Simon Green: Ghost of a Dream

“Details,” said Melody. “We want details.”

“And you can leave the rumours and gossip at home,” said Happy.

“Hush, children,” said JC. “Daddy’s working.”

“Who are you people?” said Laurie, looking back and forth between them. “All I was told was to expect some experts. Are you with British Rail?”

“Not in any way, shape, or form,” said JC. “We are all experts in the field of unnatural situations. We investigate bad places, determine what’s going on, then do something about it. We are here to help, Mr. Laurie.”

“Aye. Maybe.” Laurie still didn’t look convinced, but he made a clear effort to be reasonable and get along. He tried his brief smile again, then looked up and down the long, gloomy platform. A low murmuring sound issued from the tunnel-mouth at the opposite end, and they all turned to look. There was nothing there. Only the tall, brick-lined arch, the deep, dark shadows, and a few leaves blown back and forth by the breeze. Laurie looked back at JC. He seemed suddenly older, even fragile.

“You can’t trust anything around here. Can’t turn your back on anything. You know why no-one else from the Trust is here to meet you? Because I’m the only one who’ll come here any more. None of the rest of them’ll set foot here, for love nor money. Not after what happened.” He looked sadly at JC. “Must be nice, to be an expert. To be a scientist and understand everything, so there’s nothing left to scare you.”

“Don’t you believe it,” said Happy, immediately.

“It’s only sensible, to be afraid of things that are dangerous,” JC said carefully. “But you can’t let it stop you from doing what needs to be done. We are all of us trained to deal with…extraordinary situations. Please tell us what it is that’s happened here, Mr. Laurie.”

“I never used to believe in the supernatural,” said Laurie. “Or ghosts.”

“That’s all right,” said JC. “They believe in you. In fact, that’s pretty much the definition of supernatural—things that insist on happening, whether you believe in them or not. Have you seen ghosts here, Mr. Laurie?”

“I want this taken care of,” said Laurie. “I want this unholy mess dealt with, forced out of here, so I can take it easy again…and the Trust can get on with opening up the station. Used to be a fine old place, this, back in the day. Always liked it here. Nowhere else I’d rather be.” He glared quickly about him, as though defying the shadows to do anything. “I’m the only one who’ll come here now, and I can’t stay. Not once it starts getting really dark. No-one will stay here once it starts getting really dark. I’ll tell you what’s what, show you where everything is; but then I’m gone. You’re lucky I stayed to meet you, this late in the day.”

“But what is it?” said JC. “What is it that scares you, Mr. Laurie?”

“We thought it was kids, at first,” said Laurie. “Teenagers, with nothing to do, nothing to occupy them…messing about, making trouble. You saw the sign, up top—Bradleigh Hell? Aye. That was them. The last thing they did, before they ran away. They used to come here after dark, you see, to do all the things their parents didn’t need to know about…but you couldn’t drag any of them back now. Not after what they saw.”

“What did they see?” JC said patiently. “What happens here once it gets dark?”

“I think maybe…everyone sees different things,” Laurie said slowly. “I think maybe this place shows you whatever it is that scares you most. Because that’s the best way to get rid of you. The volunteers woke something up; and it wants us gone. You’ll see. All of you. Whether you want to or not. Come with me. I’ll show you where everything is, then I’m out of here.”

“Please don’t rush off, Mr. Laurie,” said JC. “Stick with us for a while. You’ll be perfectly safe, with us. After all, no-one knows this place better than you.”

Laurie managed his small smile again. “Aye. Maybe I have been here longer than most. I can still remember when Bradleigh Halt was a going concern, and the old trains came through here regular. Marvellous it was, the sight and sound of a steam train coming into the halt. My old dad used to work here, in the Bookings Office. I used to bring him his lunch every day, when I was a kid, along with a bottle of beer now and again.”

“Do you ever see your father among the ghosts?” said Melody.

“No, lass,” said Laurie. “I would have liked to…but it’s not spirits, as such, you see. I’m not sure whatever walks here now has anything human left in it. Whatever’s not finished with this place, it’s nothing to do with human needs or human business. No…Something bad is coming. And it’s getting closer all the time.” He broke off abruptly to glare at JC. “Why in God’s name are you wearing sunglasses at this time of night, boy?”

“Sensitive eyes,” said JC. “Work-related injury. You know how it is.”

“Hello!” Happy said suddenly. “That’s new. That’s…really quite nasty, actually.”

He’d moved away on his own, staring into the dark tunnel-mouth. He was frowning hard as though trying to focus on something he couldn’t quite identify or pin down.

“Excuse me a moment, Mr. Laurie,” said JC.

He moved quickly over to join Happy and laid a heavy hand on the telepath’s shoulder.

“What is the matter with you, Happy? I was starting to get some useful information out of the old man! Have you been indulging yourself with mother’s little helpers again?”

“It’s not the pills,” said Happy. “Wish it was. No; when the old man said something bad was coming, I got a flash…There is definitely something Out There, outside the world we know…dragging itself closer, struggling to break in. Something connected to this station, but not in any way human…”

JC waited, but Happy had nothing more to say. “From now on, keep it to yourself,” JC said quietly. “We do not want to freak out the natives till we have to. Mr. Laurie is our only source of first-hand information, and I don’t want him spooked.”

He moved back to join Laurie, smiling easily and reassuringly. “No problems. Everything’s fine. Oh yes. Happy’s a little…highly strung. Now, you were about to tell me what’s really going on here.”

“No I wasn’t,” Laurie said stubbornly. “You’re not ready yet. It’s not like I’ve seen anything definite…”

“None so blind as those who will not see,” said Happy. “Ow! That hurt!”

“It was meant to,” said Melody. “Carry on, JC.”

“Most people never encounter the hidden world,” JC said carefully to Laurie. “Never see a ghost, never hear voices in the night. It takes the right kind of person, in a really bad place, at a very bad time…to actually see anything from out of this world. Ghosts are rare. Mostly, the dead go where they’re supposed to. Please don’t ask me where. I don’t know, that’s not my department. It’s my job to deal with the problems of this world, not the next. No, only very rare people, under very rare circumstances, become ghosts; otherwise, we’d be hip deep in the things by now. Like you said: it’s mostly people with unfinished business. Hanging on to places like this, that mean a lot to them.”

“Aye,” said Laurie, unexpectedly. “Like I’m fond of this place because me dad worked here, and my son is so keen on reopening it.”

“And most ghosts can only be seen by the properly trained,” said JC. “People with the proper skills…”

Laurie looked at him steadily. “Who are you people? Really?”

“You don’t need to know,” said JC, just as steadily. “In fact, you don’t want to know. You’ll sleep more easily that way. Think of us…as the clean-up crew. And that’s all that really matters. Isn’t it?”