A Spectre in the Stones

by John Kitchen

  It was all breaking over Lloyd like a surging wave and there was a huge release in him, because now they were with James and that meant everything would be okay.

  After he had reconnected with Miss Treadwell, the focus homed in on them.

  “Now boys, what on earth are you doing in London? And more to the point, how did you get here and does Mr Trafford know?”

  “No way,” Lloyd said. “It’s because of him we had to come – and because of the ghost, and we hadn’t got no way of getting here except riding the train. There’s no barrier at Didcot, so it wasn’t no sweat and we barged the gate at Paddington.”

  James looked slightly shocked. “We’ll have to phone Mr Trafford,” he said. “Let him and the school know you’re here. But why? Are you in trouble or something?”

  “I seen the ghost again last night and I know what we got to do to reroute the ley lines,” Lloyd said. “The ghost showed me. But when I was coming back, Dave was waiting outside my room and he caught me red handed. He said he’s going to kick me out. He’s got it all sorted with my social worker, and he said they’re moving me Friday and that can’t happen. I mean, we got to do this rerouting and I couldn’t get through to Justin.”

  All the time he was talking, James was nodding and he was really calm about it. He took a swig of coffee and he didn’t say anything about Dave. All he said was: “Tell me about the ghost then and what you found out.”

  He described the drawings and how excited the ghost had got when he mentioned the pile of stones.

  “See – the two things are linked,” he said. “The drawings and the stones. What we got to do is this. We got to dig up them stones and we got to make a track with them, from Sarson Hall back to Brookley Henge and then, we got to put stones to replace every stone that’s been took from the two circles and we got to lay some pointing the way to Avebury, just to direct the force, and I figure, if we do all that, because all the stones are sarsen stones like the henge, it’ll draw the power away from Sarson Hall and back to Brookley and, when it’s there, with a bit of luck, the ley line to Avebury will join up again.”

  He could see the expression of amazement on Miss Treadwell’s face, but there was a clear understanding from the professor.

  “And that’s a big thing,” Lloyd said. “Me and Rudi, no way can we do it on our own, and no way can we do it before Saturday when Justin gets back – and I’m not going to be there by Saturday. I didn’t know what to do.”

  “You explained to Mr Trafford why you were down in the North Wing?” James said.

  “Yeah, He knew that. It’s probably why he put himself outside my bedroom. It was like a trap. He’d already made up his mind he was going to get rid of me. I reckon it was because I showed him up with that drugs stuff with Craig Donovan.”

  “Well, the first priority is to get your disappearance sorted. Then we can make plans for Saturday.”

  James had an intercom like Dave’s, and he pushed a button. “Debs, would you get my wife?” he said. “And then cancel my tutorials for the rest of the day. I think I’ll be doing a bit of damage limitation down at Brookley.”

  “You going to stop Dave moving me and give us a hand on Saturday, then?” Lloyd said.

  “Give you a hand Saturday?” James laughed. “My dear boy, I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” He leaned back in his chair, waiting for the call to come through from Jenny. “We’ll have to mobilise a lot of forces. I’ll bring the university pick-up and I’ll get some volunteer students. And we’ll need to hire a digger to shift that mound of stones.”

  There was a buzz on the intercom. He picked up the receiver and they listened to his half of the conversation. “Can you down tools and come over?” he said. Then, “Lloyd and Rudi have turned up – some trouble with Trafford down at Sarson Hall.” After that he sort of smiled and said, “They rode the train, the little blighters.” Then: “I’ll get Lloyd to explain riding trains later.” And: “Yes, I’ll call him, and the school.” Up until that point, Lloyd could surmise the other half of the conversation; but then came an enigmatic bit.

  “I think we should both go down, don’t you? Talk to him about it. Put it to him again. I mean, it’s what we both want.” There was more talk after that, together with a few arrangements and instructions. Jenny was coming down with the car; they’d have lunch and then go back to Sarson Hall.

  He phoned Dave and Mrs Cherry, or rather his secretary did, and she put the calls through. Then they explained to Miss Treadwell all about the ghost, because she’d been gaping while Lloyd had been telling James.

  When Jenny arrived she gave him and Rudi a massive hug, but when Lloyd explained riding trains, she looked really doubtful. “That’s a bit naughty, Lloyd,” she said, and James laughed.

  “They were desperate, Jen. It certainly wasn’t legal but, in the face of extreme adversity, I reckon it shows initiative.”

  Jenny looked at him with a hint of disapproval. “Don’t encourage them,” she said, and it was like having a mum and dad. Lloyd had to step on that thought before it went somewhere. That was where the danger always lay. There’d even been half a thought about Miss Treadwell making a fantastic gran – or at least a brilliant aunt.

  James said they’d take her out to lunch as a “thank you” and during lunch Lloyd and Rudi told her about Sarson Hall. Some of it was new to James and Jenny too – about the bullying and the manic behaviour. They knew about Craig Donovan and his distribution methods with the drugs, but it was all new to Miss Treadwell and she was a great person to tell things to.

  After lunch she caught the bus back home, and she was fantastic. “You’ve really brightened up what would have been a very dull day,” she said. “And I’m most grateful.”

  “It’s no sweat, man,” Lloyd said, and straight away Rudi was in; he was the real diplomat.

  “And we’re so grateful to you,” he said. “We’d have been lost without your kindness and help.”

  She looked at James as she dug into her handbag for her bus pass. “Two such charming boys,” she said and then, from her seat by the window, she waved as the bus drew away.

  After that they headed out of London.

  “Do you think we could call in at Didcot on the way?” Rudi said.

  “Why?” said James, laughing. “Don’t tell me you nicked someone’s car to get to Didcot and want to pick it up so you can return it to its rightful owner.”

  “No,” Lloyd laughed. “We dumped our school bags in some grass by the car park. I mean, you got to travel light when you ride the trains.”

  He felt slightly apprehensive when they got back – but he was certain, with James and Jenny there, Dave would have to tone it down. But it turned out they didn’t have to face Dave at all.

  The only path they had to cross was Christine’s, and her face twisted into all kinds of judgemental contortions.

  But when they got to Dave’s office, Jenny said, “You boys wait here. We’ll go and talk to Mr Trafford. You don’t need to worry about that.”

  They were there for ages, too, but when they came out they were both smiling and Jenny came over and gave them this massive hug and her eyes were glistening like they were full of tears and she said, “It’s all right, boys. We’ve sorted everything.”

  “They’re not going to move me on Friday?” Lloyd said.

  James shook his head. “And everything’s okay for Saturday. We’ll bring a party of students and I’ll bring the pick-up. Justin can arrange a digger.”

  “That’ll be really good, man,” Lloyd said.

  “Now we’ll go down and meet your Mrs Cherry, shall we?” said Jenny. “We’ll have a chat with her so you won’t be carpeted for truancy tomorrow. How does that sound?”

  “Brilliant,” said Lloyd, and Rudi said:“That would be fantastic.

  I was really worried about Mrs Cherry.”

  For the rest of the week Dave didn’t say a word to either of them, but Lloyd knew he was seething. Every time they passed in the corridor h
e would glare, and when he put in an appearance at meals Lloyd could feel his eyes boring into them.

  Even when the police came, Dave avoided him. He left it all to his secretary.

  The policewoman told him Craig would have to appear before a juvenile court and it may be necessary for him to give evidence.

  “But you won’t have to be in court,” she said. “It’ll be video linked and I’ll be there to see you’re all right.”

  He didn’t mind. As far as Craig was concerned, it was justice. The guy deserved whatever he was going to get.

  Through the week he carried on going down to the North Wing, redirecting Caitlin from the cellar, but the ghost didn’t show again, even though the force still raged around the rooms and corridors.

  On Friday night he hardly slept – not because of the creaks and groans, but because he was excited.

  Rudi was awake for most of the night too although they couldn’t talk. They’d kept Martin fully informed about what was going on – but, arousing him from indifference and lethargy was a big challenge. All he was concerned about was his sleep and he insisted they didn’t do anything to disturb it.

  On Saturday Justin turned up first thing, with a friend in tow, delivering a yellow mini-digger.

  “It’s all been happening, then?” he said “And I’m really sorry I didn’t get to answer your call. I knew I hadn’t got a signal as soon as I got there. I just hoped nothing would turn up. James told me all about it. He came over on Thursday, to drum up a working party.” He looked at Lloyd with his massive smile. “And you’re the big guy around college, you know that, don’t you? Loads of students wanted to come.”

  Around eleven o’clock James arrived with Jenny. Their car was stacked with boxes of food and drink, and they were followed by a minibus full of students. The pick-up turned up a few minutes later.

  Lloyd noticed they all called James by his first name, although, behind his back, they often said “the prof” – but he could see they rated him. They were really friendly, too. They shook hands with him and Rudi, and it was as if he was some kind of celebrity.

  “You’re in charge,” James said. “You just tell us what to do and we’ll do it.”

  “We got to get all them stones out of the hill first,” Lloyd said. “Then we got to lay them. I figured we’d do a count, see we’ve got enough, because I reckon it’s about four miles up to Brookley Henge and if we do, say, a stone every twenty metres it’s like – about eighty-eight stones in the mile?”

  “Say we go back to the old measurements,” James said. “Do a stone every twenty-two yards, that’s an old ‘chain.’  That would be ten stones to the ‘furlong,’ and eight ‘furlongs’ to the mile, that would be eighty stones per mile and, if we did that, we’d be in tune with the ancient traditions.”

  “That’s good, man,” Lloyd said. “That’s what history’s all about. Isn’t that right, Rudi?”

  Dave wanted to make a show of the dig to impress everyone, so he arranged for the hill to be fenced off and he let the kids from the hall come to watch. But that went pear-shaped. Only a few kids turned up and they were sullen and shouted abuse at the students. In the end, Marion had to herd them back inside.

  The day had dawned with its usual featureless skies and it was dank and chilly – much like every day since Lloyd had come to the Hall… but today was different.

  There was a vibrancy that excited him, and he and Rudi worked with a will.

  He issued the occasional instruction and James directed activities with the digger.

  They worked on until lunchtime, loading stones onto the pick-up, with Rudi counting them on.

  Some of the stones were just chippings, but others were larger, irregular chunks that had broken awkwardly when they’d been cut. Lloyd watched the pile grow.

  When they’d been loaded everyone stopped for lunch – and it was great.

  The students made him and Rudi part of the group. They included them in their chat and jokes. They all seemed to rib James, but they worshipped him. He and Jenny were like king and queen in their court.

  When lunch was over they returned the disturbed soil and replaced the turfs.

  The patch was darker than the rest of the ground and, without the stones, it was level again but, apart from that, it was hard to tell where the dig had taken place.

  And now it was time.

  This was the moment that sent shivers down Lloyd’s spine.

  Justin, with his map and compass, plotted the route and Lloyd carried his hazel twig. He counted the paces meticulously, directing the placing of the stones and occasionally dowsing to check they were on the right course – and the dowsing blew the students away. They crowded around, firing questions – about the patches of force, about how it felt, about the movement of the twig, about when he first knew he could do it.

  For most of the afternoon Lloyd was totally engrossed. His mind was focused… but, as they got near the henge, doubts began to creep in. He tried to put them to one side.

  “We got enough stones, Rudi?” he said.

  Rudi was wrapped in the spirit of it. “We’ve got plenty,” he said. “I’m putting a smaller stone between each big one, so we’ve got enough of the bigger stones for the circles.”

  “That’s good thinking, man,” he said. He paced on towards Brookley, with the pick-up and a cluster of students following. One of the students had driven the minibus over to the henge, loaded with stuff for tea. “An army can only march on a full stomach,” James said. “At least that’s the only way to keep this one marching.”

  It was late when they arrived at the henge and the gloom of lowering clouds gave the place a deeply sinister feel. There was a cold wind whipping around the stones, and it brushed their faces with its damp chill.

  One of the students stood beside him and breathed in sharply. “This place is something else, isn’t it?” he said.

  “It’s weird, man,” Lloyd said. And it was. In fact, in the encroaching dusk, the atmosphere was thicker than he’d ever felt it, and suddenly the apprehension was back.

  He could hardly swallow the sandwich Jenny gave him. There was this force inside him, impatient, impelling him to get the job finished.

  The students quizzed him about the next steps.

  “We got to locate all the places where the stones used to be,” Lloyd said. “But that won’t be no sweat – not with so many people. We’ll have that covered in no time, isn’t that right, James?”

  “Yeah, no sweat, Lloyd, man,” James said, and the students laughed.

  “I’m not guaranteeing nothing, though,” he said. It was his insurance. “But, when we done the circles, with the stones what’s left, I want us to lay a line across that field towards Avebury. I want the line to be strong, so I reckon it’s best to work from the field back. Then, when we join it all up, the line to Avebury will be there in its full strength, to send the force in the right direction. Do you get what I’m saying?”

  They nodded and Justin came and sat beside him. “I’ll work out a route if you like. So we don’t waste time when the circles are finished.”

  Lloyd nodded. “That’s good, Justin, man. I’m not sure how it’ll work though, if it happens, and I haven’t got a clue how we’ll know.”

  “We’ll know, mate. Don’t you worry about that,” Justin said.

  After tea the students set about locating the scars in the ground, fighting their way into the bracken, while Justin marked out the route across the field.

  Lloyd went over to Rudi.

  “I think I want to watch this,” he said. “Like, from a good viewpoint. Could you pace out the stones in the field while I get up on that hedge – so I can see everything right back towards the hall?”

  “That’s okay,” Rudi said. “But what’s going to happen when the stones are all in place?”

  Lloyd shook his head. “That’s the trouble, man. I don’t know, do I?”

  James directed the students through to the field.

 
On top of the hedge, he could see everything. He could see small flashes of stones marking out the double henge – and – across the down land there was a faint line dotting the route back towards Sarson Hall.

  The students were laying stones across the field towards Avebury – with the pick-up trundling behind them. Rudi was pacing out the yards; James and Justin were directing – and there was a buzz around the place.

  Jenny came over to the foot of the wall. “You’ve done a fantastic job, Lloyd,” she said. “The students are really geared up. You can tell when they’re having a good time. Are you excited?”

  He looked down. She was smiling and it gave him just that bit of reassurance. “I would be if I knew what was going to happen next,” he said, and she laughed.

  “You don’t like surprises, do you?”

  “I haven’t got no control over surprises – but today’s been awesome.”

  “Can I come up there with you?”

  He nodded and leaned over offering his hand. “Grab me and I’ll pull you up.”

  Then they stood, with the damp wind brushing their faces, while the rest completed the path.

  One of the students looked up.

  “Don’t you want to lay the last stone, Lloyd?” he said, but Lloyd shook his head.

  “That’s okay, man. You do it. I just want to stay up here and watch to see what happens.”

  The student placed the stone where Rudi indicated and then they all converged on the wall.

  The last dregs of light drained from the sky. Down in the valley to their right, the streetlamps of Brookley burned like the afterglow of a fire, and, to their left, out towards Avebury, and ahead, towards Sarson Hall, a thick darkness gripped the land… and there was nothing. No movement, no sound, no hints of any subterranean activity, only stillness and the steady cloying of the air.

  Then Lloyd saw it, the faintest pinpoint, over in the direction of Sarson Hall. At first just an electric-blue hint, ephemeral, dancing like the light of a single firefly, but gradually it extended itself, moving towards them, the first trickle of an emerging stream.