’It certainly doesn’t sound like a virus, which was my first thought. How old are they?’ Wee Renee asked.
’The youngest is only about five years old, the eldest I would say is nine,’ he said.
’Some of them are that wee? Oh Father, no. Did you speak to them - try to get any answers?’ Wee Renee queried.
’Yes, when I spoke to them, they seemed to come out of their attachment with the others and speak more or less normally to me. As soon as they stopped concentrating on my words, they drifted back to their pack and their blank expression. Horrible and eerie it was, Wee Renee,’ Father Philip told her.
’I’ll have a think about it. There is all this other stuff going on. You never know, I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s all related after all. I’ll see you at seven at the Church, Father Philip,’ Wee Renee said.
’Thank you for this, Wee Renee,’ Father Philip said.
’No problem. I know you’re thinking of them. We will sort it won’t we? Face it together. It’s bound to be nothing,’ Wee Renee said the last bit to reassure him. She put the phone down and hoped she was right.
Just before dark, a girl walked down to the river alone. Her brother had brought some frogspawn back earlier. Ellie had seen it from a distance. There looked to be about five eggs in the bottom of his jar. He wouldn’t show her it close up or share it. In fact, he had gone so far as to hide it somewhere in his room away from her.
Ellie was out to get her own eggs and she would get more than him. They were very competitive siblings. When he found out how much she had, she wouldn’t give him any of hers. She knew that there was an old fish tank in the shed. The spawn could go in that and she would make it look pretty. Ellie had some Little Mermaid stickers to use on it.
She walked down to the river swinging her Dad’s travel coffee cup in front of her. Ellie was planning how she was going to get to School first tomorrow and tell everyone that she had found this spawn before he did. That would get him back. Big old meanie.
As she got close to the river, there seemed to be a large shape leaning over it in the dark. A black mass, with long hair atop it. It turned to look at her and then slipped into the river with a fluid motion. Its eyes were on her as she screamed and threw the coffee cup down, running for home running away from the river. The river in Moorston.
Michael had arranged for the Bettred Fellus to come over after dark so that he could show him what he had managed to pick up. He always knew when The Fellus was close by, as everything seemed to go quiet. The hairs on his arms rose up, with a supernatural electric atmosphere.
Michael could feel this now, so got up out of his chair to prepare himself. He looked out of the window and saw the glowing shape springing towards him from behind a large rock. Michael walked out of his front door to meet his co-conspirator.
’Evening, I’ve got something to show you around the back,’ Michael said.
Without a word, his visitor followed him. He was always keen to get The Fellus out of plain sight, although there weren’t many people that walked on this part of the desolate Moors. The problem was that The Fellus could be seen from a great distance. They both wished their business to be kept secret.
Michael took him around the back to his greenhouse. There was a slab of concrete against the door, and Michael carefully moved it, so that he didn’t accidentally smash the glass.
Inside the greenhouse, it was very dark. There was no starlight to shine through the murky green glass or through the plants that grew from the roof of the greenhouse. Now they cast uneasy shadows as The Fellus’s light cast its sickly glow in the enclosed space. Michael shut the door behind them
’I did as you asked. I went to the river and saw loads of kids fishing for eggs. I’ve got some of them in here, in this drum for you. I don’t know if they are important, but they were to these lads. That was the only odd occurrence down there, so I think this is what you must have felt,’ Michael said.
They walked a couple of steps towards the drum. The Fellus didn’t give out enough light to illuminate the contents. It just looked like black water. A mirror reflecting his devil’s face.
’There’s loads in there. I promise you,’ Michael said.
The Fellus looked at his own hand, which began to glow brighter. ‘That’s handy,’ Michael said with a little chuckle. His companion didn’t get the joke.
The Fellus plunged his hand into the water, which illuminated and became a dirty moss green colour. They both looked down. There were no eggs in there. Just as The Fellus was going to take his hand out, and the water was nearly entirely black again, Michael spotted something on the side of the drum.
‘Ayup, they’ve hatched already!’ Michael said. ‘Look at the side of the drum. Little blighters,’
The Fellus turned his hand round quickly and grabbed it. He brought his catch out. It slithered on his hand. It was a dull, plain grey colour, small but very active. It’s feelers frantically trying to work out what the glowing thing was underneath them.
’How very interesting,’ The Fellus said.
’It’s like a little wet spider isn’t it?’ Michael commented. ‘Or a jellyfish. I didn’t think it would turn into one of those. Have you seen one before?’
‘I haven’t. But I’ve heard of them,’ The Fellus said.
’What are they?’ Michael asked.
’A kind of parasite. It has superb telekinesis or mind control. It can control people if it gets in the right place. It has a hive mind, and there is a greater force controlling them. The parent controls its children. This is one of that parent’s offspring,’ The Fellus said.
’Ah, so this is what the evil was. Good. The parent sounds nasty. That could cause some trouble. What kind of creature does it come from?’ Michael asked. ‘I take it it’s an ancient one.’
’Oh, it’s ancient all right, but it’s not what you would call a creature,’ The Fellus said, mysteriously.
’What is it then?’ Michael asked.
’It’s a God, Michael. And we’re going to use his children,’ he laughed.
Michael had never heard him laugh. He hoped The Fellus hadn’t bitten off more than he could chew.
17 Amphibious
Wee Renee’s bright idea was that they should try and trap the creature that had been watching Jim and had mugged Lauren for her cucumber. She asked who could help and all those who didn’t go to work or to School on a Monday said they would.
Our Doris wasn’t able to attend as she had a salon appointment for Haggis, to have him washed, styled and his nails clipped. She said she could make another appointment, but as Haggis had nails like Fu Manchu, it was best to have them tackled today.
At the end of the picnic, it had been decided between them that everyone who would like to help should meet at 10am. Jim had seen the creature in the morning, and they thought this was the ideal time to strike. Especially as most people would already be at work or school which would leave the river area pretty clear. Friarmere was generally at its quietest on a Monday too.
Wee Renee called at two shops on the way down to Jim’s boat, the assembly point. She had bought two items. A grocery item and something from Joe’s Hardware Shop, who unfortunately seemed to be out, fitting some wooden gates.
Julia had already got the kettle on and in attendance were Pat, Jackie, Ernie, Maurice, Liz and Lauren who didn’t have to be in the Pub until later.
Wee Renee told them to all situate themselves around the other side of the boat with Jim sitting in his chair, looking out to Black Island as usual. She said she didn’t want them chatting and making lots of noise, scaring the creature away. Wee Renee looked at Lauren when she said this, who was a well know giggler.
They all had a tea or coffee and were whispering and occasionally peeping over the side of the boat. Jim was giving updates, which consisted of him saying ‘nowt yet,’ every couple of minutes.
‘Do you think you ought to let us in on your plan, Rene?’ Pat asked.
‘I suppose I
had yes. When we see the varmint, I will hand Jim the bait,’ Wee Renee said. She reached into her carrier bag and pulled out a full cucumber.
‘Now what Jim is going to do at this point …’ Wee Renee continued. Jim was looking at her with a shocked expression. He didn’t realise he was going to play such a large part in the trapping of the beast.
‘What Jim is going to do, is walk to the edge of the riverbank with the bait and draw her backwards in this direction. See those bushes where we think the Shellycoat was,’ Wee Renee said, peeking over the boat. Several sets of eyes peeked along with her.
‘The rest of us will be hiding there, and then we’ll get her tied up,’ she said, reaching into the bag again and getting out a bright blue washing line.
’What if it comes now?’ Maurice asked.
’What about it?’ Wee Renee.
’We are not behind the bushes. We are here, not in position,’ Maurice stated.
’We’re having a coffee, talking through the plan. It’s just as important to get it straight. We don’t want to be running around like headless chickens, do we, Maurice. There’s plenty of time, she’s not turned up yet,’ Wee Renee said.
’Do you think she will be really slippery?’ Jackie asked.
’Probably. From the looks of her the other day,’ Jim said. ‘As slippery as an eel!’
’She’s vicious though. Make sure you avoid her arms and don’t let her bite you,’ Wee Renee said.
’I suppose that’s according to what she is,’ Jackie said. ‘We haven’t determined the species, yet have we?’
’No but just be careful and keep away from all dangerous parts,’ Wee Renee confirmed.
’What’s the aim of this? What are we hoping to get out of it?’ Liz asked.
’To see if we can communicate. See if we can pump her for information. Find anything out about these sudden changes in the river and canal,’ Wee Renee said.
’Do we really want to do that?’ Julia asked.
’We’ve got to get to the bottom of it Julia,’ Pat said. ‘You can’t live like this. Now we are all here, let’s deal with it for you. Remember, you and Jim are on your own at the mercy of all of them, not us. We are going to have a problem if we don’t start standing up for ourselves.’
’I suppose you’re right,’ Julia said, but she did have doubts in her mind.
‘Do they speak English?’ Maurice asked.
‘I don’t think so Maurice,’ Wee Renee said.
’How will we communicate then?’ Maurice queried.
‘We’ll bumble along using some kind of sign language. I’m not letting that fact put me off,’ Wee Renee said.
‘I hope we aren’t standing on the other side of those bushes all day for nothing,’ Lauren said. ‘Remember, I will have to go at some point to open up.’
’Well I shall be here most of the day, and I think others might come down after work if they can. Probably the two lads will come after School. Hopefully, it won’t take that long, but if it does, we’ll do it in shifts,’ Wee Renee said.
‘Yes Lauren, I’m hoping it’s a quick one too. I’ve got a touch of cystitis,’ Pat admitted.
They got themselves into position. Ernie, Maurice and Pat had opened up the packaging on the washing line and unravelled it. They were ready to lasso their captive. Wee Renee said they must be silent and also not stamp about as the vibrations might scare her away.
They must have waited for nearly an hour, and Pat thought that it wasn’t going to ever happen, when Jim cleared his throat, took a deep breath and picked up the cucumber. Maurice swallowed and nudged Ernie, who was nodding off while standing up. The game was afoot.
Jim walked carefully to the edge of the bank holding the cucumber out at arm’s length, sweeping it from left to right. The others couldn’t see what was going on and Jim didn’t want to glance at the side or give any updates in case he gave it away.
Jim kept pointing at the cucumber, looking at the lady, gesturing to her that she could have it. The lady on Black Island didn’t seem to be doing anything, only looking at it. Her eyes went from the cucumber to Jim and back again. Wee Renee realised she hadn’t seen a whole one and didn’t know what it was.
‘Break it into two,’ Wee Renee whispered loudly. ‘Let her get the scent.’
Jim did as Wee Renee had asked. As soon as he broke it the wind caught the smell of the fresh salad item and in the lady slid towards him. The others saw Jim step back slightly and stop breathing. He still held the two halves of cucumber out, one in each hand.
He stood for a moment waiting for her to come out of the water. Once her top half was out, he started to step backwards. Her mouth watered, her eyes were only on the cucumber, no longer on Jim, or checking anywhere else either.
Jim stepped back again now. She was out, and she walked. It was an uneasy walk, but she walked. She was a supernatural being indeed. It was clear that she was no natural human woman. The shimmering green scales from back to front proved that. It wasn’t a wet suit. And the feet. The feet were something else.
He took a couple more steps back and Wee Renee thought he might give it away, as he started beckoning to those behind the bushes with one half of the cucumber. All of a sudden, they could see her for themselves. He stepped back one more time, and Jim seemed to doubt whether she wanted the cucumber that badly as she stopped moving. He just wanted her one body’s length away from the water. One more step he thought, that’s all we need.
She took one. Jim nodded once - the gang ran out. All of them threw their weight on the beast, while also trying to tie her up. She made a crying sound and a clicking sound. Somehow the sounds came simultaneously from the front and the back of her head. They all stood up wet and slimy. Their captive lay on the riverbank, still making a noise and flopping around like a fish.
‘Catch of the day!’ Pat exclaimed.
’Get her inside quick, before someone hears that!’ Wee Renee whispered loudly.
‘Inside where?’ Julia asked.
’Your boat, of course,’ Wee Renee said.
’Oh no,’ Julia said. Everyone else wanted to shut her up too. Ignoring Julia’s protests, they quickly picked her up, their clothes getting slimy wet again and carried her over to the narrowboat. Julia still had her mouth open in shock, walking alongside the group.
‘What else can we do with her in broad daylight?’ Wee Renee asked.
‘They’ve got a point, Jue,’ Jim said reluctantly.
Struggling through the door, the gang carried her inside, the rest of them filing in too, before shutting the door.
The inside of Jim and Julia’s narrowboat was very, very full. The creature still flip-flopped on the floor near the bed.
’Do you think she can live out of the water?’ Liz asked, a little concerned. ‘What if she’s the same as a fish? She doesn’t look good.’
’I wouldn’t say she is the same as a fish, Liz,’ Wee Renee said. ‘She’s been sitting on the island looking at Jim every day, she was on land, not water for a considerable time. I would call her an amphibious human. She can probably live in or out of the water. As for how bad she looks, that might be because we all just squashed her on a riverbank. I imagine she is terrified of us, and hopping mad,’ Wee Renee said.
‘There is one thing. I definitely didn’t hear the shells, so she wasn’t what was in the Park the other day. The fact is, there must be two things,’ Lauren said.
‘That’s right,’ Jim said.
’So, what is she then?’ Maurice asked. Everyone had to talk quite loudly, as she was still making an awful lot of noise.
‘Put some tape or a gag on her mouth, Jim,’ Julia said. ‘Someone or something might hear her, and we’ll all get into trouble.’
’I’ve got tape, but I don’t want to touch it,’ Jim said.
’I’ll do it, you soft nelly,’ Pat said, rolling her sleeves up to take a piece of the tape. Carefully so as the lady did not bite her, she jammed it over the large screeching mouth. ‘Done,’
Pat said.
‘It hasn’t stopped,’ Ernie said, confused. The noise still could be heard, not as loud, but still too disruptive for them to concentrate.
Hell And High Water Page 9