This sound interesting! Has there been a scandal in the Council offices? Are you having to have plastic surgery to be the body double for the new Mayor after the last one did something atrocious while in office? :)
A fall from great heights The Ghost came down the stairs as heavily as he’d gone up them, and just as empty-handed. David was still sitting on the couch having brought nothing with him that wasn’t already in his coat pockets, and Tristram was standing by the door looking annoyed. He’d rifled through the drawers in the kitchen looking for knives or anything that could be used as a weapon and found only dirt, dust and cobwebs. “Let’s go,” said the Ghost. “How did you get here?” “Boat,” said David, ignoring the murderous look that Tristram shot him. “It comes back tomorrow morning for us.” “And are there other boats on this island? I guess it is an island, right? Not just the edge of a really big lake?” “There might be,” said Tristram, jumping in before David. “But this is the Isle of Wights. It’s not safe to be out after dark.” “Or before dark, really,” said David. “Not my problem,” said the Ghost. “Let’s go look for a boat then.” “You’re mad.” Tristram turned his back on the Ghost. “We’ll get eaten alive,” said David. He stood up, then sat down again, and started folding his hands repeatedly inside each other. “The wights are vicious.” The Ghost shrugged. “Encouragement is all you need,” he said. “Let me give you the gift of fire.” “What?” Tristram turned back round, and stared at the Ghost, who just lifted both arms like a charismatic priest and smiled beatifically. There was a whistling noise, of something heavy falling from great heights, and then a tremendously loud bang, so loud that Tristram and David immediately went deaf – there was a sense of silence, of pressure in their ears, and a thin, high shrieking noise. The whole house shook as though picked up by a giant hand and juggled, great bouncing jolts, and then a smell of smoke reached them. “Fire?” David knew he’d spoken, but the words didn’t seem to make any sound. He looked at Tristram, whose mouth was moving but he also looked puzzled. Tristram shook his head, then again, and then looked up, looking momentarily helpless. Then he looked further up, and pointed at the ceiling. David followed his finger, and saw black-edged yellow flames crawl across the ceiling amazingly fast. “Time to leave,” said the Ghost, his words somehow bypassing hearing altogether and settling into David’s brain. “Front door; the incendiary fell mostly on the back of the house.” David moved quickly, still feeling stunned but aware that burning to death was not how he wanted to die, and Tristram followed him. They staggered out into the night and turned back to see the whole house suddenly engulfed in fire, burning like a signal fire in the night. “Oh crap,” muttered David, still unable to hear himself.
2 comments:
This sound interesting! Has there been a scandal in the Council offices? Are you having to have plastic surgery to be the body double for the new Mayor after the last one did something atrocious while in office? :)
A fall from great heights
The Ghost came down the stairs as heavily as he’d gone up them, and just as empty-handed. David was still sitting on the couch having brought nothing with him that wasn’t already in his coat pockets, and Tristram was standing by the door looking annoyed. He’d rifled through the drawers in the kitchen looking for knives or anything that could be used as a weapon and found only dirt, dust and cobwebs.
“Let’s go,” said the Ghost. “How did you get here?”
“Boat,” said David, ignoring the murderous look that Tristram shot him. “It comes back tomorrow morning for us.”
“And are there other boats on this island? I guess it is an island, right? Not just the edge of a really big lake?”
“There might be,” said Tristram, jumping in before David. “But this is the Isle of Wights. It’s not safe to be out after dark.”
“Or before dark, really,” said David.
“Not my problem,” said the Ghost. “Let’s go look for a boat then.”
“You’re mad.” Tristram turned his back on the Ghost.
“We’ll get eaten alive,” said David. He stood up, then sat down again, and started folding his hands repeatedly inside each other. “The wights are vicious.”
The Ghost shrugged. “Encouragement is all you need,” he said. “Let me give you the gift of fire.”
“What?” Tristram turned back round, and stared at the Ghost, who just lifted both arms like a charismatic priest and smiled beatifically. There was a whistling noise, of something heavy falling from great heights, and then a tremendously loud bang, so loud that Tristram and David immediately went deaf – there was a sense of silence, of pressure in their ears, and a thin, high shrieking noise. The whole house shook as though picked up by a giant hand and juggled, great bouncing jolts, and then a smell of smoke reached them.
“Fire?” David knew he’d spoken, but the words didn’t seem to make any sound. He looked at Tristram, whose mouth was moving but he also looked puzzled. Tristram shook his head, then again, and then looked up, looking momentarily helpless. Then he looked further up, and pointed at the ceiling. David followed his finger, and saw black-edged yellow flames crawl across the ceiling amazingly fast.
“Time to leave,” said the Ghost, his words somehow bypassing hearing altogether and settling into David’s brain. “Front door; the incendiary fell mostly on the back of the house.” David moved quickly, still feeling stunned but aware that burning to death was not how he wanted to die, and Tristram followed him. They staggered out into the night and turned back to see the whole house suddenly engulfed in fire, burning like a signal fire in the night.
“Oh crap,” muttered David, still unable to hear himself.
Greg - hah. No, I just liked the sound of it. But thanks for the guesses!
'Encouragement is all you need' indeed. Love the descriptions here.
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