A Spectre in the Stones

by John Kitchen

  Justin was thinking. “This may sound stupid,” he said, “but – do you think it wasn’t hostile to you because you’re black?”

  “What you saying, man? That sounds racist,” said Lloyd, and Justin laughed.

  “No. I mean, it may have identified Caitlin with Caucasians – and – whatever happened to it that was bad was done by white people. It might be linking her with that… and you, being Afro-Caribbean – and – this may sound even weirder but, presumably, this ghost has been around for a bit, and it knows about history – it may know your kind was oppressed by white people. It may feel some kind of kindred spirit.”

  “That’s awesome,” Rudi said.

  “It’s just an idea. It may be that it sees you as a sort of brother in oppression, and it’s trying to communicate with you.”

  Lloyd didn’t move. It made sense and suddenly all his desire to obliterate the ghost was turned on its head, and the thought took his breath way. “What would it want to communicate with me for?” he said.

  “It could see you as an ally. It could reckon you might right a wrong for it,” said Justin and now the thoughts were teeming in Lloyd’s head. Righting a wrong for some guy who lived before Jesus; that was massive and it wasn’t self-preservation any more.

  It was something way beyond his mind-set. He didn’t think righting another guy’s wrongs was anything he’d ever thought about, although there was Caitlin but… to do it for someone as old as this…

  “I don’t even know what bad thing it is what’s doing the ghost’s head in. So I don’t see how I can put it right,” he said.

  “You’ve got us to help you,” Rudi said.

  But Justin sighed and sat on the stump of a nearby tree: “I don’t know that I should be doing all this,” he said suddenly.

  “Why not, man?” Lloyd said. “You’re the only guy here I can trust – apart from Rudi.” He could feel a tinge of embarrassment colouring his face because there were deeply hidden confidences bashing on the door of his throat and they were bent on coming out. “You two are my best friends. I depend on you. If you can’t do all this with me…” He tailed off and he saw Justin turn to look at him, slim, his long hair to his shoulders, straight and glinting.

  “That’s really nice,” he said. “But, the trouble is, I’m staff here, aren’t I? And it’s like, I’m colluding with you… leading you into something – and it could be dangerous. I should be keeping you away from all this.”

  “Yeah, but, if that ghost wants me to do something – to right some wrong, like you said – then it wouldn’t be right for me not to give it a go, would it? And I can’t do that without you. I mean, you know about all this stuff and I’m – well – I’m leaning on you, man, and anyway, to me and Rudi, you aren’t staff. I hate staff, but

  I don’t hate you. No way. You’re like a brother to me, isn’t that right, Rudi?”

  He could see Justin was touched, but it was still giving him grief.

  “You got to help us,” he persisted. “We don’t know nothing about this stuff. You went to university… I mean – the Beaker folk – you said they was important. Me and Rudi, we don’t know why they was important, do we, Rudi?”

  Rudi shook his head and Justin smiled. “Okay,” he said. “And thanks. That means a lot to me, that does.”

  “You going to tell us about the Beaker folk then?” said Lloyd.

  Justin made room for the two of them on the stump. “You ever heard of stone circles?” he said. “Stonehenge and places like that?”

  Lloyd nodded. “Yeah, ’course I have. You’ve heard of Stonehenge, Rudi, yeah? It’s like where the Druids go to see the sun rise on the Summer Solstice.”

  Justin nodded. “The Beaker folk, they had a big hand in building those circles,” he said, and Lloyd breathed in sharply.

  “That old man?” he said. “He could have been one of the guys what built Stonehenge?”

  “Or a henge like it,” Justin said. “There’s one much nearer. It’s up at Brookley, although there isn’t much of it left.”

  “That’s so awesome,” said Lloyd, and it was as if this creature terrorising Sarson Hall had suddenly taken on a new persona.

  It wasn’t so much that he was getting to like the guy, but he was getting interested in him… and the ghost’s manner with him last night, no way was it hostile, not like it had been with Caitlin.

  He brought his knees up to his chin and looked at Justin. “The more I think, the more I reckon that ghost was trying to scare Caitlin off. It don’t want her down there.” He paused. “I mean, this may sound big headed, but… say it wants to tell me stuff and it don’t want her around. Does that sound weird?”

  Justin shook his head. “That was one of my thoughts while you were telling us about it. It was trying to talk to you. And it did wave you to come nearer.”

  Lloyd laughed. “I thought it was a trap, man. I thought, the minute I got within touching distance it would grab me and drag me off down to hell.”

  “Shouldn’t you go down the cellar again?” Rudi said. “On your own. I know that’s not a nice thought, but, if it’s trying to tell you something, then you ought to give it another chance.”

  Lloyd sat back. “I suppose so. But…” He looked at Justin. “It isn’t that easy, is it? Caitlin goes down every night – in this trance – it’s like she’s sleepwalking, and I don’t see how I’m going to get down there without her.”

  Justin sighed. “This is the bit that worries me,” he said. “I’m giving you advice and I don’t know if it’s the right advice. I don’t even know if it’s safe advice, but what I’d do is this: I’d try and stop Caitlin going down there. Wake her or something, guide her back to her room. Is there any way you can talk to her? Tell her what’s going on, so she’s prepared – you know, without blanking her out?”

  “I could give it a try,” Lloyd said. “Tomorrow’s Saturday and there isn’t any school. She wouldn’t have Mrs Cherry to run to. And, back here, if me and Rudi got her on her own – I mean, Rudi, he would keep her calm. He’s like, so well together, he could defuse a hurricane. Isn’t that right, Rudi?”

  Rudi laughed. “No, it isn’t right,” he said. “But I’ll go and talk to Caitlin with you if you want.”

  “I think that’s best,” Justin said. “Tell her what happened last night and tell her you want to try and stop her going down the cellar – to protect her. I think you’ve got to warn her, because I read somewhere, the shock of waking someone out of sleepwalking could do real damage.”

  Lloyd got up and brushed a damp layer of leaves away. “So – what we going to do then?” he said.

  “Talk to Caitlin tomorrow and then go down the cellar on your own on Saturday night – see if the ghost is really up for telling you something. I’ll email my professor in London, because he’ll be seriously interested in this.” Justin eased himself off the tree stump and Lloyd looked at him. This triangle, he thought – him, Rudi and Justin –

  it was a great setup and it made him feel good. He hadn’t felt this good since he’d come to Sarson Hall and it was a precious moment.

  “But you won’t be in this weekend. I mean, if I got some message, I got to be able to talk it through with you,” he said.

  “I’ll come in,” said Justin. “After lunch, Sunday. By then I’ll have heard back from my professor.”

  They made their way back towards the hall.

  A mist had come down and the irregular contours appeared almost spectral – peering out of the darkness and suddenly Lloyd shuddered.

  “You won’t let me down?” he said, and there was urgency in his voice. “I mean this sort of stuff is off the scale, man, and I’m depending on you. It’s a massive challenge – ’specially when I see this place like it is now. I got to admit, sometimes I get real scared.”

  Justin put an arm on his shoulder. “I’m not going to let you down,” he said. “And you don’t have to do it, not if you don’t want to. There’s no pressure.”

  Lloyd
stared at the menacing façade glowering through the mist and he stood still. “There is though,” he said. “I got to do it. I don’t know what ‘it’ is yet, but I never backed out of nothing yet, and there isn’t no way I’m backing off now.”

  “You’re a brave kid,” said Justin. “And I want you to know, both of you – I’m really pleased you want me to help. And I don’t know of two guys I’m more proud to call my friends.”

  “That’s good, man,” Lloyd said, although “good” did nothing to sum up the warmth that burned inside him. And slowly they made their way back towards the gloomy mass of Sarson Hall.

  Chapter 8

  Lloyd didn’t go down to the cellar that night even though he was aware of Caitlin’s movements. He could hear the mechanical sounds of her footsteps and he knew, in the cellar, the ghost would be terrorising her; but perhaps that was for the best. That way she would still remember the fear when he and Rudi tackled her in the morning.

  There was the same pattern of disruption in the North Wing – hailstones, the wind, windows rattling, doors slamming, spitting light bulbs, and even though he understood so much more about it now and, even though he felt the anger might not be directed at him, it still unnerved him, and it made it hard for him to sleep.

  Saturday was as grey as every other day, but the pattern in the home on Saturdays was different.

  At weekends they ran a skeleton staff and it was the job of the kids to do the chores. There were duty rotas for laying tables; clearing up after meals; loading dishwashers; cleaning the showers and toilets; sweeping and mopping the floors, and it was all supervised by Dave’s wife, Marion – and occasionally Christine. If there was some sort of crisis, which there frequently was, Dave would come ranting out of his office, while Marion and Christine would stand, arms folded, pert lipped, looking on with a sickening superiority.

  As far as Lloyd was concerned, the rota worked out well because, after breakfast, he and Rudi were scheduled to clear the table with Caitlin and Martin.

  Martin had some kind of bug again and he didn’t show up for breakfast. In fact only about half of them did. The rest were in bed, either complaining of stomach pains and headaches or taking advantage of the weekend to malinger. Rudi said that was par for the course.

  When the rest had wreaked their usual havoc in the dining room, just Caitlin, Lloyd and Rudi remained to pick up the bits. Dave, who had been summoned to a pitch battle involving pieces of stale baguette, was raving in a high-toned tirade somewhere near the television lounge and Marion had stalked off, arms folded, having laid down the law about clearing up properly and behaving like responsible human beings – which, she observed, would be a first for Sarson Hall.

  Caitlin was unkempt as usual and her dark eyes peered from under her wild hair, but Lloyd felt there was more apprehension than aggression in the look.

  She worked at the far end of the room, keeping as much distance between them as she could.

  It was going to be hard and, for a while, they didn’t speak – but this was the best opportunity they’d have all day and eventually Lloyd managed to work his way round so he could cut off her retreat. He glanced at Rudi, and straight away Caitlin leapt into defensive mode.

  “What you two doing?” she demanded. She dropped a pile of bowls on the table and swung around, her eyes blazing. “You keep away from me, Lloyd Lewis. I know what your game is.”

  “I’m not near you,” Lloyd said. “It’s a good three metres.”

  “Yeah, but you’re up to something, and I’ll scratch ribbons out of your face if you start any funny business with me. I can take you on any time, you and your little sidekick.”

  “We’re not wanting to do any funny stuff, honest Caitlin,” Rudi said. “You’ve got me and Lloyd wrong. Lloyd’s worried about you. We’re dead genuine.”

  Her eyes were darting from one to the other and she was fingering the top of a chair, poised to make a break. “Yeah, I know about Lloyd Lewis,” she said, looking at Rudi. “He’s twisted. He just likes winding me up, and he isn’t going to, because I’m not scared of nothing.”

  “We don’t want to scare you,” Lloyd said. “I know what’s going on down in that cellar, don’t I? And I want to stop it. That’s what.”

  When he mentioned the cellar, her legs crumbled and she threw her hands to her ears, just as she had in the schoolyard. And she began that doleful chant, drowning him out.

  They took a step closer, but her eyes were closed and the chant just droned on. Lloyd wondered why she hadn’t made a dash for it, but it seemed the mention of the cellar had frozen her. All she could do was crouch and let out the droning noise.

  “You got to face up to it, man,” he said. “I’m not trying to scare you nor nothing. I just know what’s going on down there. I been down there, and I seen it with my own eyes.”

  “Liar,” she screamed – and the droning began again.

  “Okay. Cop this then. There’s a guy down there. He’s got a beard and long hair – and it’s really wild and he’s got this necklace thing of stone around his neck. When you was down there, he was swinging his axe at you, right? The guy was stripped down to his waist with like, rough trousers and he had leather, crossed gaiters. You know I’m right, and it isn’t to frighten you that I’m telling you.”

  He was battling with the drone and it reached such a pitch, he was afraid Dave would come in… but then it tailed off, and Caitlin opened her eyes. She stared at him, and he could see her eyes, dark brown. They were like a Gypsy’s eyes, and their stillness was troubled, deep down. Her pupils were dark and her irises were stunning.

  It made him catch his breath. She had beautiful eyes and, beneath the flashes of defiance, they were breathtakingly sad.

  “You’re lying,” she whispered. “You didn’t see nothing.”

  “I did, man,” he said. “The night before last I was down there with you, and I seen that ghost, jabbing at you with his axe.”

  “You couldn’t have,” she said. “I never seen you. I never went down the cellar, I…”

  “You think you dreamt it all, but you didn’t. Lloyd was there,” Rudi said.

  She turned to him. “Dreams is private. If I dreamt it, it’s nobody’s business but mine and I don’t know how you come to know all this, Lloyd Lewis, but I don’t want you telling me nothing more.”

  She wasn’t moving and suddenly Lloyd grabbed her elbows, gripping so she couldn’t free herself and he said, “Look straight in my face, Caitlin, because I’m telling you the truth. You didn’t dream this stuff. It was happening. I seen it.”

  He’d had this gripping thing done to him when he was a kid, and he knew it worked. She turned and looked up, and her eyes reflected like the deepest of troubled waters. “You go down that cellar sleep-walking, like you was in a trance. I seen you, and the night before last I followed you down. You didn’t see me, because you was asleep, right? But I seen the spirals of dust and I seen the ghost come out of them. I seen it leaping, trying to scare you. I would have grabbed you, to protect you like, but I was scared of waking you. What I’m telling you is, I been talking to the gardener guy, Justin. He’s done archaeology and stuff and he thinks he knows who the ghost is. We’re trying to break its power – make it go away.”

  He could feel the resistance in her arms relax, but her eyes didn’t waver. All the time they just stared intently, unmoving and unblinking.

  “It’s right, what I’m saying, isn’t it?” he said and she looked from him to Rudi.

  “I seen that guy, yeah,” she said. “But he don’t scare me – and you tell anybody about this and you’re dead.”

  “Stay looking at me, Caitlin, man,” Lloyd said. “You’re scared all right. I mean – I was scared and the guy wasn’t even going for me. You was shouting, ‘Go away. Leave me alone. I hate you, old man.’ And you know what? I don’t think it’s right – the way it’s picking on you. I want to stop it.”

  “Yeah?” she said. “You and whose army?”

  �
��It don’t seem to mind me, that’s the weird thing.”

  He could see her wavering between submission and the shield of denial. “Well, what you planning to do about it then?” she said.

  “This is why we had to talk to you,” Rudi said. “So you’re prepared.”

  “Yeah,” said Lloyd. “It’s like, tonight, I’m going to keep watch and when you do your sleep-walking, I’m going to stop you – I’m going to turn you around and lead you back to your bedroom, and then I’m going down the cellar on my own to face the guy.”

  “Yeah, right,” Caitlin said.

  “Thing is, Justin said, when you wake someone what’s sleep-walking, the shock – it could be real bad, man – and I don’t want to frighten you. That’s why we’re telling you now – so you’ll be expecting it. What I want to do is get you back to your room still sleeping – but if you do wake up, you’ll be like – ready for it.”

  Caitlin looked from him to Rudi again. “And you reckon I won’t see him if you do that?” she said.

  “Not if you don’t follow me down the cellar. And when someone’s already down there, it’s like, the door won’t open for no one else.”

  “Don’t you try no funny stuff,” Caitlin said. “Because, you lay one finger on me, Lloyd Lewis, and you won’t have no eyes left.”

  “I’m only trying to stop the ghost doing your head in,” he said.

  “As long as you know, that’s all.” She pulled away and added: “And don’t you tell no one.” Then she stalked off, leaving Rudi and Lloyd to finish clearing the table.

  They decided to go into Brookley that afternoon.

  At weekends the older ones were allowed out. They had to take their mobiles so Dave could contact them. They also had to be back by six. No one was allowed out at night. Dave had set a curfew, although everyone knew Craig Donovan went wherever he pleased and at whatever time.