Ghosts of Perigord

by Marc Lindsay

  ‘She’s beautiful,’ Jason uttered.

  ‘Easy tiger,’ Selene commented. Jason blushed.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ he stammered. But Selene only smiled back.

  ‘It’s okay, she is beautiful and besides I’ve no reason to be jealous of some alien amazon woman, a billion light years away, do I?’ Selene said. ‘Who do you think she is?’ Jason asked.

  ‘The only thing that I can think of is that she’s an ancestor or something,’ Selene said.

  ‘Maybe. Hey I think we should wrap this up for now.’

  ‘Agreed.’

  ‘I’ll give Wendy a call, tell her to meet us in about twenty minutes,’ Jason said, pulling his cell phone from his pocket and making the call.

  ‘Greymeade, save details of our searches in a new file titled ‘surprise party’. Only Jason and myself are to have access to it,’ Selene ordered.

  ‘I told Wendy that we’re on our way,’ Jason said putting the cell away.

  ‘Greymeade, remove current image,’ Selene ordered. They both took one last look at the image of the female warrior as it faded from view.

  Chapter 26

  They arrived at Jason’s to find Wendy sitting at the front gate waiting patiently. As soon as she saw them approaching she leapt to her feet and began waving happily.

  ‘Hey Wendy, I hope you haven’t been waiting long?’ Jason asked.

  ‘No. I just got here a couple of minutes ago,’ Wendy said casually.

  ‘That’s good,’ Selene chimed in. They all walked up the driveway together, Wendy zipped up her coat and gave a small shudder against the cold. Jason and Selene looked at each other guiltily, knowing that they were both well protected from the elements.

  Jason’s mum was in the kitchen and greeted them as they entered.

  ‘Will you two be joining us for dinner? There’s plenty if you do,’ Helen asked.

  ‘I’d love to,’ Selene answered.

  ‘If it’s okay,’ Wendy said.

  ‘Of course,’ Helen replied.

  ‘Do you two want to head down to the study and I’ll meet you in a minute?’ Jason said to the girls.

  ‘Come on,’ Selene said and steered Wendy towards the study. Jason turned to his mother.

  ‘Thanks mum, I know this was last minute,’ Jason said.

  ‘It’s fine luv,’ Helen replied. Jason was just about to join his friends. ‘Son, one last thing, were you meant to be home earlier?’

  ‘No, why?’ Jason asked.

  ‘Well, your young friend was waiting out front for quite a while.’

  ‘How long?’

  ‘About an hour and a half,’ Helen said. Jason thought this over.

  ‘She must have got the timings mixed up,’ Jason said and left his mother to prepare dinner.

  About half an hour into their research, Wendy placed her book down and cleared her throat in a bid to get the others attention.

  ‘I know we’ve been looking up information about the Kava fellow, amongst other things but…’ Wendy trailed off, her real intention was something she was obviously reluctant to bring up.

  ‘Wendy, if you have something to say, don’t be afraid to speak up. You’re part of the group now!’ Selene said. This seemed to calm the younger girl. ‘I don’t know if you remember, but the reason behind me being here was a conversation about goblins,’ Wendy said, she now had their full attention. ‘It was also the main reason I started looking into you as well. This was not a known factor to the pair.

  Wendy went onto explain her involvement in the whole affair starting with her eavesdropping on their conversation by the goblin statue at the brewery during the class excursion.

  ‘We really need to watch where and what we say,’ Selene said ruefully.

  ‘I take it this conversation is leading somewhere?’ Jason asked.

  ‘It is. From what I’ve managed to glean and the fact that you two have a knowledge of it suggests that goblins are real. And that Perigord is situated over a hotbed of goblin activity, amongst other things,’ Wendy said.

  ‘What information have you learnt that supports this theory?’ Selene asked. Wendy brightened at this question, walking across the room she retrieved her bag and produced an A4 sized manila envelope.

  ‘Ah, again with the mysterious envelope,’ Jason mused. Wendy blushed and brought it over.

  ‘There have been dozens of sightings of creatures fitting the description of these goblins over the years,’ Wendy said.

  ‘How far back?’ Selene asked.

  ‘For as long as Perigord has been here,’ Wendy said, passing papers over to them.

  Jason flipped through them, inside were photocopied articles, eyewitness accounts and snippets of information about small elusive creatures. Everything from stealing children in the night to spreading disease and sickness. Wendy even had the complete story about Sucell and the origin of the stone goblin cider. Wendy waited anxiously as they went through all the information.

  ‘So what do you think?’ Wendy asked as Jason tucked the last of the papers back into the envelope.

  ‘I think that you’ve really done your homework on the subject,’ Jason said. ‘So why do I feel a but, coming?’ Wendy replied.

  ‘No buts, we agree. In fact, we’ve both seen one,’ Jason said. ‘Really, when?’ Wendy asked. Jason went on to tell her about their contact with the creature in the park. Wendy could barely contain her excitement when they told her how the creature turned to stone in the daylight and how they had waited and followed it to the old mines when the sun went down.

  ‘Do you think that statue at the brewery is really a goblin?’ Wendy asked. ‘If that is the case then why hasn’t it escaped?’ Selene asked.

  ‘Maybe it can’t,’ Wendy said.

  ‘You know there’s only one way to find out for sure and that’s to see the statue at night,’ Jason said.

  ‘Jason, dinner’s ready,’ Helen called out from the other room.

  ‘Coming, Jason called back, he then turned to Wendy. ‘Are your parents okay with you staying out a little bit longer tonight.’

  Wendy’s face changed ever so slightly, like a well-practiced mask was being placed on. Jason didn’t notice but Selene did, locking this information away for future reference.

  ‘Sure, they’re both pretty cool, they know I stay away from trouble,’ Wendy said.

  ‘Well hopefully that’s the case tonight,’ Jason said as they all made their way to dinner.

  Chapter 27

  The Black River Brewery was an established institution in Perigord and employed around two-thirds of the town’s populace. It was built in a time where things were meant to last and it was no exception. Located fifteen minutes from the town centre, away from the business district and residential areas. It was constructed of heavy stone slabs and despite the fact that it was surrounded by thick forest it stood proudly above the tree tops like an ancient medieval castle.

  The brewery operated solely during the day, with its employees bussed to and from the premises, so there was no loitering after hours. The company didn’t even employ a night security force on site, instead the area was monitored by camera and patrolled by a team of Caucasian shepherds, employed for their impressive size and ferocity. The immediate area around the building was fenced with a twelve-foot cyclone fence, reinforced with military grade razor wire which the dogs were allowed to roam unheeded. Outside that internal perimeter was a further twenty acres of private property, again fenced in a similar manner, the only difference was the addition of ten thousand volts of electricity coursing through it. Signs had been posted liberally along the fence to warn trespassers of the dangers within. There was plenty of talk over the years on why the Sucell family had gone to such great lengths to protect the facility, but none of the employees wanted to be the one to broach the subject, not when they were treated so well and that there was limited work else-where within the valley. So why rock the boat.

  The night air was freezing and there was much talk that t
he first snows would probably fall in the next week. Due to the heavy cloud there was no moon tonight, perfect for anybody conducting covert activities. Jason was gliding about ten feet above the tree tops in the form of a black winged horse, Selene and Wendy riding his back. Wendy was up front gripping the powerful stallion tightly around the neck, a grin plastered to her face so wide it would have put an alligator to shame. Selene was also grinning, more at the younger girl’s reaction than the actual thrill of the flight.

  They were a kilometre out from the outer perimeter fence and could see the heavily lit structure beyond that.

  ‘So let me get this straight, the plan is to land between the two fences and walk in?’ Selene asked. The stallion neighed in response, something only Selene could understand due to her alien clothing acting as a universal translator.

  ‘He said, that’s right,’ Selene said to Wendy. The stallion let out several more vocalisations. ‘He asked how you were going back there, not too cold?’ Selene translated, much to Wendy’s astonishment.

  ‘You can understand him? How?’ she asked incredulously.

  ‘Long story best not explained in our current situation,’ Selene said. Wendy nodded.

  ‘Tell him I’m fine,’ Wendy said, her lips a light shade of blue.

  ‘Tell him yourself,’ Selene said.

  ‘Oh right,’ Wendy said, feeling a little bit silly. ‘I’m having a wonderful time,’ Wendy squealed loudly in Jason’s ear. He neighed something in reply. ‘What did he say?’

  ‘He said to hold on,’ Selene replied with a grin. Suddenly he rose steeply into the sky, then after reaching a height that was just below the cloud line, they nosedived, Wendy squealing all the way down.

  After their daredevil antics they landed safely within the outer perimeter fence. Selene had earlier lent Wendy a thick dark coat for protection from the cold as well as concealment. Jason and Selene were also appropriately dressed for the nights’ stealth activities. They still had a short walk ahead of them before they reached the interior fence, it was lucky that their destination was well lit, so they were able to see the path ahead with little problem. The building was like a beacon calling them forward.

  The security used was well known to the town’s people, particularly the younger generations, who at one time or another had made grand plans of conducting a raid in the hopes of procuring quantities of the world famous beverage, as well as going down in local history as living legends. As they advanced towards their destination they talked about what may lie ahead. ‘I heard Mr Sucell uses a pack of savage wolves as security,’ Wendy said quietly.

  ‘Really,’ Jason said.

  ‘Really, and he feeds them whole pig carcasses to replicate a human body both in size and taste,’ Wendy continued.

  ‘I thought human flesh tasted like chicken,’ Jason commented with a smirk. Wendy just gave him a strange look not getting his sense of humour.

  ‘Sssshhhh, I can see the fence,’ Selene said. They all stopped and peered ahead. Twenty metres to their front the tree line ended, beyond that lay ten metres of cleared ground, then the interior fence. They moved slowly forward, then stopped and crouched just shy of the clearing.

  ‘I don’t understand why we didn’t just fly all the way in?’ Wendy asked.

  ‘We didn’t know what sort of security was awaiting us here, the last thing we need is a close circuit camera recording the images of a flying horse with two local girls riding on its back,’ Selene said.

  ‘This way we can scope out what’s inside and plan accordingly,’ Jason added.

  They all stared past the darkness and into the blinding spotlights that were positioned every ten metres inside the fence line, their interconnecting beams covered the entire area between the fence and the tree line.

  ‘Whoa, that’s quite impressive,’ Jason said.

  ‘I know, there’s a lot of heat coming off of them, I can’t even begin to fathom how much candle power is being used,’ Selene said.

  ‘Very strange, considering the technology that can be harnessed from LED’s now. It’s not very cost effective to use this system, unless their aim is to burn intruders with the UV,’ Wendy said. Jason looked at Selene, who shrugged. Beyond the fence they could see the building, its large stone walls looking menacing in the night.

  ‘I can’t see any dogs, but I can see surveillance cameras,’ Selene said, pointing them out to Jason and Wendy. They watched them for several minutes, the cameras panning slowly from left to right, then back again. It was obvious that they were on an automated system.

  ‘There don’t seem to be too many from what I can see, and the speed that they are moving we should be able to move through as long as we take our time and be careful,’ Jason said.

  ‘So what’s the plan now?’ Wendy asked.

  ‘From what I can remember the building layout is just like a castle, a hollow rectangle with the courtyard in the centre,’ Jason said.

  ‘Containing our statue,’ Selene added.

  ‘Correct. If we move to that point on the fence,’ Jason indicated. ‘The cameras don’t intersect. If we time it right, we can make our way to the wall. From what I can see, the camera isn’t positioned to see from that angle.’

  ‘Have you done this before?’ Wendy asked.

  ‘Once,’ Selene said.

  ‘But, it was for a good cause,’ Jason added, referring to their break in at the black river realty.

  ‘Um, question, how are we all going to get over that fence?’ Wendy asked. Jason grinned and transformed before the two girls, his soft human skin becoming hard and resilient like a shell. Limbs lengthened and bending into impossible angles. Jason’s torso appeared segmented with a long thin neck, his head took on an alien quality, large, oval, hairless with large black shiny eyes, then finally his mouth growing a large menacing set of mandibles. Despite knowing his abilities Wendy took a step back, the boy she thought she knew gone, replaced with a large insectoid stranger. Jason’s new identity produced a series of clicking sounds similar to a cricket.

  ‘He said, don’t be afraid, but if you would prefer to stay behind his feelings wouldn’t be hurt,’ Selene said. Wendy shook her head and reached out, tentatively touching one of Jason’s arms.

  ‘It feels a bit like drift wood,’ Wendy said, now running her fingers along the arm. ‘I’ll be fine. I don’t want to miss out on this.’

  Jason let out more clicking sounds.

  ‘He said that we will move to the fence, once there he’ll get me over first then you. All he asks, is that you place your arms around his neck and hold tight. Can you do that?’ Selene asked. Wendy swallowed thickly then nodded.

  ‘No problem,’ she replied quietly.

  ‘Excellent, let’s get into position then,’ Selene said.

  They made their way down the tree line to where Jason had indicated earlier. Remaining in the shadows, they waited for the right moment when the cameras were facing away, then all three of them sprang into action. Jason was the first into position, his back to the fence and his hands together hanging low. Selene was the next to arrive, she placed her hands on his shoulders and a foot onto his waiting hands. Their eyes locked onto each other for the briefest of moments, Jason omitted a clicking sound and Selene nodded. Jason heaved and launched her up into the air, Selene easily cleared the razor wire then performed a forward flip and gracefully landed in a cat like crouch. Wendy who was still running couldn’t believe what she had just witnessed, her eyes wide and mouth hung open, Jason motioned for her to keep running towards him.

  She jumped into his arms, and for the briefest of notions she had a wild image of Jason tossing her into the air like Selene, she then remembered Selene’s words and wrapped her arms around Jason’s neck. Without pause they were both thrown high into the air, it was like being shot out of a canon, Jason’s bent legs now making a whole lot of sense.

  They travelled a lot higher than Selene, their momentum catapulting them nearly twice the height of the fence. Before their
descent they seemed to just hang in the air, then gravity took over. They plummeted with a speed that frightened Wendy, the ground rushing up to meet them. Wendy closed her eyes as she prepared for impact. Only it never came, instead there was a gentle rocking, like when she used to jump on her mother’s old spring bed when she was a kid. Wendy opened her eyes and looked down, marvelling at his amazing legs, they had acted as gigantic shock absorbers. Still clutching Wendy Jason scuttled forward where they joined Selene against the wall.

  Jason transformed back to his human form, with Wendy still clinging to his neck.

  ‘That is something I’m not sure I will ever get used to,’ Wendy breathed.

  ‘Ahem, Wendy, you can let go now!’ Jason said indicating that she was still clinging to his neck.

  ‘Oh. Sorry,’ Wendy said releasing her hold then staring at the ground embarrassed.

  ‘Time for the next phase,’ Jason said, and transformed, wings sprouting from his back, his skin and wings turning a dark grey. His arms and legs became more powerful as his face changed, turning demonic in appearance. Finally, a thick corded tail sprouted forth from his lower back, the end like the tip of an arrow, it wrapped lazily down and around one of his legs.

  ‘What better to storm a castle than as a gargoyle,’ Selene said with a grin. ‘My sentiments exactly,’ Jason growled back with what he thought was a smile but was more than a little frightening. The sound of a dog baying in the distance broke the silence, they all turned in its direction.

  ‘You better get going,’ Selene said, the urgency in her voice not lost on Jason as he took a step back from the others. Bending his knees, he looked to the sky and jumped, the combination of his powerful coiled leg muscles and the downward beat of his wings sent him spiralling into the sky like a launched rocket. It took Jason but a moment to reach the roof of the building, his wings beating hard as he gently lowered himself down, careful not to damage the shingles, the claws that were now his feet digging in for purchase.