At the bottom of Main Street my belly turned to jelly when the castle loomed eerily against the moon. There was nobody around the dim back entrance. I’d kind of hoped there might be lots of people walking past, or chatting at the gate and I’d have to go home. Or maybe the gate would be fixed and I couldn’t get in. But that would have stamped me as a cowardly geek for the rest of my life.
I wheeled my bike through the narrow opening. The ordinary sounds of the town were cut off. The big courtyard was silent and the moon shadows scary.
‘Ah, Milo my boy,’ the comforting sound of Mister Lewis’s voice echoed across the courtyard. ‘We’re on the steps at the castle door,’ he went on.
Then two things happened. As Mister Lewis stood up, a gust of wind whipped his lopsided hat from his head.
‘Ah, me hat!’ he cried out.
‘Hey, Milo!’ another voice called out from behind me. It was Shane, wheeling his bike!
I was really glad to see him.
‘Look what blew into me,’ he shouted, waving Mister Lewis’s hat. ‘The Cat in The Hat,’ he said, laughing.
‘You followed me, Shane!’ I said.
‘Of course,’ he said. ‘You didn’t think I’d let you off on your own, did you? I knew you were scared about having to do something you didn’t want to do, so I watched from my window and followed. And here I am. What’s up?’
‘Thank you for retrieving my hat, young man,’ said Mister Lewis, wafting over.
‘Wow! How did you do that, Mister?’
‘Do what, boy?’ said Mister Lewis.
‘Your feet hardly touched the ground,’ said Shane.
‘I always walk like this,’ Mister Lewis replied sniffily.
‘Cool,’ said Shane. ‘Are you part of a circus?’
‘Shane!’ I put in. ‘This is Mister Lewis.’
‘Hi, Mister,’ said Shane. ‘So,’ he went on, turning to me. ‘What’s the crack? What are we doing here?’
‘Mister Lewis,’ I said again, slowly, nodding towards my very old friend.
‘I know. I heard you the first time.’ Then he turned to Mister Lewis. ‘The man who lived in the house where we live was called Mister Lewis too,’ said Shane.
‘Ah, that would be me,’ Mister Lewis said, putting his hat on.
‘No,’ said Shane. ‘That Mister Lewis died years and years ago.’
‘I did indeed,’ said Mister Lewis, smiling.
That’s when Shane slid in a heap to the ground.