Nicola Barker - Darkmans

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Little side-table

Eh?

Good God!

How’d that end up there?!

He pulled a dark, wooden cross from the midst of the chaos — a hand-carved, wooden cross (20 inches long, 12 or so wide)–

Remember?

— part of it (a small part) had been roughly whittled (in a primitive style) and the word MUM scratched in a childish hand across the middle. But the other part? The best part? Painstakingly, even exquisitely chiselled with a dozen tiny, intricate wild roses, blooming (as if against all the odds) between a dense and tangled thicket of leaves and stems and thorns.

Beede stared at the cross for a while, almost regretfully, then he placed it down and recommenced his search. The phone — when he found it — was actually hidden under a small wigwam of cushions. He threw them aside and grabbed the receiver—‘Hello?’

His voice sounded very soft, very low. His voice sounded…

Scared?

‘Beede?’

‘Yes? Hello?’

‘Beede, it’s me, it’s Dory…’

‘ Dory?’

Beede seemed surprised. ‘Dory? Are you all right? Is something wrong? You sound…’ He paused ‘…different.’

Silence

‘Dory? Hello? Dory? ’

‘Where are you?’ Dory demanded, somewhat childishly, almost petulantly. ‘What are you doing?’

The reception on the line was bad.

Uh…

‘I’m at home , Dory,’ Beede scratched his head, ‘you’ve rung me at home. I’m here, at home, speaking on the phone.’

‘At home?’

Dory seemed confused by this answer.

‘Yes.’ Beede nodded, frowning. ‘At home. At my home. But how on earth did you get this number?’

‘The number? I don’t know. It just…It just popped into my head. The same way it did— you know — before…’

‘ Before? ’

Now it was Beede’s turn to sound confused.

‘It doesn’t matter,’ Dory said. ‘The important thing is that you need to come, and you need to come soon .’

Beede thought he heard a car horn sounding, in the background. It was followed by a nasty crackle of static on the line. He winced. ‘Dory? Are you still with me?’

Silence

‘Dory?’

‘Yes?’

‘Where are you?’

‘Where?’

‘Yes.’

‘Uh…I’m in the little room. You know…The little, metal room which likes to move around. I’m sitting in the middle of the little, metal room.’

‘Right. Okay . You’re in the car . You’re driving somewhere in the car …’

‘Yes,’ Dory sounded pleased, proud, almost, ‘that’s exactly what I’m doing.’

‘And do you know where you’re heading?’

‘Heading?’

‘Yes. In the car. Do you know where you’re going?’

‘In the car? I’m going heim , of course.’

‘ Heim ?’

‘ Ja .’

‘You’re going heim ?’

‘ Ja .’

‘Right. Right …’

Beede inspected his watch. ‘I was meant to meet you there, wasn’t I, at ten? I’m afraid I got a little…uh… caught up in something…’

‘Well you really need to come,’ Dory reiterated, quite matter-of-factly, ‘because he’s here, Beede.’

‘Sorry?’ Beede frowned.

‘He’s here . He’s right here.’

‘Who is?’ Beede’s throat suddenly contracted.

‘He is. Him . The…the… you know…the…the d-d-d-d…’ Dory began to stutter.

Beede closed his eyes. ‘You’ve seen him?’ he whispered.

‘He’s here , Beede, and he’s being very…very strong …very…’ Dory cleared his throat. ‘I honestly don’t know how much longer I can hold him off for.’

‘Right…’ Beede struggled to calm his nerves. ‘Okay. And did he happen to mention what he wants?’

‘Yes. Absolutely. He says he wants to speak with you. In fact he told me this number. He recited it to me. He said he wants to see you.’

Pause

‘Beede?’

‘Yes?’

‘I think he’s intending to do something bad. In fact I’m not sure if he hasn’t already done it. He seems very d-d-d-’

‘Dark,’ Beede said, standing up, abruptly, almost lifting the entire body of the phone into the air on its tangled wire. ‘Then I must come,’ he murmured.

‘Yes…’ Dory sounded a little distracted. ‘He says we must go ho …’

‘Home?’

‘Yes. No. Not like in home, like in…in hot — ho— like in hot or…or cot…’

‘ Hot? ’ Beede was immediately concerned. ‘Did he mention fire at all? Because you must be on your guard, Dory. D’you hear me? You must be on your guard. Just be sure and keep away from…’

‘No, not hot ,’ Dory maintained stolidly, ‘not hot: hoch …He means hoch .’

Eh?

‘ Hoch…? ’ Beede slowly mulled this over, then, ‘ Oh …Of course. Hoch. Hoch , as in…as in “high”?’

‘Yes. That’s it. On the roof. The roef . He wants to go up on the roef . He doesn’t want to be hot. He wants to be…to be hoch . On the roef .’ ‘Which roof, Dory?’

Beede suddenly visualised a huge expanse of roof — an infinite expanse — covered in antique, red tiles. And he saw a hand— his hand — reaching out towards them. He also saw the sky–

So blue!

Beautiful!

Look at that!

— and he saw a turret. And then he felt–

What?!

— this vast, this black and intoxicating wave of rage engulfing him…

Urgh!

He shook himself–

Enough!

‘My roef ,’ Dory repeated (Beede hadn’t actually heard him the first time).

‘Why?’ Beede’s voice was pitched very soft and low again. It was almost a growl.

‘Pardon?’

‘Why does he want you to go on to the roof, Dory?’

‘Why? Because he says there’s something we need to do up there.’ ‘So you’ve been talking ?’ Beede felt his anger rising — he felt it climbing , scampering–

Higher and higher

— on mean, painful, little feet — he felt it…he felt it barking inside of him…

Roof!

Roof!

Roof!

He was a fierce dog, scratching away, keenly, at the door of its rage–

Roof!

— waiting for release.

‘What do you mean, Beede?’

Dory sounded bewildered.

‘You’ve been discussing these things together?’ Beede demanded (quite unable to help himself).

‘Yes. No . I’m…I’m not sure…’

‘For how long , exactly?’

Beede’s cheeks were crimson. His upper lip was shiny with perspiration.

‘I’m not…’ Dory stuttered ‘…I don’t…’

‘Weeks, is it? Months? Tell me!’

‘I can’t…I’m not…’

‘My God , how you must’ve laughed !’ Beede snarled. ‘How funny this all must’ve seemed. What a spectacular joke !’

‘A joke?’

‘Yes. Yes …’ Beede was livid now, betrayed . ‘So you’ve been changing my furniture around, eh? The rug ? Did you swap the rug? And the kettle? The bed ? Is Elen in on it too?’

‘You’re confusing me, Beede,’ Dory interrupted, ‘I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about. I don’t even know whether…’ he paused. ‘Did you call me or did I call you?’