"Fine!" she called, still panting slightly, "Fine! I give up. I'm going now."
She began to turn when something caught her eye. It was the quickest glint, a shimmer in the darkness that pulled Cate towards it. It was small but it shined brightly, too brightly as it was pitch black here. Intrigued, Cate headed towards it, thinking she might find the man with a torch but she soon had to stop. A wall stretched across the path and she was reminded suddenly of a favourite book of hers as a child, "The Secret Garden". What secrets, she mused, might I find then behind these bricks?
Obviously the man was not here but where had he gone? It was a dead-end and Cate could see no door set in the bricks. She shrugged, leaving the mystery for a bit as she peered for the mark. She was sure it was... There! That was it, on the bricks just in front of her! She went to look closer but it shimmered oddly and seemed to shy away from her inquiring eyes. She pulled back, confused. Perhaps it was a trick of the light, however non-existent light was in a dark graveyard at midnight. Still, she could see enough to note that it was a square, with two concentric circles enclosed in it. She felt like she had seen it before but the memory flitted away from her mind, like she was trying to cup water in her hands. Suddenly, she felt tired and the stress of the day caught up with her. As she walked back to the car she memorised the path that took her back to the gate, never noticing the pair of eyes that watched her as she walked away...
***
Phil breathed out a shuddering sigh of relief. She'd gone, he'd led her away... Hadn't he? He looked up at the wall next to him, panic seizing his muscles and stopping his breath once more. There, right above his head, glittering tauntingly, was the mark. The sign of THEM. He'd led her right to it. He'd fulfilled the task THEY had set him. He had esentially fattened the pig for the slaughter, led the sacrifice to the altar. The woman was in danger and there was nothing he could do about it. He stood up from behind the gravestone and slowly walked home, never noticing the pair of eyes that watched him as he walked away...
***
Cate frowned at the car. The pristine car. The perfect, whole, undamaged car that was standing on all four of it's unpunctured wheels in the road, pointing the way she needed to go to go home. She wasn't complaining exactly but she had left it in a ditch not more than half an hour ago in a less than good condition. Shrugging off the mystery for now- after all, it wasn't exactly a problem- she got into the car and drove off, never noticing the faint whisperings of magic that still lingered around her car.
***
She began to turn when something caught her eye. It was the quickest glint, a shimmer in the darkness that pulled Cate towards it. It was small but it shined brightly, too brightly as it was pitch black here. Intrigued, Cate headed towards it, thinking she might find the man with a torch but she soon had to stop. A wall stretched across the path and she was reminded suddenly of a favourite book of hers as a child, "The Secret Garden". What secrets, she mused, might I find then behind these bricks?
Obviously the man was not here but where had he gone? It was a dead-end and Cate could see no door set in the bricks. She shrugged, leaving the mystery for a bit as she peered for the mark. She was sure it was... There! That was it, on the bricks just in front of her! She went to look closer but it shimmered oddly and seemed to shy away from her inquiring eyes. She pulled back, confused. Perhaps it was a trick of the light, however non-existent light was in a dark graveyard at midnight. Still, she could see enough to note that it was a square, with two concentric circles enclosed in it. She felt like she had seen it before but the memory flitted away from her mind, like she was trying to cup water in her hands. Suddenly, she felt tired and the stress of the day caught up with her. As she walked back to the car she memorised the path that took her back to the gate, never noticing the pair of eyes that watched her as she walked away...
***
Phil breathed out a shuddering sigh of relief. She'd gone, he'd led her away... Hadn't he? He looked up at the wall next to him, panic seizing his muscles and stopping his breath once more. There, right above his head, glittering tauntingly, was the mark. The sign of THEM. He'd led her right to it. He'd fulfilled the task THEY had set him. He had esentially fattened the pig for the slaughter, led the sacrifice to the altar. The woman was in danger and there was nothing he could do about it. He stood up from behind the gravestone and slowly walked home, never noticing the pair of eyes that watched him as he walked away...
***
Cate frowned at the car. The pristine car. The perfect, whole, undamaged car that was standing on all four of it's unpunctured wheels in the road, pointing the way she needed to go to go home. She wasn't complaining exactly but she had left it in a ditch not more than half an hour ago in a less than good condition. Shrugging off the mystery for now- after all, it wasn't exactly a problem- she got into the car and drove off, never noticing the faint whisperings of magic that still lingered around her car.
***
