by Sam Short
"What's happening, Sergeant?" said Graham Spalding, his hands trembling as he lowered himself onto the sofa.
Sergeant Spencer ignored him, taking his phone from his pocket and typing out a quick message. "There," he said. "I've just told Henry what’s happened. He shouldn't be long."
A whip crack echoed through the cottage, and Henry appeared next to the fireplace in a brief explosion of light, dressed impeccably in a tartan three-piece suit. He gazed around the room, his spectacles reflecting Graham’s startled face. "I came as soon as I received Sergeant Spencer's message," he said.
"We noticed," said Judith, her hands on her ribs.
"Are you sure I can't get you something for that?" said Millie. "I can make a potion which will take the pain away."
Judith shook her head. "No. I told you. I’m fine — it's my pride that hurts the most. I couldn't use my magic in time. I couldn't do anything to stop him, and then he attacked my father."
Sergeant Spencer put an arm around his daughter. "It's only my leg. I twisted my knee when I fell. I'll be as right as rain by tomorrow."
"It was only because Millie shouted that the demon’s attention was drawn away from you, Dad," said Judith. "It could have been so much worse. I'm sorry."
"Nobody's got anything to be sorry for," said Millie.
Graham Spalding looked up from the sofa. "A man just appeared out of thin air. Will somebody please tell me what's happening. Have I gone mad?"
"Why don't you tell us what happened, Graham?" said Sergeant Spencer. "We saw you leave. Why did you decide to come back?"
His face white, Graham shook his head. "It wasn't my decision," he said. "It was Peters. I had no control over him. He's normally very calm and collected, but since his accident, he's become infatuated with the scientific equipment he owns. He’s very protective of it. We were almost back at his house when he realised we'd left his forensic tent behind — covering the skeleton in the dunes. I told him we’d come back for it another day, but he lost his temper. He almost caused us to crash when he grabbed the steering wheel from my hands. He made me pull over and forced me to let him drive, and then he sped all the way back here."
"Where he crashed into the sand dunes," said Sergeant Spencer. “And touched the skeleton. Judith and I saw the flash of light from inside the tent when we rushed out of the cottage to see what was happening.”
"Yes," said Graham. "And him crashing into the dunes was a good thing, as far as I'm concerned. I don't think I could have taken another ten seconds of his driving. It was terrifying. As soon as he’d crashed, he leapt out of the van and headed for his tent. I followed him, trying to calm him down. He was having none of it, though, but when he saw his tent, he cheered up, and went inside. I could hear the Sergeant shouting by then, and realised he was probably going to arrest me — as he’d promised he would. I thought that if I was going to be arrested anyway, I may as well try and take away some evidence of the alien skeleton with me, I took my phone out and used it as a torch, but I couldn't believe what I was seeing when I looked in the hole where the skeleton had been. Most of it had gone! Like it had crumbled to dust."
"But there was some left, wasn't there?" said Henry.
"Yes," said Graham. "But I didn't see it, Peter did. He got to his knees and picked it up — a single tooth, and then it happened — there was a bright flash of light, and Peter turned into…" He pointed at the struggling man chained to the fireplace. "Into that. What happened? Was it the alien? Is the alien inside him, controlling him? With space energy? His eyes look a bit mad! Will his skin turn blue?”
“Your friend is possessed,” said Henry. “But not by an alien. By a demon.”
“A demon?” said Graham. “Demons don’t exist!”
“Not in this dimension,” said Henry. He looked at Peter. “Or at least they shouldn’t. The demon inside your friend sneaked into our dimension, along with a second one, and the other one is responsible for the death of a man.”
“Demons?” said Graham. “Other dimensions?” He shook his head. “Then Peter was right. Other dimensions do exist.”
“At least one other. And the creatures that live in it are worse than anything your imagination could possibly conjure up,” said Reuben.
Graham’s draw dropped open. “The bird spoke. The bird spoke,” he muttered.
"I can see why you'd think a demon was responsible for Tom's murder, Henry," said Millie. "Look at his eyes."
Peter shook his arms violently, the handcuffs clanking against the iron rail. His bloodshot eyes opened wide as he struggled, and the sticky tape across his mouth transformed his attempts at shouting into muffled grunts.
"He's in the early stages of possession," said Henry. "It won't take long until the demon has full control of the unfortunate gentleman, and at that stage of the process, it becomes very hard to know when a person is possessed, from outward appearances alone."
Graham made a grunting sound, his face white. "What will happen to Peter?" he said. "Is it possible to get the... demon out of him?"
Henry nodded. "Oh yes," he said. "I can get the demon out of him. That’s simple."
Graham frowned. "Well?" he said. "Would you mind getting it out of him? As soon as possible?"
Henry approached Peter, and stared down at him. "Not yet," he said. "I'll remove the demon from him after I've used him as bait to catch the second demon. The one which killed Tom Temples."
"Bait?" said Judith, rubbing her ribs. "How will that work?"
Reuben flew from the sofa and landed on Millie's shoulder. "Because demons belong in pairs," he said. "Isn't that right, Henry?"
"Yes," said Henry. "It is. And when the other demon becomes aware that its partner is still alive, and not lying dead in the sand, it will come for it. And then we can remove the evil entities from both Peter and whoever the poor person is who was forced to kill Tom Temples by their unwelcome parasite."
Graham frowned. "Bait?" he said. "Is that safe? For Peter?”
"It’s perfectly safe," said Henry. "We'll wait for dawn — so we have light, and then take Peter outside, make sure he’s firmly secured, and remove the tape from his mouth. The sounds he'll make will attract the other demon, and then we just have to wait for it to arrive. And catch it. We’ll have to be careful, though. The other demon has already killed Tom Temples, we don’t want another death in Spellbinder Bay.”
Chapter 19
It felt strange to be making coffee as a man possessed by a demon struggled at the handcuffs that held him captive in her living room, but everybody appreciated Millie’s gesture, and even Graham Spalding’s face regained some of its colour as he sipped his drink.
As Millie stared out of the patio doors at the ocean, the sun beginning to peek over the horizon and paint the waves in soft orange, Reuben landed gently on her shoulder. “Did you get it?” he whispered.
Millie smiled. “I got the pearl, Reuben.”
“There!” he said, quietly. “I knew it would be easy!”
“Yes,” said Millie, shuddering as she recalled cold seawater flooding her throat. “It was easy.”
“Okay everybody!” said Henry, from behind her. “Dawn has arrived. It’s time to catch the creature which killed Tom Temples, and return normality to Spellbinder Bay.” He winked in Millie’s direction. “As much normality as we’re used to, anyway.”
Peter Simmons struggled as Sergeant Spencer wrapped his wrists in tape and removing the handcuffs, replacing them on his wrists when he was free of the fireplace. “If you can hear me in there, Peter,” he said. “Try and remain calm. We’ll get the creature out of you as soon as possible.”
“I doubt he can hear you,” said Henry. “It would take great strength to remain aware of oneself while possessed by such a malevolent entity.”
“Poor Peter,” said Millie.
Henry opened the cottage door. “Well, come on them, all of you. The sooner we catch the other one, the sooner Peter may have his body returned to him.”
As Sergeant Spencer struggled to control Peter, Graham came to his aid. “Let me help you,” he said, grabbing his friend under his arm, and helping the policeman guide him towards the open door. “I can’t help feeling that some of this is my fault.”
“Oh, really?” said Sergeant Spencer. “Just some of it?”
“To be fair, Dad,” said Judith, “it’s not really his fault, is it? The two demons which came into our world must take the blame for everything that’s happened.”
“This world, though?” said Graham, helping Sergeant Spencer push Peter through the door and into the cool morning air. “What is it? I mean this world. Your world — with speaking birds, short men dressed like Scottish lawyers appearing from nowhere and young ladies talking about making potions which can cure injuries? What have I walked into?”
“Not now,” said Sergeant Spencer. “I’m sure Henry will want to speak with you when all of this is over, but until then, why don’t you just focus on what’s important right now — which is catching a killer demon.”
“Of course,” said Graham, stumbling as Peter grunted and attempted to shake off his two escorts. “There’ll be plenty of time for answers.”
“Put him over there,” said Henry, pointing towards the sand dunes. “Handcuff him to the campervan and take the tape off his mouth. If events unfold as I expect them to, we shouldn’t have to wait long for the other demon to make an appearance. Their senses are highly attuned to one another, even when in a human body. The other demon will hear the screams of the creature inside Peter from a long way off, and be drawn to it like a moth to a flame.”
With Reuben still on her shoulder, Millie watched Sergeant Spencer and Graham attach Peter’s handcuffs to the front tow ring of the campervan, and remove the tape from his mouth. As soon as the makeshift gag had been removed, Peter Simmons looked at the sky and gave a long, strangled howl, his body tense as he strained to free himself from the cuffs, the rattling of metal on metal adding a chilling backdrop to his eerie vocals.
“He’ll be sore when the demon is cast from his body,” said Henry, raising his voice to compete with Peter’s continued screams. “But a few cuts and bruises are a small price to pay to be relieved of a parasite which would cause its host to perform all manner of evil deeds.”
“How will you remove the demons from Peter and whoever the other possessed person is?” said Millie.
Straightening his dicky bow, Henry pointed at the cliff on the far side of the bay, where Spellbinder Hall stood, its many windows reflecting the orange glow of the dawn sun. “I’ll take them beneath the hall,” he said. “To the gate which separates this dimension from The Chaos. We will force them to step into the gateway, and as it is impossible for a human to pass between dimensions, the demons will be ripped from within them and cast back into the dimension from which they crawled. With no harm being done to the humans they violated.”
Sitting in the sand dunes, the sun rising higher by the minute, Millie stared off into the distance, the pearl of wisdom digging into her leg as the pocket it was contained in stretched tight over her thigh. “Which way do you think it will come from?” she said. “If it comes?”
“I do not know,” said Henry, retrieving his timepiece from his breast pocket and glancing at the dial. “I’m more interested in discovering who it is that the demon dwells within.”
“Somebody strong,” said Judith. “That shovel went deep into Tom Temples’s skull.”
“So not somebody like that?” said Graham Spalding, pointing along the track which led from Millie’s cottage to the country lanes beyond.
“Why does she walk in such a queer fashion?” asked Henry, shielding his eyes from the sun. “She wobbles from side to side.”
Mille stared at the figure approaching them at speed. The white hair, swept back by a pink headband, and the matching shorts and training shoes gave the woman’s identity away almost immediately. “It’s Mrs Raymond,” she said. “She’s power walking, Henry. It’s a form of exercise.”
“But she can’t be possessed by the demon,” said Judith. “Surely?”
“She does exercise on the beach,” said Millie. “And Henry surmised that because the other demon was found dormant in the sand dunes, then the other one would have been nearby. It could have happened upon poor Mrs Raymond as she exercised, and possessed her.”
“We’ll know soon enough,” said Henry. “She’s almost upon us. She moves with great speed for such a frail old lady.”
Millie got to her feet, wiping sand from her legs, and smiled at Mrs Raymond as she crested a sand dune and headed for the crashed campervan. “Good morning, Mrs Raymond!” she called.
“Oh!” chirped Mrs Raymond, coming to an abrupt halt. “I didn’t see you all, hiding there in the dunes! Good morning, everybody! And what a lovely morning it is, too! It’s a shame that man next to the campervan is making such a racket. I heard him from the other side of town and rushed here immediately to see what all the fuss was about! He seems to have quietened down a little in the past few minutes. How kind of him!”
“The demon has full control of her,” whispered Reuben in Millie’s ear. “Don’t trust her. She may look sweet and fragile, but she killed Tom Temples. The thing within her is evil.”
Henry Pinkerton studied Mrs Raymond over the rims of his glasses. “Are you certain you only hurried across town, with a vigour normally displayed by women sixty years your junior, because you heard some shouting? And just how good are your ears, anyway, Mrs Raymond? I happen to know your home is at least two miles away. Are you sure there isn’t something you’d like to tell us? Something we should be aware of? Something within you, perhaps?”
Mrs Raymond stood on tiptoes and pointed her fingers at the sky, arching her back a little as she stretched. “Are you sure there’s not anything you’d like to tell me, Henry Pinkerton? After all, it’s you and your little community who have been keeping secrets from the rest of the town for longer than I’ve been alive!”
“What secrets are you referring to?” asked Henry.
“Oh,” said Mrs Raymond, bending easily at the waist and touching the toes of her bright pink training shoes. “Just the fact that the town is full of people of a… paranormal nature, shall we say?” She stood upright, and stared Henry in the eyes. “And you’re the ringleader! I know everything. The things I’ve learned in the last week about this town are shocking.”
Sergeant Spencer’s hand closed on the handle of the Taser protruding from the pouch on his belt. He leaned closer to Millie, and spoke in hushed tones. “When it turns violent, don’t use magic unless you have to. Let me use the Taser. I didn’t have time to use it on Peter — it all happened so fast. I think the Taser will be kinder to Mrs Raymond than magical tentacles of sand strangling her.”
“I heard that, Sergeant Spencer,” said Mrs Raymond, stepping closer to the policeman. “You’re thinking of using your Taser on me? And you’re normally so kind — giving me lifts home from the shops with my groceries.”
Henry stepped between Mrs Raymond and Sergeant Spencer. “Don’t come any closer, Mrs Raymond. And let’s stop this little game, shall we? We know your true nature. Reveal yourself to us!”
Mrs Raymond’s face seemed to crumple, and she gave a soft sigh, her hands forming tiny fists. “Help me,” she whimpered. “Help me.”
Henry stepped forward. “Mrs Raymond?” he said. “You can hear us! That’s good news! Keep fighting the demon within you! We’re going to help you. You’re going to be okay, but you must remain strong!”
“I’ll try,” whispered Mrs Raymond, her voice becoming husky, “but can we hurry? I want to be home in time for my morning TV programmes.”
“Pardon?” said Henry.
Mrs Raymond’s face broke into a wide smile, and she shook as she laughed. “Oh, ignore him,” she smiled. “He’s got such a great sense of humour for a creature that came from such a dark place, haven’t you, Baskillazarataman?”
“What’s happening?” said
Judith.
“I’d like to know that, too,” said Graham Spalding. “I don’t mind admitting I’m scared. It was all fun and games when I thought I was hunting for lizard people, but this town is something else. Something else altogether.”
Her voice deepening slightly, Mrs Raymond spoke again. “I have indeed got a great sense of humour, Hilda. Although a sense of humour is a concept I’ve only just begun to understand. Thanks to you.”
“What’s happening?” repeated Judith.
“I’m just having some fun with you all!” laughed Mrs Raymond. “Baskillaza – Basil, and I are having some fun with you!”
“Basil?” said Millie.
“My new best friend,” said Mrs Raymond. “From the other dimension! He’s a wonderful companion! We got off to a rocky start when he tried to possess me as I was enjoying a walk along the beach last week, but I soon put him in his place! I went through rationing during the war. Preventing a demon from possessing my mind was child’s play in comparison. Anyway — it transpires that he’s a very nice… being. And he’s explained everything about the paranormal nature of this town to me.”
“Are you trying to tell us that you have control of the demon within you, Mrs Raymond?” said Henry.
“Call me Hilda, please,” smiled Mrs Raymond. “And yes, I do — although control is not the word I’d use. Basil and I cohabit — we share my body. Since he’s been inside me, I’ve developed such vigour! I’m far fitter than the other members of the pensioner’s fitness club, and I’m going abseiling next week! From a cliff! Wearing a helmet! I’m having such fun!”
“I’m not sure I believe you… Hilda,” said Henry. “How do I know I’m not speaking to the demon? How do I know that Mrs Raymond is still in there?”