Bedtime Stories with R.A. Spratt

Friday Barnes and the Case of the Voice in the Night

October 28, 2020 R.A. Spratt Season 1 Episode 36
Bedtime Stories with R.A. Spratt
Friday Barnes and the Case of the Voice in the Night
Show Notes Transcript

As a Halloween special, I have recorded a chapter from FRIDAY BARNES 3, BIG TROUBLE. It's as close as Friday Barnes gets to a ghost story (it's not really very spooky, but the word 'ghost' is mentioned twice). 

When two girls keep hearing a voice in the attic above their dorm room, they go to Friday to solve the mystery. Special thanks to my publisher, Penguin for giving me permission to record this episode as a promotion for the upcoming release of my new book FRIDAY BARNES 9, NO ESCAPE in February 2021.

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Speaker 1:

Hello, and welcome to bedtime stories with me, RA SPRAT. Well, today we're going to have a Friday bond story because my publisher has kindly allowed me to record a few Friday Barnes stories in the lead up to the release of my new book, which is coming out in February, 2021, which will be the ninth, Friday Barnes book. And it'll be called Friday barns, no escape. So in the lead up to that over the next few months, I'm going to be doing a Friday bonds, a story once a month or so. So today, because this podcast is going to go to air in the week of Halloween. I thought I do as closest to a ghost story as I ever get, which is chapter 18 from Friday barns, big trouble. Um, it's not much of a ghost story. I get too excited about that, but the word ghost is used once, but it's a great story. I was rereading it in anticipation of recording this and I I've forgotten how much fun it is. So it's going to be good to do. I hope you like it. Here we go. The case of the voice in the night, Friday, I want to hire your services said Pauline Friday, Melanie was sitting in the quietest corner of the common room where all the nerds like to sit Friday, it was doing her homework and Melanie was taking a nap face down on her homework and a for work. What could be a very comfortable place? Friday had never spoken to Pauline before. Not that Pauline was unfriendly. She just didn't speak much. She was usually working. She was the top math student in year 11 in the senior year. The top students got to study calculus. Friday, looked forward to the day when she could move on from algebra and dive into the deep end of calculus. She already thoroughly understood the subject better than most professors of mathematics, but it was more fun than algebra because you got to spend a lot of time drawing graphs. What's the problem as Friday. There's someone in terrible trouble said, Pauline, who asked Friday? I don't know. So Pauline then how do you know they're in terrible trouble last Friday? Because I hear them calling for help said Pauline. Okay. So Friday we're going to have to swap to a narrative discourse. The Socratic method is clearly not telling me what I need to know here. Excuse me said, Pauline, I'm a maths genius. I don't understand your linguistic references. Tell me your story then said Friday. My questions aren't helping me understand the last three nights I've been woken up by a voice said Pauline in your head asked Melanie stirring from her nap. I hate it when they get noisy. No in the roof said, Pauline, okay. That's even stranger said Friday, are you sure? It's not just a possum or a rat? People often tell themselves the noise in the roof is a possum, but that's only because they don't want to think it's a large rat. No, it's a person said, Pauline, the voice speaks to me. Clearly. It says, help me help me. I'm in the attic. That's very specific set Friday. The voices in my head, usually just tell me to get up and go to the bathroom said, Melanie, so what do you do as Friday? I try to help them. Of course at Pauline that's very kind of, you said Melanie kindness has nothing to do with it said, Pauline, I need my rest. If I'm going to function efficiently, complying with a request is the most logical way to get the voice to shut up. Do you call for the dorm tutor? Ask Friday? No, she's not nice said Pauline. If you disturb her between the hours of 8:00 PM and 8:00 AM she makes you do 50 pushups. Ooh, I would have tried. Earplugs said, Melanie, you wouldn't have woken up for some voice in the first place said Friday. True agreed Melanie. Not unless it was accompanied by a bucket of water and flashing bright lights. So we went to investigate Pauline turned and back into her roommates in Warcraft who joined them. Sienna has a flashlight. We went down the corridor to the attic stairs, climbed up and had a look. What did you find us Friday had your dorm do to lock someone in the roof? Asked Melanie no said Pauline. We found absolutely nothing. Then what did you do last Friday? We went back down to a room and went back to sleep, said Pauline. And the voice had stopped, said Friday. Yes, there was no more noise from the attic said Pauline until last night when it started again, what did it say last Friday? The same thing, help me help me. I'm in the attics of bullying. But again, when we went upstairs, there was nothing to see, except for lots of gross cobwebs added Sienna and stinky mold intriguing said Friday, Melanie, we're going to have a nocturnal escapade. Oh dear said, Melanie, this is going to involve me getting less than my usual eight hour sleep. Isn't it. I doubt it's a Friday. Since he managed to nap for up to four hours a day, you could spend an hour investigate in the attic with me and still be ahead by three hours that night, Friday, Melanie bedded down on Pauline and Sienna's floor. They didn't own sleeping bags because they were concerned. That type of thing might lead to being forced to go camping. So they simply lay on the carpet with their quilts and pillows. Once they moved the floor lamp over by the desk and Pauline's extensive collection of math textbooks into the wardrobe, there was plenty of room. Melanie of course went straight to sleep. Friday's brain always took a little longer to wind down. She was 892 digits into recite in pie before her brain finally clocked off Friday was having a delightful dream where the truth about the universal theory of space and time was about to be revealed to her. When she heard a boy's voice saying help me help me. At first Friday's brain thought it was a theoretical physicist asking for advice on an equation, but then her brain rejected that thesis. When it realized that this voice was the voice in the attic, help me please. I'm in the attic, wailed the voice. Melanie, did you hear that as Friday? Melanie had not. She was so deeply submerged in sleep, but Pauline and Sienna were awake. They had their flashlights ready and were getting out of bed Friday, put on her own night vision goggles, a gift from a Navy seal soldier who she cheated in trigonometry. There's a surprising amount of trigonometry and being a sniper. Melanie wake up said Friday, shaking her friend. There's no time said Paula and grabbing Friday by the arm. We've got to help him. The three girls ran down the cartel, the attic stairs. This way said Sienna. One of the doors locked us Friday. Not a problem. Set Sienna. I stuck a whole packet of chewed, chewing gum in there. So no one could lock it. Chewing gum is against the school rules said Friday. You can't prove it was. Mine said Sienna. It's in the lock. Not in my mouth. One of the headmaster had the chewing gum DNA test. It said Friday princess Ingrid would be in a lot of trouble. Then said Sienna. What's a Friday. I didn't say I was the one who chew. The gum said Sienna. The girls burst through the door and ran up. The attic stairs. Friday was panting hard. This was the furthest she'd run since a PE lesson where the teacher turned her back and Friday dashed back to the change rooms to hide. They could still hear the voice. Help me, help me. It cried. Finally, they reached the top of the stairs. The attic was a large cavernous room, like a huge triangular tube. They could stand easily in the middle, but the roof sloped down to the sides of the building. There was no proper flooring under foot. The timber framework had been filled in with insulation. Batts. Be careful. Again, you've got to step on the beams. If you put a foot on the insulation, it's only supported by the plaster ceiling below. Yes. Your foot will go right through added Pauline. So where is your room as Friday? The voice had fallen silent about halfway down on the right side. Pauline, the girls started carefully leaping from beam to beam to get to the spot directly above their dorm room. The attic was very dark and there were cobwebs and mysterious droppings everywhere. Friday was not a superstitious person, but everything about this big empty uncomfortable room was creepy. Her census was screaming at her to go back. This is the spot said, Pauline, stopping on a beam about halfway down. I marked where our room was with a piece of chalk. She Shaun her flashlight on the beam and he was marked in white chalk. Pauline said Friday. I don't suppose there's any chance that you sleep, walk and go around marking things with chalk when you're fast asleep. No. Why as Pauline, take a look at the other beam set Friday, Pauline raised a flashlight to scan the long row of beams along the rest of the attic, screamed Pauline and Sienna identical. E's had been written on the same spot on every beam in the room. It's a ghost exclaimed Sienna. I'm being punished for taking glucose tablets as a study aid weapon, Pauline get a grip said Friday. I don't for a moment. Believe it's slapping is a medically sound treatment for hysteria, but I'm prepared to try it because I can see that slapping would be a therapeutic benefit to the person having to enjoy listening to hysteria, Polina and Sianna, calm down a little bit just because we're standing in an unpleasant attic in the dark, in the middle of the night, surrounded by spider webs, animal droppings. And goodness knows how many rodents does not mean that the rules of common sense no longer apply said Friday. We are perfectly safe here. Unfortunately, Friday emphasized her point by stomping her foot. She missed the beam and a foot slid down the side of an insulation bat and punched through the plaster underneath cried Friday. She fell her leg disappearing through the floor, into the room below screen Pauline and Sienna who despite Friday stern speech were perfectly prepared. Believe that the ghost had chopped rider's leg off. Oh, create a voice from below. It was Melanie Friday. Is that you? I can't believe there'd be two students at this school. Where in periodic table pajama trousers. Yes, it is me said Friday, struggling to pull her leg back up into the attic. Why is your leg dangling down from the ceiling? Melanie asked her voice muffled by the plastic insulation between them. And why did you stop a piece of plasticine lean onto my head? Sorry said Friday. It was an accident. We're in the attic investigating the voices. Is it? You then ask Melanie what as Friday, while you're in the attic reason. Melanie and I can hear your voice. No, ah, Friday finally managed to pull her leg back up. She turned around and crashed down so she could see Melanie through the rather large hole her leg had created were investigated. The other voice, the one that's been calling help me, help me. Sorry about the plaster. It was pretty dark down in Pauline and Sienna's room, but Friday I could still see the large pieces of plaster scattered all over Melanie. And again, his reading lab had been knocked over her to Melanie. Didn't like being woken up at the best of times, but to be woken up like this would be unpleasant for anybody that's all right. So Melanie, it doesn't hurt too much. I think my nose broke it's fall. I've got one more thing to search. What up here said Friday, then we'll be down. She turned to Pauline and Sienna. Well, I know what happened. It's just a question of finding the evidence and confronting the guilty party. Friday, crashed down again and started pulling up one insulation bat after another and looking underneath. What are you looking for as Pauline Friday pulled a small black box from under a water insulation. What is it? Ask Pauline a wireless speaker said Friday, someone has been using this to broadcast cries of help directly above your dorm room. Why would they want to do that? Ask Pauline, were they planning to lure us up here and lock us in the Attica? Some kind of prank. Our Sienna knows that Friday, their motives were the precise reverse. It's not that they want to do up here is because they wanted you out of your room. Why ask Pauline think about it. So Friday, what motive would someone have for breaking into your room specifically? I don't know, said Pauline. That's the problem with working so hard to be a math genius, but not focusing on your lateral. Thinking said Friday, shaking her head. It's because you're the best math student in the year in the whole school said, Pauline, I wouldn't go that far. So Friday I'm only in year seven. I haven't had the opportunity to flex my mathematical muscles yet, but I digress in your room each night. It's one object of particular value. Your answers to your maths homework. They'd be tempting to a less able student ambitious for higher marks. So they came up with this crazy scheme to get us to come up into the attic, sit polling. That's just silly. It's ingenious at Friday. As soon as they saw you disappear up the staircase, they could enter your room. You left your door unlocked because you're wearing pajamas. They have no pockets and it's dark. So he didn't want to take your key while they're in your room, searching for your homework, they can hear your footsteps on the beams above. So they know exactly where you and when you were returning. So they had the time to make their escape. Still sounds crazy said, Pauline, but we have further evidence that Friday you're reading lamp. When I looked down through the hole, it was lying across Melanie. When we left your room, the lamp was over by the desk. So the plaster from the roof couldn't have made it fall. A person must have knocked it over in the panic. Wouldn't Melanie have noticed if there was someone creeping about the room, our Sienna, I doubt it said Friday. I once accidentally generated a Sonic boom in our dorm room while Melanie was napping. And she didn't notice that. So I doubt you would notice a person trying to be quiet. Come on, let's check out your room. When they got back down to the dorm room Friday, didn't let Pauline in Sienna enter right away. She didn't let Melanie move either. This suited Melanie, she used the opportunity to go back to sleep. Friday closely inspected the dust debris from the plastic collapse. What can plaster dust tell you about someone stealing my homework? Ask Pauline. It tells me that there was only one intruder said Friday. He was a boy with size 12 feet from the length of his stride. He was about six foot two. Can you really see his footprints as Pauline just looks like dust to me? Yes. His sweaty feet pick up the dust. As he ran out of the room said Friday, you can see he was standing over by the desk when the roof partially collapsed because his aerial outline has been stenciled in the dust. That just looked like a less dusty patch on the carpet said Sienna. And that's exactly what it is said Friday. Let's see what he was looking at. The three girls walked across the debris to the desk. Pauline's Matt's homework was laying face up in the center. It consisted of three 84 sheets of paper covered in equations. Is this the way you left your homework as Friday? No said Pauline. It was put away in my homework folder. He can't have been photographing your homeworks at Friday. Thanks to princess Ingrid. The headmaster has been extra ruthless in making sure that no one has a camera on campus and he wouldn't have had time to copy it all out by hand. So what was he doing? I was polling. My guess is he brought his own homework in here and checked it against your set Friday. If he had any errors, he could have quickly made the corrections. She bent down and picked up something from the floor. Is this yours Friday held up a lead pencil that had been thoroughly chewed on one end gross. I would never do a pencil. Simple lame. Think of all the chemicals in the paint. It's not mine either said Sienna. I only use mechanical pencils. I had a nasty accident with a pencil sharpeners, a small child, Friday closely inspected the chewed and the pencil from the evidence we have so far, we can conclude that you were tricked into going upstairs by a very tall boy with a crooked left incisor and a nervous temperament who is good at math, but who desperately wants to be better? Does that sound like anyone? You know? Well, yes, Michael cath, God said Pauline Hayes. Her maths nemesis explained Sienna for four years. We've competed against each other for the position of top in mass set Pauline. But over the last six months, he's dropped behind Michael struggled to grasp on the fundamental principles of calculus. We'll have to talk to him, then said Friday, Melanie yawned and opened eyes. I just had a dream about Michael CAFCA. He was standing over me reading a sheet of paper. Then a lead came through the ceiling and he ran away. Dreams are always so silly. Aren't they? In this case it appears reality is even sillier said, Friday, let's go and knock on his door. We know he's awake. The girls trooped downstairs for the dramatic confrontation. Friday was just about to knock on Michael's door. When they heard a commotion dead. Can it get full setter? Y'all the girl Friday leaned in close to the door. That's not Michael it's coming from over here, said Melanie. They all turned and looked at the door on the other side of the corridor. Oh, that's the body guards room at Pauline. Really? Mr. Ross, most lives here. That's a coincidence that Friday, but who's yelling at him, asked Melanie who totally Gilda go. She's yelling in a weaken. It must be princess. Ingrid said Friday, suddenly the door burst open. And Debbie stepped out, slamming the door behind her. She was wearing a large bulky dressing gown, which mean buttoned up right to a chin. Debbie was flushed in the face, but her cheeks grew redder. When she saw how many people were standing in the corridor. I didn't know. You speak Norwegian said Friday. I speak Danish to Debbie. It's very similar. And why were you yelling at Ross last Friday? And in the middle of the night asked Melanie don't. You know how important it is to get a full eight hours of sleep? I can't say so. Debbie it's to do with the princess and how she behaves. She's been an enormous pain and you're tired of sharing a room with her. Aren't you guess? Melanie a door opened behind them. They all turned to see Michael cath, God peering out from the crack. You know, don't you, he asked guiltily, let's discuss this in your room, said Friday, pushing her way in the other girls followed. Debbie used this opportunity to scurry away. Michael broke down and majorly went Friday, confronted him with the facts. I admitted it was me. I'm so sorry. He said Michael, I put the speaker in the attic above your room. And when you marked an E on the beam, I made the same Mark on every bank to make it harder for you to find the speaker. But why ask Pauline? You're still the second best student in mathematics. Isn't that good enough? My father was so proud when I taught maths last year. Explain Michael. He boasted about it to his friends. He must have very boring. Friends said Friday. He does. He's an accountant said, Michael. Anyway, he promised to give me a thousand dollars. If I did it again. Wow. Said, Pauline, my parents are super ambitious, but they would never do that. I don't have to be. He said, Michael, I just have to come equal top. I was getting most of the answers right by myself, but there was always one or two that I struggled with. A thousand dollars is a lot of money. I just couldn't resist the temptation to cheat shame on. You said Friday, what would[inaudible] say, you're going to tell the headmaster asked Michael. Well, that's up to Pauline said Friday, she's the client. Let me get this straight said, Pauline, if you get the same Mark as me in maths and we are equal top, you get a thousand dollars. That's right. So Michael, then let's split money said, Pauline, if you promise to share the thousand dollars, I'll go have your homework with you every night and show you how to fix up any errors. Do you explain Michael putting out his hand Pauline shook it. I love it. When a story ends happily with a mutually beneficial, morally bankrupt collaboration said Melanie. And so the case was solved. The end, Sorry. I should have said before. I started reading that story, that this is from the book Friday Barnes, big trouble. And the story that weave through that whole book is all about princess Ingrid, who is a princess from Norway who comes to study at Friday's school, which is based on in real life, Prince Charles of England, when he was a teenager, he actually came and studied at a school in Victoria, in Australia. So that's where I got that idea from. So if you're wondering what the mentions of princess Ingrid were in that story, that's to do with the whole major plot that runs through the whole book, but it kind of doesn't matter to the one story within that chapter. So I hope you enjoyed it anyway. Anyway, thank you for listening to support this podcast just by a book by me, RA spread. There's lots to choose from, from across the Friday barns, nanny Piggins and pesky kids series. And of course now there's the audio book of the adventures of nanny Piggins too. You can order any of these things through your local bookstore, or you can go to my website, RA sprat.com and click on the book, depository banner. They have all my titles and they've got free international shipping. Okay. That's it for me until next time. Goodbye.