Children's Stories
THE GHOST OF ROCKSTONE HALL
The Hall had stood empty for some time, until it was rented by a
family who came from the city.
They were Mr and Mrs Parrot and their three children, Jack, aged
fourteen, and the twins Emma and David, aged twelve. When they entered
the Hall they noticed a picture of a Sea Captain. His name was George
Parrot and he had built the Hall on a cliff near to the sea, so he could
escape. He was a smuggler.
He had made a secret passage that went down under the Hall to a big cave
where he had hidden his ship, from there he could make his escape. Until
one day, as he lay in bed, the peelers came and tried to arrest him. He
fought with them and was killed. They put his body in the sea where the
tide washed it into the cave. No one knew if he had any relatives. They
tried to let the Hall but none would live there for long. They said:
‘The Captain haunts the Hall’. So it stood empty, ‘til now.
Jack asked his father if they were related to the Captain, but his
father said: ‘I don’t know’.
The children started to explore. When they came to the library it felt
very cold. They entered and there stood the figure of the Captain with
his hand on a small carved flower at the right hand side of the
fireplace. He disappeared.
The children ran to where he’d been standing. Jack turned the flower and
a panel opened to reveal a passage. Just then their parents called to
them, so Jack said not to say anything about the passage as they could
come back and explore later.
After a while they went back to the library and there stood Captain
Parrot beckoning them to follow him. Jack turned the flower and they
followed him down the passage until they came to the cave. There was his
ship.
It was starting to rot but still safe for them to go aboard to look
round. They came across a large trunk and when they opened it they found
it full of gold and jewels. Then Emma looked over the side of the ship
and glance down. She screamed! The boys rushed to see why she was
screaming and when they looked down they saw the skeleton of Captain
Parrot. He had led them there so they would find his skeleton.
The children went to look for their father so he could come and see.
Their father went down with them and started to look around; and found
the Captain’s log. In it they found the names of the Captain’s family.
There was the name of Mr Parrot's great-great granddad - Tom.
So they were related to the Captain. Mr Parrot made arrangements for the
remains to be buried. Now the Hall and the treasure they had found was
theirs, being the only relatives of the Captain left.
The passage was sealed up so the children couldn’t go down it again. The
Captain still roams the Hall but the family are very happy to share it
with him. People now come to look for his ghost, but only the family see
him now he has been put to rest.