He ran back indoors. Leaping on the table, he began dabbing his paw at the moth. "Rrrowwrrr, soon catch mopfly!"
The.big dog nodded. "That's the stuff, Horatio. You catch the mopfly and have a midnight snack. See you later.
Hmph, mopfly indeed—you'll soon have me as dotty as y'self!"
Ben locked the kitchen door, staring curiously at his friend. "What was all that about?"
Ned passed him a despairing glance. "Mopflies. You wouldn't understand. Come on, our friends'll be waiting."
Amid the dark night shadows Wilf Smithers and his gang stood in the alley alongside Evans Tea Shoppe.
Regina took out a fob watch, which she had received for her birthday, and consulted it. "Nearly ten minutes to
midnight, he should be here by now."
A thin, nervous-looking boy named Archie gnawed his thumbnail. "I don't think he's comin', hadn't we better go
home? My mum and dad don't know I sneaked out."
Wilf grabbed him by the earlobe, tugging him up onto his toes. "Scared stiff, that's your trouble, Archie. Well
go on, then, run back home quick. But you won't be in this gang anymore if you do!"
Tommo pulled a face at Archie. "Beat it back home. Who needs you, you skinny little worm!"
Wilf let go of Archie and turned his contempt on the fat boy. "Who asked you, puddenface, you look twice as
scared as he does!"
"Oh, I don't know, he probably looks about one and a half times as scared as poor Archie, right, Tommo?"
Wilf almost jumped with fright as the blue-eyed boy emerged from the shadows. He recovered himself quickly
and snarled. "How did you get here?"
As the black Lab and Amy and Alex materialized out of the darkness, Ben smiled. "Same way you did, of
course. How's the hand, still sore?"
Wilf smiled thinly back at his foe. "Forget my hand. You're here because you cheated me at that fight. But you
won't dodge your way out of this one. I'll bet that you're a sniveling coward, and too scared to take a dare, aren't you?"
Ben shrugged. "Why should I take a dare?" Regina called out scornfully from behind Wilf. " 'Cos if you don't, then
we'll all know you're a coward!" Alex answered her, "Ben's no coward!" She sneered at him. "Oh shuttup,
Alexandra!" Amy blazed at the bigger girl. "And you shuttup, you great bully!"
Ben placed himself between them. "No need for all this name-calling. I'll take your dare, Wilf, providing it's not
something stupid, like jumping off the church roof and landing on my head, or punching the school wall with my bare
hand."
There were one or two sniggers from the gang. Wilf silenced them with a glare before turning back. "It's
nothing like that. There's nothing daft about this dare, so, will you take it?" Ben flicked the hair from his eyes. "Go on
then, what is it?" Wilf took the fob watch from Regina and glanced at it. "Two minutes to go. Right on the stroke of
midnight, you will go into the almshouse where the Mad Professor lives. Alone. We'll wait outside to see that you do.
Well, will you do it?" The boy appeared to hesitate and backed off slightly. Wilf grinned wolfishly. "Hah, you're
scared!" Ben sounded unsure of himself. "No I'm not, I, er, I just have my reasons for not wanting to go into the
almshouse."
Regina pointed her finger at him. "Coward! Coward!"
Alex placed himself in front of his friend. He looked pale and his knees were shaking as he spoke in a voice
barely above a whisper. "Leave him alone, Ben's already proved he's no coward. I'll take the dare from him, I'll do it."
Wilf stared at him scornfully. "You? Hahaha, I can hear your knees knocking like clappers. D'you mean to tell
me you're taking a dare to go into that place?"
The young boy clenched his fists until the knuckles showed white. He swallowed hard and nodded his head.
Wilf curled both hands, like claws, advancing on Alex, eyes wide, his voice in a mock horrified tone. "Who
knows what you'll find inside that old almshouse, little boy. Spiders, cobwebs, rats, ancient ghosts ... and the
madman!"
A few of the gang giggled and shuddered with nervous anticipation. Somebody even gave a hollow ghostly
whoop. Wilf silenced them with a glare before turning back to his victim.
"Ah yes, the great, bearded madman. He's got a big shotgun, you know. But I don't suppose he'd use it on a little
shrimp like you. Oh no, I'll bet he's got butcher's knives and hooks and a hangman's noose, all ready for young boys
called Alex who come knocking on his door at midnight, when it's pitch dark!"
Ben grasped his friend's arm, there was a note of frightened pleading in his voice. "Don't do it, Alex, he dared
me... I'll go!"
But Wilf had different ideas, he pulled the towheaded lad away from his young companion. The bully was
enjoying tormenting Alex. "Oh, no you don't, you've already proved yourself a coward by refusing the dare. I'm going
to let him go and get murdered. He wants to take on your dare, don't you, Alexandra?"
Amy was about to stand up in her brother's defense, when Ben warned her off with a glance and Alex replied.
"I'll go. But if I do, are you willing to take on a dare in return? That's fair enough, isn't it? Dare for dare?"
A ready murmur of agreement came from the gang: It sounded good enough to them. Wilf was their leader, he
was a big, strong lad, nobody had ever questioned his courage.
Wilf realized he would lose face if he refused in front of his own gang. Fancy backing down from a mousy little
runt like Alex Somers! Wilf sneered. "All right then, but like your pal said, provided it's nothing stupid, I'll take your
dare. What is it, jellylegs?"
There was laughter and approval from the Grange Gang. Wilf swelled his chest and grinned to show them he
was fearless.
The younger boy drew in a deep breath, as if gathering his courage. "The dare is this. If I'm in the almshouse
more than two minutes, you've got to come in and get me out."
Regina spoke out scornfully. "Huh, anything you can do, Wilf can do as well. If you're not scared, he certainly
isn't!"
More murmurs of approval arose from the gang: They had every confidence in their leader. Unfortunately Wilf
did not share their belief. He found himself wishing he had not started the whole business of silly dares.
Ben interrupted his thoughts. "It's almost midnight. Shouldn't we all get over to the almshouse?"
Regina cast him a wilting glance. "We? You and your dog can do what you like. Coward!"
The Labrador shot his master a thought. "Shall I nip her ankle?"
The boy patted his faithful friend. "No need to, things are working out quite nicely, pal. Alex is a great actor."
They crouched to one side of the rickety iron gate behind a lilac that grew over the fence. Regina looked at her
watch. "It's turned twelve. Get moving, you!"
The young boy opened the gate and crept hesitantly toward the door of the almshouse. There was a titter from
the gang as Regina called out in a loud whisper. "Go on, he won't eat you, I don't think!"
Reaching the almshouse door, Alex paused, then raising his hand, he knocked faintly twice.
The door flew open and there was Jon, looking like something out of a nightmare. He had a blanket wrapped
about his shoulders like a flowing cloak, flour on his face, lampblack underneath his eyes, and two Brazil nuts
hanging down from his upper lip like fangs. Laughing madly, he grabbed Alex and pulled him inside, slamming the
door shut. The effect was startling. Led by Wilf and Regina, the Grange Gang fled screaming across the square. Ned