The Tipple Twins and the Gift Read online

  Copyright © 2020 Michelle Cordara

  Cover Artwork by Dave Hill

  The moral right of the author has been asserted.

  Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publishers.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Matador

  9 Priory Business Park,

  Wistow Road, Kibworth Beauchamp,

  Leicestershire. LE8 0RX

  Tel: 0116 279 2299

  Email: [email protected]

  Web: www.troubador.co.uk/matador

  Twitter: @matadorbooks

  ISBN 978 1800467 866

  British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data.

  A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

  Matador is an imprint of Troubador Publishing Ltd

  For Kane, Jessica, Sienna, Bobbi, Tristan and Roman.

  Contents

  A BIT ABOUT TWINS…

  CHAPTER ONE NO MAGIC ALLOWED!

  CHAPTER TWO THE FLOATING WOMAN

  CHAPTER THREE MAGIC MOODS

  CHAPTER FOUR CHUMSWORTH

  CHAPTER FIVE MEET MISS SNIPPINGS

  CHAPTER SIX THE HOLE OF BLACK

  CHAPTER SEVEN TO THE GALLOWS

  CHAPTER EIGHT VANISHED

  CHAPTER NINE THE PAINTING

  CHAPTER TEN MISS SNIPPINGS’ CLIPPINGS

  CHAPTER ELEVEN ROOM THIRTEEN, PART ONE

  CHAPTER TWELVE ROOM THIRTEEN, PART TWO

  Bibliography

  A BIT ABOUT TWINS…

  Identical twins always look the same, apart from a few minor details, like moles, scars, birthmarks, etc. One might have a squint in their eyes, the other may have a tooth that sticks out, or one may even have longer hair than the other. Either way, these are only very tiny details, and irrespective of this, identical twins are very hard to tell apart.

  Identical twins sometimes sound the same, so be sure which one you’re speaking to on the phone when sharing all your deepest and darkest secrets.

  Identical twins have a very special bond that can make a lot of people envious, and no one really understands it.

  Some identical twins are even known to have made up their own special language so that none of their family or friends can understand what they’re saying and they just live in their very own identical twin world.

  Identical twins are special, and, if you’re an identical twin, consider yourself to be very lucky indeed! Unless…

  CHAPTER ONE

  *

  NO MAGIC ALLOWED!

  Jenna and Jessica Tipple were identical twins. But not ordinary identical twins.

  Jenna and Jessica were eight years old and lived at 157 Bacton Square in London. You could spot their house a mile away because it was the only house on the square with blackbirds perched on the roof and the steps outside the front door. Many of the neighbours thought this was very peculiar and so they avoided the Tipples at all costs. According to Mrs Griffins, London was dirty enough as it was without them attracting more wildlife. Mrs Griffins was an old woman who lived two doors down from the Tipples, and her opinions stretched as long as her fingers did. Mrs Tipple said Mrs Griffins’ fingers were long so she could dig around in everyone’s business and her nails were forever black because of all the dirty secrets she knew about everyone. Jenna and Jessica had seen these black nails once, and between them they decided she saved the dirt for her special occasion dinners.

  The Wilsons, who lived between the Tipples and Mrs Griffins, weren’t any better. They were the most boring couple on the square and hadn’t had any children because they couldn’t do with disruption and interference in their boring routines. Mrs Griffins and Mr and Mrs Wilson would have lengthy conversations over the black railings between the houses that would consist of nothing more than what colour socks they were wearing or how warm they liked to have their bath water. When Mrs Griffins approached the matter of the blackbirds on the Tipples’ house, Mr Wilson would simply shrug and say, ‘I don’t know.’ This was something far too abnormal and outrageous for the Wilsons to think about. They disliked eccentric people.

  Of the Tipples, Mrs Tipple was the most uncomfortable about their odd ways. She would be forever throwing bird seed outside and screaming, ‘God, I love nature!’ at the top of her lungs to make it look like she wanted the blackbirds there and that it wasn’t because the Tipples attracted strange things like this.

  But this wasn’t the worst of it, not by a long way. The Tipples had a secret ‘pet’ who slept under the twins’ beds at night. This pet was called Boo… and Boo was a ghost. Boo was a very young ghost who looked like a typical ghost, if a child was to describe one. Boo was like a fat, round white blanket with dark circles for eyes and chubby stumpy arms sticking out from his sides.

  Boo didn’t like leaving the house alone, or very often at all, but he did like hiding in dark corners and occasionally reading bedtime stories to the twins. Boo was very shy, and on occasion they would put him in a pram at night and take him for walks, which Boo appreciated immensely. He would point and laugh at the trees and birds as if he’d never seen such things before.

  He told the twins he had found his forever home with them, because before the Tipples, when other families had lived in 157 Bacton Square, Boo would poke his head out of whatever shadow he was hiding in and say ‘Hello’ and whoever was living there moved out within a week. It was only on the day that the Tipples moved in that things changed for the better.

  It was six years ago and on a grey Saturday morning in mid-March. Boo had been hiding in a dark corner in the kitchen when he heard a van park outside in the square. He’d heard the voices of little girls and the sound of their feet as they exited the vehicle.

  ‘Come this way,’ he’d heard an older voice say. A woman’s voice. A mother’s voice.

  He’d heard the unlocking of the front door echoing around the empty house before hearing the scampering of tiny feet running through the living room.

  ‘Potty, Mummy!’ said an innocent voice.

  ‘Quick, upstairs, Jenna. The potty’s in the van. Get to the toilet!’

  ‘Potty, Mummy!’ said a different voice.

  ‘Oh, Jessica, quickly. You upstairs as well – follow Jenna.’

  Boo heard the little ones rushing up the stairs before seeing another little girl with long, thick honey-coloured hair hovering around in the dining room holding a cuddly brown bear. Boo edged out a little.

  ‘What do you think of the house then, Caitlyn?’ said a man’s voice. A dad’s voice. Boo could see this man. He was tall with dark hair and he was struggling with some heavy boxes.

  ‘I think this house is big,’ said the little girl, ‘but not too big. Does Jamie have his own bed?’ she said, squeezing her teddy bear.

  Mr Tipple looked at the brown bear in the girl’s arms and said, ‘Jamie can share your bed, because that’s what cuddly bears are for,’ and the little girl smiled.<
br />
  Boo looked down at his hands. They were empty. Boo didn’t have a cuddly bear like the little girl. Boo felt a bit lonely.

  Moments later, Mrs Tipple came down the stairs with the other two children. Boo could see they were younger than the little girl called Caitlyn.

  ‘We need a change of clothes’ said Mrs Tipple, peeping in some boxes. Mrs Tipple had blonde hair. She looked friendly. ‘Jenna went to the toilet but Jessica didn’t quite make it,’ she said.

  ‘That’s terrible twos for you,’ said Mr Tipple, sweeping the girl known as Jessica into his arms. Jessica hugged her dad back.

  Boo couldn’t remember the last time he’d been hugged like that, and he found himself hugging his little round white body. Boo then moved a little closer. He wanted to see more of this family and crept further into the light. The three little girls were running around while their mum and dad unpacked.

  Boo wanted to say hello but couldn’t. Not now he’d seen how the family was. He’d seen this many times. They were a close family. He’d been turned down by these sort of people before. Just one look at him and they ran a mile. Boo thought it was best to stay hidden. He turned his back, but then something magical happened.

  ‘Hello,’ said a voice.

  Boo turned to see Caitlyn staring straight at him.

  ‘What’s your name?’ she said boldly.

  ‘My name?’ said Boo.

  ‘Yes, your name.’

  ‘I haven’t been asked that question in a long time. I can’t remember how to answer it,’ said Boo shyly.

  ‘Shall I start?’ said Caitlyn, kneeling down.

  ‘Yes please,’ said Boo.

  ‘My name is Caitlyn. I am four years old.’

  ‘And my name’s Boo!’ said Boo excitedly. ‘And I think I am five.’

  ‘That’s a funny name,’ said Caitlyn back. ‘A funny name for a funny-looking boy. Mummy! Look, Mummy, we have a friend! We have a funny-looking friend. Isn’t he funny, Mummy?’

  ‘Oh,’ said Mrs Tipple, walking into the kitchen with the two little ones scampering by her feet. Seeing Boo’s ghostly presence, she paused.

  ‘His name is Boo, Mummy.’

  ‘Oh,’ said Mrs Tipple again. ‘I wasn’t expecting a… Are you on your own, Boo?’

  Boo nodded.

  ‘Doesn’t he look funny, Mummy?’

  ‘Yes, yes he does. You are funny-looking, Boo. But you are perfectly funny.’

  Boo smiled. Relieved.

  ‘Boo said he is five, but if he is five, where is his mummy and daddy?’ asked Caitlyn.

  ‘Well maybe Boo doesn’t have a mummy or a daddy. Boo, do you have parents?’

  Boo had to think about this one. He remembered having parents once upon a time. But that’s where the problem was. It was ‘once upon a time’.

  ‘I used to,’ Boo said

  ‘And where are they now?’ said Mrs Tipple softly.

  ‘I think they are where I should have gone,’ said Boo.

  ‘And where’s that?’

  ‘Heaven. Do you know where it is?’

  ‘I know about it, Boo, but I can’t take you there. Did you all try to get there together?’

  ‘No. I went first, but my mum…’ Boo stopped when he noticed the dad had now made an appearance. Mr Tipple gave Boo a warm smile, which encouraged Boo to carry on. ‘I went first but my mum and dad didn’t come with me,’ he said finally.

  ‘Is that why you stayed?’

  ‘Yes. I used to look like you. I had blonde hair but my eyes were blue. Only I got very poorly. I was sick in bed and then one night I closed my eyes.’

  ‘And then what?’ said Mrs Tipple, now crossing her legs on the cold kitchen floor with Jenna and Jessica sucking their thumbs either side of her.

  ‘Well, I wanted to close my eyes but my mum was crying for me to not close them, but I couldn’t help it. They were so heavy and I was so cold I had to shut them.’ Boo stopped. Boo couldn’t tell them this. It was going to come out wrong. Sound stupid. They had listened up until now but surely not for much longer.

  ‘Carry on,’ said Mrs Tipple, nodding.

  ‘Well, when I did I wasn’t in my bed any more. I was in the air. And something was telling me to float higher and higher. It wasn’t a voice though – more a feeling. But I couldn’t leave my mum and dad. I could see them looking over me on my bed.’

  ‘And then what did you do, Boo?’

  ‘I floated down to them. My mum was telling my old body in my bed that she loved me and that she would miss me. She was cuddling me and crying on me. My dad was holding her shoulders and he was crying too. I’d never seen my parents cry before. I wanted them to know they didn’t have to miss me. They didn’t have to cry any more. So I stayed by them and cuddled them, but they didn’t cuddle me back. I spoke to them to let them know I was there but they didn’t hear me. I stayed for days, weeks, and even more days. How many days do you have to add up to get to today?’

  ‘I don’t know, Boo. I don’t know how long ago it was.’

  ‘It was a very long time ago.’

  ‘And when was the last time you saw your mum and dad, Boo?’ said Mr Tipple.

  ‘I remember them talking about moving out. It was because of me. It was because they couldn’t look at these walls any more without me being there. Why couldn’t they see me but other people can?’

  ‘I don’t know, Boo. Maybe because they have memories of what you used to look like and maybe that’s the way it’s meant to stay,’ said Mrs Tipple.

  ‘I remember the day they left. I was the one that was crying then. They had lots of bags and other things. They even had my toys. And they just left. Forever. I looked out of the window and watched them go. I was scared, because who was going to look after me?’

  ‘Could you not follow them, Boo?’

  ‘No, I can’t. I can’t leave here. I don’t know why. It’s fear that holds me back, I think.’

  ‘And what makes you think your parents are in heaven now?’

  ‘I get feelings. It’s hard to explain. For example, I look at you all and I can feel something strong. I don’t know what it is. But it’s there. And that’s what it was like for me when I woke up one morning and felt something about my mum and dad. I just knew they were gone. First of all it was my dad. And then, a lot of days after, it was my mum.’

  ‘Well, Boo, let me tell you something. You aren’t on your own any more. We will look after you.’

  ‘I know I won’t be with you forever. I think I need looking after first. I think I need to go the way I was meant to go before.’

  ‘Boo, if you need to go again that’s okay. Everybody goes at some point or another. And when it’s your time to go again, don’t hold back for us. You go and you float up high. You keep floating as much as you need to. And you know what?’

  ‘What?’ said Boo.

  ‘I think when you do you will find your mum and dad again.’

  And that is how the Tipples met Boo.

  Boo was five years old, but in death he was more than that. And this showed. He was very childlike in play and in the way he understood things. However, he was very wise at times. It was as if he had an intuition only an elderly person would have. Or should we say a ghost. But this was okay for the Tipples. It was just another odd thing to rack up on their list. And for Boo, he discovered a great way to overcome his fear of leaving the house, and that was friendship. Because without the Tipples encouragement, he never would have left those walls ever again.

  *

  Because of all the strange nonsense the Tipples had surrounding them, you would probably think that Jenna and Jessica were used to strange looks and whispering behind their backs, but truthfully, they didn’t ever get used to it at all. They never really knew whether they were coming or going, because if the neighbours in Bacton Square we
ren’t shutting blinds or closing doors whenever the Tipples passed, the public would be pointing or staring at the twins, because they were the only identical twins in the whole of England. For some strange reason, every twin, every identical twin, had vanished from the face of the earth. Except for Jenna and Jessica Tipple that is, and nobody knew why.

  Mrs Tipple told the girls they were special, and that they must take great care of themselves if they’re ever left on their own. Although they felt overwhelmed at the thought of people thinking they were special, Jenna and Jessica Tipple hugely disagreed with finger-pointing. It was very rude in their book. It was a strict rule in the Tipple house and one that had to be obeyed at all times. After all, you never knew what strange things might happen if you were to point your fingers at others.

  In Jenna’s and Jessica’s experience, by accident of course, they had made someone throw up alphabet spaghetti and made them say the alphabet backwards all at the same time. To most children this would be seen as very amusing, but not to the Tipple twins. It was most inappropriate and something they had to learn to control, especially when in public.

  ‘Others just don’t warm to gifted people like us!’ Mrs Tipple would say on one of her rants. She ranted so much about finger-pointing that whenever she was on the subject her speech got faster and faster and her voice got more and more high pitched so that she sounded like she’d taken too much helium. ‘We must try to act normal!’ was what she said most frequently, and everyone knew that when she used the word ‘gifted’ she really meant ‘magic’ and when she used the word ‘normal’ she really meant ‘no magic allowed!’

  But ‘normal’ proved to be harder in some cases than others. The Tipples couldn’t help the doors occasionally opening on their own when entering the house or another room, and they definitely couldn’t help it when the doors decided to slam on people’s faces (if it was someone they didn’t like on the other side of it).