by Sam Short
“It doesn’t look possible,” said Judith. “The body is tiny. How could it possibly hold the weight of a head that large?”
“And that’s the question which proves that it is extra-terrestrial in origin,” said Mister Anon, with a satisfied smirk. “The gravity on this planet would not allow such a creature to evolve here.” He tapped the screen of his phone with a dirty fingernail. “This creature comes from a planet where gravity works very differently than on Earth. And look at those teeth. They make no sense. There are at least four rows, and I counted over a hundred individual teeth in one row alone. What manner of prey must it feast on to require such gnashers? Ladies and gentleman, you are looking at an alien. Quite probably one which was extremely dangerous in life.”
“What happens now?” said Millie, as Mister Anon slipped his phone back into his pocket. “What will you do with it?”
“Today, we’ll do nothing,” he said. “We require some specialist equipment which myself and Mister Incognito will be collecting overnight — we rushed here when we got the message from our informant at the museum, and we’ve arrived with a lack of equipment. The skeleton may be radioactive, and until it’s been tested for such dangers, nobody is to approach it. Including myself. We may already be contaminated. Sergeant Spencer has promised to keep the area cordoned off until our return in the morning, and as your cottage overlooks the site of the skeleton, I’d be obliged if you would keep an eye on the area for me, too.”
“Erm, yes. I suppose so,” said Millie. “But what will happen to the skeleton when it’s been fully excavated? If people find out it was discovered here, Spellbinder Bay, and my property in particular, is never going to be the same again.”
“We shall remove it from this area, and never reveal where it was found,” said Mister Anon. “I have big plans for that skeleton, and they don’t involve this tiny town. You have no need to worry.”
Millie nodded. “Okay,” she said. “We’ll make sure nobody goes near the skeleton while you’re gone.”
Mister Anon placed his sunglasses back on his face. “Then we shall leave. Mister Incognito and I will return tomorrow morning, at which time we’ll begin a proper investigation into the origin of the specimen, and set about removing it from Spellbinder Bay. I thank you all for your cooperation. It’s far better that you keep this situation away from the authorities, and in my capable hands. The authorities would force you to abandon your cottage, and would probably cordon off the whole of the town, which is not a situation anybody would like to find themselves in.”
“Don’t worry,” said Sergeant Spencer. “No authorities higher than myself will hear anything about this. The skeleton will still be there when you return in the morning.”
“Untouched?” said Mister Anon.
Sergeant Spencer sighed. “Untouched.”
With an approving nod, Mister Anon muttered his goodbyes, and let himself out of the cottage. No sooner had the door slammed behind him, than a loud sound like a cracking whip filled the room, and Millie’s hair brushed her cheek as a draft blew over her face.
A brief flash of light in front of the fireplace quickly morphed into the shape of Henry Pinkerton with Reuben perched on his shoulder, causing Judith to jump with fright. “What the hell?” she said. “Give us some warning!”
“Forgive the intrusion,” said Henry, pushing his little round spectacles higher up his nose. “It’s highly important, though. Reuben came to me with grave news, and when he took me to see the skeleton beneath the tent in the dunes — I realised the news is graver than even Reuben described it — and he was panicking so much he’s left feathers all over my office. It’s lucky I don’t have any letters to write – it will take me some time to find my quill.”
“I’m sorry, Henry,” said Reuben. “I was scared.”
“I didn’t know you could do that,” said Judith. “I know you travel along beams of energy, but I didn’t know you could bring somebody else with you.”
Henry smiled. “It’s easier to travel alone,” he said. “But yes, if the need arises I can bring somebody along for the ride. And Reuben’s panic made it quite clear that this was one of those occasions. Anyway, Reuben is so small I hardly noticed him draining any of my energy.”
“Sorry I left like that,” said Reuben, fluttering to Millie’s shoulder. “But when I saw that photograph on the phone, I had to act quickly, and I couldn’t say anything about my concerns in front of that strange alien hunting man.”
Millie ran a finger over the cockatiel’s chest. “What is it?” she asked. “What scared you so much?”
“It’s awful news, Millie,” said Reuben. “I’m so scared that I discovered I can fly almost four times faster than I imagined I could. I made it to Spellbinder Hall in record time!”
“What’s happened, Reuben?” said Millie. You’re shaking.”
“Allow me to explain,” said Henry, beginning to pace in front of the fireplace. What Henry lacked in height, he made up for in confidence, and the smart tweed three-piece suit he wore embellished him with even more authority.
Everybody remained silent as he spoke. “Reuben arrived at Spellbinder Hall in quite the panic,” he said. “He insisted I came with him right away, so I moved quickly. We went to the sand dunes first, and had a look at the skeleton for ourselves, and as soon as the gentleman dressed in black left, I came straight here. With bad news, I’m afraid. Troubling news.”
“What is it?” said Sergeant Spencer.
“The skeleton on the beach is neither a dinosaur or an alien,” said Henry.
Reuben’s claws dug into Millie’s shoulder. “It’s far worse!” he squawked.
“Indeed,” said Henry. “It is far worse. The skeleton on the beach is the remains of a demon. A particularly nasty type of demon. And a recent arrival.”
“Recent?” said Judith. “It’s a skeleton.”
“If a demon manages to pass through the dimension gate below Spellbinder Hall, it will pass through as invisible energy, allowing it to evade detection,” explained Henry. “If it does not find a suitable human host quickly, it will revert to its physical form and die. It cannot survive in this environment, and it will decompose remarkably quickly.”
“We call the type of demon in the sand dunes a scurrier,” said Reuben. “They were my biggest fear when I lived in The Chaos. We called them that because they scurried around on those tiny legs, causing pain and untold misery with that huge mouth and those sharp teeth.”
“A demon got through the gate?” said Millie. “I thought my magical energy was keeping the gate to The Chaos closed? How could a demon have come through?”
“The gate is never fully closed,” said Henry. “But I believe it was weakened by the recent storm. The electric in the air must have interfered with the magic, weakening the force-field.”
“That’s not the worst of it,” said Reuben. “Scurriers never travel alone. They only ever travel in pairs. Where there’s one scurrier, there’s always another one right next to it. With no exceptions! Had both demons died, they would have died side by side, and the fact that there is only one skeleton in the sand leads to only one conclusion.”
Henry removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “That the other one managed to find a human host, and possess the unfortunate person.” He put his glasses back on, and stared at everybody in turn. “There is a person possessed by a demon present in Spellbinder Bay. We paranormal people needn’t worry. It won’t try and harm us, unless threatened, and it is no stronger than the person it possesses, but people like Sergeant Spencer — humans, may be at risk. The demon may not be strong, but it will be vicious and uncaring — capable of extreme violence. We should keep our eyes and ears open. People may be in grave danger.”
“What about those alien hunters?” said Sergeant Spencer. “I don’t trust them. I’m sure they intend to publicise the find, and if people ever discover that demons exist — which they will when that skeleton is examined properly, the paranormal community wil
l be in danger of discovery.”
“Shouldn’t the concealment spell work on them?” said Millie. “If the skeleton is the remains of a paranormal creature, shouldn’t the spell have made them lose interest in it? I thought it was designed to draw people’s attention away from paranormal events?”
Henry sighed. “The sort of people who become alien hunters are the sort of people who thrive on conspiracy theories and rumours. The concealment spell uses gentle magic which nudges people’s thoughts away from anything paranormal. They simply don’t register it as strange, and move on. A conspiracy theorist’s mind is too well trained for spotting the unusual — too resilient to the effects of Spellbinder Hall’s concealment spell. It will work to an extent, but those two men will smell a rat eventually. We’ll need to come up with a different plan to put them off the scent.”
“We could just move the skeleton,” offered Judith. “When they come back tomorrow morning we could tell them they imagined it. They’ll have no proof.”
“They have photos,” said Millie. “But I suppose if we did move the skeleton, the photos would mean nothing without any physical evidence to back them up. People are always faking photographs.”
“No,” said Henry. “The skeleton mustn’t be disturbed any further. Although by human standards the demon is dead, there’s still a danger that some of the demon’s residual energy remains within its bones. When it failed to find a host, it was likely drawn to this area by the magical energy emitted from your cottage, Millie, and when it realised it was dying, it burrowed into the sand in a futile attempt to reach The Chaos. It would have died quickly, and begun decomposing at a very fast rate. A very fast rate indeed. The bones will take a little longer to decompose — maybe a week, and until they are dust, nobody must touch that skeleton. It can be looked at, but nobody must lay a hand on it. It is not yet fully dead as we understand it — simply in an enhanced form of dormancy.”
“And still able to take a human host if disturbed,” said Reuben.
“Yes,” said Henry. “So, until no bones remain, humans must be kept away from it — especially those alien hunters.”
“How do we do that?” said Judith. “With magic?”
Henry fiddled with his cufflinks and shook his head. “No,” he said. “It’s not wise to use magic in front of conspiracy theorists. You’ll have to come up with a plan which doesn’t involve spells or potions, and remember — a human in Spellbinder Bay is already possessed by a demon. I’ll do my best to hunt it down, but they hide well. I’ll warn the other members of the paranormal community, but we should all be on high alert. This is a dangerous time. Be on your guard. All of you.”
Chapter 7
With the warm onshore breeze blowing in their faces, and the moon accentuating the white tips of distant waves with silvery light, it was hard to believe that the bones of a demon lay in the sand a few hundred metres away.
Judith sipped her wine, and reached for an olive from the Mediterranean platter which Millie had served on the patio table. “Isn’t wine wonderful?” she said. “Earlier today, when Henry was warning us about people being possessed by demons, I must admit to having been quite nervous, but a few glasses of wine later, and all I want to do is put some music on and dance!” She glanced at Millie. “Where is the music?”
Millie laughed. “I did ask if you wanted music,” she said. “You said the sound of the waves crashing on the beach and the wind in the dunes was the perfect soundtrack for a glass of wine and some antipasto.”
“You did,” said Reuben, pecking at a slice of chorizo. “I can confirm it.”
“That was half a bottle of wine ago,” said Judith. “Now I’ve changed my mind. I want music.”
Millie stood up. “Then music you shall have,” she said. “I’ve got just the Spotify playlist for this sort of occasion. Lots of classic eighties and —” She paused as something caught her eye. Light in the sand dunes.
“What is it?” said Reuben. “What are you looking at?”
“I think I saw something,” said Millie, stepping through the open patio doors and into the kitchen. She switched off the light which bathed the patio in a bright yellow glow, and stared out over the sand dunes, searching the darkness. Then she saw it again — an unmistakable beam of dim torchlight. “There,” she said. “Somebody’s in the dunes with a flashlight!”
“At this time of night?” said Reuben. “It’s almost midnight. That’s not normal.”
“No,” said Millie. “Especially when the person is in the same area as the demon skeleton. We’d better go and look — we all heard what Henry said — that skeleton mustn’t be interfered with. We have to go and see who it is, and find out what they’re doing.”
Reuben tucked his head into his chest. “What if it’s the human who’s possessed by the other demon?” he said, “come back to find its partner? It’s not safe!”
“Henry said demons won’t harm paranormal people,” said Millie. “And that includes you, Reuben. Anyway, if the worst did happen — Judith and I will look after you.”
“Henry said a demon wouldn’t try and harm paranormal people unless it was threatened,” said Reuben. “Do you really think you two could help us if we’re attacked? If I’m attacked? I doubt it.”
Judith stood up quickly, her glass tipping and soaking her jeans with wine. “Oh yeah we can!” she said. “No demon’s gonna mess with our little Reuben! Let them try!”
“You two are drunk,” said Reuben. “Drunks think they can take on the world! Would you approach those sand dunes if you were sober? If you thought there was a demon in the body of a human out there in the dark?”
Millie smiled. “I think I would, but let’s not wait until we’re sober to find out. Come on — who’s coming with me?”
Millie led the way, with Reuben on her shoulder, and Judith following. As her eyes became accustomed to the moonlight, she followed one of the tracks she ran along each morning, heading in the direction she’d seen the light coming from. The direction in which lay the remains of a demon.
Reuben’s claws tightened on Millie’s shoulder as the group ventured deeper into the dunes, and they almost pierced her flesh as the frightened shout of a man echoed across the sand. “What the hell? What are you—”
The heavy thud following the man’s last word sent cold chills through Millie’s veins, and she turned quickly to look at Judith. “Did you hear that?” she said.
“I did,” said Reuben, a tremble in his voice. “It was the sound of violence!”
Judith grabbed Millie’s wrist. “I heard it, too,” she said. “That was the sound of something hitting a human head! It had to be!” She stared across the dunes, her moonlit eyes betraying her fear. “Hello!” she shouted. “Who’s there? What’s —” She spluttered as Millie placed a hand over her mouth. “Get off!” she mumbled against her friend’s palm.
“Keep quiet then,” whispered Millie. “We don’t know what’s going on! We don’t know who’s out there!”
“It’s the demon!” hissed Reuben. “We should turn tail and run. There’s no shame in retreat.”
“Somebody might need our help, Reuben,” said Millie. “The only way I’m running is in the direction the shout came from. You two go back to the cottage if you want. I’m going to see what’s out there.”
Judith took a deep breath and released her grip on Millie’s wrist. “No,” she said. “I’m no coward. I’m coming with you.”
Reuben gave a low squawk, his claws relaxing on Millie’s shoulder. “I’m coming too, I suppose,” he said. “But I’m not providing air-cover! I’m staying right here, on the shoulder of my witch.”
“Okay,” said Millie, staring into the night. “Let’s go, but keep quiet.”
Moving as quickly and carefully as possible, Millie led the way through the dunes, managing to stifle a scream as a large square shape loomed out of the darkness. “It’s the tent,” she whispered. “The one that ASSHAT put over the demon’s bones.”
�
�Are you going to look inside?” said Judith.
“Why?” said Millie. “Should I?”
“Why else would somebody be in this area at this time of night?” whispered Judith. “It must be something to do with the demon’s bones.”
“It’s too dark,” replied Millie. “I won’t be able to see anything, and anyway, the shout came from further on.”
Judith wiggled her fingers. “I’ve got something which might help,” she said.
“No,” said Millie. “You can’t cast an illumination spell — it can be dangerous to use magic after drinking too much alcohol.”
Judith shook her head, and reached into her pocket. “I meant my phone,” she said, fumbling with the screen until the built-in torch burst into life. “Here,” she said. “You have a look inside the tent. I’ll keep watch out here.”
“I’ll help Judith,” said Reuben, hopping from one witch’s shoulder to the other’s. “Four eyes are better than two.”
“Fine,” said Millie. “I’ll do it. Alone.” She paused for a few moments. Did she really want to look inside the tent? Obviously not, but she had to.
She took the phone from Judith and used it to illuminate the green tent’s closed doorway. Four Velcro strips held the two fabric flaps in place, and she winced as she pulled them apart, the angry ripping sound amplified by the quiet night air.
Slowly, she peeled the flaps apart, and peered inside, the phone held out in front of her. She quickly verified that the tent was empty, and with no hiding places available from which somebody might leap out, she stepped inside, and pointed the light at the hole in the sand.
She couldn’t stifle the screen which slipped from her mouth this time, but she managed to cut it short by placing a hand over her own mouth, and taking a deep breath.
The door behind her made a rustling sound as something pushed through it, and she ducked as Reuben flew in circles around the small interior of the tent. “Get off my witch!” he squawked. “Nobody hurts my witch! I’ll peck you to death!”