Dark Winter by John Hennessy Page A

wood-cabin…well, it has been in a state of disrepair for a good while now. I don’t want to go there, much less you or your Mum.”
     
    “I’ll be really good. No boys, I promise, and I will keep the gloves on. All the time.”
     
    Dad stood silent whilst he took in all I had said. “You’re fifteen, hmm?”
     
    “Yes.”
     
    “A young woman already.” He sounded almost sad about that.
     
    “I suppose I am.”
     
    “Capable of looking after yourself, right?”
     
    “That’s right. I would enjoy it, and you two could have a nice holiday too.”
     
    “What if something goes wrong? You would be miles from anywhere.”
     
    “I have a phone.”
     
    “But do you have reception? Milly, don’t you see? It’s crazy.”
     
    “It’s an adventure, Daddy, come on.”
     
    “No boys?”
     
    “ No boys. I just want to be on my own, really.” I really did. Boys were just so, uck . Except Troy Jackson, but he didn’t count, because for him, I didn’t exist.
     
    “Okay. Okay then. I’ll talk to your Mum, and you - you will join us for dinner.”
     
    “Thank you, Dad.” I was overcome with relief and joy…and some other, indescribable feeling. But I knew this was the right thing to be happening at this time.
     
    I cleaned myself up and prepared to go downstairs for dinner. Outside, the rain splattered violently onto my window.
     
                                                             *                            *                            *
     
    Daphne Winter started to feel very unsettled in the car. “Ron, how far to go now?”
     
    “Another twenty miles or so.”
     
    “You do think she’s alright, don’t you?”
     
    “Of course. She had no problems last year.” He didn’t anticipate any problems this year.
     
    “That’s because she was with us, and not on her own. No problems she cared to mention,” said Daphne Winter. “She’s as deep as the ocean, that girl.”
     
    “You can’t keep a fish on dry land forever, Daphne.” Ronald Winter wanted to retract his words, but now couldn’t.
     
    “What do you mean by that?”
     
    “All little fishes…will swim out to sea one day.”
     
    “What, so, our daughter’s a fish now? Have you been drinking?”
     
    Ronald Winter laughed. “No, of course not! I’m just saying that, well, Romilly’s a grown up now. We should treat her like one.”
     
    “She should bloody well act like one.”
     
    “You’re very hard on her, Daph.”
     
    “I have to be, because you’re too soft on her.”
     
    “Perhaps.”
     
    “She needs to take care. Those markings on her hands, Ron-”
     
    “Daphne, I know,” said Ronald, interrupting her. “But she has them now, nothing will change that.”
     
    “Do you think Nana knew she was dying?”
     
    “She was pretty old, Daphne.”
     
    “Yes but, if she knew, and passed whatever that was onto Romilly-”
     
    “-then she will be fine,” said Ronald. “Look at Nan. All those years and  nothing bothered her. What you’re talking about is all hocus pocus. Romilly. Is. Fine.”
     
    “Ron! RON!” Daphne screamed. A girl in a white dress appeared in front of them on the road.
     
    Ronald Winter pulled the steering wheel hard to the side to avoid the girl, but was unable to stop the car from smashing through the road barrier, and plummeted down the embankment.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

Th e Fi f th F loor
     
    “Toril? Toril? TORIL?”
     
    Beth was screaming at Toril, trying to get her to wake. She just lay on her side, just as she was lying when the man with the cloven hooves left the house.
     
    Toril started to come out of it, but she felt very dizzy and unsure of what had happened.
     
    “Where…where is he?”
     
    “He’s gone,” said Jacinta, cooly. “Boy, you really gave us a fright.” Jacinta said it in such