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Doctor Who_ Psi-Ence Fiction - Chris Boucher [73]

By Root 726 0
a wrong number.'

That was a joke, Chloe thought. Ralph made a joke. What was the significance of that? Hello Clarry. She had been called Clarry before. Josh had called her Clarry just to annoy her probably. But Josh hadn't got his finger on the planchette so he couldn't be doing this. Who could be doing this? They couldn't all be ganging up on her could they? They could all have reasons not to like her. No wait, she thought. Josh had called her Clarry and then the demon had picked up on it. 'It's not Clarry it's Chloe!' it had shouted. It was the demon again. It was the demon tormenting her. It was almost a relief. It might be a creature from some supernatural mad-house but at least it wasn't her friends.

The pointer continued to pick out letters. I N-O-T L-E-V-E U I N-E-A-R U.

'Yeah right,' Josh said. "I believe it. Which one of you is doing the pushing?'

U NOT RUN U N-O-T HIDE.

'We're talking Red Indian spirit guide are we?' Josh commented.

Ralph said, 'Native American spirit guide you mean.'

'Concentrate,' Josh said. 'The Red Indian might have something interesting to communicate.'

U D-E-D.

'You dead?'Josh said. 'OK, Native American it is.'

U D-E-D.

'Is that right?'Josh said. 'That's not funny. Which one of you is doing that?'

C-L-A-R-R-Y U D-E-D.

The planchette rolled off the board completely and rattled to a stop on the tombstone. They took their fingers off it and looked at one another.

'What's it got against Clarry?' Meg said. ‘Whoever that is.'

Chloe said, 'I think it might be' She was going to explain that the threat was directed at her but it was then that she saw the shrouded figure. It was definitely closer now. It had moved away from the tree and it was standing at the edge of the burial area.

'It might be what?' Tommy asked.

Chloe found her throat was tight and she couldn't speak. Her legs went weak and suddenly she could hardly stand. Pain ached through her knees as they pressed harder against the gravestone. She put one hand on the top of the tomb and leant on it, pointing vaguely with the other one.

'What is it?'Josh said. 'You look like you've seen a ghost or something.'

She could hear the contempt in his voice. It made her angry and the anger made her fight to shake off the paralysing fear. She would not give that pig the satisfaction. She would not be thought of as a hysterical girly. She reached across the tomb and grabbed the torch from where it was propped against the headstone. 'Look,' she croaked as she turned the beam towards the figure.

'There,' Ralph said. There it is.'

Chloe could no longer see it. The torch beam was shining through the place where the figure had been standing. She flashed the light along the boundary of the graves. Nothing. It was a trick of the light. It was a trick of the light, there was nothing there.

'Did you see it?' she whispered.

'Absolutely,' Ralph said. 'Hold the light steady. Look, it's there isn't it?' He took the torch from her and shone it on the headstone. 'Look. Jeremiah Johnson, born eighteen oh seven died eighteen sixty-eight. Clarissa Johnson, born eighteen twenty-five died eighteen ninety-two.'

'Of course,' Meg said. 'Clarry. It's short for Clarissa.'

'It was a message to tell Clarry she was dead?' Tommy said. 'What would be the point of that exactly?'

Meg said, ‘I'd say old Jeremiah was declaring his love for her wouldn't you?'

'By telling her not to run and not to hide?' Ralph said. Doesn't sound very loving to me.'

'Maybe they'd had a fight,' Meg said. 'Maybe he's apologising.'

Tommy said, 'So it was a communication between two dead people which we were overhearing, is that what you're saying?'

'I'm saying it's nonsense,' Josh said. 'One or maybe more than one of you is playing silly buggers. What do you say, Chloe?'

'I've had enough,' Chloe said. 'I'm tired and I want to go now. Can we go now?'

'But what do you think it meant?' he pressed.

Chloe thought, why is he asking me? Does he know it was me that was being tormented? 'Why are you asking me?' she

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