Poppy Darke

by Colin Wraight

  Poppy was dreading home time and it seemed to come just a little too quickly. She wasn’t scared of Roberta or anything like that, Infact it was quite the opposite. A year ago poppy’s day wasn’t complete without hitting someone or having a full on scrap, boys or girls, she didn’t care it was all the same to her. She wasn’t that person anymore and desperately wanted to avoid getting into any trouble, but she knew deep down that Roberta would be waiting and a fight was inevitable.

  When the bell finally rang she packed her books away slower than usual and was the last to leave the class. The corridor was still full of children, and Poppy wondered if some of them were hanging back to see the fight. Fortunately there was no sign of Roberta Bailey either in the school or outside.

  Poppy thought about making a mad dash for her bike, but any sign of weakness or fear would just single her out for any other school bullies. No, she decided to walk to the cycle shelter as serenely as possible and let the Poppy of old deal with any trouble that may come up.

  In the event no one even looked at her and before long she was happily peddling down the bridle path beside the lake, and once again that happiness was brutally short lived. As Poppy flew through the air towards the mud beneath, it took her less than a millisecond to realise with some shock and horror, not to mention terror, that she had infact been unceremoniously shoved off her bike. One millisecond later she crashed painfully into a grassy banking and her bike decided now would be a good time to go swimming.

  Winded and tearful, Poppy climbed to her knees and fought to get her breath back and that was when she felt the first kick hit her from behind. She fell forward and landed face down in a puddle, immediately a heavy weight climbed on her back and a hand began forcing her head down into the murky water.

  As she gulped huge mouthfuls of dirty water Poppy screamed and then spluttered. “Get off me!”

  Suddenly her attacker released her grip and stood up. Poppy waited for the next punch or kick but it didn’t come. She looked up and wiped the water out of her eyes, and then she rubbed her eyes because she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. It was definitely Midnight standing there, sort of, she recognised his collar, but there the similarities ended.

  He was two or three times his normal size, his whole body was rippling with packed dense muscle that seemed to twitch, shudder and spasm under the gleaming black fur and his eyes glowed like burning embers. Gloopy saliva rolled and dripped from his elongated, razor sharp teeth and tongue as he stood quietly growling at Poppys assailant.

  She needn’t have bothered looking; she knew who the attacker was. “Stand perfectly still Roberta!” Poppy whispered shakily and slowly climbed to her knees. She glowered furiously over her shoulder at the terrified school girl who was literally scared stiff with fear.

  Poppy took a deep breath before fully standing up, she couldn’t be absolutely sure that Midnight recognized her in this state.

  “Get lost!” Poppy mouthed at the dog so that Roberta wouldn’t hear. “Go home!”

  Midnight took two steps toward Roberta, and crouched as if about to pounce. She flinched, and an attempt at screaming resulted in a pitiful whimper. The dog barked and the shock wave sent Roberta stumbling backwards and crashing into the lake.

  By the time she surfaced coughing and spluttering, Midnight had vanished. Roberta was crying hysterically and frantically scanning the path for Midnight.

  “Stop it!” Poppy screamed angrily. “And don’t you dare come out of that lake without my bike.”

  “What...? What was...? It!” She struggled to ask through her chattering teeth. “I...I want my... My Mummy.”

  The Poppy of old was never far away. The bully, the thief and the vandal surfaced in a blaze of uncontrollable rage. “So you want a fight do you...? Well here I am... Come on!”

  Roberta began to sob. “I want to go home... I just want to go home... I think I heard my mum shouting me!”

  “Bike!” Poppy growled. “And if there’s one scratch on it you‘re dead meat!”

  The girl grudgingly fished around under the water with her hands and eventually stood the bike up and pushed it to the bank at the side of the lake. “That... That thing... Has it gone?” she said as water poured and dripped out of her sodden clothes.

  “What?” Poppy said innocently. “That little dog? Dunno... It must have run off.” She physically forced her anger to subside as she realized the consequences of someone seeing Midnight like that.

  “It wasn’t little. It was a...Monster... I know what I saw.”

  “No Roberta... There was no dog and nothing happened here today! Just think, it could be watching us right now... It might even know where you live... Imagine waking up in the middle of the night... And seeing that stood over you, drooling... It doesn’t bear thinking about does it?”

  The look of fear hadn’t quite left Roberta’s eyes and now they looked petrified as they nervously darted up and down the path. “Stop it, you’re scaring me!” She said almost crying again. “I know I’ve been really horrible to you! But can I walk with you to the village... I don’t want to be on my own...What if it comes back?”

  The panic in her voice almost made Poppy feel sorry for her. “Why did you jump me? It was only a stupid chair in a stupid canteen.”

  Now the tears began to fall in earnest. “It’s... It’s the only place that I can sit... No one likes me, if I sit on another table they all get up and move.”

  “They don’t move because they don’t like you...But believe me, they don’t! They move because you’re a bully and you hurt people.”

  “No...It’s because I’m so big boned...”

  “You’re not big boned Roberta... You’re fat... And you think that by being so horrible to everyone they’ll be too scared of you to call you names.”

  She shrugged and they walked the rest of the way home in silence. At the crossroads Roberta went one way and Poppy the other, without a single word being uttered.

  Chapter16

  Poppy was in such a hurry to get out of those wet and muddy clothes that she didn’t notice the strange car parked in front of the house. She threw her bike down on the lawn and stormed in through the front door.

  “Granddad...” She cried breathlessly and dropped her school bag by the settee. “Granddad... Where are you?”

  “We’re in the kitchen!” Came a reply.

  “Granddad!” She said as she dashed into the kitchen and then stopped in her tracks when she noticed a stranger sat at the dining table drinking a cup of tea. He was wearing a suit and had a briefcase open on his lap. “Oh...It doesn’t matter!” She said and turned to leave.

  “Poppy!” Her Mum Said. “Just look at the state of you...What on earth has happened to your uniform?”

  “Nothing... I fell off my bike.” She lied.

  “Well this is Mr Price; he’s here to see you. Go and get changed and clean yourself up.”

  Poppy wondered who the man was, he gave a little wave of acknowledgement without even bothering to look up. There was only one way to find out, so she rushed upstairs and got into some jeans and a t-shirt.

  She was back down stairs less than three minutes later and standing nervously in front of the stranger.

  “Hello Poppy, my name is David Price and I’m from the Child Services...”

  Poppy suddenly felt a twinge of fear. “...Mum!” She said and shuffled her feet nervously.

  “It’s alright.” She replied. “It’s nothing bad.”

  He went on. “Since you came to live in this area I’ve become your case worker. I’ve spoken at length both with your Mother and your teachers.” He paused for a second while he pulled what looked like a small pencil case out of his inside jacket pocket. “After great thought it’s been decided to reward the complete turnaround in your behavior...” He sat the pencil case down on the table and unzipped it. “Right, if you’d just like to put your right foot up on the chair, I’ll take that nasty tag off.”

  Poppy almost screamed with de
light and a couple of seconds later there was just a slight paleness to the skin where the tag had once been.

  Mr. Price clearly hadn’t finished with Poppy and stood up. “Under the juvenile convention and court sentencing, the antisocial behavior order must stand. However, the curfew imposed by the courts was in relation to the tag...”

  Her brain suddenly caught up with events. “I’m free?”

  This doesn’t mean you can go back to your old ways young lady... Just remember I can always come back.” He thrust the tag under her nose. “...And put this back on!”

  Mr Price packed up his things and got Poppys mum to sign some papers and as he walked to the door he turned to Poppy. “I hope that I never have cause to see you again Poppy Darke!” Then he nodded his farewells to the adults and was gone.

  There was a silence that seemed to last and last and then Poppy turned on the TV.

  “Turn that off Poppy!” Her Mum said firmly, and then there was another silence while she picked her words carefully. “...This is a fresh start for all of us and I’ve decided to mark it by... having the christening next week!”

  “So Dad’s coming home?” Poppy asked, her eyes bright with excitement.

  “I spoke to him this afternoon, as soon as I heard they were removing the tag. I’m sorry but the university can’t get cover for him on the dig at such short notice... He’ll be home soon I promise.”

  “But you keep changing the baby’s name... What is it now?”

  “Well I thought about Dylan but I’ve decided to keep to family traditions.”

  Suddenly Granddad began clapping and when Poppy looked over at him he had a stupid grin all over his face. “Oh Mum.” Poppy cried. “You’re not calling him Nathaniel? Are you?”

  “Little Nathan really suits him, don’t you think?”

  Poppy groaned and rolled her eyes in utter disgust, noticing Midnight stirring from his slumber she was reminded of the afternoon’s events by the lake. She looked at her Mum standing there with her mind full of cakes and christening gowns and wondered just how much she really knew about all the weird stuff that was going on. Afterall, she grew up in the village and must have noticed something strange; for starters there was a dog here that hadn’t aged in almost fifty years.

  “I saw Midnight by the lake earlier Mum, he was behaving very strangely; I don’t think he was himself somehow...” Poppy said. “If you know what I mean?”

  Suddenly the dog sat up and seemed to be listening to the conversation. He watched Poppy until she stopped talking and then looked at her Mum.

  Mrs. Anne Darke turned away to the sink and gazed at her own reflection in the kitchen window. She had always known that this day would come, but it had arrived much sooner than she would have liked. “So how much have you guessed..? And what do you think you know?”

  “I know that dog isn’t normal and I know the church is full of monsters... And I know that Granddad and possibly Dad as well, kill demons for a hobby!” She stood firm with her hands on her hips and waited for the denial.

  Anne picked the kettle up and began to fill it under the tap. When she turned around her face was expressionless and her eyes hard. “It’s not a hobby and it’s not a game...” She spat. “It’s a war. People die in wars... So you must never utter a single word to anyone... Do you understand?”

  Poppy was forced to step back as she absorbed the venom in this strange woman’s voice. It was definitely her Mum standing before her, but colder, harder and just a little chilling. She nodded eagerly as her Mum plugged the kettle in and took two cups from the draining board. “I’ve shielded you from this for as long as I could. But you’re getting older now and it’s time you found out who you are... What you are?”

  “I...I don’t understand!”

  “Have you ever seen things that aren’t really there or had strange sensations that you didn’t understand?”

  “No.” Poppy said and immediately regretted her words, she’d seen the Goyles living room appear out of nowhere and she’d saved Slurpe from certain death. “...At least I don’t think so...Maybe.”

  “Do you remember the story I told you about Ruby and William Darke?” Said Granddad and then turned to Anne. “No sugar for me dear, I’m trying to cut down!”

  “Of course... But!”

  “You are their direct descendant... Like your Father and his father and his before that... Soon her gift will come to into your possession and you must choose whether you wish to take up the sword... Or not!”

  “What...Like the one in the cave?”

  “What are you talking about?” Her Mum demanded. “What cave?”

  “When Granddad fought the Demon in the cave... I passed him the sword.” Poppy turned to the old man. “It was me who stopped you killing the puppy and it was me who whispered in your ear.”

  “Impossible...You’ve read the book Poppy.” Said her mum. “... And then dreamed it or something.”

  “I can prove it... In the book Granddad, you said an Angel whispered in your ear...”

  He nodded thoughtfully.

  “But you never said what the Angel told you!”

  “No I didn’t!” He said and glanced sideways at Midnight.

  “The Demon was choking you and the sword was on the floor. Somehow... I don’t know how exactly but I made the sword fly over to you and you killed him.”

  “Poppy..! Really!” Her mum interrupted.

  “No, let her go on. I’ve never told a soul what words were whispered in my ear.”

  “Then you tipped out a sack and a puppy fell on the floor. You said he was the last of the ‘Hellhounds’ and then you raised up your sword. I came over to you and I whispered one word into your ear. That word was...Midnight!”

  He nodded. “I remember now... I ...I was dying. I could feel my life slipping away and I opened my eyes for the last time and I looked up and I saw a...”

  “What did you see Nathaniel?”

  “I saw... I saw what I can only describe as... As a winged Angel, but that’s ridiculous.”

  “I’m not lying.” Poppy cried. “I remember you winked at me!”

  “Oh my god... You’re right I winked at an Angel... Perhaps not an Angel as such, but there was something in that cave with me.” His hand went to his brow and massaged his temples as he tried to think. “I don’t understand that happened more than fifty years ago... Even the most powerful amongst us cannot travel through time.”

  “Poppy, this conversation must stay within these four walls. You are not to speak to another living soul about this... Ever!”

  “Your Mother is right... Not a soul.” Said Granddad and placed a finger across his lips.

  The dawning of realization suddenly burned brightly in the young girls eyes. “You just said ‘even the most powerful amongst us cannot travel through time’... So what can you do Granddad?”

  The old man looked at his daughter-in-law for permission, which was given by way of a subtle blink, and then he carefully closed the curtains. Moving to the centre of the room he held up both hands with his palms facing the ceiling and closed his eyes. He mumbled some strange words which he seemed to repeat over and over. This chant seemed to go on and on, and then he stopped mumbling and opened one eye.

  “Wouldn’t you just know it...? How embarrassing... This always happens when I’ve got an audience.”

  “Very funny Gramps...” Poppy sneered. “Use the force Luke!”

  Suddenly with a loud crackle and a buzzing sound a red ball of pure energy appeared out of nowhere. Poppy screamed and dived under the dining table. The orb was about the size of a tennis ball and seemed to hum as it hovered over the sink.

  “Don’t be scared Poppy.” Her Granddad Gasped, as he tried to control the strange light with his hands. “Come out from under there.”

  Poppy stood up but stayed as far away from the orb as the small kitchen would allow her.

  “Right...” He said. “Now come over here and try touching it. If you feel any heat then I’
m afraid you don’t have the gift.”

  Poppy approached the orb with some degree of confidence, at that moment and for a reason she could never explain, she felt a deep sense of destiny. “So you want me to touch it...? Right?”

  “That’s the idea.”

  She glanced warily at her Mum for some support, and it came in the form of a smile of resignation. She raised her arm toward the glowing ball and gingerly put her hand out. Before she even touched the ball it turned to a pulsating bright white color and began humming even louder.

  Granddad frowned. “Quick...Take your hand away.” He cried “There’s something wrong!”

  Poppy gladly did as she was told but the ball juddered slightly as it escaped the old mans’ control and jumped across to Poppys hand. She let out a gasp of fear, and looked to her Granddad for help.

  “OK... Stand still... Don’t panic.” He said as calmly as he could. “Is it burning you at all?”

  “You’d know if it was!” Poppy spluttered angrily. “Get this thing off of me?” The orb began to grow bigger and bigger and started Spinning on her fingertips like a magical basketball. The fear also grew and without warning Poppy let out a shrill scream that seemed to make the whole house vibrate. The effects of which were instantaneous, the Orb exploded into thousands of tiny bubble like orbs, and the mirror hanging beside the refrigerator shattered and fell off of the wall.

  “Get down!” Screamed the old man and took Poppys place under the table with surprising agility for a man of his age. Less than a second later both Mother and daughter joined him. “Get comfortable girls, we’re in for a real treat.”

  The tiny white bubbles floated eerily up toward the ceiling. Suddenly two of them collided in a rainbow coloured explosion of fireworks. Sometimes several bubbles would crash into each other at the same time and produce a myriad of shooting stars. They would bounce off the ceiling and crash into furniture leaving minute scorch marks. A rogue bubble slowly floated past Poppys face and as she gazed upon its shimmering, glittering surface she thought she saw the universe in all its glory. She laughed and clapped excitedly at the impromptu display, but soon the kitchen fell silent and not only the little girl wished they could see it all over again.