by Jay Mason
“They used to be on late at night when I’d come home from the pub and was revising as a student. Happy days. They were all the rage in my youth. There was this host …”
“Elvira,” filled in Joe.
“Yes,” said Lewis pumping the air. “That was the one. Sometimes she’d host an entire day of truly terrible horror movies. We’d order in pizza after pizza and mix together all the alcohol we could find to make the most amazing neon mixtures. One time this guy got some liquid nitrogen from one of the labs …”
“Did mum come to these events?” interrupted Alex.
“No, it was all boys as I recall. We did once try to do a couples night — get the girls to dress like Elvira, but your mother wouldn’t come.”
“How did Elvira dress?” said Alex.
“She was a goth,” said Lewis.
“A really hot goth,” said Joe.
Lewis nodded, “a really, really hot goth!”
Irene chose this moment to enter. She was carrying a vase full of blooms that obscured the top half of her body. When she put them down on the table, Alex looked at her mother in her smart little black dress, with her pearls, and perfect French plaited hair and tried to imagine her as a goth. Failing, she then tried to imagine how her parents had ever got together at all.
Having been told that Joe was a film star, Irene had chosen to have the food catered. This was apparent from the first sip of lobster bisque soup. Lewis was over the moon and as the champagne flowed, frequently telling Joe he could come to dinner anytime. The second course of poached salmon found Alex almost enjoying herself. When the venison wellington appeared both Alex and Lewis gave up on talking and simply enjoyed the best food they had had for years. It was left to Joe to keep the conversation flowing. Fortunately, he had played a scientist more than once in his career, and after he established Irene was a chemist, he talked only about areas he thought it was unlikely she had studied. He was particularly expansive on the concept of the possibilities cyber-science might make a reality in the future. Lewis filled up Irene’s glass whenever she wasn’t watching and towards the end of the meal (strawberry pavlova) Irene was doing little more than nodding and smiling. Alex, who had confined herself to two glasses, ate three portions of pudding.
By the time coffee was due, Irene had given up all pretense of having cooked anything herself and was letting the staff bring food through rather than getting out of her seat. A pretty young girl with her hair in a ponytail, wearing indistinctive navy, brought in coffee and petit fours.
“Do you know,” said Irene, “I think I might head upstairs for a few minutes, if you would excuse me. I have some ideas for some notes that I would like to jot down.” She gave Joe a lopsided smile. “One cannot help when inspiration strikes,” she said. She tried to stand up, wobbled slightly and sat down again.
“I think I should help your mother,” said Lewis. He got up and helped his wife to her feet. “It’s a lovely night,” he said. “Why don’t you two take your coffee into the garden? It’ll be much more fun without us old fogies around.”
“I’d like that,” said Joe.
“Sure. Whatever,” said Alex. She followed her parents to the door and watched in amazement as they supported each other in an A-shape up the stairs.
“You got my parents drunk,” she said to Joe.
“They got themselves drunk,” said Joe. “I saw your father topping your mother’s glass up a lot.” He picked up the empty bottle. “Wow,” he said.
“I only had two glasses,” said Alex.
“Me too,” said Joe. “Alcohol is so bad for the skin.”
“You mean my parents drunk the rest of that.”
Joe nodded. “They’re no light weights. Now let’s take the coffee and these chocolates out to this garden of yours.”
A scent of jasmine washed over them as Alex opened the backdoor. The old fashioned porch looked out over the distant cornfields. The sun was setting in an explosion of fire that filled the sky. “Wow,” said Joe, setting the coffee down on the small outdoor table. Alex took a couple of folded blankets from the pile her mother kept outside.
She handed one to Joe, “It’s going to get cold very quickly,’ she said.
Joe sat down on the porch swing throwing out a blanket. “Let’s share them,’ he said, ‘it will be warmer.” He grinned at her.
The twilight seemed to Alex to add to the surrealism of the situation, as she climbed under the blanket with Joe Trend, film star and mega millionaire. He put his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. The cold was beginning to prick and the warmth of his body was inviting. Alex leant into him, resting her head on his shoulder. Joe stared off into the distance. Alex could feel his heart beat slow as he relaxed. She let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. Joe appeared to have no intention of kissing her. She felt both relieved and disappointed.
The moon rose, creamy and crescent shaped, like a perfect biscuit nibbled by a celestial being. “Moon biscuits,” said Joe, as if reading her thoughts. “That’s what my mum called my acting career. Me making moon biscuits.”
“You mean daring to dream the near impossible?” said Alex.
“Exactly,” said Joe, looking down at her. He raised a hand and traced a finger along her cheek. “You’re a very special person, Alex. You do realise that, don’t you?”
Alex bit her lip and hesitated. “That sounds awfully like a line …” she began, but she broke off as Cat, her clothes torn, muddy, and streaked with blood erupted through the bushes at the end of her garden. Joe shot to his feet. Alex had to grab the arm of the seat not to fall out onto her face. Fifteen feet away from them Cat collapsed onto the ground. Joe had already reached her, by the time Alex had gathered her wits. She ran after him, trailing the blanket behind her.
Joe knelt beside Cat stroking her hair. “What’s happened? Who hurt you?” He took Cat gently by the arm and raised her to a sitting person. “Come on,” he said, “let’s get you back into the house. My name’s Joe and this is Alex.”
Cat stared at him, her blue eyes wide and glassy. Her long red hair lay loose and tangled about her face. She shivered. Her lips moved, but no words came out.
“She’s knows me,” said Alex. “That’s Cat Gibson. Rusty’s little sister.”
****
“I’ve called Rusty,” said Alex coming back into the kitchen. Cat sat at the kitchen table, still clasping the sweet cup of tea Alex had made her.
Joe got up and came over to her. “Poor kid,” he said quietly. “She’s terrified.”
Alex looked round him at Cat, who was trying to sip her tea now, but her hands were shaking so much it kept spilling. “Did she tell you anything?”
“Nothing that made sense,” said Joe. He looked uncomfortable. “You think maybe she needs me to leave. Being male and us not knowing what happened …”
“For heaven’s sake,” said Alex, “She can’t be more than fifteen.”
Joe glanced back. “No,” he said, “but even now you can tell she’s going to be a beauty. There are some sick people in this world, Alex.”
Alex felt her stomach turn over. She went over and knelt down at Cat’s side, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Cat, what’s up?” she said.
Cat looked down at her and her eyes began to fill with tears. “Did someone hurt you? Did they …?” Alex couldn’t bring herself to say the word.
To her relief Cat shook her head. She said something very quietly.
“What did she say?” said Joe, who obviously had excellent hearing. “Did she say Howard? Whose Howard and where do I find him to knock him into next week?”
Cat’s gaze finally flickered up to Joe’s face. A tiny hint of a smile quivered at the corner of her mouth. “Howardsfield Horror,” she said.
“Howard Field?” asked Joe.
“No,” said Alex. “She said Howardsfield Horror. Is that a movie you were in?”
“Not that I remember,” said Joe. “But I did do a lot of bad movies b
efore I made it.” He came closer. “Yeah, love, I’m Joe Trend. How can I help you?”
“It’s a story,” said Cat.
“A story did this to you?” said Joe.
“Do you mean a legend?” said Alex. “A local folk tale kind of thing?”
Cat nodded rapidly, spilling yet more tea. “It’s a beast. A beast from hell.”
“I think you need another tea,” said Joe reaching over and removing the almost empty mug. “And this time you could try drinking some of it.” He tapped Alex lightly on the shoulder. She followed him across the room to the kettle. Over the noise of the water boiling, he said, “How well do you know this kid? Is she — you know — alright in the head.”
Alex nodded. “She’s smart. Down to earth usually. Dedicated cheerleader. It’s her brother who is interested in unusual things — phenomena and the like.”
“The tall gangly kid with acne, who used to hang around you a lot on set before I came on the scene?”
“That’s the one,” said Alex with a pang of guilt. “Their mother’s an invalid. Bedridden. Rusty kinda takes care of them all.”
“Harsh,” said Joe.
“Maybe she read one of his books or something and had a nightmare,” said Alex.
“If the only harm that’s come to her is what we can see, I suppose she could have got that by falling over.” He paused. “But what if she did see something? Was really chased? I don’t mean by some fairytale. What about if it was preternatural — even alien.”
“Let’s see if she will tell us anything else,” said Alex. “I think you should try.” Joe cocked his head on one side. “C’mon,” said Alex, “you must be used to having young female fans have crushes on you.”
“Fine. Fine. I’ll do my Uncle Joe bit,” grumbled Joe, taking the tea over to Cat and drawing up a chair next to her.
“Now then, Kitty-cat,” he said. “I think it’s time you told us what is going on.”
At the sound of the nickname Cat gave him a small, timid grin. “That’s more like,” said Joe. “A smile is so much prettier than a snotty red face!”
Cat’s eyes opened very wide and she pulled her sleeve hastily across her face. “Sorry,” she said. Alex’s shoulders sagged in relief.
“I don’t mean to cause a fuss,” continued Cat looking up into Joe’s face. “I got such a fright. I never thought it was real until tonight.”
“The Howardsfield Horror?” said Joe.
Cat nodded. “It’s this story about a witch called Nellie Hill.”
“What!” said Alex. An image of a headstone in a graveyard, set all alone, that she had found after Bethany’s funeral, flashed into her mind. She blushed. “Sorry. I’ve come across that name before. You were saying Cat?”
“She was a local witch,” said Cat. “Hundreds of years ago.”
“Probably no more than a wise woman healing people with herbs,” said Joe. “I’ve read a lot about those witch trials. The women involved were always innocent.”
Cat shook her head vigourously. “No, Nellie Hill was the real deal. When they came to arrest her she summoned a beast from hell that attacked the villagers and killed loads of them. They managed to drive it off and they killed Nellie at once rather than burn her. They thought it would send the beast back to hell, but it didn’t.”
Cat stopped and sipped her tea. Joe and Alex waited. “Anyway after her death the beast ravaged the local countryside. It only stopped when they dug up Nellie’s body — they’d buried her at the crossroads — and moved it to a local church. Once she was in holy ground she could no longer command the beast.”
“Great,” said Joe. “Good story and a happy ending.”
“Yeah, but there’s been sightings of the beast ever since. They stopped Nellie’s vendetta, but the beast is still here.”
“And that’s what you saw,” said Alex.
“What else could it have been?” said Cat.
The doorbell rang. “I’ll get it,” said Alex. She could tell by the expression on Joe’s face he couldn’t make up his mind between laughing at Cat’s story and wanting to believe it. They needed Rusty’s commonsense.
She ushered Rusty into the kitchen saying, “She says she was chased by the Howardsfield Horror. She’s muddy, scratched, and scared, but we think that’s all.”
“What the hell have you been doing?” said Rusty to Cat. Then he appeared to notice Joe. “I might have known you’d be here,” he said.
“Rusty, it glowed with an unearthly light. I saw it running, loping, and then it sprang into the air — like four metres high. There is no way it was anything natural.”
Alex could practically see Joe’s ears twitching, but he kept his mouth shut. Rusty took Alex by the arm and pulled her away from the others. “How could you encourage her?” he said. “Her whole year has been trying to come up with ways to meet the great Joe Trend. She’s talking absolute nonsense.”
“Okay,” said Cat, “I can hear you. And yes, everybody does want to meet Joe. I admit I went out into the fields to see if I could see those lights you’re always chasing after.”
Rusty looked at Alex in alarm and mouthed, “I never told her.” Alex shrugged.
“I did think I might see something I could tell Joe about, but I was looking for a UFO not that …” Cat broke off and burst into heavy sobs. Joe flinched back slightly and patted her hand cautiously like he might have touched a live bomb. As if this was invitation Cat shot to her feet ready to throw herself onto the unfortunate Joe, except her brother intercepted her. “I’m taking you home,” he said. He nodded to Alex and Joe. Then with a firm hand on her arm, he towed his little sister out of the room.
Joe shook his head. “My agent is always telling me not to mix with the locals.”
“Does that include me?” said Alex.
Joe got up and walked over to her. They heard the sound of the front door closing. Rusty had shut it with some force. Joe put his arms around Alex and drew her into his embrace. “Of course not,” he said and lowered his face to hers to kiss her tenderly on the forehead. “We’re friends.”
****
The next morning Alex woke early to the sound of an incoming email. She’d had another half an hour set on her alarm clock, so there was no point trying to go back to sleep. She went over to the machine intending to return a sharp response to whoever had woken her.
Her grumpy mood vanished as she read the message.
To: Alex Morgan
From R. Gibson
Subj: Cat
Hi Alex,
I’m trying to catch you before school, so I don’t need to apologise in person. :) It seems I might have made a bit of a fool of myself last night. Cat has been extremely vocal about my manners. However, as well as being (justifiably) angry with me, she is still very scared.
I got her to run me through what happened last night. It seems the thing never actually chased her. She saw it at a distance and ran away. She was so scared she fell more than once — which is why she looked such a mess. But she is unshakable in her description of what she thinks was the Horror.
I’m beginning to think she did see something, but what with being out on her own in the dark watching for UFOs I think the most likely thing is she got spooked by a big dog or even some kind of large cat. In either case, thank goodness she had the sense to run.
What I’m saying is I don’t think she is lying to me, but neither do I think she saw some kind of hell beast. But she’s not prepared to accept that her imagination has made something out of nothing. She believes she saw what she describes, but we both know how fear and shadows can work on the mind.
Can I hire you Alex to prove the bloody thing doesn’t exist? Cat barely slept last night and all this is worrying Mum. We agreed not to tell her what happened, but she can see Cat is scared of something.
As payment I will offer to cover for you (as best I can) with your parents for any of the insane stuff you get involved with over this coming academic year. You can’t say that isn’
t a generous offer! The only thing I ask is that you don’t tell anyone about this. I don’t want people thinking Cat is a loon!
R x
To: R. Gibson
From: Alex Morgan
RE: Cat
You were utterly insufferable last night.
But yes, of course I’ll help. Poor Cat. She was terrified when she arrived. Okay, she did try to use the situation to her advantage with Joe, but only when she’d calmed down.
It won’t be simple. It’s always easier to prove something exists than it doesn’t, but I’ll do my best.
A
Alex hesitated over adding a kiss at the bottom and in the end decided not to. Nothing had happened with Joe last night, but she had the impression that if it hadn’t been such a chaotic night, it might have done.
3. Hero Worship
After a long and boring day at college, and a truly terrible meal cooked by her mother, Alex said goodnight to her parents and climbed out her bedroom window.
Already the night air lacked the warmth of the previous evening. No clouds littered the dark velvet of the sky above. The moon beamed down with a lazy, milky light, but the stars shone tiny and intense like the lamps of an invisible celestial city. Alex stopped half way down the track to take in the view. Away from the light pollution of the town there were so very many stars. If she reached out a hand she couldn’t place a fingertip between them. How could it be possible that in this crowded corner of her galaxy that humans were the only intelligent life forms? But if so, why hadn’t she met any? Alex recalled that starlight took time to across the vast expanse of space and what she saw was actually an image of how the stars had been, rather than how they were now. Perhaps, she thought sadly, all the aliens are dead. Maybe they killed themselves off in bloody wars as humanity had tried to do on more than one occasion. Then she gave herself a shake and set off for the fields where Cat had seen her horror.