Chapter 4

    Anastasia could see the little white shed was on the far side of the fire circle. The caretaker didn’t appear to be around, but then again he had surprised her once already. Just like on the first occasion, her feelings of anxiety increased along with her proximity to the shed. She felt really small, like the world was pressing down on her and her body temperature soared with a prickly heat. She was instantly reminded of what Don Juan had said about the mind’s ability to attack itself. “It’s alright,” she said to herself. “… It’s just a shed.” She reached the door, put her hand on the bolt lock and got ready to slide it back. All of a sudden, dark shadow fell over her and she knew that she had been caught.
    “Back again I see…”
    She turned to see the grinning face of the janitor looking back at her. She couldn’t think of a good enough excuse and decided to make a break for it instead, but he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back.
    “Where do you think you’re going? You came to see what’s inside the shed, didn’t you?” He rattled the door handle. “Well, I’ll show you…”
    “No, please…”
    “What don’t you want to see anymore?” He slid the bolt back and flung open the rickety old door, in one violent motion and thrust inside.
    “No,” she screamed, grabbing hold of the doorpost to keep herself outside; to keep herself alive. Her mind was filled with the images of unspeakable acts of what he would do to her. But what confronted her was completely different. She saw a ladder, some stacks of old paint cans, and gardening tools.
    She didn’t know if she broke free, or was allowed leave, but which ever it was she was running far away, as fast as her legs could carry her.
    Behind her she heard the loud cackling of the Caretaker. “You see? It’s empty…” he shouted. “There’s nothing in there… It’s empty… Ha, ha…”
    But she did not look back. She ran and kept running until the air burned in her lungs and bright sparks drifted in front of her eyes. It was only when she was safely inside a cocoon of trees that she allowed herself to rest. She looked around at the dank, decay of the forest, partially illuminated by the last slanted light of the evening sun.
    Wendy’s vision had been wrong after all. She was wrong… The shed was empty and the camp was not run by a clique of child molesters. What was going to happen to her now? Being caught at the shed once was bad enough, two times didn’t bear thinking about.
    She looked about her at the fading light and the tall pine trees. She would have to get back to camp quickly before dark. But which way? There was a sound like that of an animal; a bird or a rodent, moving in the bushes beside her. Then she heard a loud clicking sound, almost like that of a dolphin, but or a large beetle of some kind.
    She heard it from one bush and then from another. What the heck is that? It didn’t sound like anything she had heard before. All of a sudden, she was reminded of what Wendy had said about going into the forest alone. Was there really something to watch out for, or was she just fucking with her? She moved in closer to the thicket, and made an effort to peer inside. There was something in there alright. It was light purple in colour and boney in appearance; not unlike a human hand, or a giant spider. “There are strange things in the bushes…”
    The creature hissed and sprang at her, but she managed to get out of its way. It landed on the leaf litter beside her. Eight robust legs emerged from what appeared like a nobbled crest of bone on its back and terminated in round stumps, devoid or either nail or claw. In two deep set grooves on the front of its body, she could see two shiny black orbs, which must have been its eyes.
    She watched in terror, as more of the same hairless arachnids crept from their hiding places, and out into the view beside her. She had apparently stumbled upon their nest and now she would have to face the consequences. The fearsome creatures buzzed and hissed in her direction. Not knowing what to do in a situation like this, whether to run or to fight, she chose the third and most dangerous option. She covered over her eyes and hoped it would be over quickly.
    Just then she heard a strange kind of mournful kind of music and when she opened her eyes again, she saw Otaktay standing before her in the half-light, blowing into a small wooden flute. She found the music to be quite soothing, but the effect it had on the giant spiders was anything but. They writhed and sprawled upon their backs, their legs aquiver in torturous pain.


    There was a knock on the door and Walter got up to answer it. Standing on the doorstep wearing her uniform was Nikita Shields; a cop buddy of his. “I just finished my rounds,” she said coming through into the kitchen. “And I thought I’d stop by and talk.”
    “You’re just in time. I’m sitting down for dinner. You want some?”
    “Are you sure?”
    “No trouble at all… Would you like some wine?”
    “Thank you…”
    He dished her out a plate of ribs and poured her a glass.
    “So any news?”
    “Agh, I was at a meeting with Stolz today… Pain in the ass…”
    “I heard about that…”
    He was shocked and then he remembered. “Small precinct… So did you hear what it was all about?”
    She shrugged. “I don’t remember.”
    “About the false police report? The Winters case?”
    “Oh that… Not false, I heard it was just misreported.”
    “Unbelievable,” he said taking no notice of what she was saying. “And the fact that they never informed the next of kin?”
    “That was bad, alright…”
    “Any idea who was in charge of that case? Who the leading officer was I mean?”
    “I have no idea,” she took another bite.
    “Well, I guess it doesn’t matter now anyway. It’s just a bit annoying, you know, and a complete waste of my time.”
    “It doesn’t matter,” she smiled brightly. “You’re off the case now.”
    He didn’t return the smile and just looked at her across the table.
    “So, where’s Anastasia? Out with those friends of hers?”
    “No, she’s away at summer camp. Camp Calapuyau. Ever heard of it?”
    “Can’t say that I have… What in the world possessed you to do that?”
    “Well, it’s the darnedest thing. Apparently Julia got her on the list years ago…”
    “Julia?” You mean your Julia?”
    “I was surprised as anyone…”
    “I can imagine.”
    “I figured if Julia wanted her to go, she should go, you know?”
    “Absolutely,” she nodded.
    “I see it as a good thing… Anyway it’s not like I could stop her. You know Anastasia, when she gets something into her head…”
    “Not unlike her father,” she smirked.
    “Yeah, well… How’s the food? More wine?”
    “Great,” she said. “No, I’m alright for the minute. But this… whatever this is, it’s delicious.”
    “The mash?” he said and chuckled. “You’ve had potatoes before, right?”
    “Yeah… Sure…” she said and smiled.
    “You didn’t see the game earlier, did you?”
    “No, but I caught some of it on the radio.”
    “Did you get the score?”
    “Fifteen, thirty-five… something like that.”
    “Do you want to go catch the highlights? Should be on around now.”
    “Sure.”
    He put the washing up in the sink and followed her into the living room. What she was doing here? It was true that they were good friends. They went all the back to when they were both rookie cops on the mounted police, but it wasn’t like it was usual for her to just drop by.
    She took off her large coat to reveal a sort of tank top underneath and sat down on the couch. “This is nice…”
    “Yeah…” He flicked through the channels in search of the game. She slid over closer to him and smiled. The ball was in play… Her leg touched his… The Portland linebacker grabbed the ball and ran with it… He moved towards her… Across the thirty yard line… His lips locking around hers… The linebacker passed the ball out to the quarterback… His hand felt up her thigh… But something happened and the ball bounced out of play… “I’m sorry. I can’t…” he said. “I just can’t stop thinking about Julia…”
    She sat back and stared straight ahead, then she stood up and grabbed her coat. “You know, maybe it’s time you thought about moving on…”
    “If you want… You can watch the rest of the game.”
    She didn’t for a second entertain this, but just walked straight out the door. In the replay he saw that the linebacker had the chance to score, but he chose the Jerk route instead and made an incomplete pass.


    It didn’t matter where she was running. All Anastasia knew was that she had to get away from that terrible place. She crashed through the trees on a downwards slope, before emerging out onto a well-trodden path. In the distance, she could see the lights of Camp Calapuyau through the trees. She never thought she would be so happy to see it again and raced back to her dorm room. Wendy was sitting on her bed. “Where have you been?” she asked. “I’ve been looking all over for you?”
    “I know, I’m sorry. Wendy, I…”
    “Never mind, you can tell me later… The dream workshop is starting now…”
    Together they raced up the dirt road past the chalets and on past the fire circle until they reached the edge of the wood again. She was glad of the company, as they neared the threshold of the woods. If it hadn’t been for friend, she probably would not have been able to go it alone.
    The class had already gotten underway without them and they sat at the back once more.
    “Ok, now that everyone has arrived. I would like to give you all an important lesson on the structure of the universe, or multiverse, as the case may be.” On the black board behind him, he drew nine concentric circles and labelled them in turn. “The world has many layers; or densities. The first density,” here he pointed to the smallest of the circles. “Is that of the material or mineral world. Can anyone tell me what the second density is?”
    “The plant kingdom,” replied Wilma, putting up her hand.
    “That’s right. The third density is the human realm and the animal world, combined. Does anyone know what the fourth density is?” There was a murmur of uncertainty from among the scouts. “No? It’s the focus of today’s class?… The world of dreams. The beyond that… there is the Fifth Density, also known as the Darkheim, which as you know is where we’re all from… Then we have Nilheim; the Sixth Density and Avalon the Seventh.”
    “What about the Eighth and Ninth Densities?” said a voice from the top of the room.
    “Very little is known about either of them. Although, we believe that the Ninth Density is a pure energy realm; a place known as Empiricus…” He glanced at a book open on the table. “Now looking at this diagram I’ve drawn, you would be forgiven for thinking that they exist one inside the other. And they do, but its best to think about them sitting one on top of the other; sort of like in a pyramid. So we would have the first density on top, with the next one and so on and so on… Looking at it this way, we see how Empiricus, the Ninth Density, acts as the ground for all of the lower densities. It pervades them all and gives light to them.”
    Wilma put up her hand again. “What’s the Fifth Density like?”
    “It’s beautiful…”
    “Have you been there?”
    “Yes, I have on many occasions…”
    “So, what’s it like?”
    “It’s like… It’s like… Well, it’s exactly like our world…”
    “You mean it has trees and cars?”
    “Yes, and shops and people…”
    “Wow, it sounds amazing… Do you think we’ll ever get there.”
    “If you pass through all of the stages of dreaming you will, speaking of which, lets see how you all got on with your dreaming assignments. Shall we?” There was a general grumble around the room. “Not so well, I take it. Well, I see one of you moved up a stage… Anastasia Cullen congratulations on passing the first gate…”
    An shockwave went around the room, as the other scouts tried to absorb the information.
    “Which means,” he said taking down a large glass jar filled with an assortment of inexpensive objects from the shelf at the corner of the room. “You get to choose your own totem, now…”
    “Well, done Anastasia,” said Wendy giving her a great big hug.
     “Now that you have found your hands in a dream, your next task will be to look for your totem instead.” He shook the jar in front of her. “Do any of these speak to you?”
    Inside the jar, she saw a collection of brass buttons, old coins, a plastic butterfly and a small metal race car among other items of assorted bric-a-brac. “I don’t understand…”
    “It’s simple, you’re supposed to keep it on your person at all times. It’s just like the reality checks you do with your hands only you do them with your totem from now on…”
    “What if I don’t want a totem…”
    “What do you mean? You have to have one…”
    Her hand went up reflexively to her neck, where the three interlocking rings of her necklace were. “Can I use this instead?”
    “I don’t know,” he peered down at her. “Is it of sentimental value?”
    “They were my mother’s,” she said.
    “Well, we’re not supposed to use totems with any sentimental value…” He said plainly and shook the jar again.
    “Oh please…”
    “Well, it’s against camp protocol, but honestly can’t see what harm it can do… As long as you don’t loose it when you are on the hunt that is…”
    The hunt, she thought and wondered what he meant. Wendy smiled at her.
    “Ok, well that’s it for today,” he said and then continued speaking over the noise of shuffling bags. “I know some of you were looking forward to some time off this evening, to socialise, but I’m afraid that the staff and faculty members are having one of their annual general meetings tonight in the hall. So, it will be an early night for everyone.”
    A dissatisfied groan swept through the class.


    Wendy and Anastasia got dressed in their bed clothes and sat on the edge of the bunk, combing each other’s hair. Darkness had fallen over the entire camp and with it came a dense fog. As she looked out the window, she could see that the fog was drifting in the direction of the Meeting Hall and in it she could make out the figures of men seemingly being sucked along with its motion. “Wendy. Look!” she cried.
    She stopped combing her hair and peered outside. “That’s just the instructors on their way to the Meeting Hall, nothing to worry about…”
    “Why do we have to stay inside for these meetings anyway?”
    “Because there’s no one to look after us, that’s why. All the staff and faculty are at the meeting, accept maybe the Caretaker Mr. Haight…”
    She had forgotten all about him. “Wendy. I went to take a look at the shed earlier today….”
    “And?”
    “Nothing…”
    She seemed to relax. “Good… It must have been a dream then. Or the soma, I guess…” she looked up and saw that there was some activity taking place among the other girls. They were sitting in a circle on the floor passing lighted candles back and forth to one another.
    “What are you doing?”
    “We’re getting ready to tell ghost stories, if you want to join us Wendy,” called Annette.
    “Anastasia has seen Otaktay…”
    “So what? I’ve seen Otaktay too,” cried Amelia.
    “Well, I saw Otaktay tonight and something else in the woods too,” she said.
    “What?”
    “I’m not telling, but it was absolutely horrid…”
    “Oh don’t be like that,” said Wilma. “Tell us…”
    “Yes, tell us,” pleaded the other girls.
    “Oh alright…” She took one of the lighted candles and sat next to Amelia on the bed. “I don’t really know what they were,” she began. “They were sort of like insects, but much bigger; about the size of a softball.”
    “Sentinels…” said Valerie with a bored expression on her face.
    “What are they?”
    “No one knows, or at least no can say. But you can hear them in the trees at night around here sometimes. Nasty little things…”
    “I hear they can spit poison at you,” Amelia whispered. “And that they live over in the swamp…”
    “Don’t you think that’s a bit strange…”
    “Yes… It’s very strange… I agree…”
    “Well, this is a strange place…”
    “This is true… Well, I’m glad they didn’t spit poison at me…”
    “Sentinels aren’t a big deal,” continued Valerie. “What you really have to look out for is the Berserker.”
    “What’s a berserker?”
    “Should we tell her?” asked Valerie with an air of conspiracy about her.
    “I think we should.”
    “Oh yes… Lets…”
    “The Berserker is a ten foot tall monster,” Valerie went on, doing her best to give the story the theatrics it deserved. “He has long arms and lank black hair. He has eyes but he cannot see, and he runs through the forest at night in fits of rage, breaking branches and howling at the moon…”
    This description made her blood freeze. “Have you ever seen him?”
    “No, no-one has ever seen the Berserker and lived to tell the tale. But on certain nights, you can hear him on his rampage through the forest…”
    “Does he ever come into the camp?”
    “He’s not allowed.”
    “Only on very special occasions,” corrected Wilma.
    “Like what Christmas or his birthday?” Valerie quipped in return.
    “No, like if it is a misty night and there’s a midsummers moon.”
    “A bit like tonight then…” remarked Wendy.
    A collective shiver went through the group.
    “Oh come on girls,” said Valerie. “He’s not going to return, because it’s not real… It’s just a camp legend made up to scare us…”
    “No, it’s true,” insisted Amelia. “On all other nights he is forbidden entry into the camp.”
    “It’s the same with Otaktay. The instructors have built an invisible energy wall to keep them out, by day and by night; I’m told.”
    “That’s not true…” declared Anastasia. “I saw him at that window the other night,” she pointed to the glass behind her and made Valerie sit up straight with fear.
    “She’s joking with you.”
    “Just how many times have you seen Otaktay now,” asked Wendy evidently curious.
    “I don’t know, about three, I think…” she counted them. “Yes, three.”
    “Three times…” exclaimed Valerie. “I’ve been hear ten years and I haven’t seen him once.”
    “Three times?” repeated Wendy, as though she might be having difficulty believing it.
    “Yes, twice in the woods and once here at the window.”
    “The idea of Otaktay being here outside our dorm room at night frightens me more than anything,” said Amelia.
    “What even the Berserker?”
    “Yeah, thanks Anastasia, I didn’t want to sleep tonight anyway,” grumbled Annette.
    “I don’t see why you’re all so afraid of him anyhow. If it wasn’t for Otaktay, I’d be dead right now.”
    “Otaktay is a child killer, he literally kills and drinks the blood of children…”
    “Well, all I know is that he saved me from those sentinel crabs…”
    “He saved you from the sentinels? How?”
    Anastasia mimed a few notes. “On his flute…”
    “Don’t listen to her,” scathed Valerie.
    “It might be true…”
    “She’s making it all up.”
    “No, shut up, Valerie… She’s telling the truth… I know she is…”
    “How do you know…”
     “Because when I saw Otaktay years back, when I was horse-riding up in the valley. I saw him standing under a tree, and he was holding a flute in his hands…”
    There were two loud bangs on the door, one after the other.
    “What the heck was that?”
    “Lights out…” sounded the janitor’s voice through the cracks in the wood. It’s okay, thought Anastasia, it is just the creepy janitor, she thought and marvelled at how relative terror could be in a place like Camp Calapuyau.


    Dusk had fallen over the waters of the lake, but Anastasia was still out walking. On the far side of the water she saw what might have been a piece of land, or possibly an island close to shore. On a raised bit of ground, in the centre of the island stood a Buddhist temple, rising majestically out of the tall pine trees. Beneath this, stepping along the red earth was an Oriental man with a shaved head. She realised that this wise man knew the secrets of the universe; and he appeared to be beckoning to her to cross the water. How could she refuse such an invitation to knowledge? She started out across the lake. She was half way to the island, when she realised that she was walking on the surface of the water. It was a most exhilarating feeling. She was nearly across and already thinking of the secrets she would learn from this man. He would probably take her in as his apprentice and wouldn’t that be cool? As she neared the further shore, she saw that it was choke with enormous brown weed. I wouldn’t like to get stuck in them, she thought. She could see the man beckoning to her even more eagerly than before, but she was afraid now…
    And with her fear she began to sink rapidly into the deep dark water. She tried to swim, but her arms just got caught up in the weeds. She realised then that the Oriental man in the yellow robes was not trying to help her. He was like a Willow o’ the Wisp or a Jack Lantern, leading unwary travellers astray into peril and a watery grave.
    She awoke tangled up in her bedclothes. Her relief at seeing another day quickly subsided into disappointment, as she realised the missed opportunity and what might have been had she only managed to cross the lake. After writing up the account in her dream diary, she went for breakfast with Wendy. Neither of them had eaten anything since that disgustingly unpalatable soma brew the day before. So, they were very much happy to sit and eat a hearty meal of sandwiches and tea.
    After they had eaten her fill, they packed up their belongings and went in the direction of the library. According to their diaries, it was Art Class with Ben Crunch.
    He told them to go and set up their chairs and easels outside, where he was getting them to draw from the totem poles. “Totem poles are similar to a family crest,” he explained. “They describe the lineage of ancestors of a particular group or tribe. In the case of this totem, which comes from the Tlingit tribe in British Columbia, we can see an eagle on top, followed by a wolf and a bear. These, then, are the spirit animals or totems of this particular tribal branch…
    “Normally these poles are cut from a single whole tree, with the sculptor following the woodgrain, essentially freeing the form trapped inside. What I’d like you to do today, is to draw your own totem pole; one that describes your own Fifth Density family lineage… I don’t want you to think about any specific animals, I just want you to allow your pen or pencil to feel out the image in one continuous line. One form should flow into the next in a fluid and uninterrupted manner that determines its inner-nature and being…”
    Whilst they sketched their individual totem poles, Ben continued with his insightful and informative comments, asking them to “let the pencil flow across the page freely” and “to let the line reveal the image to you, as the sculptor finds the image in the wood…”
    Once she realised that the key to shutting off one’s internal dialogue and volition was key to the exercise, her work continued more smoothly. The first image she drew didn’t look like an animal at all; it looked more like an ancient geometric symbol of some kind.
    From this developed another series of lines; much looser than the first set, cascading down. By now, she felt that all she was no longer in control of the motion of the pencil at all. The second form revealed itself as that of a Chinese face, almost dragon-like in aspect. This surprised her, as she viewed neither herself, nor anyone else in her family, as having the personality traits or otherwise of such mythical creatures. The man had a sort of beard or goatee sprouting from his lower jaw and from out of this grew a second beast. There was something tortured and angry about his expression that shocked her. Was this really the kind of emotional baggage that she had locked up inside of her subconscious? It seemed to her that this image; frightful though it was, must pertain to her internal mental condition, somehow. Therefore, Ben was mistaken to suggest that these totem poles represent the lineage of ancestors, as they appeared to stem directly from the character of the one who had penned them.
    What was the difference?
    Perhaps there was none…
    Many of the others girls had already finished their totems some time ago and were now in the advanced stages of daisy chain manufacturing. She sat in the grass alongside them, snipping the heads of the spotless white flowers with her painted fingernails and threading them through one another. Upon assembly, Wendy helped attach the creation to her hair. Just then, she saw Ms. Lytton. She looked like she was on a war path. She walked right up to alongside Ben and whisper in his ear. This couldn’t possibly have anything to do with her. Before she left, she shot her a disparaging look.
    “Anastasia, Wendy and Valerie,” said Ben looking nervous. “Ms. Lytton wants to see the three of you in her office… Now.”

* * *

    Walter arrived back at the precinct on Ark Street. He was reluctant about bumping into Nikita again, their encounter the night before had the potentiality to make working life very awkward from now on. Bumping into Police Chief Stolz would be even worse, however. If Stolz was to catch him wandering the halls of the station he would probably blow a gasket and then he’d never get this paint sample analysed. He made it to the lab and approached the skinny lab technician behind the desk. “Can you check this for me?”
    “Sure,” he said picking up the bag and examining its contents. “Paint flecks?”
    “I was wondering if you could tell me the manufacturer.”
    “I’ll try. Could be a bit tricky…”
    “When do you think you’ll know by?”
    “Well, I’ve a couple of other things that need doing first,” he sighed. “Maybe tomorrow or the day after that?”
    “Fine… I’ll leave it in your good hands.”
    He went back out into the corridor and noticed a shadow tailing him. It moved back and forth erratically and then ducked down into the forensics lab. He turned just in time to see that it was Nikita. “Hello Nikita,” he said. “Are you going into the lab?”
    “No, not really.”
    “I see… Take a walk with me?”
    “Sure.”
    They walked down the corridor in silence for a moment and he took the opportunity to apologise for the night before.
    “About last night…” they both said at the same time and then broke off.
    “You first…” he said.
    “No, you…”
    “Well, I wanted to apologise. It was perhaps insensitive of me, I could have handled myself better.”
    “No, that’s all right. It was my fault really. I should have known that you were…” she paused looking for the right words. “That you still had feelings for her.”
    At this, he began to feel immeasurably sorry for Nikita. It wasn’t fair that she should have to compete with the affections of a dead woman, he thought. He felt kind of embarrassed for having put both her and himself in that position. “Say, what about tonight? Would you… I can make it up to you…”
    “I can’t make it tonight. I have work,” she said looking slightly uncomfortable. “What about tomorrow? I’m free all day…”
    “I can’t,” he said recalling his prior engagement. “I’m going golfing with Stolz.”
    “Golfing? Really?”
    “What?”
    “It’s just that I never pictured you, as a golfer that’s all…”
    “Nor me…”
    “No, it’s good. I’m glad…”
    “I’m not sure how long it’s going to take, but I suppose I’ll be free all evening. We could go get a bite to eat. Something like that…”
    “The evening’s good…”
    “Good. I’ll see you tomorrow evening then. Around eight o’ clock.”
    “Sure,” she said backing away down a corridor. “Eight’s fine.”
    He had surprised himself, but somehow it felt good. It felt right. His limbs were vibrating with adrenaline. The whole world appeared affected. Walls of adrenaline, floor of adrenaline, sun, sky and Earth of adrenaline. He liked it much better this way.

* * *
    Anastasia, Wendy and Valerie went inside the museum and library building; down the corridor which led to the Ms. Lytton’s office. As soon as, she entered the room and saw Mr. Haight, the janitor seated there with a hurt and churlish look upon his face, she knew exactly what was next. They were ordered to sit and were reintroduced to Mr. Haight, albeit for the most part unnecessarily. “Mr. Haight tells me that he caught you snooping around the janitor’s tool shed yesterday, Anastasia, is this true?”
    “And the three of them were there the day before that,” muttered Mr. Haight.
    “We’ll get to that. First I’m dealing with Anastasia and since she’s new here, I want to be as delicate as possible… Now… Anastasia, is this true?”
    “Yes.”
    “Did you not hear Mr. Haight at assembly on the first day, when he expressly forbid any of you go near the place?”
    “I don’t know, miss…”
    “You don’t know… Anastasia do you have any idea why it is that we don’t let our scouts near the toolshed?”
    “No, miss,” she shrugged.
    “Would you like to tell them Mr. Haight?”
    “It’s like I said… kids broke in there once before and got chemicals in their eyes… and had to be taken to hospital…”
    “There you see? And what happened to them?”
    “Well, Ms. Lytton,” replied the Caretaker. “They went blind…”
    “Now do you see why we don’t want you to go near the shed?” she asked. “Well, Anastasia, do you?”
    “Yes, miss.”
    “Good. Now what do you have to say to Mr. Haight?”
    “I’m sorry, Mr. Haight.”
    “And?”
    “And… I won’t go near the shed again…”
    “That’s right, Anastasia, off you go now and wait outside.”
    She did as she was told and moments later she heard the shrill sound of Ms. Lytton’s voice berating the two girls, from behind the door. “And as for the two of you…” she barked. “I thought you’d have more sense… You’ve been here long enough…”
    She tried to listen in but the director’s words were drowned out by the sounds of the receptionists typing and answering phones. One of the secretaries gave her a contemptuous look down over the rims of her glasses. Then, the door opened and the two girls emerged looking tired and shaken. She followed them back outside, to see if they were okay. “I’m so sorry, I hope I didn’t get you into too much trouble…”
    “We have to go help Mr. Collins with the decorations because of you,” snapped Valerie.
    “I’m sorry… I—”
    “Oh leave it out,” said Wendy. “You know as well as I do that we both put her up to it.”
    “The first time, maybe, sure… But, I had nothing to do with the second time that was all her doing…” she said stabbing her finger in Anastasia’s direction. “Now we’re stuck doing the decorations, while she’s off having fun horse-riding. That’s hardly fair…”
    She felt terrible. “Maybe I could go and help you guys instead…”
    “You’d better…” said Valerie with a detectable threat in her voice.
    “No,” replied Wendy. “If Ms. Lytton finds out that you missed horse-riding because of us, we’ll get into even more trouble… The best thing you can do now is to just go along and we’ll see you afterwards. OK?” Wendy rotated her by the shoulders and pointed her in the direction of the stables.
    Valerie, meanwhile, crossed her path and stepped hard on her foot. “Look out for yourself from now on, you slag…” she whispered through perfectly white, clenched teeth. “Understand?”
    The hum of discontent vibrated in her eardrum and she felt she should say something to calm the situation. “Valerie wait, I didn’t mean it honestly…”
    Wendy took her by the shoulders, more forcefully this time. “Just go. I’ll talk to her…”
    “You will?”
    “Yes…”
    By now Valerie was well out of range. “You’ll be able to explain won’t you?”
    “Yes, of course. I know Val, it’ll be alright… Now you’d better run if you want to get a good horse… Look for the big burgundy one with the white stripe on its nose. I ride him all the time… His name is Chimera, and he’s the fastest…”
    She didn’t waste anymore time. She raced down the dusty yellow road in the direction of the stables and reached the stable doors, just as Mr. Bulwark was there to open it. She noticed that the other girls had all changed into their designer riding gear, whereas she was still wearing her denim jacket, a shirt and jeans.
    “What happened?” asked Amelia. “Where’s Val and Wendy?”
    “They’re not coming. We got into trouble and they were made help out Mr. Collins with the decorations…”
    “It’ll probably do Valerie some good,” laughed Amelia.
    She was surprised to hear Amelia say this, she always thought that her and Valerie were good friends.
    “Are you looking forward to this?”
    “Sure am… Any idea where we’re going?”
    Amelia pointed south in the direction of a high mountain pass. “It’s quite beautiful and there’s a natural spring up there.”
    “There’s usually enough time for a dip, which is nice on a hot day like today,” added Carol.
    She realised that she didn’t have any togs with her, but it didn’t make sense to go back to the dorm rooms to get them now. She picked up her riding helmet and cane and went in search of Chimera. She found him at the back of the stables in a paddock, by itself. “Wow, there big beast,” she said to steady him. “You’re beautiful…”


    Harmon walked into the stone amphitheatre from out of the desert. At the centre of the amphitheatre was a stone column and dotted around this were a number of toga-clad men walking about talking to one another. One of the men reminded Harmon of the likeness of a Greek philosopher; like Plato or Aristotle. “Hello,” he said. “My friends and I are doing a spot of stargazing. Would you like to join us?”
    Looking up he saw the sky dotted with a canopy of stars, but three stars in particular stood out as they were the brightest. He recognised two of the stars by their size and colour as being Jupiter and Mars, but there was a third that he could not identify. “What is that star up there?” he asked.
    “That’s Earth.”
    “But if that’s Earth…” he whispered. “Then where am I?”
    It only took him a few seconds to come to the realisation that he was standing on the surface of the sun, owing to the fact that he was at such a central position to the motions of the other celestial bodies. But, in truth, he did not know what made him come to this conclusion. It certainly wasn’t the most likely one, on the face of it. How could it be that all of these people were alive on the surface of the sun? Shouldn’t they all be burnt up in an instant and summarily blinded by the light? And yet here they were and here he was. So bizarre…