Ruby and the Tap-Tap Night

Ruby was building a pillow fort. A very tall one. A very safe one.

Then the light clicked off.

Tap-tap. Rustle-rustle.

Ruby pulled her blanket up to her nose. “Tap-tap, rustle-rustle, who goes there?”

Tiger did not hide. Tiger’s ears went up like two little triangles. His tail went swish.

TAP! TAP-TAP!

Something was knocking on the window. Something was scratching in the garden.

And Tiger was walking straight towards it.

“Tiger, come back!” whispered Ruby.

Tiger jumped onto the windowsill and looked back at her, as if to say, Well? Are you coming?

Ruby grabbed her yellow torch. Her knees were wobbly. But Tiger was brave enough for two.

Ruby tiptoed closer. Tap-tap. Rustle-rustle.

“Tap-tap, rustle-rustle, who goes there?”

She yanked the curtain open – and a long bony finger scraped the glass!

Ruby squeaked. Tiger squeaked. Ruby’s torch flew up and bonked her on the head.

Ruby rubbed her head and switched on the torch.

The bony finger wasn’t a finger at all. It was the apple tree’s skinny branch, waving hello in the wind.

Tiger batted it through the glass. Pat. Pat. Pat.

“Silly branch,” giggled Ruby.

But then – WHOOOOO! A ghostly howl swirled round the house, and the curtains puffed up like a big blue tummy.

“Tap-tap, rustle-rustle, who goes there?” Ruby gulped.

Tiger dived under the curtain to catch the ghost.

The curtain wriggled. It wobbled. It went “Mrrrow!”

Out tumbled Tiger, wrapped up like a fluffy ginger sausage roll.

Ruby peeked through the open crack. Cool air tickled her nose.

“It’s only the wind!” she laughed. Then – scritch-scratch-snuffle. From the garden.

Ruby knelt on the windowsill. The garden was huge and dark and full of shadows.

“Tap-tap, rustle-rustle, who goes there?” she whispered.

The snuffling stopped. The dark held its breath.

Ruby’s finger hovered over her torch.

Click! The beam swooped across the lawn – over a flowerpot, a wellington boot, a sleepy snail.

Nothing.

Tiger’s eyes went big and round. He was staring at the flowerpot.

And the flowerpot… was walking.

Ruby’s heart went thumpety-thump. She wanted to dive back into her fort.

But she took a big breath, held the torch steady, and shone it gently, gently on the pot.

Out poked a little pointy nose.

It was a hedgehog! A round, snuffly, spiky little hedgehog, with a leaf stuck on its back like a hat.

It sniffed. It sneaked a beetle. It did a happy waddle.

Ruby clapped. Tiger purred so loudly the glass buzzed.

Ruby climbed back into bed. No fort tonight.

Tap-tap went the branch. Whooo went the wind. Snuffle went the hedgehog.

“Tap-tap, rustle-rustle – I know who’s there,” Ruby yawned.

Tiger curled up on her feet. Goodnight.