The Chronicles of Widget (Phoenix Rising)

by Angela Timms

  Walking while ethereal in the real world is difficult as I had to concentrate so that I didn’t fall through the floor. It involved imagining the floor solid and then I could walk on it. Walking through walls was useful but the gap between the carriages was a dilemma. I settled for imagining that the carriage carried on. That helped.

  In my ethereal state it was even easier to see the spirits that were around. The train was full of some of the weaker spirits that I hadn’t seen before. They sat in the same seats as the humans as if they weren’t there and even if they had enjoyed the trip before they were now looking worried and pointed at the Goblians who were climbing along the outside of the train.

  There were also Goblians in every carriage, crouching in corners and just waiting. Every carriage was the same except for the last one. The Goblians have a weakness, they are totally addicted to popping candy and in someone’s bag there was a bag of it. Their little hands reached out and I was just in time. I spoke the words and a white bubble surrounded the bag. So they could smell it, they could almost taste it, but they couldn’t touch it. The trouble was that we couldn’t touch it either.

  Now that wasn’t going to be as easy as we’d have to use our solid bodies. We had to try though and so we went back to our carriage. Thankfully it was dark and people couldn’t see us and so didn’t didn’t notice us as we crept to the window and climbed out. Softly our puppet bodies landed on the gravel beside the track and we ran very fast to the front carriage of the train. It was raining and it took a lot of concentration to keep our spirit bodies just outside the puppet so that the soft material didn’t get dirty. It was a nightmare as it was also raining. Getting the puppet wet would be a huge problem, especially as the house was a little damp. If we became damp and moldy then the puppet bodies would be ruined. The only answer was to run along underneath the train and jump between the carriages. Then we had to go out into the rain and climb up the train and in through the window. It was still dark and we kept to the shadows and reached out for the bag. The Goblians were standing back as they couldn’t get near the globe of light and once we had picked up the bag we had the light around us too.

  We looked at each other and as the train stopped in the station we jumped out of the window carrying the candy and the Goblians followed when the bubble of light I cast behind me was gone. That gave us a fair bit of a head start.

  We could smell the Goblians moving, getting closer as we ran to the front of the train. They were in every shadow. I could feel them running along behind us and there was no way we were looking back as we were certain that they were following. We didn’t have a plan so we just ran to the back of the train, climbed up the train and ran along the top to the front of the train. When the train stopped we jumped down.

  They got closer and closer but we waited. Even though we were terrified that they would catch up with us before we were ready. I could see sinuous fingers reaching around the wheels of the carriage. Long green noses sniffed out the candy treat. Feet flapped onto gravel as they edged forwards. Flap, flap, flap, they jumped out of the train through the open windows and made their way down the track to the candy.

  We waited, timed it and then as we felt the train start to move we poured the popping candy onto the railway track and ran, leaving the Goblians to eat it when I broke the spell that kept the light around it. They couldn’t help it, they leapt onto the candy and began devouring it with a passion.

  We leapt back into our carriage through the window, so quickly that nobody could see us. That was lucky as if we had been spotted and had become limp puppets we could well have fallen off of the train which was now rolling off and beginning to gather speed between stations. The train pulled out and bumped and bumped as it bounced over the Goblians who had been caught on the railway track. There were a lot of bumps, far more than we expected. Bumps and squeals as the Goblians were flattened under the train wheels. The train moved off. Its movement a blessing as while we were moving those outside couldn’t get at us.

  7 The train pulled into Devil’s Bridge Station. The name on the sign was ominous but the welcome was party like and friendly. Pumpkins had been carved, candles lit and decorations were in place along the platform. Halloween music filled the air and the smell of the cooked pork was delicious. The staff had worked really hard.

  The coffin waiting by the lights at the start of the platform was amusing. I imagined some creature leaping out of it. It was adult size so us Frixians were ok and so were the children if it was a place to put people. I didn’t hold out much hope for the adults though.

  Lights were lit and pumpkins flickered. This wasn’t a trip for the lily livered. They were so brave the children all, there was no pride to come before a fall. With happy faces, who cares about rain. It might wet us but it was just a pain.

  As everyone got off the train we realized just how many people had travelled with us. They came from everywhere, emerging from the dark carriages to join the crowd heading towards the bright lights and music of the café. I’d seen photographs but it all looked so different in the dark and the rain. A marquee had been erected out the front of it and it was superbly decorated. Music rang out, all very Halloweenie and lights accentuated the spiders and hanging things that lurked above.

  The crowd was big and moved so slowly. We were wondering which way to go but it was obvious, follow the crowd. Of course being amongst the crowd we were visible so we were just floppy puppets. The rain did fall on one and all, and poor Sarah only had a shawl. Shuffle, shuffle, nearer we get. To the food, we hope won’t be all eat. By the time that we get there, so we move on with every care. We moved forward seeing the happy faces but a little wet.

  The marquee and building had been decorated for the party. Music rang out, the happy side of Halloween. It sounded like there was a party going on already as we arrived and as I wandered in I thought perhaps there might be a dance space for the children. Then I saw inside and it was clear there wasn’t room. It was so crowded, so popular. No space for anything like that. People sitting eating and people hopeful for a table. The queue was long and became wide as people moved in out of the rain.

  We had made it! We were all alive. If anyone had died there would have been a fuss. So as it was all fun and quiet on that front I obviously had nothing to worry about.

  While in the queue I had a chance to look about at the people who were waiting in line. There were some in costume, some not. Some were children, some not. The queue was wide and the rest of the people had grabbed tables. That was awkward as we aren’t helpful when we are just puppets and we needed to be put in our basket and on a table if our handlers were going to eat. We talked to a lovely little girl and her parents in the queue. The little one said I was ugly, that wasn’t nice. The next people we met said I was pretty so that was better. For a first time out, not bad and as everyone was excited they pretty much ignored us. Of course not completely so we were still floppy puppets. So when it came to it juggling use, getting food and carrying it to the table was a challenge for those who tried to keep us off of the floor. They made it though and we were placed in our baskets at a table while the food was eaten.

  This was a chance to see people’s costumes. They looked good. The clown was a bit scary though. Some people had made an effort. That made it all the better.

  The food was good and the bun was no doubt tasty as they were very hungry and it wasn’t that big. It was also difficult as this was the time we were in danger from sticky fingers if people wanted to touch. So we were kept in our basket while everyone eat. It was a quick eat too as we very soon had to get back on the train and as we’d been at the far end we’d had the least amount of time. That time had been good though, music, decorations and good food, perfect.

  I also needed to concentrate. I wanted to do a big spell to try to protect us on the way back. It was likely we had got at least one Goblian killed and there had been more than one bump so possibly more than that. There were hundreds of them out there and they were not going to
be happy about that. They might be particularly vengeful on the way back.

  I did the Mash, I did the Monster Mash, good song. The music rang out over the happy gathering. There is something very happy about Halloween which is probably wrong if you think about it that they dress as all the things they would be scared of if they actually met. People love to dress up and the train made it so much more special. While in the basket I also reflected on what Halloween actually was, the night before All Hallows, a holy day. A night when the dearly departed were back in the world and their loved ones left food and light for them outside. A night where the not so happily departed wandered around as well and were greeted with light and food. How it has changed that it is now a time of dressing up, eating and partying for the living and they dress up like the dead and demand treats at doors across the country.

  This was a chance to actually see the train. It was magnificently old and wonderfully characterful. Wooden carriages were beautifully kept and a huge metal engine puffed steam as it was got ready for the trip back. I hadn’t seen the engine before. It was raining and dark but the smoke swirled around and thinking about it the wistful toot of its horn was elegant. It was a living memory of a time gone by where life was elegant and much, much slower. It was hard to imagine that as Victorian ghosts still wandered down the platform and even the driver had an extra passenger beside him, a dearly departed train driver who wasn’t so departed.

  This was a hill train though and not designed for long journeys. The seats were small and a little hard. It had been designed for workers I think but now has a new life bringing tourists up to Devil’s Bridge to see the wonderful scenery. Not that we could see the scenery. It was dark and raining outside the marquee.

  It was getting late and the children were getting tired. They were still lively while they were at the station and inside eating the food but they were tired all the same, it was late. They would be sleeping on the way back if we were lucky so I hoped they wouldn’t be woken up by attacks set up by the organisers. They would be really grumpy if they were. If they were asleep then if anything happened at least they wouldn’t be running around and getting into trouble.

  We got back on the train and it had a surreally serene feel about it. Children were excited but tired and sleepy. Enthusiastic when awake but as the train started off and the swaying of the carriages rhythmically lulled them the children began drifting into silence. Parents who were tired were drifting into sleep as well as the carriage rocked and we trundled through the darkness on the way home.

  8 The train rocked gently along the track, like some ancient cradle, lulling everyone to sleep. Music was being piped through the carriages, the wooden creaks of the carriage and the sound of the wheels made it a gentle progression along the rails on the way home. It was peaceful, it was serene and easy to feel there was nothing to worry about. After the first station passed by I relaxed a bit. I couldn’t smell Goblian on the train and in the darkness outside I couldn’t see much. Whatever benevolent or malevolent was out there wasn’t close to the tracks for the first part of the journey. So I got to thinking.

  It hadn’t meant too much to me at the time but as I sat there I wondered why many of the children had been talking about a Haunted Castle. There certainly wasn’t one of those at Devil’s Bridge and as far as I know there is no Castle on the train route between Aberystwyth and the train’s destination. So why were the children talking about it? More importantly why was I still thinking about it when the Goblians were not on the train and we were on our way home? The night changes things, the magic of Halloween changes things but why were so many children mentioning a castle?

  We had got in an early carriage as that meant we’d be near the entrance on the way out. The people in the carriage were different and there was a family in the seats next to us and in front of us. The carriage wasn’t so crowded so Sarah had put Gadget down on the long seat next to her and was asleep. The family were also asleep and as I looked down the carriage pretty much everyone was dozing off or already asleep. It did seem a bit odd to me. Children are excitable things and we were still on a train. Was there any reason why everyone was falling asleep? I hadn’t taken much notice on the way to Devil’s Bridge. It was dark out there and everyone was pretty excited after the monster attacks. Possibly now with the supposed attacks over people were relaxing and the gentle swaying was putting them all to sleep. Or was there something more sinister happening as I could feel magic in the carriage. Something sinuous that was drifting like smoke around me and as I watched it with my Frixian sight I could see it being breathed in by the people which made them sleep. This was not natural.

  The train trundled on and then it stopped. I looked out into the darkness and then I saw it, a blue light. It was flickering around the trees and getting closer. Not a pinpoint of light, it was pale blue and pulsating. It hovered and danced around the trees, just in sight, just out of sight, watching us perhaps but it was Halloween and the veils were thin. All manner of creatures were out there for this weekend. Not just the 31st October, the days around it. It could be anything or nothing, it could be sinister or just some curious sprite getting close enough to have a look. But as there was magic in the carriage I had to be suspicious.

  Then the light flickered off but the train still didn’t move on. I looked around and now everyone was asleep. Not just dozing, they were far away in the land of dreams. The only sound was the quiet music, snoring and ghostly sounds that were part of the experience.

  Then I noticed the plastic skeleton hanging on the wall. I couldn’t be certain but thinking back it had been looking the other way when I looked earlier. Now it was facing down the carriage. I watched it and it moved again. But as it was attached by its head to the wall there wasn’t much it could do. Its little arms lifted pointlessly and it tried to pull itself off of the string that tied it then it gave up and it was as if the life drained out of it. It seemed to relax and was uninhabited again. It had been innocuous enough but it was sufficient to alert me to something sinister going on.

  As everyone was asleep there was nobody there to watch me so I was able to move. Not being one to ignore a gift like this I climbed out of my basket and went to the window on the far side. There was a green glow in the distance and then I saw it, a large castle with pointed turrets. I had to look and look again. It was a classic fairytale castle, complete with drawbridge and moat. That couldn’t be right. That hadn’t been there earlier. If it had, well a large building like that near Aberystwyth would be in every tourist guide. One thing was certain, that wasn’t natural.

  I waited and hoped that the train would move on but it didn’t. The doors were locked but the windows weren’t. I tried to wake Angel, Niall and Sarah up but they would not wake. I tried to wake Gadget up, she woke up, that was a relief. I was beginning to feel very lonely.

  Gadget looked around the carriage nervously. “Why did I sleep and you didn’t?” I looked at her and thought the same. “I don’t know Gadget, perhaps you were just tired. You had a long day and got up a lot earlier than I did. I feel tired but I was too nervous to sleep after what happened earlier. Don’t worry, you are awake now and no harm done. All I saw was a moving decoration, I don’t think there is much more happening in here.”

  Gadget half smiled and we looked around the sleeping carriage. “This might not be Goblian magic and is more likely something to do with the castle. If the children knew about the castle which shouldn’t exist then it is connected to this trip. I should have paid more attention on the way to Devil’s Bridge.” Gadget had already opened the window and was hanging out. She turned around. “I can’t see anything out there, it is pitch black. Just that castle.”

  I thought for a moment. My thoughts were all mixed up as I was tired and scared at the same time. “Shall we go and see if we can get the train started again? If we can wake up the driver we might be able to get the train out of here.”

  Gadget was still hanging out of the window “That seems like an idea. It is
a long way down though. It was easier when we were in the station with the platform to land on. There is quite a steep bank out there.”

  That didn’t really unnerve me much. My soft puppet body could easily sustain quite a long drop. It was the mud that worried me more. “Be brave, we’ll be alright. There is a strap which pulls the window up and down, if we hang that over the window it will help us to climb out. We can then drop down onto a patch of grass and avoid getting too dirty. Magic will protect us from the dirt so make sure you cast your spell before you jump down.”

  We mostly fell and part climbed down to the wet gravel which ran along the side of the rails and in the darkness we could then smell Goblians. We ran fast, very fast. No human would have been able to see us move and we got to the engine in moments.

  Steam billowed around the engine from the chimney at the front and an eerie green mist mixed with it to make it very hard to see. The smoke didn’t smell of smoke as we got closer, it smelt of aniseed. It was also thick, I could feel it when I reached out my hand. It seemed to be sentient and moved away from me, moving back into the space my hand left as I moved it about.

  As we climbed up onto the engine carefully and peeped over to look into the main area where the firebox was I was shocked to see something unusual there. Not just the driver who was hopefully just asleep on the floor. Not just the guard who was also asleep, shovel in hand. There was someone else there. Or rather there was something else there. Its black cloak reached to the ground and its hood was pulled up over its head. It wasn’t facing us, that was good but as my fingers clung to the metal floor it turned around. Its green glowing eyes caught me in its green glow. Like two torches those eyes illuminated everything in their path, which included me.