by Robin Jarvis
It was Maggie. She and Jody were wandering over. Christina remained at the trestles, making up for her lack of breakfast. Jangler was gathering the younger children about him and trying to explain the rules of a peasants’ game to them.
“Ooh – that’s the trouble with your rear end,” Maggie said, easing herself on to the stool she had dragged with her. “Even when it’s giving you gyp, you’ve still got to sit on it.” She burped and banged her chest. “I pity that horse on the way back. What I ate just now you could make a whole new lambpig creature out of. Bloody lovely it was though.”
Jody gave a shudder of revulsion. The smell of the roasted meat and hot, dripping fat sputtering and smoking in the flames made her feel sick. She hadn’t even been able to stomach the fruit on offer. Tired after too little sleep and too long a ride, she was ready for a quarrel. She was glad Charm was here. She couldn’t think of a more suitable target.
“The younger kids are going to play games in a bit,” Maggie said.
“It’s too hot to be running about,” Alasdair muttered, lying back in the grass.
“What sorta games?” Charm asked, wondering if she should involve herself.
“I dunno,” Maggie answered. “Something from the book. l heard one of them servants say they’ve got all sorts of Jax-type things lined up. Rather them than me, it’s boiling in this frock – not that I’d ever run about anyway. The chafing is chronic.”
“They ain’t real servants,” Lee blurted, talking over her. “They’s just more fool zombies. Don’t you start calling them servants or maids or none of that! Five months back, they was probably collecting trolleys outside Sainsbury’s or working in a bank or some crap.”
Charm looked at him, confused. “Don’t you want to get to the castle?” she asked.
“Girl, when you gonna wake up and see what’s happenin’?” he shouted back at her. “You can’t be that dumb!”
“I wouldn’t put money on it,” Jody chipped in.
“But, like, it’s true!” Charm protested. “Everyone knows it!”
“True?” Jody cried. “You really are thick as you look! Mass delusion and hysteria, that’s what it is. You don’t seriously believe there’s another world, separate from this, and the only way to it is via that badly written book? You’re a single-tasking mouth-breather in lipgloss!”
“Just cos you look like a librarian don’t mean you’re clever nor nofink,” Charm retorted. “Course it’s true. Mooncaster’s a real, proper place – me ma wouldn’t lie to me. We’re just a bit slow gettin’ there, that’s all. What else you lot doing ’ere then? I can’t wait for it to happen to me! It’s gonna be well awesome!”
Lee pressed his lips together even tighter and tore a clump of grass from the ground. His anger was rising.
“Now I don’t believe it’s real,” Maggie put in. “I’m not that daft. But I will say this – that book’s the best thing that ever happened to me.”
The others stared at her.
“What do you mean?” Jody demanded.
Maggie gave a guilty sort of grin.
“There’s a lad at my school, see,” she began a little sheepishly. “Drop-dead gorgeous he is, one of them special blokes that can’t be the same species as the rest of us, cos everything about him is so amazing. Well, he reads the book and thinks he’s a knight who’s madly in love with that Jill of Hearts…”
“Dinnae tell me that’s why you pretended to be her?” Alasdair groaned.
“Too right I did! I couldn’t believe it. Soon as I pinned that card on, he were all over me.”
“That’s no very honest.”
“Eww, tacky,” Charm added.
“It’s twisted is what it is.”
Maggie cast her face down. “Yeah, well,” she mumbled. “It was the best few months I’d had for a long time. Dancing Jax isn’t all bad.”
“I can’t believe you said that!” Jody gasped. “How can you sit there and defend that evil, sodding book? Just look what it’s done to us – to everything!”
“But if this is just a dream to begin wiv…” Charm persisted.
Jody gave a shout of frustration. There was no getting through to her.
“And if it makes people happy,” Maggie ventured. “What’s so wrong about that? Wish I was as happy and certain as the blessed be mob.”
“But you are happy! And confident!”
Maggie shook her head. “When you’re this big, you have to have an even bigger front to hide behind,” she said. “Can’t slip into the background. There’s always some nasty mouth to sling insults cos they think your brain’s made of Yorkshire pudding. Best defence is to get in with the fat jokes first, make them laugh with you, not at you. What’s so great is Dancing Jax got rid of that. Size, money, or what the neighbours think, don’t matter no more to them that’s read it. That’s got to be a good thing.”
“Course it is,” Charm agreed. “Life is brilliant in the castle. Me ma says it’s more fairer than here.”
This was too much for Lee. He leaped up and exploded at them.
“Oh, yeah, it’s fair!” he snapped. “I’ll tell you just how fair!”
He held up his hand. “See this skin?” he demanded. “Take a good, long look. That colour don’t exist in your cosy fairy tale, written by a minted white guy almost a hundred years ago. You ever stop and think about it? How many black people are in them pages? None! But what do you think happens when a black person reads it and gets sucked in there? I’ll tell you, cos it happened to everyone I know. My family, my brothers…”
He paused to take a steadying breath.
“They read that book and they think they is white! White peasants, white lords and ladies, white servants. But that ain’t the worst – oh, no. When they snap out of it and they’s back here…” He ground his teeth, impassioned beyond speech, and kicked the tent behind him.
The others were too shocked to say anything.
“I never thought,” Maggie whispered eventually.
Lee rounded on her. “Course you didn’t!” he cried. “You was too busy playing at being a fat-ass princess and tricking some poor guy into slobbering over you! No one thought. No one did nuthin’!”
He spun around to storm off, but there was still more he had to say and he turned back.
“My mother,” he continued fiercely. “She’s a strong woman, strong and proud. Everyone on my estate got a lot of time and respect for her. She brought up three kids on her own, doing all kinds of stuff to keep us fed and clothed and out of trouble, best she can. You know what she does now? I’ll tell you so you can chew on it. When my mother looks in the mirror, she can’t understand why her dreams have painted her this colour. She sees her reflection and… she laughs. She laughs at her black face. All my friends laugh at their black faces. That’s what Dancing Jax has done and that’s why I won’t wear no dressy-up clothes!”
IT WAS AFTER seven when they returned to the holiday compound. The smaller children were nodding in their saddles. They had played old-fashioned games all afternoon: running races, throwing horseshoes, climbing and swinging on ropes – even the boisterous Mooncot sport of Wumpenruff, which added to everyone’s bruises. Marcus couldn’t resist competing, although the smaller boys were no match for him. He won every game until Jangler banned him from taking part.
On the way back, Christina withdrew even further into herself. She would rather be at home with her uncaring parents than heading to the cabin, where monsters prowled around at night. Plodding up the long forest road to the camp, the boys in Spencer’s cabin were looking forward to a long session on the Xbox. Spencer and Jim were thinking about two totally different things. One of them had experienced a fantastic day and had grown to love the saddle. The other was wondering when his great moment would come. Surely it had to be soon?
Lee hadn’t said a word since his outburst and those who had witnessed it didn’t dare approach him. What could they possibly say? Luckily Marcus was placed too far down the column of horses
to make any ignorant comments and Alasdair wondered if he should have a quiet word with him. Would Marcus be sympathetic enough to care? Alasdair was doubtful. He took a swig of wine from the leather bottle he had brought back from the picnic.
“What’s been going on here?” Jody asked in surprise.
She was staring ahead at the camp. The wooden gates were now sandwiched between two five-metre-high posts, as wide as telegraph poles. Garlands of spring flowers and small lanterns were strung across to soften their imposing presence. As they rode in, the children saw more posts, cemented into the ground, standing ten metres apart. They formed a wide perimeter around the chalets and the main block. Swags of flowers and glimmering lanterns connected each one.
“Awwww… that’s well pretty,” Charm cooed. “Like a fairyland.”
Now Lee understood why they had been kept away for the entire day. He sucked the air through his teeth and hated the fact he was right about what was going on.
“For the grand closing festivities tomorrow!” Jangler declared, waving his arms at the decorated posts. “A truly spectacular conclusion to your weekend has been arranged. You won’t believe your eyes!”
“I just want to fast-forward the whole bloody day and get out of here,” Jody grumbled, although she had no desire to go back to Bristol either. The only thing she really wanted at that precise moment was a shower.
The children dismounted and the horses and ponies were led away. Out of the main block serving wenches appeared, bearing trays of fruit punch, which they called “The Queen of Hearts’ May Cup”, to refresh them after their long ride. The drinks were received gladly and glugged back in no time. Alasdair poured his away when no one was looking and refilled the goblet with wine. Lee sniffed the punch with suspicion and tipped it on the ground in disgust. All he wanted was a glass of water, fresh from the bathroom tap. He headed towards the cabin, but Jangler called him back.
“The fun is not quite over yet,” he announced.
“I’m still waiting for it to begin,” Jody mumbled.
“Before you disperse,” the old man continued. “And before you head to the dining hall, where a delicious cold supper awaits – there is yet one more game left to play.”
“Can we no play it tomorrow?” Alasdair spoke up.
“Oh, no,” Jangler told him. “It must be played tonight. There’ll be no time tomorrow and it really must be played as darkness falls.”
“The kids are a wee bit shattered after all the running about today. I dinnae think they’ll be up to much.”
Jangler gave a broad smile, showing his babylike teeth. “They will when they hear what this game is,” he said. “The peasant children of Mooncot take immense delight in it. It is their most favourite game of all. They call it ‘Bite of the Werewolf’.”
A murmur of excitement spread through the younger ones who were suddenly fully awake.
“How do you play?” Tommy asked, his eyes round and wider than normal.
Jangler peered over the rim of his spectacles at everyone.
“Only one of you here is a werewolf,” he informed them gravely. “I will choose who. The rest of you must run and hide in the woodland behind the chalets. The werewolf will count up to a hundred… then come hunting. When he catches you, he must bite. Then you too are savage and snarling as he and must turn your skin inside out to reveal the beast within when the moon is full and high. The two of you continue the hunt. Seek out the cowering, cringing humans. They are your meat and drink this night. You are driven to swell the ranks of your woebegotten pack. And so the terrible infection spreads. Whoever is the last one to remain unbitten, wins.”
“Wicked,” Tommy breathed.
The others thought the same and couldn’t wait to get started. Alasdair was astonished by how quickly they had recovered from their long day. They seemed bursting with energy again.
Jody put a hand to her head. She felt weird, almost giddy. The same tingling thrill of anticipation that the under-tens were feeling was making the hairs on the back of her neck rise. She wanted to run headlong into the trees and never stop.
“What’s wrong with me?” she murmured. “I can hardly breathe.”
Standing close by, Maggie began to giggle. “I feel really… silly,” she said. “Really… ha ha ha!”
Christina looked up at them, worried and bewildered. She too felt strange. Without warning, she let out a high, unnatural laugh and spun around, stamping her feet.
Marcus’s head was swimming. He desperately wanted to be the werewolf. He wanted to be the focus of everyone’s attention. To be taken seriously for a change. Charm couldn’t ignore him then. He’d hunt her down and give her the biggest love bite she’d ever had. He threw back his head and let out a howl.
Charm didn’t hear him. She was gazing at the lanterns strung between the posts. She had never seen such bright, beautiful colours. It was spellbinding. The lights seemed to play over her drab woollen costume and transform it into an enchanting gown of pink tulle and chiffon.
“I’m a princess!” she cried, twirling around in a slow, stumbling waltz.
Alasdair stared at them with mounting concern. His senses were pleasantly numbed by the combination of wine and the day’s sun, but he could see something was seriously wrong here.
“What’ve you done?” he yelled at Jangler. “What was that May Cup stuff?”
The old man chuckled, but didn’t answer. The effects of the drink were most satisfactory. It had worked far faster than he had expected. The children were energised, agitated, receptive and anxious to play the game.
“Someone’s been busy mixing cocktails,” Lee said to Alasdair. “Could be all kinds of chemistry in that fruit punch. It’s gonna get messy here. I hope to hell he knew what he was doing or he’ll croak someone.”
“What?” the Scot cried, aghast. “Actual drugs? He spiked it? I thought it was strong Red Bull or something. They wouldn’t do that to us!”
“Boy, you gotta get wise. Look at them kids. They’s half out their domes. They is crunk. There ain’t nuthin’ the blessed be psychos won’t do. We’s only lab rats to them.”
“But that’s… just evil!”
“Why is that news?”
“We’ve got to stop it!”
“I don’t get involved no more.”
Alasdair glared at him. “You are involved!” he shouted. “You’re here – you’re in this with the rest of us. Whatever you’ve been through doesnae give you a free pass from responsibility. We’ve all suffered. We’ve all got reasons to feel sorry for ourselves. This isnae just about you – it’s no about race. It’s about being a human being and caring what happens to each other – to these wee lads an’ lasses! Otherwise you may as well pin a playing card on and join the zombie brigade.”
Lee was about to shrug, but thought better of it. The boy’s angry words had hit home.
“Too late to stop it,” he said. “Kids already downed the junk. Best we can do is make sure they don’t do nuthin’ stupid.”
“Like what? What’ll happen?”
“Oh, just cos I’m the only black person left in the country, I’m an expert on drugs – is that what you’re sayin’?”
“No! You live on a rough estate in South London. You must have more of a clue than me.”
“Well, OK. Maybe I have. Depends what that old fool medicined them with and how they react. If they freak, we could be lookin’ at anything. Like pullin’ their own teeth out, eating their hands, climbin’ a roof to jump off, thinking they can fly or just the simple stuff like killing each other.”
“Be serious!”
“I am.”
“And the werewolf is…” Jangler finally called out.
“Me! Me!” Marcus begged. “Please, please, please!”
Jangler took no notice and pointed straight at Spencer.
“The boy with the cowboy hat!” he declared.
Marcus cursed and Spencer punched the air, shouting a triumphant, “Yee-haw!”
“I won’t be a werewolf though!” he said. “I’m going to be a werecoyote!”
He snarled at the small kids closest to him and they squealed in mock horror.
“Once the hallucinations kick in,” Lee muttered, “they won’t enjoy this dumb-ass game so much.”
Jangler clapped his hands. “What are you waiting for?” he asked. “The moon is rising and the skin of the werewolf is itching. Soon he will shed his human guise and be a beast of fur and sinew, sniffing out the blood of the weak. You must flee, run to the trees – go hide, whilst you can! Run for your lives – hurry! Hurry!”
Spencer began counting. The children screamed and raced off between the chalets towards the woods. Jody ran with them. Under the May Cup’s influence, she was completely swept along by the urgency of the game. At that moment, it was the most important thing in the world. She had to run and hide and not be bitten.
With the hem of her kirtle in her hands, as though running from a palace ball at midnight, Charm hurried over the lawn to the woodland. Marcus kept alongside her, encouraging her onward. Huffing and blowing, but still laughing, Maggie lumbered after.
Lee and Alasdair watched them hare away and disappear into the settling darkness.
“This is a nightmare!” the Scot exclaimed. “How are we going to keep an eye on all of them?”
“That’s not the worst thing,” Lee said. “I wasn’t gonna say, but there’s something out there, in them woods. Something not right, something to scare the soul right out your bones. I saw it last night. I don’t know what it was – just saw a shape and I don’t know if there’s more than one, but playing hide-and-seek in them trees is like taking a stroll through some lions, wearing a necklace made of burgers.”
Alasdair stared at him in disbelief.
“And what’s even extra bad,” Lee added grimly, “I am clean out of cigarettes.”
Alasdair was already running after the squealing children. He threw a vicious glance at Jangler as he dashed by and shouted, “If anything happens to a single one of them, you’re dead!”
The old man pulled at his pointed beard and smiled. Lee pointed warningly at him as he ran by.