Jay, Lizzie and the Tale of the Stairs

by G J Lee

  Chapter 38

  A Visitor

  Now time was measured by how many cross words we had and by the scraping of a rusty nail. So we were all feeling pretty grubby when the food came.

  Hanz passed in a plate with four bits of roughly cut bread and two mugs of cloudy water. He passed them to me, sneered at us all, looked long and hard at the cowering Rosie and then slammed and locked the door. He didn’t see the small pile of plaster that had grown in one far corner of the cupboard. Way back in the shadows.

  It was while me and Lizzie were scraping at the cement between the bricks that Rosie gasped loudly beside us. I looked slowly at Lizzie and she looked slowly at me. Then, at the same time, we turned our heads to find out what Rosie had found so horrifying.

  What we saw made us both drop our nails in the sheer shock of the unexpected.

  In front of us, and hanging in mid-air just under the wood of the stairs which made up the roof of the cupboard, was Albert.

  But Albert was different in lots of ways.

  For a start he was completely grey, from head to foot, like white paint after years of smoking. He was also floating and had his arms and legs outstretched so as to keep his balance. He could have been sky diving. The look on his face was comical, a mixture of surprise and fright. In fact he probably looked as I did when I first found myself in Albert’s position, in Ernie’s cell.

  As we watched Albert’s gaze focussed on us and he smiled. But it was a brief smile. Quickly his expression became serious. By now we had both realised what was happening although Rosie was whimpering and covering her face with her hands again.

  “It’s fine,” Lizzie told her impatiently. “It’s my Dad!”

  Rosie instantly stopped and looked.

  Lizzie – Dad, It’s so good to see you.

  Albert – I’ve been so worried about you both. I’ve been having these horrible dreams.

  Lizzie – Can you help us? Can you get us out?

  Albert – Lizzie, I’m so sorry but I’m a long way away and I know you’re in trouble but I can’t quite make out where you are.

  Lizzie – We’re not far from home…

  Albert – Lizzie, I know but we haven’t much time. I’m being watched as we speak. We’re all in danger.

  Lizzie was becoming emotional at seeing her Dad. Although her voice stayed strong and steady a tear leaked quietly down her cheek. I watched as Albert drifted and spoke, his lips slightly out-of-sync with his voice, a voice that sounded like it was coming to us through a tube.

  Lizzie – What kind of danger?

  Albert – There is a threat to all humanity across all times.

  Lizzie – What do you mean?

  Albert – Everything – all that we know – is in danger of being sucked into a new dark age. A new evil is threatening freedom in our time, in Jay’s time and the time in between, before and beyond. You must find out exactly what it is and get away.

  Me – Can’t we just get away?

  Albert – I’d like to say yes with all my heart, but all my supernatural senses tell me there is a mortal danger to all time. I feel this danger is directly under the streets where we live. It must be stopped. You must find out what it is and escape.

  Lizzie – We’re trying. What is this evil? Tell us.

  Albert – I haven’t much time. It’s…

  Then Albert faded and disappeared, the spot where he had been floating dark.

  Fit only for spiders.