The
unsmiling waitress appeared and handed her a menu, telling Alice the steak pie
was off, it had all sold out, but the Shepherd’s pie was good. Alice nodded and
asked for that and a cup of tea. The waitress stuck her pencil behind an ear
and wandered off. Alice stared out the big window and watched the lightly
falling snow, then noticed she was being smiled at by two young labourers at
the next table. Both smoking like chimney’s and discussing football and ‘birds'.
[at the time, slang for a young desirable woman or girl] She couldn’t make out
their quiet conversation, but she knew that she was part of it. That didn’t surprise
her: nature had blessed her with an hourglass figure, pretty face and long blond
hair. That was matched by her stunning blue eyes. Oh yes, the boys knew a real
‘classy bird ’ when they saw one. She ignored them.
The
waitress placed a cup of tea down, then a plate with Shepherd’s pie, carrots
and peas. From her apron she produced a knife and fork, then without a word
headed back to the counter. Knowing she was being watched by the indiscrete ‘football’
lads, Alice ate slowly and flicked through her big notebook, checking the seemingly
endless list of tasks ahead. She had been overjoyed at the solicitors' letters
and subsequent visits to his London office. Overnight – on the death of her
great uncle Jerome – she had gone from a dingy rented flat in Brixton, to a
country house in North Yorkshire. The surprise at the legacy had been genuine,
she had never met her generous great uncle and couldn’t even remember her late
parents talking about him. She looked at the café’s door and watched as the big
man came in, shaking snow from his hat. Through the window she could see the
Morris Minor ‘panda’ parked by the entrance. The young policeman had certainly
caught her eye. He was a strapping handsome man with dark wavey hair and deep
dark eyes. Any woman would call him handsome and desirable. He looked really
good in his uniform too.
The
waitress looked up from the counter and really smiled; “Squeeze yourself in
anywhere Tony. Is it your usual?” The big man nodded and pulled off his gloves.
He walked over and sat at the small table, right next to Alice. She smiled as
the ‘football’ lads turned away and picked up their papers, their conversation
now conducted almost in whispers. Alice could smell his gorgeous aftershave and
with a sly sideways glance, his large hands being rubbed together. She almost
blushed when he smiled at her, catching her taking a peek at him. The waitress
appeared and
placed
down two pieces of toast and a cup of tea. She seemed to hesitate before
speaking, “How you holding up Tony? I mean…just asking how you're getting on….you
know after….after Kath.” The young policeman managed a smile and nodded; “I’m
OK Doris, thanks for asking. Life rolls on and you just have to go with it.”
The waitress nodded and gripped her apron, “Well, if there’s anything I can do…you
know, help. Just let me know.” Tony nodded and said, “Thanks Doris, I will.” He
lifted his teacup and took a sip.
He
smiled at Alice, “So, you're moving in today, Miss Albright?” Alice almost
dropped her knife and fork in surprise and Tony chuckled, “I know because we’ve
been keeping an eye on the old place. Mr. Hedges [Alice’s solicitor in York]
informed us you’ll be moving up here today. Your car is absolutely packed with luggage,
and it has a London plate, so I made a guess it was you. There are no tourists arriving
up here in this weather.”
Alice
placed her knife and fork down and smiled; “Well, your correct in your
deductions Sherlock Homes, That’s my car and I’m Alice Albright!” The young
copper chuckled and gestured out the window, “Be careful crossing Hobbs Moor
and make sure you stay on the main road. In this weather, and there’s more to
come, you could get stuck very easily and few people go near Crotchlee House,
even in fine weather.”
Alice
nodded, then a little intrigued, asked why people would avoid the old house.
The policeman didn’t smile, “Of course, your not from around here, so you
wouldn’t know.” Alice leaned forward and asked, ‘what should she know’. The
policeman leaned towards her and dropped his voice; “I hope you're not the
nervous kind Miss Albright, but I’m afraid that Crothlee House had a bit of a reputation
for strange goings on.” Alice was now
really intrigued and asked what sort of ‘goings on’.
Tony
sipped his tea and almost smiled, “Well, since it was built in the 1690’s so I
believe, all sorts of strange things have happened up there. Back before the
war [1939 – 1945] there were several reports of a couple of ghosts haunting the
place. A crying child and a young woman. Then way back last century, a maid was
found murdered in the attics. Then there was your great Uncle’s death. That’s
still being looked at by CID from York City. But I expect Mr. Hedges has told
you all about that.” Alice ran a hand over the face and stared at her food; her
appetite was gone. But shook
her head and asked if he knew what happened to her great uncle. Tony placed his
cup down and didn’t smile. “Blimey, I would have thought old Hedges would have
least told you that the old man was murdered.”
Alice
picked up her teacup and took a couple of sips, her throat had suddenly become
quite dry. “Murdered?” she said quietly and quickly added; “They have caught
the murderer? I mean your people do have him…or her in custody, don’t you?”
Tony shook his head, “No, and when your told the details you’ll understand why.”
Alice finished her tea and already desperately wanted another or something
bloody stronger!
“Why
haven’t they caught anyone officer?” she asked, now a little nervous. Tony
clasped his hands together and lowered his voice and Alice moved her chair
closer to him. “The old man had called us a couple of times in the two weeks
leading up to his death. Said that strange things were happening around the
house. Things being moved around. The strangest and I really do remember this
one, was that he got up and went to the bathroom in the early hours and when he
returned his bed it had been made! Can you believe that: a ghost who makes your
bed. He told Mark Fuller [the desk sergeant] he wouldn’t ever sleep in the damn
thing again. So, he started to sleep downstairs in the living room in a big
chair by the fire. He had the Grey Brothers [local builders] come up and fit locks
to the living room and he practically lived in just that one room and that’s
the real problem about his death. A real problem indeed.”
Alice
took a deep breath; “What – exactly – was the problem?”
Tony
picked up his empty teacup and placed it back down. “When no-one heard from him
and the postman couldn’t get an answer, two lads from the nick broke in and I
mean they had to use a sledgehammer to take down the reinforced living room
door. The Grey brothers had done a superb job on his security. I mean they had
screwed down the windows and everything like that. But on the floor, by the big
bay window lay your poor old uncle with his head staved in. Someone had brutally
battered the poor old soul to death. But of course, it was impossible because
the door’s the only way in the room, the windows were screwed down and
untouched and there is no outside lock on the door, it can only be locked from
the inside. CID even had the chimney checked – in case the killer was really
small – and found it full of undisturbed
soot.
So how the hell – if you pardon my French – did the killer batter the old man
and escape from a sealed room?” He held up his cup and shouted for Doris to
bring a couple more teas. Alice sat back in her chair; her mind was reeling.
Great Uncle Jerome had been brutally murdered and the killer apparently disappeared
from a locked room!
Doris
brought over fresh tea and took away Alice’s plate and dirty cutlery. Alice
really appreciated the hot cup of tea now. Tony tapped his cup with a single
finger and looked a little puzzled; “If that’s not really strange, or frankly
impossible, then there’s the ruddy
– if you pardon my French again – automaton sitting in the old man’s chair. Now
that’s really weird. Why did he have her in the room with him?”
Alice
stared at him; “Automaton? That’s a Victorian toy, isn’t it? And she?” Tony smiled; “A Life-size Victorian toy, as you
say, that’s made up to look like an 18th lady. Apparently, it tells
your fortune by writing on bits of paper when you drop a penny into it’s slot.
Apparently, it’s worth a few bob, so that may be why he moved it into the
living room. You know, if he thought there were burglars targeting the old house.
But it’s still strange if you ask me.”
Alice
finished her tea and stared out at the snow falling. Tony tapped her shoulder
and told her to stay on the main road crossing Hobbs Moor and she should leave
now, while it’s still light. “You really don’t want to be driving across the
moor in the dark and in weather like this. People have literally vanished in
that place, and I mean just vanished. So, take real good care.”
Doris
interrupted the pair by shouting at Tony that he was wanted on the phone. It
was the nick and she chuckled and said they certainly knew where to find him!
Tony rose and smiled at Alice; “I’ll try and stop by. Make sure you arrived OK
and settled in.” Alice thanked him for that and all what he had told her. She
would be certainly having words with Mr. Hedges. She watched the young policeman
depart after his phone call and asked to use the phone herself. She needed to
call Dave and Jeanie.
2. HOBBS MOOR, NORTH YORKSHIRE, 20th
November 1963.
Alice
paid for her meal and tea’s, thanking Doris for the use of the phone to call
her best friends – Dave and Jeanie – who she promised to call when she arrived
in North Turning. She and they had just graduated from London University, with
Alice now holding a degree in Classical History. Dave was looking for a teaching
post in English and Jeanie held her degree in Social Studies: she had already
applied to several councils for a post in Social Services.
Alice
had put her career choices on hold – temporarily - until she sorted her
inheritance out. She didn’t have immediate financial problems after receiving
almost a thousand pounds from her late great uncle’s will. Being his sole beneficiary had shocked her
somewhat: she had never met the man and her late parents had never spoken of
him, not even once, if her memory served her correctly. With her head swimming with the tale imparted
by the handsome young copper, especially the gruesome and bloody mysterious
manner of the old man’s death, Alice braved the fresh snow and slipped into her
car, which thankfully started almost immediately. She pulled from the little
car park and headed for Hobbs Moor: Crotchlee House lay on the edge of the wild
place in splendid isolation, with the nearest neighbour [a certain John Humble
who was a retired sea captain apparently] some eight miles
away. It took several minutes to reach
the sign that indicated the Moor Road and Alice stopped and stared at the sign
as the windscreen wipers slowly brushed snow away. Someone had crudely painted
across it ‘Hell’s Highway!’
She
turned onto the Moor Road and cussed under her breath, night had already
fallen, but a big full moon had appeared and so, Young Miss Alice Albright
headed across the wild and desolate moor, now covered in snow with more
arriving. It was indeed a barren, and if the young copper was right, dangerous
place to be, even in fine weather. The road seemed to rise, and she noted the
‘snow-poles’ erected every half mile to indicate the depth. The snow only
looked about a foot up the poles and now a little nervous, she gripped the
wheel and switched on the radio. It was just static, no matter how she turned
the dial. Cursing some more, she spun the dial and looked up back through the dirty
windscreen. The dark figure bounced off her bonnet and rolled out of sight.
Screaming now, Alice skidded as she applied the brakes and rolled to a stop,
slapping against a ‘snow-pole’ which snapped and came down on her car, causing
the windscreen to shatter and snapping off a wiper. She sat breathing heavily
and managed
to calm herself. She checked her mirrors and finally turned to see nothing
behind her, just more snow coming down. Swearing like a Liverpool docker pissed
on a Saturday night, she pushed open the door and stepped out, shouting into
the snow flurries and creeping darkness. Nothing or no-one answered, just the
wind. She walked back a couple of yards and stared about. Then she realised –
with gathering horror - that the snow lay undisturbed apart from her tyre
tracks which zigzagged wildly, finishing behind her car, whose bonnet was
buried below the ‘snow-pole’ which was now half its original size. Showing real
composure, Alice checked both sides of the road and found no-one, but again,
the snow on both sides of the road apparently lay undisturbed by animal or
human feet. Shaking now a little from the cold and a great deal from fear and
shock, she jumped back in the car and pushed the door lock button down, finding
her hands were trembling and it wasn’t just because they were cold.
Alice
didn’t even know if she had struck a man or an animal. Alice kept looking
around as she tried to start the car which simply refused to start. Now crying
softly, she frantically turned the ignition key several time and only received
a grinding noise in return. The engine wouldn’t start, and she slumped back in
her seat and stared about again. The snow was now coming down in big
flurries and windscreen was already covered, as was the back window. “What the
fuck happened to him….or it?” She asked herself several times and wrapped her
arms around herself: the inside of the car was now growing really cold. Alice
wiped away the tears and tried to think about survival in cold weather. She desperately
tried to remember her ‘Girl Guide’ lesson about surviving in the snow and
cursed herself for not paying attention. Then she remembered her suitcases and
one contained a couple of winter coats and maybe, a woolly hat. She scrambled
into the backseat and managed to open one, pulling a long ‘ladies trench’ coat
from it. That would cover her legs and lower body. She found a big pullover and
soon had that on under her coat, but the best find was in her ‘overnight’ bag:
two ‘Mars’ bars and two packets of plain crisps. [They had a little blue bag of
salt inside, since ready salted crisps were not yet popular!]
Alice
was now back in the front seat, wrapped up and clutching her meagre provisions.
She shuddered a little, the wind now was howling around the cold useless car
and clouds – full of snow – had snuffed out the bright moon. She was really
tired having driven up from London and found herself dozing. She rubbed her hands
and slowly turned and stared out the side window. She sat bolt upright and
gasped a little: across the moor, maybe several hundred yards away where
several figures standing in the snow. Now actually shaking, she just sat and
stared at them. She really couldn’t make out if they were bears or humans, or
something else! They appeared to be wrapped in furs, with the animals head
still attached and they just stood there, motionless, like strange scarecrows
from some old ‘hammer’ horror film. She couldn’t stop the scream coming and let
it out at full blast. That made the young woman outside her window jump a
little, but still smiled, shouting, “Are you alright? Sorry, if I scared you,
but we thought you needed help!” Still shaking Alice just stared past her to an
empty barren moor: the figures – if they did exist – were gone or had been part
of her dream or nightmare. But Alice was out of the car and embracing the woman
like a long-lost mother.
Alex
guided the sobbing Alice towards the big jeep which had Jericho standing by the
open passenger door shouting, “Come on! Get in here and warm up! You look
frozen.” Alice had composed herself and gripped Alex’s arm, she almost ran to
the strange vehicle – strange to her – which had the exhaust pipe, fixed
upright at the rear with a little cap that lifted and fell. Divij – behind the
steering wheel – muttered, “I don’t know how you managed
to get the angel to authorize this. It’s a rare event, I’ll give you that.”
Owen in the rear just chuckled, “Come on sarge, you know the angel has a soft
spot for our mad Inspector!”
[Note: Temporal Detective Sergeant Divij
Singh is currently standing in for Wilson who is on an Inspectors course, having
successfully completed the Inspectors Exam in the hope of achieving promotion
within the expanding Temporal Detectives Department. Divij is a newly promoted
sergeant, having been attached previously to Team 44 as a Detective Constable.
When alive, he had been a high ranking Indian officer in the Bombay Police
whilst still under British Rule in the 1920’s and 1930’s.]
A very relieved Alice slid in next to him and
was joined by Alex who slowly closed the door and smiled, “She was asleep, and
I think I woke her up in the middle of a bad dream.” Alice nodded, feeling the
warmth slowly creeping through her and she managed to blurt out about the
strange accident and the figures in furs and where she was going and why. Divij
turned and gestured to Owens’s bag, “Best break out the flask, we all could so
with some hot coffee. I bet our new guest does!”
Alice
accepted a cup of hot coffee from the smiling young man and sipped it: it was
the best coffee she had ever tasted, to her it was Nectar. Owen fumbled in his
thick coat and produced a hipflask saying, “Whisky?” And Alice nodded
vigorously, saying ‘thank you’ a couple of times. He handed mugs to the others
and topped theirs up with some whisky, well, except Divij of course, who still
didn’t drink alcohol. Jericho smiled at Alice, “That was bleeding lucky, I mean
we asked the nice lady in the café which was the quickest road to Crotchlee House
and she said take the Moor Road and look out for a lone young woman in an old
car!”
Alice
sipped her coffee and realised what the young man had said, she gripped her
cup, “You’re heading to Crotchlee House? That’s incredible; I just inherited
the bloody place!” Jericho rubbed his chin and said softly, “Inherited it? We
were on our way to see Mister Jerome Albright; he’s alright, isn’t he?” Knowing
full well that the old man was long dead, but their cover story had to be
played out. Alice blurted out the story of her surprise inheritance, meeting
the young policeman who told her about the dreadful murder, then the accident
and finally the dream.
Jericho
sat back and sighed, “That’s a bit of bad luck, you see, your great uncle
Jerome had a few problems with the house, and he
spoke to the local vicar – Father Gordon Kite – who referred him to the
Church’s investigation team. They put him in contact with us. But that was a
few weeks ago, we were on another case, so, we only set off today. I’m so sorry
for your loss Miss Albright and I must ask: do you wish us to continue what
your Uncle started, investigating the strange happenings in the old house?”
Alice
gulped down some more hot coffee and a little puzzled, asked if they were
private investigators. Jericho smiled and handed over his card, “Professor
Jericho Tibbs of Rutland University
and these fine people are my team. We investigate supernatural and paranormal
incidents, we’re authorized by the Holy Roman Church, the Anglicans Church, the
Jewish and Muslim Councils and most local councils to look into strange
incidents that can’t be explained by the police. Colloquially – and I hate the
term – we’re known as ‘Ghostbusters!”
Owen
had to giggle at that and received a dirty look from Divij who just sighed.
Alice just stared at him and managed to say, “Supernatural? I don’t understand,
did my great uncle have problems with a bloody ghost?” Alex gripped her arm and
smiled, “Apparently your late great uncle had some real problems in the house
with restless spirits, probably a poltergeist. It was moving things around and
all sorts!”
Alice
groaned, “Ghosts, poltergeists….what the bloody hell have I inherited!” Jericho
gave her a reassuring smile and said quietly, “Don’t worry Miss Albright, may I
call you Alice? That’s what we’re here for.” She just stared at each one in
turn and sighed. It was not a very good trip so far and her dingy little flat
in Brixton now seemed like a holiday home.
Owen
pulled his coat around and buttoned it up, “I’ll get your luggage.” He said and
stepped out, walking quickly to the car with Alice shouting ‘Thank you!” after
him. He pulled open the rear door and grabbed the suitcases and stared about
the moor, their mirrors had already warned the temporal detectives about
several lost souls that inhabited the place. He walked back to the jeep,
glancing about, but the snow had hidden the uncollected dead from sight.
Alice
agreed that the team should take a look at the house and cautiously
asked how much it would cost. Jericho now smiled, “That’s the best bit Alice,
our services are free! The university pays us anyway, so we don’t charge, but
some grateful clients drop us a tip. Usually bloody whisky or brandy! The rest
of the team should arrive tomorrow. The snow shouldn’t stop them; they’re
driving an ex-army lorry that can get through anything. They’ll bring our
equipment. All you have to do is put up with our company for a few days and
nights.” She smiled at that, really
smiled. She would welcome their company if they just escaped from the local
loony bin!
Owen
placed her luggage in the rear and climbed back in, staring back
at the car. The police would find the vagrants body stuffed under the engine
when they remove the vehicle, but his soul had already been collected and
processed, jumping – hopefully – to a much better and fulfilled life. He smiled
at the relieved looking Alice, having her coffee cup topped up by Alex. The old
man had desperately tried to stop the car; he was freezing to death and knew
it. But Alice was too busy trying to find some music or a weather report to see
him in time. That was how life goes sometimes: today was his ‘Dispatch’ date
and he would have died, no matter what he did to try and stay alive.
Divij
pulled away and headed for Crotchlee House, thinking he would be a lot happier
when the rest of the ‘team’ turned up. This mission could go either way: be
quick and easy or hard and bloody dangerous!
3. CROTCHLEE HOUSE, NORTH TURNING, YORKSHIRE, 21st
November 1963.
Alice
slipped from her bed and held her head, it ached a little and she put it down
to the whisky she had consumed with her guests: the bloody Ghostbusters! But
they had been fantastic [and really welcome]
company in the creepy old house. She ran a bath and soaked for a good twenty
minutes before dressing warmly, fixing what little make-up she wore and headed
down to the kitchen. She could smell cooking! She found young Owen frying eggs
and bacon and he grinned, gesturing to the table, “Grab a seat, I bet you slept
well and don’t worry, Alex put you to bed!” Alice just smiled and sat down,
groaning a little inside, she had fallen asleep and had to be put to bed? She
again blamed the whisky.
Owen
handed her two pieces of toast and the butter tray. She poured
some tea from the big black pot that hid under a bright red cosy and sat back.
“The others are already up, we started in the attics and the professor thinks
he’s onto something already. But it’s that incredible workshop that has him
excited. Says there are old toys there worth a fortune. Did your uncle collect
old fashioned toys?” Alice muttered she didn’t know, she had never met the man
or really, knew anything about him. She didn’t even know that there was a
bloody workshop in the house or grounds. She didn’t notice that revelation
really interested the young man who stuck his head through the kitchen door and
shouted, “It’s up!” He grinned, “I mean the breakfast Alice, I would never call
a lovely young lady like you an it!” That made her chuckle and feel better,
and she liked this cheerful, polite, and frankly, charming young man.
Alex
was first through the door and accepted a plate of messy scrambled eggs on
toast and sat down. Alice said good morning and was about to thank her for
assistance last night, but Alex asked if she could accompany her, when she
looked around her new home. Alice readily agreed to that, she really didn’t
fancy wandering around the place alone. Jericho and Divij came through the
door, comparing notes about what they had discovered so far. They sat down in
front of their plates and Owen joined them at the table. Jericho picked up his
knife and fork and smiled at Alice, “Your friend will probably be late up. He
arrived quite late and was shocked to find us strange and unknown
‘Ghostbusters’ here! He was lucky that young farmer towed him in with his
tractor; he would have probably frozen to death in that car, stuck on the moor
last night. According to the radio, it was bloody minus eighteen!”
Now
Alice really did smile, Dave was here! She now relaxed and enjoyed her toast
and hot cup of tea. She casually asked Jericho how the investigation was going,
knowing that it had just started.
He
smiled again, “Good. It’s good. We think you have at least three spirits or
lost souls as we call them. It’s early, but we believe one is a woman and one
is a man, they seem to be related to each other and the child ghost who’s
hanging around the attics. But we’ll deal with that!” he tucked into his bacon
and eggs, complimenting Owen on his cooking.
Alice
was a little shocked at his words, about the woman and child ghost, remembering
what the young – and very handsome – policeman had said: ‘Back before the
war [1939 – 1945] there were several reports of a couple of ghosts haunting the
place. A crying child and a young woman.’ She sipped her tea
and said nothing, thinking that these people were really the real thing!
There
was a very happy reunion of the former students before lunch and together they
explored the creepy old house whilst the ‘Ghostbusters’ continued their
examination of the house and outbuildings. Which meant Alex was required and so
Alice & Dave found themselves in the old workshop, amongst an astounding
collection of Victorian/Edwardian arcade and circus machines.
Dave
found a class case with a wonderful Arab doll dressed in a colourful
magician’s costume. Smiling, she inserted a penny [this was before decimal
currency was introduced in 1970 and so the coins were still a mix dating back
to early Victorian times!] The magician doll was just head and shoulders, but
the eyes rolled, and the head turned with a hand dropping a small card into a
box. The card appeared in a slot and Dave grabbed it up, reading what it said
out loud, “A LIFE SHORT AND SWEET, SO FEW TEARS.” He grunted, a little
disappointed and they moved onto a panorama of a seaside town’s harbour. Alice
inserted a coin and the ships moved about and the lighthouse came to life with
quite a powerful light. The clock tower’s doors opened, and a monk appeared,
followed by a knight on his horse, then the ‘grim reaper’, complete with
scythe, A little dwarf trailed behind and they all disappeared back inside.
They liked that one.
Then
Dave called them over to the magnificent full-sized doll known as ‘Sophie’.
“She’s bloody gorgeous, what a piece of craftsmanship!” Alice declared and Dave
couldn’t disagree. They watched as the Automaton started and its head turned as
if staring at Alice and her right hand started to write on the sheets of paper
before her. Then it stopped and Alice stared at the paper and showed it to Dave
who read it out loud; “ON THE MORROW. THE
AMERICAN KING WILL DIE. LOOK TO HIS HEIR. THREE NAMES DID NOT KILL. THEY DID.
THEY DID. ON THE MORROW.”
Alice
didn’t smile: “America doesn’t have a King, just that young man who only just
won the presidency. So, who the hell is three names and they?” Dave shrugged
his shoulders and picked up the second sheet and read that out loud too: “A
GOLDEN AGE ENDS IN FLAMES. TIED DOWN. SEVEN SCORE LESS SEVEN GONE.” They both
looked at each other and Alice murmured: “What Golden age ends in flames? What
does it mean?”
Dave
didn’t know and he collected both pages together and Alice took them; “I’ll put
them in the bureau, and we won’t wind Sophie up again!” Dave smiled; “You mean
you won’t wind her up again, don’t you?” Alice stared at him, hesitating for a
second or two, “I didn’t wind her up, you did!”
Dave shook his head; “I certainly didn’t, there’s only us two in here,
Jeanie hasn’t arrived yet and none of the bloody Ghostbusters are in here! And
I didn’t drop a coin in, so it was you.” Alice just stared at him, then realised
he wasn’t joking or playing about. “But I didn’t put a coin in, I don’t have
any penny’s left….” Alice said quietly and they stared at the machine and
slowly backed away, walking to the door. “I think a whisky would help.” Was all
Dave managed to say
and Alice agreed with him, clutching the two sheets of paper with Dave pushing
an arm through hers. “It must be faulty; perhaps you should get someone to look
at it. After all, it must be worth serious money, especially if you get it
fixed.” Dave reasoned and they headed back to the big lounge room.
Dave
found the local newspaper and smiled, “Here you go Alice, a certain
establishment in York city – in the old part of the city, Cripplegate Mews – a
gentleman called Alexander Grimwade fixes antique toys, specializing in
Automatons!” Alice nodded, sitting on the sofa, wondering how much it would
cost to get the damn thing working properly again. She had already decided to
sell the complete collection and maybe this toymaker would be seriously
interested. She jumped up, asking Dave to pour some drinks, and headed for the
phone, clutching the newspaper. Oh yes, Mr. Grimwade was very interested in her
late great-uncles collection and would try and get there tomorrow, weather
allowing of course.
Jericho
and Alex lowered their mirrors and smiled at the little boy sitting on the last
step of the attic stairs. He wiped his nose with his shirt sleeve and gestured
up them. “He did it up there. Me and mum. I shut me eyes and it hurt, worse
than when I fell out of my swing. I told him it was hurting but he didn’t
stop.” He tugged open the collar of his shirt and showed them his pale skin.
The marks of the murderous strangulation – of course – were no longer there.
Alex and Jericho exchanged a glance and Alex gently asked why he and his mum
didn’t go with the nice lady into the light. The boy sniffed and stared back up
the stairs, saying quietly, “He wouldn’t let us.” Alex asked him if he wanted
to go now and he slowly nodded, “Only with me mum.”
Jericho
said quietly, “When James [a knight of God] arrives this afternoon, we’ll get
him to gather them up and send them on. I’m hoping Collections send Herbie,
he’s great with reluctant souls.” Alex nodded at that; Herbie the Collector was
probably one of the department’s best; he certainly had a way with the newly
dead! Alex asked little William where his mum was and he pointed up the stairs,
“Hiding.” Was all the boy said. She asked him where his father was and he
shrugged his little shoulders, “Dunno…and I don’t want to know.” He replied
folding his arms and staring back up the stairs.
“Come
on, this will have to wait until James arrives. We can’t go up against a poltergeist without at least a
Guardian, so James will do nicely. Let’s hope the murdering bastard behaves
himself until then.” Jericho said quietly and they both heard Divij calling
softly so they walked quickly to the lower hallway and found him unsmiling,
holding out his hand. They both stared at the little orb with small streaks of
red covering its circumference. “Shit! A Tier Three demon has been here. What
the hell has it been up too now?” Jericho said with real concern in his voice.
Alex sighed, “I hope James gets here sooner than later.” Both Divij and Jericho
said ‘Amen’ to that.
There
was aloud knocking at the front door and Alice ran to open it, being joined by
Alex. It was young Tony the policeman and he had ridden up on a huge horse! He
smiled and rubbed his hands together, being invited in immediately by Alice.
Alex – smiling – whispered in her ear, “Now he could arrest me any day of the
week, even if I hadn’t done anything wrong!” Closing the door, Alice whispered
back, “Ditto!”
“I
borrowed Samson from old farmer Rowe, funny that in the 20th
century, only bloody horses can get through the snow while all the modern cars
are knackered!” He smiled and was shown into the lounge, where Dave shook his
hand and sipped his whisky. He offered Alex one and that was accepted [no
surprise there!] They gathered in the lounge and chatted, with Jericho and
Divij joining them which made Tony laugh, “I thought I’d check up on you Miss,
you know, being alone up here in the old house, bloody snowed in and find you
have a football crowd for company!” But he was fascinated by the ‘Ghostbusters’
and especially Alex [no surprise there either!] Strangely enough, it didn’t
ruffle Alice’s feathers despite fancying him herself.
Dave
was an excellent host with someone else’s whisky and kept everyone’s glass
topped up until Owen appeared, resplendent in a big white apron and announced
that the curry was up. There was a rush to the kitchen followed by a slow walk
to the dining room, clutching plates of chicken curry and rice. “He’s a bloody
good cook, I think I’ll marry him and chain him to the stove.” Alice confided
to Alex and they both laughed.
James
arrived just after lunch – but Owen had saved him some curry, so he was happy –
parking the seven-ton ex-army lorry outside the workshop on the snow-covered
gravel and was introduced to Alice, Dave and Tony. Alex saw the look on Alice’s face
and smiled. “I think James will have that effect on a lot of women.” She
whispered to Owen who wasn’t surprised and said so. James had been a big
handsome rugged man alive and now ten times that as a Knight of God. But
Jericho pulled him away from Alice’s obvious attentions and they spoke together
in the hallway.
“It’s
‘Gaps’, he’s a Tier Three who causes more mischief than devilment , a right
little nuisance but the Dark Prince favours him because he’s funny – in a dark
way of course – and you know his sense of humour [the prince] and I really
don’t think he killed the old man. That’s really not his style. Frighten the
poor old bugger maybe, but not stove his head in with a spade or hammer.
Besides it had to be a tier One or two to steal the soul.” James said quietly,
enjoying the whisky and the company: especially Alex’s, adding, “That’s more
like….Kiri or maybe Yukon but I can’t detect their presence at the moment.”
The
pair headed up the stairs and to the attics to find two lost souls. The third,
the evil murdering husband and father, now a poltergeist, couldn’t be found.
But Herbie appeared as summoned and with James help, persuaded the boy and his
nervous mother [who
had been battered and strangled by her homicidal husband] to join him in the
light. They vanished much to Jericho’s relief and
he re-joined the impromptu party downstairs, simply nodding to the other team
members, discreetly holding up two fingers.
“Two
down and one angry poltergeist to go.” Owen whispered to Alex who smiled and
chatted with Tony who informed her that it was soon his birthday and her, and
her friends would be invited to his party, if they wished. Alex left her reply
to that tentatively open:
this mission may be long over before that occasion arises: regretfully as she
loved a good party!
Alice
had to smile when Owen appeared with a crate of bottles taken from the lorry.
“These Ghostbusters certainly like their spirits, especially the ones that come
in bottles!” She confided to Tony and
Dave who both laughed out loud but agreed with her. Tony – very reluctantly –
had to go, he couldn’t leave Samson standing out in the cold and said his
farewells, taking time with Alice and Alex, it should be noted. The girls stood
and watched as the young man galloped away down the drive, “Like a bloody good
knight in blue.” Alice whispered and Alex knew that the young woman was more
than smitten with the charming young copper, and she could understand why:
totally. But she turned and smiled at James who was in conversation with Dave
and said quietly, “Yes, but I know a real bloody knight!” to herself.
4. MIDNIGHT IN THE HOUSE OF GOOD AND EVIL.
Alice
woke from her troubled sleep and lifted the big alarm clock and saw it was
almost midnight, so she settled back down and tried to sleep, but couldn’t,
tossing and turning for a few minutes until she heard the old grandfather clock
chiming quietly in the hall downstairs. “I’ve tried counting bloody sheep, now
the bloody clock!” She muttered to herself as the clock struck twelve. Then
Alice Albright sat bolt upright, unless she had miscounted, the damn clock had
just chimed thirteen times! She eased herself from the bed and felt compelled
to walk to the big window and pull the curtains back a little. She stared out
into the moonlit darkness and bright snow-covered landscape. Then really
gripped the dull brown curtain and breathed deeply a couple of times.
Standing
several hundred yards from the house, the fur covered figures were slowly
moving about, then they all stopped, as if realizing they were being watched.
Every head turned towards the silent dark house and Alice released the curtain
and stood back. “Sweet fucking Jesus!” She was talking to no-one with real fear
and wrapped her arms about herself: the room had gone icy cold, and she ran
back to bed, crawling under the covers and gripping a pillow, hearing her own
heart beating and taking deep breaths to calm her imagination. That’s when she
heard the creaking noise, like the doors on the big cupboard by the fireplace
was opening. She gripped the pillow tightly and tried to take control of her
shaking body. That’s when the wardrobe doors
slammed shut like a pistol shot and Alice screamed the house down.
Alex
and Owen were first in the room and found Alice sobbing under the covers of her
bed. Alex went straight to her while Owen stared around the room, being joined
by Jericho and they exchanged a knowing glance, “Bloody Gaps.” Was all Jericho
said. The room was in total disarray, clothes strewn about the floor, drawers
pulled open and thrown to the floor and even the big Victorian armchair by the
fire was upside down. Alice, now gripping Alex tightly, took one look at the
mess and screamed again.
Alex stroked her hair and whispered into her ear, which seemed to calm her down
and Alex walked the shaking young woman to her room, “I think it’s best if she
stays with me tonight.” Strangely enough, Alice didn’t object and clung to Alex
like she was drowning, and Alex was a lifebelt!
When
the girls had departed, Jericho checked his mirror and sighed, “Yep, bloody
Gaps is up to his old tricks again.” Owen tapped his mirror and walked to the
window, pulling the curtain back and stared out, “Several lost souls from the
Stone-age seem really interested in the house….or young Alice, maybe.”
Jericho
nodded; his mirror had picked them up too. They quickly pushed their mirrors
away as Dave arrived, followed by James who whispered to Jericho that Gaps had
gone: he could no longer feel his presence. But he was getting an overwhelming
sense of evil: the bloody poltergeist was around somewhere. Dave – utterly
shocked and a little afraid – was asking Owen about the mess and Alice
screaming. He seemed a lot happier when Owen told him that Alice would be
bunking in with Alex for the rest of the night. “Little wonder her poor uncle
moved downstairs to sleep.” He said quietly and Owen nodded his agreement. But
James suddenly headed for the door, saying to Jericho, “He’s here!”
Dave was about to follow when Owen gripped his arm and almost smiled, “I think
its best left to the experts Dave, it could be quite unpleasant if it’s the
damn poltergeist.” Dave was about to pull away, then – again – looked about the
room. “I think you could be right Owen.” He said softly, wiping his face and
pulling his pyjama trousers up a little, with a trembling hand.
Divij
appeared and said quietly, “There’s something going on in the old workshop.
Come on Owen.” A very reluctant Dave followed, not out of any curiosity, but he
really didn’t want to be alone
anywhere in this damn house. They headed downstairs; only stopping to pull on
coats and boots, then crossed the icy snow-covered yard to the big brick shed.
The lights were on, and they could hear all sorts of strange noises emanating from
the place. Dave was trembling openly, and couldn’t believe how calm his
companions were, but thought, ‘Well they must be used to this kind of crazy
stuff.’ He certainly wasn’t and admitted his fear openly. Owen gave his arm a
reassuring pat and Divij pushed the door open and they stumbled in.
The
wind-up Edwardian train set was hurdling around its tracks, like
it was turbo powered. The big jester puppet was dancing on the spot, his
strings dangling down and around his feet. It jingled and waved its stick in
the air which almost made Dave faint. He gripped Owens’s arm and cussed loudly
in sheer disbelieve at what he was witnessing. Six large wooden soldiers,
painted bright red with black bearskin hats, were parading, marching slowly in
single file along the stone floor. Divij stared about, clutching his mirror
tightly in his coat pocket and spotted the Victorian dancing bear in its glass
cabinet, complete with straw boater. It was no longer dancing but showing its
fangs and growling loudly. Its brown fur seemed to shimmer and move as it
slammed its large head against the glass. On the second try, the glass
shattered, and the bear leapt from the cabinet which tipped onto its side. They
watched in utter horror – especially Dave, who simply fell to the floor in a
dead faint – as it appeared to swell and grow before their eyes. “We need
James.” Was all an incredibly calm Divij said as Owen used his mirror on the
beast. It had no effect; the ‘bear’ wasn’t actually a living creature. It rose
up; standing on both feet which seemed to double its size and come forward,
slowly and if it wasn’t a Victorian mechanical bear, now, it was ‘alive’, then
Owen would have sworn it was smiling: and not in a nice way. He actually said a
little ‘thank you prayer’ as James and Jericho came running thought the door, with
James transforming into his silver armour and now clutched his broadsword with
both hands, yelling, “Get out boys! It’s bloody Kiri, the bastard!” [Kiri is a
very powerful Tier One demon: he and James have clashed several times, with the
current score in James favour at four to two.]
Divij
grabbed Dave who was staggering to his feet, and Jericho shouting with some
urgency, “Get him the fuck outa of here, that bastard [Kiri] is after his
soul!” Owen kicked open the door and Dave was dragged into the courtyard, still
totally confused about what
was going on: had he really just seen a knight in shining silver armour
squaring up to a huge bear in a fucking hat? He didn’t think much more, James
had stopped human time which was quite usual for such clashes between good and
evil.
Jericho
stood operating his mirror; he was calling Operational Control to send a
back-up knight in case this went wrong. The only two undefeated Knights of God
was Arthur, who was acknowledged as ‘God’s Champion’ and the mysterious ‘Golden
Knight’ who nobody had actually seen in human form, but had about half of
Arthur’s victories. Who he had been, when living, was
an afterlife mystery, but normally most temporal detectives were just so happy
to see him, when they really needed a knight, to bother asking about his
identity!
The
windows smashed and the ground trembled a little as the battle in the old
workshop commenced, the pair going head-to-head for the seventh time and as
usual, no quarter would be given. Alex, clutching her dressing gown around her
short nightdress appeared, knowing something serious was happening if time had
been stopped. Owen gestured to his mirror, “They’re sending another knight
because demon Ingress reports another Tier One in this vicinity: Yukon. So,
James was right when he said that he felt their presence around here.” Alex
stared at the workshop which was bathed in vivid red, orange, silver and white
lights listening to the pair clashing inside. Then they all turned to the
courtyard’s old metal gate which slammed open and another knight strolled in,
his sword casually thrown over his shoulder. It was Daniel, who wore red and
silver armour. He raised his visor and smiled, “Evening everyone, how’s our boy
James doing?”
They
didn’t answer because James came through the broken window and crashed on the
gravel, cursing, he picked up his sword and shouted, “Hi Danny, how’s tricks?”
And then jumped straight back through the window!
Danny
just nodded, “Yeah, he’s doing Ok.” Alex
and Owen just stared at each other as Danny smiled and leaned on his sword,
making no attempt to interfere: yet. The bear came through the window, rolled
in the snow, and stood, adjusting his straw boater hat, then turned to Danny
and growled, “Hi Danny you prick!” Danny replied, “Hi Kiri, you black hearted
old bastard, nice hat!”
Kiri
actually grinned and then leapt back through the window.
Owen
smiled at Alex who stood with her mouth open, “Sort of friendly buggers, aren’t
they?” Alex could only nod. Then
everyone noticed the eerie silence, and all turned to the workshop where James
appeared at the window and smiled, “He’s called it a day. But I’m not happy
about this one; you could call it a hollow victory.” Jericho just sighed with
relief, “Any fucking victory suits me.”
Owen
[of course!] had to ask why it was hollow. James just shrugged his shoulders
and smiled a little, “Well, I cheated a little. Used the old, ‘Oh fuck! What
the hell is that behind you!’ and he sort of fell for it, believing that
Knights of God never lie. Well, not often.” Everyone just stared at each other
until they heard Danny chuckle, “Yeah, I’ve used that trick myself. Old Kiri can
be a right dumb bastard sometimes.” And pulled James through the window, still
laughing softly.
Kiri,
nursing a sore head, stood before his master the Dark Prince and complained
about James, explaining how he tricked him by shouting that something horrible
was behind him [Kiri] and then slapping him over the head with his sword, when
he turned around to see what it was. Kiri held up the totally crushed straw
boater as evidence. “It’s not fair boss, bloody Knights of God aren’t supposed
to lie!” The Dark prince ran a hand over his face and sighed loudly, saying
nothing for a full minute. Then said slowly, “Kiri, you are a Class One demon,
you ARE supposed to be the worst horror there is! So, what the hell did you
think was behind you? A group of nuns singing fucking ‘Ava Maria’ or a
schoolgirl with a big nasty handbag? You great pile of crap, what the hell
could be worse than a fucking demon? And of course, the bloody knights lie!
They were human once.” The Dark Prince slumped back on his golden throne [an
exact replica of his brothers: God.] and really couldn’t add to what he just
said. Kiri stood silently for a minute then held up the straw boater and said
quietly, “I can’t forgive him for this….I really loved this hat.”
The
Dark Prince groaned and held his head in his hands. Kiri may be a real dumb
demon, but he knew when it was time to run.
And
bloody quickly!
5. ‘GAPS’ AND THE POLTERGIEST.
Jericho
gestured to Dave, “Divij and Owen get him upstairs and put
him to bed. He’ll think he dreamed all this.” Then turned to Alex and shook his
head, “Because I’m a man, I won’t complain too much, but you could have at
least worn damn panties with that nightdress.” They all turned as Alex wrapped
her dressing gown around and just smiled. “That’s the first time I heard a man
moan about me having no panties on. Now that must be a first.” Laughing softly,
the team headed back into the house, leaving the Knights chatting together,
leaned on their swords with their visors up. For dedicated men of God, their
conversation was mainly about Alex and her lack of underwear. Not that they
were complaining……
The
house settled down and Dave woke with a start about 3am, confused a little
about his strange dream, “A Knight in shining armour
and a fucking big bear in a straw hat?” He groaned and slipped from the bed to
use the toilet, grabbing his little rubber torch and headed for the bathroom at
the end of the landing. Still half asleep, he wandered down the gloomy
corridor, passing underneath the big naked man clinging to the ceiling like a
spider. “Evening mate.” Dave muttered, then stopped and shone his
torch up. The man, whose face resembled a gargoyle of Notre Dame Cathedral just
grinned in reply. It crept along the ceiling and hung over him, now showing his
teeth. The torch fell from Dave’s hand and bounced onto his foot causing him to
shout in surprise and a little pain. The poltergeist dropped in front of him
and said loudly, “Come to daddy darling!” Dave didn’t because he was running
down the stairs, screaming at the top of his voice, followed by the
poltergeist, running like a strange dog and yes, it was barking loudly. Loud
enough to wake James and the team who appeared from their bedrooms with Owen,
not happy that his sleep was disturbed yet again by screaming in the middle of
the damn night, muttering, ”Why didn’t the damn dog go for a piss before we
turned in.” Then said nothing apart from “Oh Fuck!” as the poltergeist/dog
rushed past, growling.
It
was followed by James and Jericho who were shouting, “Get the bastard before he
disappears!” Owen just folded his arms, being joined by Divij who was yawning.
“Not this side of hell freezing over, that’s definitely a James only call.” He
said and Divij wiped his eyes and nodded, muttering simply, “Ditto.”
Alex
joined them with a confused looking Alice clinging to her arm. “What’s up?”
Alex asked them and Owen shrugged his shoulders, yawning, “That bloody
poltergeist has turned into some
kind of man dog and is chasing poor Dave around. I think it wants to chew him
like a rubber bone. James is on his tail.” Then Owen laughed, “Get it? On his
tail, it’s turned into a bloody dog…” He stopped and stared, Alex only had on
the revealing nightdress and clearly hadn’t listened to Jericho’s advice. Then
looked at Alice in her small pyjama top [he really smiled] who also hadn’t
taken Jericho’s advice – if he had given her any – and then Owen wondered what
had happened to the bottoms. She was wearing them earlier.
Divij
just slapped his arm and gestured down the stairs and surprisingly didn’t
comment except to say, “Bloody women.” The pair headed down the stairs slowly
and the girls returned to their room, with Alice smiling and saying, “I wish
the fuck I would wake
up, this bloody nightmare is getting on my tits.” Alex just patted her arm,
“Yes sweetie, nightmares can be a right pain sometimes.” And closed the bedroom
door quietly.
Dave
ran through the kitchen, still screaming, followed by the dog man still
growling, who was followed by James and Jericho still cursing. Jericho stopped
by the big cooker and rubbed his chin, speaking to himself, “Hold on Jericho
old boy, you can’t do anything with a poltergeist except, perhaps let him tear
you apart. I think I’ll leave this to James, he really doesn’t need my help.”
Now a lot happier he turned and found the little demon squatting on the kitchen
table taking a dump. The smell was awful. [Well, it wouldn’t smell of roses,
would it? He is a fucking demon after all.] “Hi Jericho, what’s going on? That
Arthur is one mad son of a bitch and believe me, I’ve met a few in my time.”
Jericho
held a hand over his nose and spoke through his fingers, “Hi Gaps, did that mad
bastard kill the old man? If he did, it would make this whole fucking mess
easier.” Gaps giggled and eased from the table, admiring the pile of steaming
turds he had deposited. “Yeah, I had possessed that lovely mechanical doll and
saw it all. The crazy bastard battered him with the writing block from the damn
doll. Was in quite frenzy and didn’t even notice me. He’s really powerful now
after brooding in deep anger for nearly half a century. But should you ask, no
collector appeared, the old bastard [Jerome Albright] had already sold his soul
to my master. Quite a sack of shit all this, don’t you agree?”
Jericho
nodded, trying not to take a deep breath. Well, that had solved one mystery
about the old man’s death. How the killer didn’t
get in the room, poltergeists can’t be stopped by locked doors. Then he thought
again, well, it solved two mystery’s actually, no soul collected because he had
already sold it to the Dark Side. Now Jericho was a happy man, turning to see
Dave run screaming past him and straight into Owen and Divij as they came
through the door, holding their noses and swearing loudly.
The
mad poltergeist dog man leapt on the table and collided with the pile of shit,
and really screamed himself this time. James was behind him, stopping suddenly
and groaning loudly, “Gaps, you dirty bastard!” was all he managed to gasp out,
holding his nose. But being a professional, he grabbed hold of Arthur, the shit
covered poltergeist and dragged him away, vanishing in a blinding flash of
light. Jericho heaved a sigh of relief and turned to Gaps who was now pissing
in the vegetable basket, “You off now
Gaps, or do I have to call a Guardian?” The little demon giggled, “Thank you
Jericho, I’ll take my leave now. Perhaps see you and your friends again.” He
did a backward flip and was gone. Jericho waved his arm about, “For fuck sake,
someone clean this bloody mess up!” Strangely enough there was no rush of
volunteers for that little task.
Owen,
wearing a hankie with some of Alex’s perfume sprinkled on it, was scrubbing the
kitchen table with bleach and muttering under his breath about why was it
always the fucking trainee that got the shit jobs, and in this particular case,
it literally was a shit job. He didn’t waste time on the basket; he threw the
whole thing into the dustbin and pulled off his rubber gloves, still cursing
his bloody luck. Divij stuck his head around the kitchen door and smiled, “Dave
is back in bed and I’m sure he won’t tell anyone about his bizarre nightmare.
Are you doing breakfast this lovely morning?”
Owen
just stared at him, hands on hips and was about to say something when
discretion got the better part of Divij and he slowly closed the kitchen door,
adding, “I’ll ask later.”
6. CROTCHLEE HOUSE,
NORTH TURNING, YORKSHIRE, 22ND November 1963.
Alexander
‘Alligator’ Grimwade rapped hard on the door, and it was opened by a smiling
Alex. He removed his hat and presented his
card saying, “Good morning, Miss Albright, may I first offer my sincere
sympathy….” Alex stopped him full flow and shouted up
the stairs, “Alice! Mr. Grimwade is here about the bloody old toys!” She turned
back and invited the confused man in. He was about fifty with a mop of grey
hair and dark blue eyes; Alexander was slightly built, yet took no exercise and
ate like a pig. He really smiled at Alex, he also loved women, any size, age or
colour and it didn’t matter as long as they were a woman. They came a close
second to his absolute passion: old toys, as Alex put it. She showed him into
the lounge where a very nervous Dave was sitting quietly, considering if he
should see a shrink, next time he was in York. His bad dreams, no bloody
nightmares, had given him food for thought and that thought was: he was losing
his marbles. He gripped his coffee cup and just smiled with quite a vacant
expression. Alexander stared at him and nodded. Dave just grinned and asked him
if he had ever had a dream about a knight beating up a crazy angry bear who was
wearing a straw hat?
Alexander
slowly shook his head and Dave also asked if he ever dreamed of a rabid little
man who thought and behaved like a dog, chasing him around a house hanging from
the ceiling, naked and covered in shit?
Alexander
now didn’t smile and whispered to Alex, “Is Miss Albright around, my Rover just
made it here and it was an appointment….” His unfinished question was answered
by Alice who strolled in and shook his hand, smiling broadly. “Take a look at
my great Uncles pile of crappy toys and make me a decent offer Mr. Grimwade. I’m
open to anything reasonable. You see, they give me nightmares. Have you ever
dreamed about stone-age men dressed as bears, following you around?” He shook
his head and wanted to head for the front door, quickly. She folded her arms,
“What about poltergeists wrecking your bedroom, throwing your damn knickers
everywhere and shitting on the kitchen table, I dreamed it all you know. Well
at least I think I did.”
Mr.
Grimwade wanted to mention that the pair [Alice & Dave] clearly needed the
services of a world class psychiatrist but cleared his throat and said quietly,
“May I see your late uncle’s collection Miss Albright.” Alice nodded and
gestured to Alex, “My dear friend will take you Mr. Grimwade, for some reason,
I think; I’ll piss myself if I go near that bloody workshop ever again. Thank
you.” A confused and nervous Mr. Grimwade followed Alex, saying quietly, “I
take it Miss Albright is still upset about losing
her dear uncle?” Alex just shrugged her shoulders, “No, I think what really pissed her off is inheriting
a haunted house, nearly getting killed in the snow and having nightmares about
a mad poltergeist who thought he was a dog.”
Mr. Alex Grimwade
just smiled and thought about the front door: again.
“I
would love to see your shop Mr. Grimwade; I bet it’s full of wonderful old
toys.” Alex said as they crossed the yard and now Mr. Grimwade smiled, “Please
visit any time you wish Miss, I think you would love to see my private
collection. I allow few people to see or handle my private stock.” Alex looked
him up and down and they both laughed as she opened the door. She whispered
under her breath, “I bet you are a dirty old toymaker, and I can’t wait to see
your private stock. I bet it’s good for a real laugh. I think Owen or Jackie
would love to see it too.”
Laughing,
the pair strolled into the old workshop and Alexander stood quietly absorbing
all that he could see: he was impressed and overjoyed. He walked around the
workshop and nodded several times, agreeing to purchase everything for two
hundred pounds. Alex knew that was good offer and very fair. She also knew that
Alice would probably have accepted half that, just to get rid of them. But Mr.
Grimwade insisted that he have the ‘Sophie’ Automaton at once, [he had already
seen it in the lounge] he would arrange a heavy lorry for this very afternoon.
Alex told him that he may as well take everything, Alice would trust his cheque
and him: she wouldn’t wait for it to clear. He was a little surprised by that,
but very happy, very happy indeed that someone trusted him. As it should be, he
thought, I’ve been in business for years around here and my word was always my
bond. They walked back to the house together, talking – of course – about toys.
Alice
and Dave stood in silence by the radio as the announcer – in quite a sombre
voice – announced the death of US President John Kennedy, assassinated in
Houston, Texas, that lunchtime. Apparently shot by a lone assassin: a certain
Lee Harvey Oswald. He kept repeating that details of the shooting were still
coming in. Alice – her hands trembling a little – grabbed the single sheet of
paper from the bureau and the pair re-read the message that ‘Sophie’ the
automation had written yesterday.
Finally,
Dave managed to mutter; “Oh, fucking hell! How the hell did a bloody old
Victorian clockwork machine know that would happen?...I
mean….that’s fucking impossible….isn’t it? The man has
three damn names, but the machine said he didn’t do the killing…..they did,
whoever they are.” Alice had to sit
down, still clutching the paper. “No-one will believe us, bloody no-one!
They’ll say we cooked it up for some reason…get publicity or something. The
papers would crucify us as some kind of attention seeking nuts!” Dave had to
agree with her and pulled a whisky bottle and two glasses from the drinks
cabinet. He poured into both
glasses and handed one to Alice.
Alice
took a sip, “His heir would be the vice-president, wouldn’t it?” Dave nodded
slowly and took a gulp of whisky which made him cough. There was silence and
Dave said quietly; “It’s telling us that the fucking Vice-President was behind
it!” Alice now nodded and sipped her whisky again. “And we are not about to
shout that out loud for heaven’s sake!”
That’s
when the phone rang and Alice slowly walked over and answered it, she already
knew who it was: Jeanie. It was. She was almost babbling down the phone and
Alice had to calm her before she really could understand what was happening.
She was in the café, using their phone: her car [a Morris Minor] had given up
the ghost and refused to travel any further in the snow, so she would arrive
when her ‘lift’ turned up. Apparently, a nice local farmer called Tom, who had
a vehicle that the snow couldn’t stop, was in the diner and volunteered to drop
her off. Jeanie did point
out [girls talk!] that he was a very handsome, fit young man. That just made
Alice sigh and she muttered, “Oh Jeanie, give it a rest, I’m bloody sure your
turning into a nymphomaniac, you fancy anything in trousers who smiles at you!”
But Alice was happy
and relieved that her wayward friend was on her way. Jeanie was quite a handful
– where men were concerned – but she had a kind generous nature and was a very
loyal friend to those she loved. She fancied Dave but held back because she
didn’t want to ruin their friendship, as she explained to a very amused Alice:
“I can get lovers by the score – If I want – but real true friends are bloody
hard to find!”
Alice
replaced the receiver and told Dave to expect Jeanie shortly. He smiled, “You
don’t think she’ll come galloping up on some bloody horse like that copper
did?” Alice just laughed and shrugged her shoulders, “With our Jeanie, anything
is possible.”
Then
the subject of the second sheet of paper written by ‘Sophie’ came
up. Do they tell anyone about it? The unanimous decision was
to keep silent. They certainly didn’t want the unwelcome attention of the press
or TV. Besides they no idea to who the message referred to!
Jeanie
arrived in some style: sitting in the cab of a tractor with her bags and
baggage. Her car had become hopelessly stuck at the Doncaster crossroads and a
nice young farmer had cut across his
fields to her rescue. The two girls hugged with some affection and relief.
Jeanie accepted a whisky from Dave as did the young farmer
who was called Thomas. He introduced himself because he was one of Alice’s
nearest neighbours. His farmhouse was six miles down Cemetery Road and like
Crotchlee house, on the edge of Hobbs Moor.
They
all stood in the living room and the main topic of their conversation was the
murder of President Kennedy by Lee Harvey Oswald. Alice and Dave exchanged a
nervous glance and sipped their drinks. Then the young man spotted ‘Sophie’,
now placed by the big bay window, awaiting collection. “I saw one of these at
Leeds Agricultural show when I was a kid. They’re great, you just drop in a
penny, and it tells your fortune. I must have a go.” Alice was about to say
that’s it’s broken but Jeanie smiled at the young man and said it was the least
they could do for all his help. Tom produced a penny and pushed it into
‘Sophie’s’ slot. For some reason Alice felt a shiver run down her spine as the machine
came to life. Sophie’s head turned and looked straight at Alice which made her
actually tremble. The hand clutching the quill pencil started to move. Tom
chuckled; “I know it’s daft, probably tell me I’ll be rich and blooming
famous.” They all watched as the hand moved across the page slowly, and the
letters appeared. Then Sophie stopped and Tom picked up the paper. He rubbed
his chin, “Don’t know what any of this means, poor thing must be broken.”
Jeanie
took the paper and read it out; “THE DEAD ARE HERE. WATCH FOR BEAUTY. CLOCKS
ARE TICKING.” She lowered the paper and shrugged her shoulders; “I think your
right Tom, the poor old thing is broken, that doesn’t make sense.” Alice
finished her whisky and poured herself another, then topped up Dave’s glass.
Tom turned down a refill and said his goodbyes with Jeanie showing him out. She
watched the tractor pull away and gave it a little wave of gratitude. They all
sat in the living room in silence apart from the big grandfather clock’s quiet
ticking. Finally Alice heaved
a big sigh and said softly, “I think we should tell the professor
[Jericho] about this. After all, he’s an expert in strange stuff like this.”
Dave and Jeanie agreed, and Alice headed to the bottom of the stairs and
shouted up for Jericho.
He
and Divij read the new message twice and exchanged glances, Gaps the
mischievous little demon was gone and it certainly
wasn’t the loony poltergeist, he was now sitting in quarantine. Divij
discretely managed to scan ‘Sophie’ with his mirror
and grunted in disappointment. “Sod all.” Was all he said, and Jericho rubbed
his chin in surprise. The first two messages about the death of President
Kennedy and the fire in the old people’s home in America were obviously written
by Gaps. But this one had to be produced by the machine itself. He shrugged his
shoulders, life was a mystery sometimes. But he needed to placate Dave and
Alice about the messages.
That’s
when Alex and Mr. Grimwade joined them and he was not surprised to find the
obviously nutty young man and the strange Miss Albright drinking whisky at this
time of the morning! He was introduced to Divij and Jericho and saw the note
that his machine [now] had written. He took it and placed his glasses on, then
sighed, “Ah, she’s a ’morbid automaton’, they were popular in late Victorian
times, especially after a loss in the family. The surviving family would drop
pennies in, hoping to hear something about their recently deceased. All complete
hokum of course, the machine’s
messages were deliberately cryptic to cover all sorts of mourning. You know,
bring some comfort to the family without being specific. I have actually seen
this very note before, written by an automaton at Doncaster fair some years
ago. You see this bit [he tapped the paper] ‘the dead are here’ is supposed to
comfort the newly bereaved, make them feel that their loved one is close and
watching over them. ‘Watch for beauty’ is about heaven and the ‘clocks are
ticking’ is reminding the bereaved that time heals everything.” He handed it
back to Jericho and smiled.
Alice
and Dave’s sigh of relief was very loud, and Alice quickly handed Mr. Grimwade
the other two notes, both babbling about predicting Kennedy’s death and the
other one they couldn’t understand. He took them and read quietly, slowly
smiling. “Just more funeral stuff really and nothing whatsoever to do with poor
President Kennedy I believe. I think it’s about President Lincoln in some part.
The reference to three names not doing the killing is about
Confederate President Jefferson Finis Davis not being responsible for a lone
assassin. Very important distinction at the time.
Lincoln’s heir was Vice-president Andrew Johnson who was actually impeached
when he was President. ‘They’ probably were the people who went after him. ‘On
the morrow’ is often used in these messages, indicating better times to come.”
He handed the note to a very relieved Alice, who offered him a whisky. He just smiled
and said quietly, “Not before breakfast, thank you.” She and Alex showed him
out, followed by a happy Dave. Jericho
folded his arms and didn’t smile, “What a pile
of old flannel, but at least they believed it. That man, I believe, could sell
snow to Eskimos.” Divij agreed with him and chuckled, then asked what the hell
did the message really mean. Jericho sighed, “Someone is trying to warn Alice
about her re-scheduled death tomorrow, ‘the dead are here’ refers to us, and
‘watch for the beauty’ is a direct reference to Alex, who will ensure that she
meets her dispatch [Alice’s] and ‘clocks are ticking’ warns Alice that she’s
running out of time. So someone knows our plans and that could only mean
someone who has passed over and probably hasn’t been collected…..” he stopped
talking when Owen stuck his head around the door and announced breakfast,
holding up his mirror, “Anyone else getting this?”
Jericho pulled out his mirror and grunted, an
uncollected soul had appeared in the house and it was slowly turning
poltergeist.
7. A GUARDIAN ANGEL?
“My money is on old man Albright – he’s a
missing soul – and we know he favours the Dark Side, maybe he’s trying to
protect his only surviving blood relative.” Owen slapped the plate down in
front of Jericho who slowly nodded, ”Now that makes sense and he’s the only
uncollected soul around here now…well, apart from those bloody stone-age men in
the bear suits.”
Divij accepted his toast and didn’t smile,
“That’s not quite right, there is another uncollected soul in the house. Miss
Alice Albright herself. She’s only around because you convinced the angel she
was vital to cracking this case. Maybe she concocted the note to let us know,
that she has realised she’s dead, for some reason.” He buttered his toast and
took a bite. Jericho sat back, his new sergeant was right: Alice Albright had
died on the snowy Moor Road before she even reached the house, her head
slamming against the windscreen when she hit and killed the poor vagrant trying to get help. Had she somehow realised
that dreadful fact? His instincts told him to dismiss that theory. Then the
kitchen door opened, and the others sauntered through.
Everyone sat chatting with a much happier atmosphere now that the messages had
been ’explained’.
But there was a loud knocking at the front door
and Dave – in a much happier mood – jumped up and answered it, shouting to Alice that she had a visitor: it was Tony the
policeman. Jericho watched the happy reaction on Alice’s face as she rushed to
the door with Jeanie giggling about the handsome young policeman that Alice had
gone on about. He quietly spoke to Owen who was shoving his breakfast down like
a starving man. “Did your mirror tell you what sex the soul had been when
alive?” Owen nodded and reluctantly lowered his knife and fork, “Yeah, full
details from Human records, A certain Carol Armstrong who died a couple of
years ago, and the body was pulled from the ponds on this very estate. Killed
herself because she was dying of cancer I suppose. Couldn’t stand the pain I expect.
Painkillers in this time aren’t up too much.” He whispered and returned to his
breakfast with real determination.
Jericho sat back, ‘where the hell had he heard
the bloody name Armstrong before’ it was certainly mentioned during this
mission. Was that just a co-incidence? But he really didn’t believe in
co-incidence, just ask any member of his team: past or present. Alice, gripping
Tony’s arm, appeared and introduced him to her best friend Jeanie and they
joined the others at the table, with Alice quickly fetching him a coffee and asking
if he wanted some breakfast. The big man just smiled and accepted only the
coffee: he had already eaten in Martha’s café, saying that he was utterly amazed
that the place had managed to open.
Divij watched the pair closely and sighed, he
prodded Jericho and said softly, “I think we have a little problem here, I
would bet my socks on that they are in love.” Jericho had to nod: it was now obvious
to him and probably Alex and Jeanie. Now this was a complication that he never
foresaw. He watched the pair and had to smile, remembering the heady days when
he fell for Elizabeth [Alex’s actress sister] and sighed again. Love was a real
bugger and often fucked up the human timeline, especially when it shouldn’t
have happened. The bloody dead and the living shouldn’t fall in love!
Jericho felt a little guilty about this
unexpected twist; after all, he was basically responsible for it happening by
getting angel Margret to set aside the death until the
mission ended. But now? This was quite a quandary because a living human was
involved. Whatever happens, it would take careful handling.
Their mission over by their own admission that
the ghosts and pesky poltergeist were gone, Alice dropped some big hints about when the team were leaving. She wanted to start
her new life in the big house and also hinted that the
handsome young policeman may become involved in it. Jericho grimaced when she
said ‘life’, it had been arranged for Miss Alice Albright to meet her dispatch,
all- be-it, a few days late, so the human timeline remains unaltered. She
should have died, now she would: tomorrow. The angel had only allowed the delay
because Jericho said Alice would be isolated in the big house because of the
weather and so contact with other humans would be minor or none at all. He had
been wrong about that!
Now he had another bloody lost soul to find
before closing down the mission. The team pulled on wellingtons and headed for
the frozen ponds, located in the small woodlands that belonged to the Crotchlee
House estate. They trudged through the snow which was quite deep in places and
stopped by a ramshackle hut that was stuffed with all sorts of rubbish,
collected by the vagrant who lay dead under Alice’s crashed car. Owen stuck his
head in and grimaced, “Smells like a rubbish dump. Yuk!” That’s when Alex
gestured to the tree line; a huge oak tree had caught her attention. “Boys, take a look at the big tree,
I mean what it’s decorated with: symbols of witchcraft or pagan rituals.” They
plodded over and found the remains of a big fire, long dead and almost covered
by the snow. The tree was partially covered with wreaths of dead flowers and
animal skulls. Jericho pushed his foot around the base and removed some snow
finding a dark human skull. His mirror told him it was a certain Mavis Greggs
who died in 1870 and should be buried in the local churchyard in North Turning.
Her soul had been collected and processed correctly when she died. Human
records reported she had no connections with the local witches Coven and had
re-joined the human lifecycle immediately.
“The bastards must have dug her up to use her
skull in their rituals.” Divij said, slapping his hands together for a little
warmth. Jericho wrapped his long dark coat tighter and stared at the tree, “You remember that mission here back
in 1916 and the pervy priest from the future that fell foul of the local
witches’ coven, well it had been in existence for almost
two hundred years and apparently the bloody thing is still going!” [See
episode: ‘The Priest’.] Everyone nodded with Owen gesturing back to the
old house, “We must have missed this places connection with them. Old Jerome
Albright was involved with them all right.”
Alex had her mirror out and was checking it,
then suddenly looked up, saying quietly, “Boys we have
company.” Standing in a small clearing was a young woman in a white shroud and
Owen held up his mirror, “Its Carol Armstrong, the other missing soul, the one
who drown herself in these very ponds, two years ago.”
“I think she wants to speak to us, I think she
knows who we are.” Alex said and the team made their way over to the sad
looking spirit who folded her arms. Jericho sighed; she was very pretty and
felt really sad that her young life had ended in such tragedy. He told Divij to
call Collections and have a good collector sent, and actually ask for Herbie,
if he was free.
They joined Carol by the edge of the largest
pond – the one she walked into on a summer night two years ago and didn’t walk
out of - “What can we do for you Carol?”
Jericho asked, pulling his hands from his coat pocket, and rubbing them
together. Owen smiled as Herbie the Collector made his way through the snow and
gave a little wave with his Soul Ledger, “Just got the call Inspector, how can
I help?” Jericho held up a hand and spoke with Carol direct. “You have another chance to
move on Carol, if you go with Herbie here, it will end your misery for good and
you can start again.”
“I want your promise Mister Jericho Tibbs that
you will allow my Tony to have some happiness with young Alice. He’s mourned me
too long and I have hung about him watching his heartbreak every day. It was
worse than the cancer that ate me from the inside. I loved him so dearly and I
won’t see him spend the rest of his life mourning me and what could have been.
He’s a good decent, kind man who will make Alice an excellent husband and
she’ll give him the children he desperately wanted. The cancer took all that
away from us, but he has a second chance at happiness, and I want him to have
that chance. Have you ever loved so dearly that you would give anything,
including your life, to see them happy? Then you will understand why I ask that
you let young Alice live on. Promise me that and I
will walk away, happy, with the young man you call Herbie.”
Alex wiped some tears from her face and
actually couldn’t say anything, then finally murmured, “All she wants is Tony
to be happy. Now that’s love, real bloody love!” Owen folded his arms and wiped
his face, “Your right there Alex, spot on.”
Jericho just stared at his feet; he couldn’t
deny to himself that Carol’s words had moved him, never mind to his
team. Alex gripped his arm and said softly, “Well Jericho, how can you turn her
down when you did the same thing with Elizabeth: you let her go because you
loved her so much and just wanted her to be happy. She wants Tony to be happy
again and you have the power to do that. Angel Margret will listen to you, you
know that.” She wiped away a tear and Owen coughed, “It’s the right call
Jericho.” Divij said nothing, as usual when really important decisions were
required or debated. But he wouldn’t be swayed by such an emotional plea: rules
were rules. So he thought.
Jericho turned to Carol and gestured to Herbie
the Collector, “Will you go with the collector now Carol?” He asked quietly and
she nodded, smiling a little, “If you say yes.” He sighed deeply and stared at
the Alex and Owen’s tear-stained, smiling faces and slowly nodded, “Go on, it’s
a deal. Tony and Alice can get together.” Divij now just sighed as Alex and
Owen hugged a dour Jericho. He would have a lot explaining to do. But he did
finally smile a little.
Jericho sat outside the angel’s office and
sighed. He didn’t regret his decision, it felt good, and the ‘right call’ as
Owen put it. But now the angel wanted explanations before she approved [or
didn’t!] the minor changes to the current human timeline. And she wanted them
from her Inspector: Jericho. Mr. Colgate, the angel’s private secretary,
appeared in the doorway and gestured Jericho in: he was smiling. “Herself will
see you now Inspector.” Jericho noted
that, Mr. Colgate wasn’t known for his happy demeanour. As he slipped past the
tall, dignified man in the doorway, Mr. Colgate whispered, “Well done
Inspector. A lovely gesture appreciated by a great deal of the angels staff, I
can tell you.”
Jericho just stared at him but was called by
the angel before he could reply. The door closed behind Jericho and Mr. Colgate walked up the bright corridor, now smiling
broadly, which really surprised two clerks hurrying to the Dispatch Department.
They both stopped and looked at each other. The older one smiled, “See, I
told you it was true! Jericho bloody Tibbs IS an old romantic!” The younger one
nodded, “It’s all around the bloody Temporal Department, he got away with the
first one, everyone believed his excuse then, but he’s shown his true colours
now. He’s just a big-hearted softie!” Now smiling the pair walked on.
[The ‘first’ one they are talking about
apparently occurred in the episode:
‘The ghosts and Miss Jessica Martin’. He denied that one too!]
"A simple case of a
‘missing soul’ turned quite sour, but the team came through, recovering four
lost souls and putting an end to a dangerous poltergeist’s reign of terror over
thirty years. But the rumour has swept the temporal department that maybe –
just maybe – the hard-boiled, tough Inspector Jericho Tibbs was – underneath
that granite exterior – a big soft-hearted romantic! He denies it, of course!”
Alice Albright should have
died on that snowy moor road in November 1963, but Jericho needed her for the
mission and so she was given a few extra days of life. It had been arranged
that she would die the day after President Kennedy’s assassination but her and
Tony were now in love. That meant a change to the human timeline since the dead
can’t fall in love with the living [well, not often!] and Jericho argued –
successfully – that Alice remain in the timeline. Alice was charged with
‘vehicular manslaughter’ of the vagrant, but the Judge hearing the case was
sympathetic to her lawyers pleas regarding the strange circumstances of the
fatal accident and gave her a suspended sentence and a two-year driving ban.
That allowed her to marry Tony the following year and the pair were happily
married for many years. She wasn’t given any quarantine by the angel for the
killing of the vagrant, since he admitted it was his fault, leaping out in
front of the car. Alice died – ironically – in a traffic accident in Spain, now
a widow, staying with some of her many grandchildren; she was struck by a drunken Spanish
driver in 2007. Her soul was collected and processed. She now works as a
Collector and counts Alex and Owen as good friends. Jericho just smiles when he see’s Alice around the lighthouse d
and is always reminded how his tough reputation had been tarnished enough by
this case!
Anthony ‘Tony’ Armstrong [the
policeman] should never have become so involved with Alice Albright and her with
him. The meeting in the house after Alice’s death in the car accident should
never have taken place – obviously! – But it did, and the pair became lovers.
Jericho argued with angel Margret that Alice should be allowed to live on, since the team had
changed her fate by their need of her in the house for the mission. The angel finally agreed, and their pair married in 1964 and
were happily married for forty-one years and had four children. Tony died in
2005 and his soul was collected and processed.
Doris Fuller [café waitress]
worked for her aunt Martha [who the café was named after] and spent most of her
adult life in the place. She never married and died in 1976 from complications
of Type 1 diabetes; her soul was collected and processed.
Jerome Albright [the late
great-uncle] was brutally killed by the evil poltergeist because he wouldn’t
leave the house [very rare attack it should be noted!] But no soul was
collected as he was a follower of the Dark Prince and belonged to the witches
Coven that had infested the village of North Turning for centuries. [See episode:
‘The Priest’.] It’s understood that he’s now a Tier Three Demon himself.
David ‘Dave’ Sellers [friend] was
tragically killed in 1966 when the small fishing boat he was using on a
Scottish Loch suddenly overturned and he was trapped beneath it, as it sank. He
was due to marry and so he had no children by his grieving fiancé. She never
married but had a son by her long-term lover [who was married anyway] and the
boy was called David. Dave’s soul was collected and processed.
Jenifer ‘Jeanie’ Newbury [friend]
married three times and had four children by her various husbands. She had been
seriously influenced by the ‘swinging sixties’ and embraced the drug culture,
prevalent at the time, fully. Sadly she died of a heroin overdose in 1979,
alone in a Manchester ‘squat’ after being thrown out by her estranged third husband who was
granted custody of the children. Her soul was collected and processed. It received
fifty years in quarantine for the death of her first daughter, who she accidently suffocated whilst high
on drugs. She had escaped human justice on that occasion but
couldn’t escape divine justice.
Robert Myles [the dead
vagrant] lived in a ramshackle hut by the roadside and had done so for some
years, but never dreamed that this winter would be so bad. Being an ex-sailor,
he knew he was freezing slowly to death and headed out to the road, maybe planning
to beg for help and be taken into town. Perhaps the priest would let him sleep
in the church until the weather cleared up. Soon as he saw Alice’s car, he
tried to stop her, but Alice wasn’t paying attention to the road and knocked
him down. His body caught underneath the car and Alice now lying dead at the
wheel. She wasn’t wearing a seat belt [they were not compulsory in 1963] her
head having slammed against the windscreen so hard, that it cracked. Robert’s
soul was collected and processed. Strangely enough, he told the angel that he
felt no anger towards the young woman for his demise. Now that gave angel
Margret a rare smile.
‘Sophie’ the automaton/Gaps the
demon who possessed the machine for a ‘little mischief’ witnessed the brutal
killing of a fellow follower of his master the Dark Prince. He reported it back
to his masters and when James confronted him was quite co-operative and gave no
trouble. He was allowed to return to his master, and it’s suspected that this
almost harmless, naughty little demon is playing tricks on humans again,
this time at a Military Academy in Russia! He appears to be quite a favourite
of the Dark Prince, who – apparently – finds his antic’s hilarious.
Susan Shaw-Davies [the ghost] had
cheated with their neighbour on a very jealous and unhinged husband, who –
after a drinking bout – extracted a terrible revenge and battered the woman
with a spade from the gardener’s shed, then finished the job by strangling her.
When the collector arrived, the soul ran from the room in search of her son,
William. So her soul was not collected and the collector – Yoki – called it in.
Thankfully, some thirty years after the dreadful event, Susan’s soul was
finally collected and processed. She re-joined the human lifecycle immediately.
William Arthur Shaw-Davies [the
child ghost] had been brutally strangled to death by his father, who was so
enraged and drunk; he now believed he wasn’t even the boy’s father. Like his mother, the boy ran from the collector: to find
his mother. They remained together in the house, trying
desperately to avoid the madman who had now fully transformed into a classical poltergeist.
Reunited, they went to the light with James and Herbie. The boy jumped
immediately into a new – and hopefully much better – life.
Arthur Reginald Shaw-Davies [the poltergeist] prowled the house growing more powerful and malignant
with every year he brooded. He drove away two families who attempted to live in
the old house with his nocturnal activities and finally, when old Jerome
Albright simply wouldn’t leave, the poltergeist exploded with evil energy and
battered the old man to death. There was a witness to the killing, ‘Gaps’ the mischievous
demon who had been playing harmless tricks on Albright [such as making his
bed!] The killing bought temporal detectives on scene since Albright’s soul
wasn’t collected. The poltergeist was driven out by James and faced the Duty
Death Angel who assigned him two hundred human years in quarantine for the
killings. He re-joined the human lifecycle in 2133AD.
Thomas Edward Stirling [young farmer]
had worked the family farm since he was a boy. The farm had been in the
Stirling family for four generations and Tom took good care of his inheritance.
Despite being only 22, he already had two children with his wife Sally: they
would end up with six! He was a big gentle man who had a simple outlook on life
and loved working the land. He was to die in the house he was born in,
succumbing to liver cancer at the age of 59. His wife and two eldest daughters
nursed him themselves and the family were thrown into deep
grief and mourning when he died in 2000. His soul was collected and processed.
His eldest son – Peter – now runs the farm with the same passion that his late
father did. Thomas had trained the boy well and now the fifth generation of the
family took well care of the land and animals: as all humans should, but many
don’t.
Alexander ‘Alligator’ Grimwade [the toymaker] had a passion for Victorian and Edwardian mechanical
toys and curiosities. He also had – hidden until his death – the finest
collection of rare antique sex aids! They now form the core of an exhibition of
human sexual behaviour in Stockholm, Sweden. He would have loved that! He died in his sleep in 1975 cuddling a
large teddy bear who was really well [and very naughtily!] equipped which had
been made in 1885 in Italy. Alexander’s soul was collected and processed. Apparently, and quite unusually, the
angel had a long chat with Alexander, seemingly fascinated by
the sheer ingenuity of human sexual behaviour! [Angels have never been human
should you wonder.] Out of interest, he gained the odd nickname ‘alligator’ by receiving a suspended sentence
and £10 fine for exhibiting replica ancient Egyptian condoms in his shop in
1959. They were considered obscene at the time. The originals were made from
the tongues of dead Nile crocodiles, but his friends couldn’t tell an alligator
from a bloody crocodile at the time, otherwise his nickname would have been
‘Crocodile Grimwade’. Doesn’t quite have the same ring about it, does it?
Carol Armstrong [lost soul,
suicide] took her own life, suffering from terminal cancer, by drowning in the ponds
of Crotchlee House. She was just twenty-three and very happily married to Tony
Armstrong. She hid from the collector to remain and look out for him. When she
realised, he had finally found a new love, she attempted to warn Alice about
her own impending death. But after speaking with Jericho Tibbs who assured her
that Alice and Tony could get together, she went to the light with Herbie the
Collector. In a rare decision, angel Margret didn’t quarantine her for her
suicide and Carol re-joined the current human timeline immediately.
Kiri the demon managed to escape
the wrath of his master, the Dark Prince,
by hiding in Medieval Paris for a while, disguised as a Rat Catcher. But he’s
now back in business and had his straw hat repaired. Despite the sniggers and
strange looks from the other senior demons, he wears it with some pride. What the Dark Prince thinks of it isn’t known…..
"A dozen or so uncollected souls of the ‘Stone-age’ Pinni Tribe that had inhabited the
area for several thousand years still remain in the woods and fields around
Crotchlee House despite several attempts by Collectors to round them up!"
MISSION CONCLUSION:
Copyright © 2011-2025 Stephen Williams. No reproduction of any part without permission.
