Tom looked at Garren, who shrugged. Then something caught Tom’s eye. It was just over Garren’s shoulder, in the sky and getting bigger as it approached.
“What’s that?” he asked, pointing at the phenomenon.
Everyone looked at where he pointed and saw something moving towards them. It looked like something being pulled through the sky. As it got closer, it began to dawn on Tom what it was, and he stared open-mouthed as eight brown and white animals flew over the monastery, harnessed in pairs to a large sleigh. It was flying low enough for Tom to make out a bearded figure dressed in red fur at the reins and behind him, an enormous red sack, tied at the top with golden rope.
The figure waved as he flew over the group in the courtyard below, and disappeared behind the mountain. The jingling sound of sleigh bells fading away.
“I’ve seen him,” Tom mumbled in shocked amazement.
“Ain’t you seen him before?” Rita asked.
“I never have,” Tom said, aghast. “I have always believed.”
“Bet you never saw a vampire till you came here either,” Val said, punching him on the arm.
“All legends start with an element of truth,” Garren said.
Tom felt elated. He felt that absolutely anything was possible now and buried that annoying nagging self-doubt deep inside himself. He closed his eyes and believed he could just step across the threshold into his own universe as easily as stepping through an open doorway. His pendant emitted the stream of sparkling yellow light, and the ball of energy grew and grew. The wind gusted, and the electricity crackled. He had created a stable gateway home.
“Well done,” Garren called.
“Nice one, Nipper,” Rita shouted.
“Bless my soul. Super effort, my boy,” congratulated Albert.
The crackling subsided, and the wind died down, but the ball of light remained steady.
“All you have to do is step through,” Garren said.
At last, the time had arrived. Tom could go home to his family. But now he was beset with emotions of sorrow at the thought of parting from his new friends. They had known each other for such a short time, but they had been through so much.
“You must hurry,” Garren said. “We don’t know how long the portal will last.”
“Will I see you again?” Tom asked.
“I have no doubt that we shall meet again,” Garren said. “I shall look forward to that day.”
“Oo, come here,” Rita said, flinging her surprisingly strong arms around the boy. “Give Aunty a big hug. You look after yourself, you hear me.”
“Yes,” Tom gasped. She released him from her hold. “Thank you for all your help.”
“You’re welcome,” she said. “Come and see me when you’re in town next time. And don’t forget me sweeties.”
“I won’t.”
“Until we meet again, my friend,” Valcris said, shaking his hand with an ice-cold grip.
Tom smiled and said goodbye.
“Well my lad,” said Albert taking Tom’s hand in his somewhat warmer hand. “You have managed something that I never did. You got to go home.”
“You could come with me,” Tom said.
“No, my boy,” Albert said sadly. “My old world has gone now; there is nothing there for me. I would be more out of place there than I ever was here. You go and be with your family and take my blessing with you.”
Tom nodded, understanding why the old man wished to remain behind. He was just about to enter the portal when he saw Maya and her mother coming out of the Well Chamber.
“I wanted to say goodbye,” Maya said.
Tom glared at her.
“Don’t be too hard on her,” Marj said. “She would never have willingly helped Balfour. He threatened to torture me if she closed her mind. But together we did try to help you where we could.”
“The visions you couldn’t remember,” Tom said.
“Yes,” Maya said. “That was not me; it was my mother speaking through me. And I did try to tell you, this morning in the forest.”
“...consider the circumstances behind what has happened to see the truth,” Tom said. “I remember.”
“I could not tell you openly; he would have known. I’m sorry.”
Tom slowly offered his hand. Maya took it and smiled.
“I’m glad your mother is safe,” he said and turned to the portal.
Maya was happy she had had the chance to explain to Tom and relieved that he had taken her advice and looked at the wider picture. But as he turned away from her, she was saddened that there was nothing more. At least now he understood.
Tom stopped in front of the swirling light and turned back to his friends. “Remember to say goodbye to Lyca and Dan for me, and thank them for their help. Thanks to all of you.”
Garren nodded back; then, Tom stepped into the portal with a last look at this strange world.
The world melted in the light. Unlike his first experience with the portal, he was able to move. Perhaps that was because he walked into an established gateway, whereas last time he had been caught in one that was being created. Or maybe it was just the hand of destiny that reached out and grabbed him and placed him on the path that was already set for him. Who knew?
Just as a patch of darkness appeared before him and swiftly grew into the opening through which he would find his own world, Tom was sure he saw a dark shadow rush past him. He could not make out what it was, possibly his senses were just confused by the swirling mass of light and sound, but it came from behind him and overtook him as he walked towards the dark.
Seconds later, he forgot all about the strange shadow as he stepped out into the dark. It took a while for his eyes to adjust, the circle of light still burning brightly behind him showed the walls of a cave. This wasn’t the copse where he had started. There was an opening ahead. He went outside, and a wave of relief and happiness swept over him almost taking his breath away. Before he knew it, he was running down the grassy slope, towards the lights of his own town, spread before him. He had come out in the hills that bounded the western edge of Marsham and the caves he and his friends had often played in during the long summer holidays.
As he ran down the road where his house stood, he wiped the tears of happiness from his face. In many of the houses, lights burned behind closed curtains. It was Christmas morning, and children who could not wait for the first light of dawn were already opening presents.
Tom stopped at his gate. There was a light on in his living room. Were they celebrating without him? Had Alice got them all up to open her presents? Would they be angry with him?
The gate squeaked loudly as he pushed it open. The curtain moved. A young girl screamed. The front door flew open, and the air was filled with the sound of crying and shouting as first Matt came sprinting down the path and squeezed the air out of Tom’s lungs in the biggest bear hug ever, then James piled in, and Alice forced her way between her brothers into the great big family bundle. Every one of them was crying. When eventually they allowed Tom to come up for air, he saw mum, sitting on the doorstep sobbing with joy and relief and exhaustion. She couldn’t make it any further. Dad was beside her, comforting her.
His siblings stood aside, allowing Tom to go to his mother. Seeing her there, so uncontrollable with emotion helped him understand the terrible position Maya had been in, and he spared a sympathetic thought for her before running to his mum and losing himself in her hugs and kisses. He felt his dad’s unshaven face against his and, for the first time, felt his tears as they fell on to his neck.
“What happened to you?” sobbed his mum, holding him back to look at the many cuts and bruises he sustained during his struggle with Balfour.
He put his hand up to his sore head. “I was so lost,” he said. “I tried and tried, but I couldn’t find my way home.
“Shhh,” his mum said, holding him tight. “It’s OK, you’re home now.”
“I missed you so much,” Tom said.
“Come on,” dad s
aid. “Let’s get you inside. I’ll get Doctor Partridge to come and check you over.”
A couple of hours later, when the white clouds of the Christmas morning sky obscured the early sun, after the doctor had checked his wounds and declared him fine, but exhausted, after the police had been notified of his return and forbidden by the doctor from questioning him till tomorrow, after a bath and some soup, Tom lay in his warm bed with a steaming mug of hot milk. The whole family was in his room, laughing and opening presents and making jibes about the bump on his head doing no damage to a brain so small.
“Come on, everyone,” said mum. “Out you go. Let him get some rest.”
Everyone took it in turns to wish him a merry Christmas and one by one they all left. Tom felt warm and clean and happy. The curtains had been drawn, but he wanted to open them to see the sky of his own world again.
‘It won’t hurt,’ he thought. ‘Just to see if it works in this world. Just to prove it wasn’t a dream.’
He cleared his mind and concentrated on his curtains opening. His pendant lit up, and the curtains swished open of their own accord, just as Alice came in to lend him her favourite teddy so he wouldn’t be lonely. Her eyes darted from the moving curtains to the bright light in his pendant, just before it faded and she stared in open-mouthed amazement.
Tom smiled at her and put his finger to his lips. “Shhh,” he whispered, then tucked the pendant inside his t-shirt.
Alice grinned threw him the bear and closed his door.
Also by Philip Sealey
The Thomas Knight Chronicles
The Sorcerer's Tome (Coming Soon)
The Sorcerer's Tome Page 21