. After a few seconds, she opens her eyes to find myself, Keesha and Jyoti showing our faces with our torches with curious looks on our faces eager to listen to what she had to say. Beatrice begins to speak "Kids, you do derserve an explantation and what happened here tonight doesn't just happen to ordinary people. Those who have riden the Magic School Bus can receive side-effects from its magic, particularlly if the bus has been in a particular location recently and hate to say this castle was one of them...in fact it was here last night!", we remained slient as we were shocked and confused by her answer. She could see the expressions on our faces and could tell that it was a lot to take in. She walked closer to us as the 3 of us took a step back. "I'm truely sorry that you had to hear this right here, right now and from someone you have only just met!" Beatrice says to us "I wish that Fiona and Valerie would warn their past and current students that they may recieve side-effects from their Field Trips!", Keesha, Jyoti and I kept close as she remained her understandbly distance.

This was big news and a little freaky. Keesha then piped up and asked Beatrice a question "So your saying that the Magic School Bus was here last night?", Beatrice immediately responded "Yes, i was speaking with Fiona this morning and had mentioned that she might've forgotten to lock the castle when herself and her class left here after a... of course Field Trip. She and her current class were learning about bats and the bus decided to malfunction!.". The bus was known to malfunction a lot. "So did the bus go crazy? Was Ms Frizzle and the class ok?" Jyoti asks, "Yes thankfully they were fine but the bus managed to get itself stuck on Transylvian Mode! Making the location like a vampire castle from a fantasy story! " Beatrice answered. "Like Dracula's Castle?" i shouted to her as she nodded "Cool!" i say in amazement and Keesha steps foward waving her arms in confusion "So your saying that the magic from the bus was still hanging around this castle tonight and so thats why were we turned into vampire bats?" Keesha asks, "Yes, along with its normal resident bats! Like i said any kid that has been aboard the Magic School Bus and wishes for something where the bus has recently been, that kid can receive miraculous side effects. Thankfully i was here to help you all out tonight!" Beatrice tells us seriously. Keesha, Jyoti and I stood there shocked and confused but also curious. We were full of questions! "Beatrice, so you say thankfully you were here to help us which we are grateful for but how do you know to follow us when you got here?" i asked her and she responded "I love photography and the castle is beautiful at night and being Halloween, i wanted to get away from my house as i hate trick or treaters! So i grabbed my camera equipment and the key from Fiona earlier today and offered to check the castle doors myself!". Keesha, Jyoti and i glupped, she must hate Halloween and there's us standing before her dressed up to trick or treat. "Anyway kids, its getting late, i'll give you all a lift home!" Beatrice offers, we knew we had our bikes with us and told her that we were happy to ride home however she tells us in a motherly way that it would be too dark now and that it would be very difficult to see where we were going. "I do undertsand that your parents would've have all told you to never trust or speak to a stranger, but please believe me i am someone you can trust! I can attach your bikes onto the back on my vehicle!" Beatrice tells us as we grab our bikes. She was right our parents did tells us never to talk or trust strangers but our hearts were telling us that we could trust this women. We placed our bikes on the back on her vehicle and got in. Keesha, Jyoti and I all remained quiet during the journey back into town other then telling her we were all lived. The car seemed completely normal.

Beatrice drives us back into town and agrees to drop us off a few streets near my house where thankfully kids were still out trick or treating. We all get out of the car and get our bikes down. We all got on our bikes and before we could say goodbye and thank you, Beatrice hands us what look like 3 pieces of paper with an address and a time on it "Join me for afternoon tea this Saturday and i will tell you what you need to and would you would like to know!" she says to us firmly. We all took the pieces of paper thanking her nervously. "Come on guys we better get moving our parents will really begin to wonder were we have got too!" Keesha says before we all bid goodbye to Beatrice and begin to ride up the street. She remain slient but waved to us. As we got to the top of the street a puff of a cold wind begin blow "Feel that girls?" i ask Keesha and Jyoti and they both said yes. "It felt odd don't you think?" i added "Like it had a magical feel to it?" again they both agreed but thought nothing of it. Before we turned the corner Keesha and i heard the sound of Jyoti's shaky voice asking "Hey! Beatrice is gone!". Keesha and i both turned around and also noticed that Beatrice had mysteriously disappeared! No cars had driven passed us, we didn't hear any sounds of a vehicle reving up. Keesha did point out that she might've gone the opposite direction but Jyoti and i could feel in our hearts that, that wasn't the case. This has been certainly a creepy, spooky and batty Hallowheen.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

The End