Johnny Mackintosh and the Spirit of London Read Online Free

into any more trouble.” Johnny nodded. His social worker must have recognized the “no entry” sign Johnny had unscrewed from a locked door in the bowels of Halader House for a dare. Miss Harutunian fixed Johnny with a firm stare before leaving the room. At least it didn’t seem she’d spotted Bentley underneath the bed. The Old English sheepdog was meant to sleep in a little kennel in the yard behind Halader House, but he hardly ever ended up doing that.
    Johnny changed into his pajamas and sat down on the bed, sipping his hot chocolate. He always left the curtains open so he could lie on his bed and look out. There was a streetlight down below outside, but it had stopped working a couple of days after he’d moved into this room, so he could gaze at the stars all he wanted. Cassiopeia was clearly visible, dominating the heavens. Johnny smiled. Unusually for a boy of his age, particularly such a fair one, he didn’t have any freckles to speak of except on his left arm, just below his elbow, where five little brown dots mirrored the wonky “W” he was now looking at. He always liked looking at Cassiopeia. He yawned—this time it was for real. He was really tired and hated the thought of getting up so early on a Saturday morning. Even so, he tried to think about the signal and what it might mean. Would he ever find it again and, if he did, how could he get a proper fix next time? He pictured himself in New York being presented with a medal by the Secretary General of the United Nations—the first person onEarth to find clear evidence of extraterrestrial life.
    The thoughts eventually switched to his mum and the trip to St. Catharine’s tomorrow. He didn’t know what he’d say to her, but as she never reacted it probably didn’t matter. Bentley barked and Johnny came to with a start, nearly spilling the drink which was now cold. The Old English sheepdog had climbed onto the bed and was staring out of the window into the blackness. Johnny put his face to the cold glass and peered outside. And then he saw it—or did he? An insect’s head bigger than his own, staring back at him. Before he could really be sure, the window had fogged up with his hot breath on the glass. Frantically he wiped it dry with the sleeve of his pajama top, but when he looked again there was nothing there.
    Johnny looked at the alarm clock by his bed—it was much later than he’d thought. Just then the Moon emerged from behind a cloud, before another obscured it a few seconds later, the eerie silhouette backlit by a silvery glow. That must have been it. He’d been half asleep and had seen a strangely shaped cloud outside the window. It was a trick of the light—his mind had put two and two together and made lots. He got into bed properly, with Bentley’s heavy frame on top of the duvet. Johnny put his head onto the pillow and closed his eyes, but it was a very long time before he went off to sleep.

2
ST CATHARINE’S HOSPITAL FOR THE CRIMINALLY INSANE
    Breakfast hadn’t been good. Johnny hated getting up in the morning, especially so early, and arrived late in the Halader House dining room on the ground floor. By the time he was there all the bacon sandwiches had gone, leaving him to go without or accept the thick, cold porridge a sneering Mr. Wilkins had slopped into his bowl. Now, as he sat on the 08:33 from Castle Dudbury to London Liverpool Street station, it felt as though the porridge had turned to concrete in his stomach.
    Johnny had partly got his own back—Mr. Wilkins was most unhappy that Bentley had been allowed onto the train. In fact, the cook had asked several members of the railway company staff to see if any of them had heard of rules to prevent dogs traveling but, much to his disappointment, there were none. Everyone from Halader House seemed to be on board with Mrs. Irvine, resplendent in a tartan coat, leading the outing. They’d taken