by M E. Holley
‘No, I’m just here for the summer holidays.’ He smiled at Mr Golding
Erin was pacing along beside Jonah, biting her lip. ‘It’s strange to see fire coming up from the earth like that, isn’t it?’ she said, still anxious about the danger.
Mr Golding nodded. ‘It is strange. And rather alarming.’
Jonah was reminded of the morning and suddenly felt that he could confide in this man. ‘That’s not the only strange thing round here,’ he blurted out. ‘This morning, just after it got light, I saw an animal.’ Mike listened as Jonah explained what had happened. ‘I thought it was going to kill me.’ He stopped as they reached the wall into the churchyard. ‘I was so scared!’ he admitted.
‘But that’s terrible. A dog like that shouldn’t be running loose,’ said Mr Golding. ‘Look, I can’t say for sure what is causing the fire, and until I am sure, it would be irresponsible of me to talk about my suspicions. I might well be wrong. So go home now and try not to worry. I’ll see you here at ten o’clock and then I hope I will know about the fire. All right?’
They nodded, both feeling now that they could trust him.
‘Good. And by the way, you can stop the Mr Golding stuff. Call me Mike. OK?’
He smiled goodbye, vaulted over the wall into the churchyard and went towards the porch to retrieve his jacket. Erin and Jonah were walking back down the lane, when they heard him shouting and turned round to see him waving at them, frantically. They exchanged puzzled glances and ran back to the church gate.
‘Sorry, you two,’ Mike said, ‘but I feel a bit worried about you going home alone.’
Jonah was looking hard at him. ‘Because of the dog?’
‘Yes,’ Mike answered quietly. ‘It may be perfectly harmless but if a large fierce-looking dog is running loose on the hills, I think I ought to walk along with you.’
‘Oh, no,’ Erin exclaimed. She felt embarrassed in case Mike thought she and Jonah were too young to look after themselves. ‘You don’t need to do that. It’s kind of you but you don’t have to worry. I’ve got my phone. Look. And I’m used to dealing with farm dogs. We’ll be careful.’
‘Well, if you are sure.’ Mike looked doubtful but said goodbye, raising a hand as he went through the field gate opposite. Jonah sensed that he was still uneasy about letting them go home by themselves.
‘He’s nice, isn’t he?’ he said to Erin.
‘Yes, he is. Sorry about earlier.’ She glanced at Jonah apologetically. ‘It’s just that it was so unusual to see a perfect stranger down there. I mean, we get tourists occasionally. They come to see the church. But they come up the lane by bike or car; they don’t just appear in the valley. And I knew he wasn’t a walker, because he wasn’t wearing walking boots or anything.’
Jonah stopped in his tracks.
‘What?’ Erin said, turning round.
‘What you just said – it made me think. Erin, where did he come from? And where’s he going now? Like you said, there wasn’t a car or a bike outside the church gate.’
‘No, there wasn’t! And if he’s walking to wherever he is staying, why did he go across the field? There’s nothing up there.’ They stared at each other. ‘Jonah, there’s something odd about Mike. Don’t you think so? He’s really nice but you must admit that there’s something a bit – well, a bit strange about him. Honestly, do you think he is a forester?’
Jonah shook his head. ‘Well, to be fair, he didn’t actually say that he’s a forester. When you mentioned the Forestry Commission, he just said he worked for another company.’ He grimaced. ‘Perhaps we’re making something out of nothing. Perhaps he is just a forestry manager working in the area. Anyway, we shan’t know today, so we might as well go home.’
CHAPTER 6
DANGEROUS CREATURES
Jonah suddenly remembered that he had wanted to look at the small grey church and the old graves under the trees.
‘Hey, can we go back to the churchyard?’ He was fascinated by the thought of the spell on the wall inside the little church.
‘Oh, yes. I forgot that’s what we came for!’
Erin pushed open the gate and Jonah followed her up the path.
‘It’s nice,’ he said, looking around at the small, round, hillocky churchyard, with its great yew tree and ancient gravestones. ‘It feels friendly.’
‘Dad says some people think this might have been a pagan site before Christianity arrived.’
‘How do they know?’
‘Because the ground is quite rounded, as if it might have been a circle once. Apparently that’s a sign of a pagan holy place.’ Erin grinned at him. ‘And, of course, that would have been the perfect spot to build another church as “Defence Against the Dragon”!’
Jonah, bewildered, shook his head at her. ‘I don’t know what you’re going on about!’
‘Haven’t they told you our legend?’ Erin was delighted. ‘Long ago, the Last Great Dragon, the Welsh dragon, went to sleep under the Radnor Forest.’ Erin held her arms out and circled round. ‘Right here, beneath your feet, Jonah! So the people built four churches in a ring around the forest to keep the dragon asleep and they are all dedicated to St Michael the Dragonslayer! If the link between the churches weakens, they say the dragon will wake again and ravage the countryside.’
‘Wow! That would be cool,’ Jonah joked, feeling even more interested in the little church. Then a movement beyond the boundary wall flickered in the corner of his eye. ‘What’s that in the field?’ he said. ‘I just saw something move behind the bushes.’ He stood still, peering at the field anxiously. ‘I hope it’s not that dog.’
When Erin did not answer, he turned round to find her staring up at the church roof.
‘What are you looking at?’ he asked.
‘Sssh! Keep still,’ she whispered urgently. ‘There’s something up there.’
Jonah peered upwards. ‘I can’t see anything.’
‘Yes. There’s some little animal on the roof.’
‘Probably a cat.’ Jonah wasn’t particularly interested. He was still scanning the bushes for movement.
Erin suddenly clutched his arm. ‘I don’t believe it!’ she gasped. ‘It’s a monkey. There, look. By the tower.’
Jonah followed her pointing finger and made out a small grey face peeking over the ridge tiles beside the tower.
‘Oh, yeah. I see what you mean.’
He began to walk round to the other side of the church, to see the little creature more clearly. Erin scurried after him, and they both stood back to stare up at the roof. Clinging to the ridge tiles was a small grey animal with a head that seemed too big for its skinny body and a long, furred tail. It turned round and Erin shrieked. The creature’s face was absolutely hideous. It glared down at the children with huge, bulging eyes and suddenly, with a disgusting gesture, it pulled its mouth wide with skinny fingers, leering at them. Then, screeching and gibbering, it began to prance along the roof ridge.
‘That’s not a monkey!’
‘Whatever is it?’
Erin shuddered. ‘It’s horrible. I’ve never seen anything like that, before.’
‘It’s like – it’s like a gargoyle.’
Erin turned to Jonah. ‘Yeah, you’re right! There are carvings on Hereford Cathedral that look just like that. Have you seen them?’
Jonah shook his head but kept his eyes on the grotesque little creature. ‘No, I haven’t been to Hereford yet. Look, there’s another one! Oh, gross!’
A second ugly little animal peered round the corner of the church tower before slithering down the roof towards the children. This one was larger, with a flat, noseless face and a tail like a naked worm. It jumped up and down and began screaming at the children. The first one scrambled after it, and the creatures began to pick bits of moss and bird droppings out of the guttering to hurl at Erin and Jonah. Jonah yelled at the things and looked round for something to throw at them. He picked up a stick and hurled it at the roof. The bigger animal hissed and leapt for
the drainpipe. It shinned down rapidly until it was halfway to the ground, and hung there by its bony, hairless tail, shrieking at the children.
‘I don’t like this!’ gasped Erin in alarm, backing away. ‘Come on, Jonah. Whatever they are, they’re dangerous. Please let’s go!’
‘OK.’ He was getting scared, too.
They ran for the gate, while the animals screeched in fury. They burst through and Jonah shut it firmly behind them.
‘We’d better tell Bryn or your father straightaway,’ he said. ‘They need to catch those things before someone gets bitten. What do you think they are?’
‘Dunno, but they are definitely the yuckiest little animals I’ve ever seen,’ said Erin. ‘I should think Dad will call the pest control people.’
Still feeling shaky, they walked carefully along the narrow lane between the tall hedgerows, keeping well into the side of the road and listening for vehicles. The afternoon sun warmed their faces and there was not a breath of wind, as they made their way towards Gilfach. Erin had just said again, ‘But what were they, Jonah?’ when, suddenly, they heard an unearthly, mournful sound that lifted the hairs on the backs of their necks. They stopped walking and looked around, for a moment too frightened to move.
Erin clutched Jonah’s arm. The colour drained from her face. ‘What was that?’ she whispered.
Jonah swallowed. ‘It sounds – oh, no! Erin, I think it might be that dog-thing I saw this morning.’ His legs seemed to tremble as he stared up at the hillside. ‘I think it’s up there,’ he murmured, ‘on the ridge.’
Erin shook with nerves as the doleful howl echoed round the valley again.
‘That’s not a dog, is it? It’s a wolf. You know it is.’
Jonah swallowed and nodded.
Erin grabbed his hand. ‘Oh, come on, quick. Let’s get home.’
‘Yes, but don’t run! We don’t want it to notice us.’
With their hearts hammering, they began to walk quickly along the lane, glancing upwards nervously. There was another howl from the animal on the hillside above them and, as they stood still in alarm, it was answered by a wailing cry from the woods on the other side of the valley.
Involuntarily, Erin screamed, and clapped her hand over her mouth. ‘There’s more than one!’ she stammered, staring at Jonah with eyes like saucers. He began to pat his jeans pockets frantically.
‘What are you doing?’
‘Looking for my phone. I want to get someone to help but I think I’ve left it in my bedroom.’
‘Oh, I’ve got mine.’ Erin’s fingers trembled as she keyed in the farm’s number. Another howl rang from the woods and was answered from the hill above them again. Erin’s eyes widened in fear as she put the phone to her ear. She listened for a moment and then looked at Jonah in alarm.
‘I can’t get a signal.’ Her voice rose to a squeak. ‘What are we going to do?’
Jonah tried to look calmer than he felt.
‘Come on, we’re nearly at your house. Hold my hand. We’ll be all right.’
CHAPTER 7
ATTACKED
Erin’s palm was clammy with fright as they hurried along the lane. Terrible howls echoed around the valley and the children’s legs felt stiff and uncoordinated with fear. As they reached Gilfach farmlands, Erin pulled on Jonah’s hand.
‘There’s a gate here,’ she whispered. ‘We’ll be able to see across to the woods.’
They edged towards the gap in the hedge, to peer across the meadow. The fields looked peaceful and lovely, bathed in the evening sunlight. But as Jonah turned to go, the weird howl rang out again. They both jumped with shock as several huge, grey shapes sped from the woods and came racing down the sloping field straight towards them. Erin screamed and Jonah grabbed her hand.
‘Run!’ he yelled, pulling her along..
They sprinted along the lane, terror driving them on. Their hearts were thumping painfully. It was hard work for Erin to keep pace with Jonah’s long legs but neither of them dared slow down. Soon they heard scampering sounds from the other side of the hedge and realised in panic that the wolves were gaining on them. Jonah tried to pull Erin along faster. He remembered that there was another farm gate a few yards further along the lane. He was desperate to get past, before the wolves could jump over it. Jonah felt Erin’s hand tighten on his own. Her eyes were fixed on the hedge ahead of them. She had remembered the second gate, too.
With a tremendous effort, the children forced their legs to keep going. Their sides ached and they were gasping for breath. Suddenly there was a scrabbling noise and a big grey wolf leaped into the lane ahead of them. Involuntarily, the children yelled with fear. They clutched each other and backed away. Two more wolves slithered over the gate. With their great heads low to the ground and rumbling deep in their throats, they crept menacingly towards Jonah and Erin. Their muzzles were drawn back in a snarl, tongues lolling across their fangs, and their terrible eyes shone yellow.
As he backed away, Jonah put Erin behind him but suddenly she shrieked. As they both stumbled against the hedge, Jonah saw that another wolf, even larger than the others, had jumped into the lane from the hillside opposite and was standing in the road behind them. Three more wolves had come over the gate ahead. Jonah looked round wildly but there was nowhere for the children to run to. The wolves were penning them in. The children clutched each other as the animals, growling, edged nearer.
Jonah waved his arms and shouted. ‘Get back! Get away!’
His voice sounded feeble and shaky, but he kept shouting. For a moment, the wolves held off but soon realised that Jonah was no threat to them. They started to move in.
The children yelled as the wolves slunk closer. Suddenly two of the brutes rushed at them. Erin leaped sideways, screaming, and the huge creatures pounced between her and Jonah. Now the other wolves moved into the gap between the children and drove Erin a few yards along the lane. The great alpha male was poised on stiffened legs, glaring at Jonah. He swallowed hard and stared back at it, trying to look defiant. He daren’t move even a step towards Erin, in case he made the animals attack. Without turning his head, he risked a sideways glance. She was whimpering with terror as she backed into the thorny hedge. Her arms were bleeding and her dark curly hair was caught on the twigs. But the wolves didn’t move in. They stood, motionless, in a silent ring, daring her to run.
The pack leader crouched down and looked up at Jonah sideways. It curled back its upper lip as it fixed its eyes on him. He knew quite certainly that this was the animal he had seen that morning. It’s been stalking me! he thought. This is what was behind the bushes. With its gaze still locked on Jonah, the wolf crept forward an inch or two. It stopped with a front paw raised just above the ground. Jonah could hardly breathe. Standing absolutely still, the boy and the wolf stared at each other.
Then, without warning, the monster exploded into movement, lunging at him. It crashed down on him, knocking him onto the road. Instinctively, he threw up his arms to protect his head, while the wolf, snarling horribly, closed its teeth on his shoulder, ripping at his flesh. The terrible, cracking pain made Jonah scream. It felt as if electric wires were being run through his arm. The wolf shook him violently, knocking his body up and down on the road.
The air around Jonah crackled and vibrated, and he seemed to be looking through a pane of crazed glass. Everything around him receded and he felt as if he were being sucked into a booming, whirling vortex. Out of the swirling blackness distorted faces leered, and terrible words came whispering out of the darkness. A shadowy, hooded figure bent over him. Where its face should have been, Jonah could see only blackness pierced by two glaring, reptilian eyes. Then he was stumbling through pitch-black woods with a pack of monsters hunting him down. He felt clutching hands and excruciating pain. He tried to cry out but he couldn’t.
Suddenly, there were shouts and the wolf screamed against Jonah’s ear. The blackness was replaced by a blinding white light, with a shimmering figure in the centre, that see
med to bend over him. Then he came round, with hard tarmac underneath him and the wolf yelping as it sprang away.
Shakily, Jonah tried to find the strength to get up. Mike Golding was some yards away along the lane thrusting a flaming branch at the animals. They snarled viciously but seemed too scared of him to attack. He swung at a wolf’s eyes. It squealed and Mike rammed the branch into its side. It leapt away and ran, yowling, up the lane. Mike ran at the other wolves, brandishing the torch. They didn’t wait to be struck but scrambled over the gate and fled towards the woods.
Erin struggled to untangle herself from the hedge, wincing as the thorns scratched her. Finally, pulling her tee-shirt out of the prickly branches and leaving scraps of fabric dangling, she limped over to Jonah, who lay in the lane, feeling weak and shaken. She crouched and put her arm under his shoulders, helping him to sit up.
‘Oh, look at your shoulder,’ she said in a wobbly voice.
Jonah’s shirt was soaked in blood and ripped in shreds at the shoulder. Blood oozed out of the torn flesh around his neck. He put his right hand up to his throbbing collar-bone, trembling violently. Mike, who had stood by the gate watching until the wolves disappeared, blew the torch out and turned towards them. Now that the danger had passed, Erin couldn’t stop shaking. Mike came over and gently examined Jonah’s shoulder. He tore Jonah’s shirt away from the wound and, taking a clean handkerchief out of his pocket, covered the bites with it.
‘Hold this over it,’ he said quietly to Erin and then he took off his own shirt and, with an effort, ripped off a sleeve and part of the front to make a long strip. He tied it over Jonah’s shoulder and across his chest.
‘This will help a bit to stop the bleeding till we can get it dressed properly.’
It felt warm and comforting. Jonah’s legs started to feel less woolly.
‘It’s lucky that it didn’t go for your face,’ Mike said. ‘You’ll have some bad bruises, though.’ He studied Jonah intently. ‘How does it feel now?’