8
Not Quite What I Expected
The bus turned off the main road, and Edwin saw a large sign in front bearing the same skull emblem as the bus, with the words ‘Schrunkopf Institute of Knowledge’ below. The gleaming sign looked brand new, and Edwin noticed the paint was still wet in places.
The bus passed through a pair of tall iron gates, and then continued down a long straight driveway. Edwin was surprised to see the grounds on either side resembled a wild meadow, with straggly weeds and knotted briars sprouting everywhere.
He put it down to the fact that the Schrunkopf Institute was newly opened, and by the time next term started they’d have hired a groundsman to tidy the place up.
He was still pondering the state of the grounds when he heard Maddy exhale a sudden gasp.
Edwin wondered what might have caused Maddy’s reaction, until he caught sight of the building through the bus windscreen.
Edwin had expected the Institute to be a brand new, state of the art campus. Instead he found himself staring at something from a corny horror movie.
The building was grey and foreboding, with castle-like turrets, a tall stone tower, and dark windows that reminded Edwin of a skull’s empty eye sockets.
“Not quite what I expected,” he murmured. “Thought the Institute was supposed to be new.”
“The Institute is new,” said Maddy. “But the building has been here since early medieval times.”
“How do you know that?” asked Edwin.
“Flying buttresses,” said Maddy.
“I only asked.” Edwin was a little shocked by Maddy’s terse response.
Maddy giggled. “Architectural details, silly. Flying buttresses are a hallmark of Gothic construction. Along with gargoyles.”
“Gargoyles?”
“Mythical monsters carved into the stone work. There they are, can you see them?” Maddy pointed to a pair of stone figures mounted on the roof of the building. They were monstrous beings with scaly bat wings, horned heads, and hideous leering faces.
“Nice,” he breathed. “Kinda makes you feel welcome.”
“They’re just statues,” laughed Maddy. “You might think they’re ugly, but they were all the rage when Maddergrub Manor was built.”
“Maddergrub Manor?”
“That’s what this place used to be called. The Maddergrub family built the house in the late twelfth century, and they lived here for many generations until…”
Maddy’s voice trailed off, and she sat staring into space.
“Until what?” said Edwin.
“Until they left,” replied Maddy, snapping back to her former spritely self. “That must have been nearly eight hundred years ago. The place has been empty since then, until the Schrunkopf Institute acquired the building last year.”
Edwin wondered how Maddy knew so much about the house, but before he could ask any other questions, the coach lurched to a halt.
The children filed out of the bus, and assembled in front of the building.
The more Edwin saw of the Schrunkopf Institute, the less it looked like a school.
The building entrance consisted of a pair of tall wooden doors, studded with rusted ironwork, which looked more suited to a prison than a place of learning.
Edwin’s gaze wandered upwards. The gargoyles seemed to be staring back at him, their hideous features set in scornful snarls.
Edwin shuddered. The sky had darkened to a leaden hue, and thunder rumbled, adding to the sense of eeriness.
“This place gives me the creeps,” he told Maddy.
Maddy chuckled. “It’s just an old building. Or do you believe in ghosts and vampires?”
“Of course I don’t.” Edwin tried to recall whether he had met any ghosts or vampires. Monster spiders, yes. Walking scarecrows, yes. Winged serpents that breathed fire, yes. But no ghosts or vampires…
Yet.
Suddenly there was a creaking noise, followed by a squeal that sent a shiver down Edwin’s spine.
The tall doors opened slowly. Edwin expected to see someone standing behind them, but there was nobody there.
“I suppose we should go inside,” said Maddy. “We don’t want to be late on our first morning.”
Maddy skipped through the doorway, but Edwin didn’t follow. The other children remained outside, swapping nervous glances. It looked as though no one wanted to go in.
There was another peel of thunder, and Edwin felt the first splashes of rain on his face. Suddenly his fear of that foreboding building gave way to greater concern for his painted string wig, and he found himself hurrying through the doorway.
It took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the gloom, and then Edwin was able to discern his surroundings.
He supposed the sight might once have been impressive. Perhaps hundreds of years ago the hallway would have looked grand and spectacular. But now…
The tiles on the floor were cracked and broken, lying like the scattered pieces of an unfinished jigsaw puzzle. The plaster walls were crumbling and blotchy with mould. The high arched ceiling was shrouded with cobwebs. A rusty iron chandelier hung precariously from the apex, its crooked candles casting just enough light to illuminate the grim setting. The air was thick with the smell of antiquity and neglect.
The remaining children shuffled into the building, their nervous gasps and murmurs echoing through the cavernous hallway.
“So what do you think?” Maddy’s bright green head emerged from the gloom beside Edwin.
“Not quite what I expected.” Edwin tried not to inhale too much dust as he spoke.
“Nor me.” Maddy sighed as she surveyed their decrepit surroundings. “I thought it would be bad, but not as bad as this.”
Edwin was going to ask Maddy what she meant when…
“Silence!” A sharp voice punctured the air like a needle.
Edwin turned to see a woman standing behind him.
“Welcome to the Schrunkopf Institute of Knowledge,” said the woman. “I am Madame Voltaria, your Invigilator.”
Despite her words, Edwin thought there was little welcoming about Madame Voltaria.
Her pale, almost translucent skin was stretched tightly over her angular cheekbones like parchment. Her graphite grey hair was piled on top of her head like a coiled wire, with two pins sticking out of the top that resembled a pair of antennae. She wore a long grey dress that looked like it had come from a museum, and a large disc-shaped silver pendant hung from her scrawny neck. And it may have been a trick of the light, but her eyes seemed to pulse with an eerie orange glow.
“You are all very privileged,” continued Madame Voltaria, her red lips like an open wound against her chalk white skin. “You have been selected for induction because you are the most intelligent pupils in your schools.”
There was something about the way she said ‘induction’ that made Edwin feel uneasy.
“Are we going to meet Professor Schrunkopf?” said Maddy, seemingly unfazed by the strange looking lady. “And what does induction involve?”
“You will ask no further questions,” snapped Madame Voltaria.
“But I thought this was supposed to be a place of learning,” argued Maddy. “So how can we learn if we can’t ask questions?”
“I said no more questions!” Madame Voltaria’s zombie eyes burned brighter as she glared at Maddy. “From now on, only the Professor and I will ask questions.”
“I can’t wait to meet the Professor,” said Maddy. “I’m his biggest fan.”
“Me too,” blurted Edwin, who was eager to appear as keen as Maddy.
“It is correct you should hold the Professor in such esteem.” Madame Voltaria’s gaze seemed to burn a little softer, and her red lips twisted into something resembling a smile. “Professor Schrunkopf is a brilliant scientist, a genius with a mind like no other man on earth.”
“But why has he set up this Institute?” said Maddy. “I thought he’d have more serious work to get on with.”
“The Professor believes there is no work more serious than the sharing of knowledge,” said the Invigilator. “And no more worthy subjects to share it with than the youth of the world.”
“I feel very honoured to be here.” Maddy nodded reverently. “I’m just curious why Professor Schrunkopf would give up his work to start a school in England.”
“No more questions!” Madame Voltaria snapped back to her former harsh demeanour. “Anyone asking questions from now on will be immediately expelled. Now you will follow me. Do not touch anything, and do not stray from the main corridor. The Institute will not be held responsible for any accidents which occur if you deviate from the permitted bounds.”
Edwin was puzzled. What sort of accidents could she mean?
Then again, rules were there for a reason. And it would make a nice change to be in a school where rules were taken seriously.
He caught a whiff of mothballs as Madame Voltaria went past, but couldn’t work out whether the smell came from that old grey dress or the person who was wearing it.
And Edwin noticed another odd thing about Madame Voltaria. It was the way she walked. Except she didn’t seem to walk so much as glide. Edwin wondered if she had legs beneath that dress, or was fitted with casters.
The other children obviously shared his unease. They glanced nervously at each other, but no one followed the Invigilator.
“You will hurry.” Madame Voltaria beckoned to the children with a skeletal finger. “You must not be late for the Induction.”
Edwin hesitated, but Maddy grabbed his arm and dragged him along with her. The other children followed, and all were plunged into shadow when the doors to Maddergrub Manor slammed shut behind them.