The Sword In the Grotto
THE BROOM CLOSET
The next morning Aunt Tabby yelled up to our Saturday bedroom, "Uncle Drac's back from the hospital. Two broken legs, nothing to worry about. " I jumped out of bed and looked through the small trapdoor. Aunt Tabby was standing at the bottom of the rope ladder in the corri- dor below.
"Two broken legs?" I said. "But that's awful, Aunt Tabby. " "Better than having three, dear, " she said briskly. "Drac's resting in the broom closet. I want both of you to be very quiet this morn- ing and leave him in peace. " Wanda sat up in bed with her hair sticking up like it always does. "Why is he in the broom closet?" she asked. "Shouldn't he be in bed?" "Uncle Drac doesn't have a bed, silly, " I told her. "He sleeps in his sleeping bag in the bat turret. " "Why?" asked Wanda, rubbing her eyes. "I don't know. Because he likes being with his bats, I suppose. Come on, let's go and see him. "
"It is not ridiculous, " Uncle Drac growled. "I always deliver it at night. I've been doing it Q for years. That's when Old Morris expects it, and that's when the mushrooms like it. " "How can you possibly know what mush- rooms like?" Barry asked. "I understand mushrooms, " said Uncle Drac. "Me and mushrooms have a lot in com- mon. We both like dark and peace and quiet. Now go away, close the door, and leave me alone. " Barry stomped out of the broom closet and nearly trod on one of his frogs. "I wouldn't go in there, " he said to us. "He's in a really bad mood. Would anyone like to take a trip to the mushroom farm? I could use some help. " He scooped up his frogs and put them in his pocket.
"I'll come, Dad, " said Wanda, and she ran off without even bothering to see how Uncle Drac was. I pushed open the door to the broom closet and peered in. It was really dark and gloomy in there. Aunt Tabby had put a blanket over the tiny window to keep the light out, as Uncle Drac doesn't like daylight very much. I slipped into the closet and closed the door behind me. All I could see were Uncle Drac's two white plaster casts propped up on a footstool, but Uncle Drac, who can see really well in the dark said, "Hello, Minty. You can put the light on if you like. I may as well get on with my knitting. " "Knitting, Uncle Drac?" I was a bit shocked. I didn't know Uncle Drac liked knitting. "Knitting stops people from moaning-- according to Tabby, " Uncle Drac said gloomily. He waved a pair of knitting needles and a ball of green yarn at me. "I'd watch it if I were you, Minty. One moan, and she'll have you knitting a scarf too. " I looked at the green muddle of wool on Uncle Drac's knitting needles. "Is that a scarf, Uncle Drac?" I asked. "Of course it's a scarf. Can't you tell?" And then he said, "Minty, would you do me a favor?"
A pair of pointy metal feet were sticking out from underneath a pile of coats--I had found out where Sir Horace was hiding! I decided not to say any- thing to Sir Horace, as I didn't want him to disappear again. I figured if he thought that no one knew where he was, he would stay put. I left Uncle Drac to his knitting and went to find Big Bat. I didn't want to go and find Big Bat, as I am not that keen on squashed bats myself, and Big Bat would be an awful lot of squashed bat. But I knew that, knitting or not, Uncle Drac would keep asking me about it until I did.
When I got down to the bat poo hatch, I found four sacks of bat poo leaning up against the wall--Barry and Wanda were busy get- ting Uncle Drac's delivery ready. Uncle Drac runs Drac's Bats.
You can go in the back if you want to come, " Wanda answered. "You must be joking, " I told her. "Minty, is that you?" I heard Uncle Drac's voice coming from the broom closet. "Minty, have you found Big Bat? Minty?" I opened the back door of the van and jumped in. I soon wished I hadn't. The smell was disgusting.