Translated
by Alison Balmforth
It
all began when Marie and her mother were getting some children to safety. Marie still had the images before her eyes,
which she simply couldn’t shake off.
Aliens, named the 456 by the Press, had appeared in Cardiff.
Marie and her mother were on the run from
the authorities and couldn’t trust anyone. No one. Not even her own father, as
Marie had painfully discovered. Anger sprouted within her and she balled her
hands into fists. In her mind’s eye she saw the terrible scene once more;
“Marie, go further into the tunnel with the
children”, her mother shouted to her as she left the shelter of the tunnel to
hasten more children inside. Marie took
several children by the hand and took them further inside. “Go on further to
the end of the tunnel”, she heard herself say to the children. Then she went back again to check on her
mother.
He stood there. Her father stood before her with his weapon
raised: “Marie, come here at once! I’m
ordering you!”, his voice shook. Fear
spread through her. What should she do
now? Then her dear mother appeared and
stood directly behind him. “Leave the
child alone!” she demanded and he turned away from Marie to face his wife. She looked at him with eyes full of hatred
and demanded once more, “Leave my daughter alone!”
“You beast. You’re ruining everything I’ve
painstakingly built up over the years. How can you go behind my back like this?”
Marie heard her father say reproachfully.
He worked for a special unit which was
assigned to gather together the city’s children. Marie remembered the evening
her mother had begged him not to do it. She had begged him through tears to
help her bring the neighbourhood’s children to safety. He refused without
showing any compassion and gave her the answer: “Orders are orders. A soldier
must do as he is commanded!”
Now he stood before her dear mother and
continued to shout. “Come here, I’m ordering you!” But she didn’t even glance
at him. She looked fondly at her daughter. “Run, Marie! Get to safety!” Marie swallowed.
She didn’t want to leave her mother alone, but she knew that to protect the
children she had no other choice. She nodded to her mother and ran several
steps, and then she heard a shot behind her. Marie suspected the worst and ran
back as quickly as she could. “No, no!” she shouted and ran over to her mother,
who lay in her arms. With the last of her strength, she caressed her only
daughter’s cheek and smiled one last time. “Never forget what I told you. Never
give up on your dreams.”, then she closed her eyes.
A couple of months later, Marie found out
that her father had died. Shaking her head, she tore herself away from the
memories which hurt so much. Marie
stood at the window and looked out. From where she lived she could see far out
across Cardiff. It was raining heavily
again and raindrops beaded down the windowpane. Lost in thought, Marie followed
them with her fingers. Tears ran down her face.
“Never give up on your dreams”, she heard
her mother say once more.
She dried her tears and went over to the
small sofa. A small family portrait from happier times hung above it. How similar the three women in the picture
looked, thought Marie. Above all, Marie was almost the spitting image of her
mother. Exactly the same dark brown shoulder-length locks. The brown eyes of
the three women shone with a zest for life. Marie longed for the return of
those happier times. She sank into images in her memory once more. Marie, her mother and her grandmother were
spending a wonderful girly day together and were shopping extensively, finishing
at Roald Dahl Plass in Cardiff. There they were photographing one another, when
a man asked them if he should take a picture of the women together.
The man had remained in Marie’s memory
ever since. He was tall, thin and had short dark hair. He wore a long coat and
dressed in a rather old-fashioned style, but it suited him very well. He was very charming and flirted a little
with her mother, who obviously enjoyed his attention.
Her grandmother believed that something
magical originated from Roald Dahl Plass. She claimed there was a secret
organisation based there, which protected mankind and battled against aliens.
Marie didn’t believe her though, even if she did find the thought very
exciting.
Unfortunately, this place had been
destroyed by a neighbouring explosion. The demolition expert had made a
mistake, it was said on the news, but Marie sensed this was not the whole
truth. In general she had an excellent flair for that sort of thing, but
couldn’t always place her senses and sadly mistrusted them far too often.
*****
Marie
tossed and turned from one side to the other in her sleep and flailed wildly.
She shouted: “Get away!” But the creatures which were chasing her hounded her
with fiery red eyes until they eventually surrounded her. They came ever closer
and their strange chattering echoed in Marie’s ears. Armed with a frying pan,
she hit out at the creatures. But the more she fought back, the more pointless
her struggle seemed to be. There were
more and more of the creatures. Then a male voice calling her name came from a
distance: “Marie, take my hand and follow me!” She looked in the direction in
which she had heard her name being called and followed it. Out of breath and
tired from the struggle, she let the pan fall to the ground and the peculiar
creatures disappeared.
“Marie, don’t be afraid. I’m with you”, the
voice spoke again. Suddenly she was looking into grey eyes which gazed
pleasantly at her. Marie sensed a familiarity, moved a step closer and reached
out her hand towards him. A hand reached out towards hers and just as their
fingers were almost touching, she fell and there was a dull thud.
Utterly bemused, Marie opened her eyes and
realised she had fallen out of her bed. “Ouch!” She rubbed her head, which she
had luckily only hit lightly. Then she stood up and mumbled some curses: “Damn
it, always this stupid dream!”
She trudged dozily into the combined
kitchen and living area and reached for a carton of milk in the fridge. She
yawned loudly and pulled at her nightdress, which had a picture of an oversized
hare winking and holding a frying pan in its paws. She fumbled around for a
cup, when she suddenly heard a female voice.
“You have to free him!”, it said. Alarmed, Marie
turned around. “Marie, you have to free him!”, repeated the gentle voice, which
to Marie sounded somehow familiar.
“Mum, is that you?”, she asked
apprehensively. Out of nowhere, a white figure floated before her. She wore a
long silken nightdress and her hair drifted, as though the wind was blowing it
gently backwards.
“Don’t be afraid, my child”, she folded her
hands in front of her and placed them at her bosom. She smiled meekly. Marie stared
at her, open-mouthed. “I have come to warn you! You have to free him. Only he
can save mankind from a terrible end. It is his destiny, as it is yours. Free
him!”
Marie continued to stare at her,
spellbound. Never before had she seen an angel and she looked
so much like Marie herself. Then she found her voice again.
“Who should I free? What’s going to
happen?”, she asked.
“Free Gray!”, she answered her.
“Who is Gray? And where can I find him?” She
repeated her previous question: “What’s going to happen?” Still the question
lay unanswered before her.
“He is your destiny!” The angelic form of
Marie’s dead mother gestured to the forgotten milk, which pooled around Marie’s
bare feet. “Trust in your dreams and look there!” Without another word, she
disappeared just as she had appeared. Marie looked down. Reflected back at her
in the milk was an image of Roald Dahl Plass.
*****
Marie
switched on the radio and turned into the next side street in her old Mini. A
song by the group Angels sounded from
the radio. As she didn’t particularly like it, Marie searched for another
station at the traffic lights, which has just turned red. A speaker explained
something about destiny and the figures of angels and that people should show
each other more brotherly love. “Blah, blah, blah!”, said Marie and turned the
radio off, uninterested. She looked alternately out at the street and in the
rear-view mirror to check her appearance, when she suddenly saw something
scurrying between the parked cars. She
looked in the mirror again, but it was gone.
Marie shook her head. “Now I’m
even seeing things when there’s nothing there!”, she thought out loud and
continued to drive, as the traffic light had turned green. There was only a
short distance to drive before she came to Robert’s house, but it seemed to her
to take half an eternity. She couldn’t concentrate properly on the traffic
because she was thinking about too many things. The grey eyes stayed in her
head as much as the apparition of her mother did. Marie was happy when she
finally parked her car in Robert’s driveway.
“There you are!” As impatient as Robert was,
he opened Marie’s door and invited her inside. He straightened his glasses and
smiled at her.
“I couldn’t go any faster”, Marie settled at
the small kitchen table and looked around. “Wow, Robert. When are you finally
going to clean this place up?” Articles of clothing and books lay all over the
place. The kitchen table, too, was blanketed in books and magazines.
He sat next to Marie at the table. He was still wearing his pyjamas and his
blond hair was all ruffled. His 3-day-old beard suggested that he hadn’t shaved
in days. Robert was her best friend and
she could always tell him anything. “Well, tell me!” anxious and full of
expectation, Robert fidgeted on his chair. Marie began to explain and Robert
didn’t say another word out of astonishment.
“Whoa, how cool is that? I want to see
angels too!” he looked at her in awe. Marie was not struck dumb with awe, though.
“It wasn’t just any angel. It was my mum!”
she said.
“Oh!” Robert managed and reached sympathetically
for her hand.
“It’s ok”, she said, looking at him
questioningly. “When was the last time you showered?” she asked. Robert quickly
cleared his throat.
“Sorry Marie. Maybe I should quickly jump in
the shower” he sniffed himself. Marie laughed.
“That would be a great idea!” Robert stood
up. “And don’t even think about tidying up in here while I’m in the shower!”
Marie shook her head. “I wouldn’t dream of
it. I wouldn’t know where to begin in here!” Marie didn’t understand how Robert
ever managed to find anything in this chaos.
He disappeared quickly in the direction of
the bathroom. Marie caught herself just as she began to neatly organise the
books and magazines which lay before her on the table. Suddenly she heard a
loud clatter coming from upstairs. Marie pricked up her ears.
“Robert?”, she asked and let go of the
books. Then there was a loud cry. Concerned, Marie ran up the stairs and pushed
the bathroom door, which luckily was not locked, open with a heavy kick. In her
hands she held a baseball bat, which she had grabbed quickly on the way past.
“Robert!”, she shouted. But he wasn’t in the room. All kinds of objects lay on
the floor and the shower curtain rail had been torn down too. It was clear to
Marie immediately that some sort of struggle must have happened here.
A strange creature, which was now staring
at Marie, came into view from behind a mountain of washing. It was quite small.
Smaller than an average house cat. It had long back legs and crooked front legs.
Its coat was tight, smooth and shimmered grey. The creature’s skin was quite
wrinkled and it had a long slick tail, which whipped back and forth like crazy.
Its pointed ears stood straight up from its head and moved like a radar system
in all directions. It had a long pointed snout and its whiskers twitched
nervously. Marie pressed her lips together to stop herself from screaming
because she didn’t want to frighten the creature. She stared at the ugly
creature in disgust, which was now bearing its teeth. A yellowy substance
dripped from the animal’s mouth onto the floor, leaving a small hole.
Paralysed by fear, Marie looked at the
animal. She wanted to hit it with the bat, but her body wouldn’t obey her
thoughts. The creature made loud chattering noises, its eyes glowed fiery red,
and suddenly it began to grow, getting bigger and bigger. It approached Marie,
but out of nowhere a man appeared, shoved Marie unceremoniously aside and
shouted:
“Out of the way!” She immediately let the
bat fall to the floor and watched the events as if in a trance. The man grabbed
the vanity mirror on the bathroom cabinet and held it in front of his body with
both hands. A bright light appeared and was reflected from the mirror onto the
creature. Then it was gone again; the creature too. Only the hole in the floor
remained.
Marie still stood there, as if possessed.
The man grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her gently, calling her name
repeatedly.
“Marie! Marie! Snap out of it!” She felt
water run from her head down over her face. “Marie!”, she heard her name again.
Only now did she slowly start to come to her senses and she ran her hands over
her wet face. The man before her smiled at her and took her in his arms. “Thank
God!” The man looked familiar, she thought briefly, and eventually fell
unconscious in his arms.
She could smell soup when she came to.
Marie’s mouth watered. She looked around and noticed that she was still in
Robert’s house. She lay on the sofa and someone had tucked her in.
“Hello, you’re back!”, said a man’s voice. The
sound of his voice triggered trust within her and she blinked at him. He smiled
and held a bowl in his hands. “Soup?”, he asked. Marie sat up and nodded
silently. He sat opposite her in an armchair. Marie liked the taste of the warm
liquid and it did good to feel something warm in her stomach. “Is it good?”,
the man asked her kindly. She nodded.
“What happened?” She wanted to know because
she could only vaguely remember him pushing her aside.
“You looked into the animal’s eyes, so you
were in some kind of trance!”, he explained quickly.
“And where is Robert?” , she asked, looking
at him sadly.
“Who is Robert?”, asked the man.
“Robert is my best friend and he lives
here!”, she replied.
Jack glanced around him. “That’s a relief
as I thought you lived here!” he tried to avoid the question about the young
man’s whereabouts. But Marie asked again. He shook his head. “I don’t know. But
I’m certain we’ll find him again!”
“Certain?”, asked Marie once more.
He nodded.
Marie looked at him urgently and wondered
where she knew him from, when it came to her like lightning. He was the man who
had taken her mother’s picture at Roald Dahl Plass.
“What’s your name?” she asked him.
“I thought you’d never ask!” he laughed. “I
am Captain Jack Harkness!” he introduced himself.
*****
“Here we are!”, said Marie and she entered
her apartment with Jack, which she had furnished brightly and lovingly. “Can I
offer you something to drink?”, she asked politely.
Jack nodded. “Coffee would be good!” he
looked around the very cosy and organised apartment. He instantly spotted the
photo hanging above the sofa and went over to look at it up close. “You look a
lot like your mother!” he remarked. “She was a very pretty and kind-hearted
woman” he continued. Marie went over to
him with a glass of water and set it down on the table. “Yes, she was. But how do you know that?” she
asked.
Jack smiled at her with a wink, sat down
on the sofa and took a gulp of water.
“Oh, I’m sorry” Marie apologised, pushing a
strand of hair away from her face, “Unfortunately I don’t have any coffee. I
hope water is ok?” She felt awkward that she couldn’t offer him anything else.
“Water is fine” answered Jack politely.
“Your mother and I knew each other for a
long time”, he explained.
Marie frowned and thought she understood.
“So you had a secret affair!” She couldn’t blame her mother because she knew
she had been very unhappy in her marriage.
Jack laughed and denied it immediately.
“Oh no, you’ve misunderstood, Marie. Your mother and I just got on very well.
She just needed someone she could talk to and confide in.”
“Did she tell you about the visions she had
too?”
“Not only that. I also know that she had quite
unique abilities. Did you know that she had the power to move things just by
thinking?” Marie was very surprised how much he knew about her mother. “A
remarkable woman!” He held the glass in his hands and looked at Marie. “I’m
certain you can do it too!” “Oh, I just
have the visions”.
“Would you like to be able to do it?” Jack
pressed.
Marie shook her head. “I don’t think so!”
Jack set the glass down in front of her.
“Try it”, he suggested. Marie stared at him
and then looked at the glass of water. The glass actually jerked a little bit,
then it stood still again. “You see? You can do it. With a little practice,
you’ll be just as good as your mum!”
“Oh no thanks, my visions are enough! I
don’t need anything else!”
Jack’s curiosity was awakened. “Tell me
about them”. Marie hesitated a little, but then it came gushing out of her and
she began to tell of her vision, the eyes, the voice and what the spirit of her
mother had told her.
“She told me I have to free Gray, apparently
he’s my destiny!” Jack gazed at her stonily.
“Did I say something
wrong?” she inquired, irritated.
Jack shook his head. “No. Excuse me. Gray
is” he hesitated before continuing, “Gray is my brother!”
Marie sighed with relief. “Then you can
help me find him! Mum said it was important and only he could prevent the
worst!” She jumped up enthusiastically, wanting to leave immediately, but was
stopped by Jack.
“It may be that your mother thinks that, but
I’m saying no. He stays where he is. Apart from that, I don’t believe he
survived the explosion!”
Marie frowned and raised an eyebrow
inquisitively. “What explosion?”
He gestured gently with his head to the
picture above the sofa. “That one!”, he said eventually. “Our Torchwood base
was underneath Roald Dahl Plass. And I froze Gray there. I hardly believe that
the boxes in the deepest catacombs remain undamaged!” He continued softly and
barely audibly. “Even if it would be a nice thought!”
Marie sensed his sadness and laid a hand
comfortingly on his shoulder. “It’s probably best if I don’t ask why you froze
your brother and, in general, I find it very strange, but if he is deep beneath
the Plass, there is still a possibility that he survived it!”
“The explosion happened inside the base!
Everything was destroyed. And even if Gray had survived, I don’t consider it a
good idea to unearth him!”
Marie had inherited not only her mother’s
abilities, but also her stubbornness. “Ok, I don’t know what your problem with
him is and I don’t want to know, but if my mum says I have to save him, then I
have to save him!” She looked at him with a serious expression.
Jack laughed. “You really are like your
mother!”
She took a step to the side, gave him a
defiant look and repeated herself again to show Jack how stubborn she could be.
“If my mum says he’s my destiny, he can save mankind from disaster and I should
save him, then damn it all, I’ll do it! Either you help me, or you leave it!”
*****
Visibly
impressed by Marie’s strong will, Jack finally gave in. “I figure you’ll only
be quiet when you see that Gray is dead with your own eyes!”
“He is not dead!”, she argued defiantly and
put her jacket on, which Jack held out for her. He didn’t want to engage in any
more discussion and therefore decided to go to Marie’s grandmother.
“Perhaps your grandmother can make you see
reason!”
“Don’t tell me you know her too?” Jack gave
a telltale smile.
The two of them didn’t say a single word
to one another during the drive to the retirement home where Marie’s
grandmother lived. Marie parked her car in the building’s large car park and
they climbed out.
“It’s nice here!” Jack interrupted the
silence. The neighbouring park seemed very idyllic and in front of the entrance
to the home stood a big old fountain, which was decorated with angels. They
walked a little way and Marie looked around. In a manner of speaking, Jack was
right, she thought. Until today Marie hadn’t understood why her grandmother
preferred to live in a villa for elderly
youths, as her grandmother called it, instead of in a small house of her
own. She could still hear her say; here
I have everything, get my food served to me, am among people and above all I
have my peace and quiet, her grandmother had explained.
Marie looked at Jack. “Would you want to
live here?” she asked him.
“Later, perhaps. But now it would be far too
quiet for me!”
Marie liked him. She could tell that his
heart was in the right place. He seemed to her a little mysterious because he
didn’t give away much about himself, but his eyes sometimes spoke volumes –
much more than every word which could ever be written.
Her grandmother waved to them from a
distance and was, as ever, very smartly dressed. Her long flowered dress wafted
in the wind and she had tied her long grey hair back loosely. She still seemed
very young in the way she spoke and moved. Catherine, as she was called, still
drew men’s gazes. And when she laughed, her gentle eyes laughed with her.
Marie loved her grandmother very much and
to her she was one of the most important people in her life, so it was little
wonder that Marie knew a lot of her secrets. Marie knew that her grandmother
had clairvoyant abilities. She could help so many people and Marie admired her
very much for that. She always had sympathetic ear for anyone and she liked
everyone; a mean word never passed her lips. Marie still remembered when an
office clerk had spoken to her grandmother rudely. Marie had sworn at him. But
her grandmother had smiled like she always did and said:
“Oh Marie, the man is not stupid, he just
has a different opinion which isn’t a very good one!” Yes, that was her
grandmother. Some found her a little peculiar, but that didn’t bother
Catherine. She was just how she was. Marie loved her way of looking at things.
“Cooee, you two!”, she called, ripping Marie
from her thoughts. With really quick steps she came to meet them. Jack greeted
the woman with a gentle hug.
“You look enchanting again today,
Catherine”, Jack remarked.
“You flatterer”, Catherine replied with a
smile. “I’ve been waiting for you. Come, I have to show you something!” she
said mysteriously and the two of them followed her into the conservatory.
“How could you have known we were coming?”
wondered Marie.
“Oh child, you always ask me that!” she
answered.
“You’re not the only one who has abilities!”
she reminded her granddaughter.
As usual, the conservatory was deserted
because the other residents preferred the green spaces outside the house or
they were taking part in one of the leisure activities. This suited her
grandmother just fine. She could devote herself undisturbed to her hobby of gardening.
Catherine gestured to a flower. “Isn’t it
wonderful?” she asked and looked admiringly at them. “It was the cultivation of
herbs and flowers that brought you to me, Jack”, she took the flower pot in her
hands and gave it to Marie. Jack touched
the petals.
“What is it?” he asked. Marie turned the pot
in her hands to look at the flower from all sides. They were a cross between
red roses and orchids and smelled faintly sweet, like hundreds of flowers
together. The smell immediately caused a good mood, as Marie discovered.
“I call it heart of life. Its petals have a particularly special
characteristic, I have to tell you. Place two of these petals in the mouth of
somebody in a deep sleep and he will wake up within a very short time!” Marie
did not ask how her grandmother knew this. She would not tell her anyway.
“So, can they wake coma patients up?” Jack
asked and Marie put the flower back in its place.
“Wow that would be great!” Marie was
suddenly thrilled at the idea. Catherine gently shook her head, though, robbing
them of the illusion.
“They can only wake people up who have been
put into an artificial sleep, not caused through accident or injury!” she
looked at Jack seriously. “Like your brother Gray!” she continued.
“Now you’re starting this nonsense too. He
is dead!” Jack stood by his belief. But like Marie, Catherine had other ideas.
“My daughter appeared to me as a spirit the
other day and told me that Marie has to free him. Only he can save mankind from
a terrible end!” she explained to Jack. Marie was astonished.
“She came to see you too!”, her voice
sounded a little gloomy. “She said exactly the same thing to me!”
Catherine handed her granddaughter a small
velvet pouch. “Look after it. You’ll need it for Gray. Put two or three petals
in his mouth, but no more!”
“The dead cannot be woken up!” Jack’s voice
now sounded a little angry. “My
goodness, Jack. You of all people should know there are things in life which
can’t be explained with reason. How do you know he is dead? Have you seen it?
That’s only your mind’s perception, not your hearts’. Or are you just speaking
out of fear?” Jack looked at Marie’s grandmother and she knew immediately that
her grandmother, as wise as she was, had just responded to Jack in exactly the
right way. Marie glanced back and forth expectantly between the pair.
“You are an old woman and you live in your
illusion of magic. I don’t blame you for feeling this way, but I am resigned
that”, he didn’t finish the sentence, but looked at Marie instead. “It’s time
to go, Marie!”, then he turned to go and left the conservatory with rapid
steps.
Catherine took her granddaughter’s face in
her hands. “Trust what your heart tells you. And above all, trust yourself! You
know what you feel and what you can see with your heart. And above all, never
look back. You can’t change the past, but you can use what has happened to your
advantage. The future doesn’t lie behind you, my little darling. The future
lies in front of you! And now go and free Gray. Jack’s heartache is so deeply
embedded; he can’t tolerate anything but pain in his heart!” Then she kissed
Marie’s forehead and said good bye. “Don’t keep him waiting, Marie! Go and
protect the pouch like treasure!” Catherine gazed after her granddaughter.
“Jack, please wait!” shouted Marie,
running after him. Jack only stopped when he reached Marie’s car. “I’m sorry.
I’m sure she didn’t mean it! She just wants everything to be right again!” But
before Jack could answer, a bright light appeared behind him. Marie spun around
suddenly. She shook her head and cried: “No, not my grandmother! No!” she ran
back towards her grandmother as fast as she could. Marie had almost run into
the light, but Jack reached her at the last moment and held her firmly in
place. “No! Let me go! I have to go to her!” she cried, fighting wildly against
Jack. Jack only loosened his grip when the light had vanished. Marie
immediately took the opportunity to run back into the conservatory. “Grandma! Grandma!”, she called. But nobody
answered. Tears streamed down Marie’s face. Jack, who had followed her, took
her soothingly in his arms and stroked her hair.
“We
will find them!”, he said quietly.
“First Robert, now my grandmother! Damn it,
what are these creatures?”, she looked at him in desperation.
“They call themselves the ‘Hunters’”, Jack
explained shortly.
“Did they take the others too?”, she asked.
He nodded. “And what do they do with these people?”
Jack looked straight through her and
didn’t answer the question. He repeated his last sentence. “We will find them!”
Marie wiped the tears from her face.
“Let’s free Gray! Please! Let’s try!” Jack looked at her for a few moments, as
though he had to consider what he should say and then he said quietly:
“If that’s what you want. Let’s hope you’re
right!”
*****
It
was the middle of the night and Marie and Jack stood before the ruins where the
Torchwood base once stood. Marie went back and forth, looking for a possible
entrance. Finally she hoisted rock after rock with Jack’s help. It seemed
pointless, though; there were far too many rocks. They would never manage to
move them all and find an entrance to the catacombs by themselves.
“Stop, it’s not working!”, Jack realised. Marie
looked at him, breathless.
“But we have to get inside!” Jack gestured
to his wrist strap. “Perhaps we should do this my way!”
“What’s that?” she looked curiously at the
strange-looking watch.
“Hold on to me tightly. I just hope we land
in the right place!” Marie clasped Jack’s arm faithfully, then everything was
bright and the next moment they were standing in the deepest catacombs of the
Torchwood base, or what remained of them.
Marie
was impressed. “Wow! Cool! And you only told me this now!” she smiled at him.
“Well, a man without secrets isn’t a real
man!” laughed Jack.
“So, you’re some kind of time-traveller, am
I right?”
Jack looked at her, astounded. “How do you
know about time travel?” “That’s my
secret!”, she replied. She didn’t really
know anything about it, only what she had read in science-fiction books, which
lay all over the place at Robert’s house.
Jack looked around and tried to orient
himself in the darkness. Marie snapped the table lamp on and lit up the room.
“There!” cried Jack suddenly and went over
to one wall which was very badly damaged. Then he opened a kind of small door
and pulled a long illuminated box out.
“Gray”, he said eventually and looked
inside. Marie slowly moved closer. Her heart pounded.
“Is
that your brother?” she directed her question at Jack who was now opening the
lid. It hissed. Marie looked inside and Jack cautiously checked Gray’s pulse. He
couldn’t find one, though.
“Is he dead?” Marie asked almost ardently.
Instead of answering her, he turned a couple of knobs on his wrist strap and
smiled.
“He’s alive! He has a very weak pulse!”
Jack’s blue eyes filled with tears of joy and he sighed with relief. Marie
rummaged in her jacket pocket and pulled out the velvet pouch.
“Jack, I know you don’t like my
grandmother’s magic, but if it could help wake your brother up, we should try
it!” She looked at him expectantly.
“Do it”, he consented. Marie cautiously put
two petals in Gray’s mouth. Now they had to wait. They looked at Gray,
spellbound, but he didn’t move. His eyes remained closed. The pair looked at
each other dejectedly. Marie could sense Jack’s sadness.
“I was ready to give him a second chance and
to forget everything that happened!”
As emotional as Marie was, her eyes filled
with tears. She looked down at Gray and whispered: “Please, Gray, open your
eyes. I need you!” Her tears dripped onto his forehead.
“He looks so peaceful”, Jack said gloomily.
Marie moved to dry his forehead, then she
saw how tears flowed from Gray’s eyes.
“Jack!” she called softly, “Jack, look!”,
she whispered excitedly.
Jack’s gaze switched back and forth
between Marie and his brother, and then Gray opened his eyes and looked
directly into Marie’s face. She bent over him again, placing a hand on his
forehead. Without saying a word, Gray sat up in his box and looked at Marie.
Then he spoke.
“You’re the girl from my dreams. In my dream
you were battling against creatures. And then a white figure of a woman
appeared to me, which kept whispering that I had to wake up. She said Marie
would need me! Are you Marie?” he asked.
Marie sobbed. “Yes. Yes, I’m Marie. And
I’ve dreamt about you too. Your eyes. I saw your eyes in my dreams and you were
calling my name!” She looked at him lovingly, gave in to her urge to hug him
and felt how she blushed at the same time. She let her gaze fall shyly.
“Ahem”, Jack cleared his throat at that
moment and went over to his brother. Marie sensed that Gray had mixed feelings
and Jack seemed to be feeling somewhat uncomfortable too; that much was
revealed by their eyes. Marie took
Gray’s hand and nudged him gently in the side. Gray seemed to understand and
approached Jack slowly. The brothers now stood face to face, neither knowing
exactly what he should say. Then they fell into each other’s arms, crying, and
Marie could hear what Jack said to Gray.
“I forgive you!”
*****
Over the next few days, there were a lot
of reports in the news about the appearance of the bright light and even the
mysterious creatures. The creatures hunted within a specific area and at
specific intervals – they had been able to discover that much.
As always, Gray was awake very early in
the morning and busied himself with several foul-smelling substances. Jack was
setting the breakfast table when Marie entered the apartment. She wasn’t alone,
though. She supported a pretty scruffy looking man. He looked more dead than
alive. Jack rushed over to help and took the man over to the sofa, which he
fell onto immediately. Marie ran around the apartment like a headless chicken,
bringing the casualty drinks, food and more blankets.
“Robert, are you feeling any better?” she
called him by his name. “Do you need anything else?” she enquired attentively. He
was shaking all over and shook his head.
“No thank you, my dear.”
“Are there any more survivors? Did you see
my grandmother? How many creatures are there?” Marie didn’t let the man get a
word in. Jack passed him a cup of hot coffee.
“Drink”, he said, pulling Marie to one side
to speak to her alone. “Marie, let him regain his strength. He needs lots of
peace and quiet right now!”
She glanced at the floor and then over at
Robert, who sat on the sofa, a picture of misery. “I’m sorry, you’re right!
He’s just my only hope of finding my grandmother again” she explained her
behaviour.
“I do understand that, but give him a little
peace” Jack replied sympathetically.
Gray came out of the small bathroom where
he had brewed his mixture and his gaze fell on Robert immediately.
“Who’s that?”, he enquired. “I found him on
the edge of the road near the apartment. He escaped from the creatures!” Gray
listened to Marie, but said nothing. His gaze shifted to Robert. Marie sensed
that something wasn’t right. “Gray,
what’s wrong?”
“I narrowly escaped the creatures too”, he
reported. “They are cruel beings. They draw out your energy until you’re almost
powerless. They eventually left me alone; they had probably forgotten about me.
Then I lay there amongst all the lifeless bodies. And all I wanted was to see
one of you!” As he spoke, his eyes filled with rage.
Jack
embraced his brother. “Let’s deal with these creatures!”
Gray’s gaze remained serious and he just
nodded silently. “And I’ll help you!” The story made Marie very sad and angry
at the same time. She didn’t even want to think about what the creatures were
doing to her grandmother.
Something
tickled her nose. Marie swiped her hand over her face again, but it didn’t stop
tickling and it smelled of blossoms. Annoyed, Marie woke up and looked at her
alarm clock. The small hand had just reached the eight. She clicked the light
on and looked at her duvet. There were roses everywhere. Then she saw a white
figure coming towards her. Marie knew exactly who it was and grief swept through
her. For now she knew that her grandmother was no longer alive either.
“Don’t cry, my child”, she said. “I’m fine.
I have lived my life and now I’m with your mother and my beloved husband. But
you, my child, get up, it is time. The creatures have gone to sleep!”
Gray came charging into her room without
knocking. “Marie, is everything ok? I heard something and...” he didn’t finish
his sentence, but instead surveyed the white figure which grinned at him
amicably. He went over to Marie.
“Everything’s fine. I just had a visitor.
May I introduce my grandmother.” Marie sat on the edge of the bed and noticed
the floor in front of her was like a carpet of flowers. Gray bowed slightly to
her grandmother.
“It is my honour to meet you!”
Catherine’s ghost laughed, amused. “A very
charming young man. And extremely good-looking.” She winked at Marie. “It’s time, Gray, mankind needs you, the
creatures are asleep.” She repeated her statement from earlier. “What’s that supposed to mean, the creatures
are asleep?” asked Marie.
“She means that they are full and have
gathered for the transformation. They aren’t hunting at the moment.”
“Transformation?”, asked Marie with a
feeling of unease. “Yes, they are readying themselves to take over mankind!
During this time they will mutate into giant rats. And a few will be chosen to
assume human form. They are like the leaders of the species. Then they mate. I
eradicated most of them with my mixture in the past, but a few escaped me!”
Gray explained the situation. “Does
that mean these horrible creatures multiple really quickly like rats too?”
Marie was not comfortable with this idea and the most terrible images arose in
her mind. Gray nodded. “And it will be far worse than the images in your head!”
“How?” but Marie couldn’t finish her
question because Gray interrupted her, grinning.
“I can read your thoughts!” Marie blushed
again and hated that she couldn’t hide what she felt for him. “Do you know
where the creatures are now?”, Gray turned to the white woman.
She nodded and formed a construction with
the rose blossoms. “Be careful. Things are not always what they seem from the
outside!” she warned.
“I know that house!” said Marie.
“Good, then let’s go there straight away!”,
he reached his hand out to Marie. “Gray,
please look after my granddaughter! Protect her with your life!” she said. Gray
took Marie firmly by the hand and promised. Smiling happily, her grandmother
vanished.
Marie quickly put on her shoes while Gray
gathered together his elixirs. Jack was already up too and stood combat-ready
before her.
“Where’s Robert?” Gray asked Jack when he
couldn’t find him anywhere.
“I
have no idea!”, said Jack with a shrug. Marie wasn’t worried about Robert this
time. From past experience she was used to her best friend disappearing without
saying a word. Even if she did find it very impolite, she accepted it. So she
said:
“Let’s go!” Grinning, the brothers looked at
her, surveying her from head to toe.
“Who are you trying to frighten with that?” laughed
Jack. Marie looked down at herself and realised she was wearing her favourite
nightdress, upon which a huge hare held a pan in its paws. Embarrassed, she
grinned and disappeared immediately into the bedroom to change.
Gray
had an uneasy feeling about what had happened to Robert, so the three of them
drove over to his apartment. Robert was actually there and he opened the door
cheerfully. Marie could hardly believe her eyes. Robert stood before them in
clean, ironed clothes. His hair was neatly combed back and was shiny with hair
gel, a little too much for Marie’s taste. He wasn’t wearing his glasses.
“Oh that. I’ve started using contact
lenses!” he explained quickly when she asked him about it. Marie looked around
his house and was astounded. It no longer resembled his usual chaos. Everything
had a place.
It even seemed to be apparent to Jack. “Is
this a side effect of being held captive by the creatures too?” Jack asked
Gray, but he shook his head.
“Would you like some cake?” Robert asked his
visitors. Marie could smell apple tart, it was her favourite. Her mouth
watered.
“Do we have time?”, she asked Jack and Gray.
Gray observed Robert suspiciously and held tightly onto Marie’s arm.
“Let’s go, right now!” he more or less
commanded. But Marie was more interested in the smell of the tart. Jack also
seemed to feel uneasy about the situation and he snatched the plate which
Robert handed her away from Marie.
He looked at her imploringly and whispered
so quietly to her, that only Marie could hear it.
“Something smells fishy here!” Robert turned
to his guests again. “Smells? What smells?”,he asked, bewildered, raising his
nose in the air and beginning to sniff. At that moment everything was clear to
the brothers. They nodded to each other. Marie frowned, finding the two men’s
behaviour odd.
Gray looked urgently at Marie once more,
and then Marie could hear his thoughts.
“Let’s go right now. Something isn’t right here.
Trust me. Look around you!” Then Marie realised immediately what was wrong.
Something wriggled behind Robert and whipped to and fro on the ground.
“Robert, I really don’t think we have the
time. We just wanted to check on you because you disappeared without a word.
But it looks to me like everything is fine!” she said quickly and moved
backwards a couple of steps. “Oh, just stay a little while. I baked extra
tart!” Robert attempted to convince his guests and went hurriedly over to
Marie, who unfortunately wasn’t quick enough. As quick as a flash, the creature
which resembled Robert grabbed hold of Marie and drew her to him. His long
rat’s tail wrapped around her body. Disgusted, Marie could do nothing.
“Oh, super!”, said Jack. “A rat in human
form! What woman will want you?” he tried to distract the creature while he and
Gray rummaged for their test tubes containing Gray’s mixture. Marie tried to get free, but it was useless.
“Clear out, or I’ll bite her head off! She
is my queen!” the creature hissed at the two men.
Gray was now really pissed off. “You’d
like that wouldn’t you?” at the same time he told Marie with his eyes what she
should do. Gray and Jack waited patiently for the right moment to attack. And
Marie understood instantly what Gray wanted her to do. She gave the creature a
heavy kick between its legs. Its face contorted with pain, it let go of Marie
and she was free!
“Now!” cried Gray and the brothers pelted
the creature with the liquid. Robert’s figure folded and gave a bloodcurdling
scream. A foul-smelling cloud of smoke spread through the room.
Gray took Marie’s hand and said: “Let’s
find the other creatures!” Marie glanced once more at the spot where the
creature was, but it had vanished. Marie had actually started to cry. She had
lost her best friend, but she knew she had no time to grieve right now.
“Gray, is it possible that my grandmother
meant this house and not the old abandoned house on the edge of town I thought
she meant? It’s possible that the others aren’t far away from their leader!”
“You could be right there!” Jack encouraged
her. “Let’s go into the cellar!” He looked at his brother, waiting for his
reaction. Gray agreed with Jack.
“Do you need any more liquid?” Jack declined
and approached the cellar. Turning to Marie, he said protectively: “I’d like
you to wait in the car!”
“But I don’t want to! I want to fight with
you!” But, like his brother before him, Gray came to know Marie’s stubbornness.
He looked at her angrily. “I insist, Marie!
I promised your grandmother I’d look after you!” But she stayed still. “Damn
it, Marie!” he said.
“I’m not a little child!”, she said in the
same cutting tone.
“Then why are you behaving like one?” Gray
asked her.
She frowned, furious. She felt hurt and
didn’t want to be told by anyone what she should do, especially not by him. She
raised her hand to slap Gray in the face, but he held her tight. Their gazes
met and they looked deep and strong into each other’s eyes. He pulled Marie
close to him and just as he bent down to kiss her, they were interrupted by
Jack.
“What’s happening? Are you coming, or do you
want to put down roots here?” Gray and Marie were still gazing deep into each
other’s eyes, and then Gray said:
“If you absolutely have to assert your
stubbornness, then please stay behind me!” Gray pushed some of the elixir into
Marie’s hand and she grinned boldly. “Yes,
sir!”, she said.
Marie was right and in the cellar there
was indeed the creatures’ meeting point. There they lay close together and they
seemed to be sleeping deeply. The three of them descended the cellar steps
cautiously. The only light making the gloomy room somewhat brighter came from
outside through the small cellar window. There must have been hundreds of these
creatures. A cold shiver went down Marie’s spine. Although she had now found
out that she was very emotionally sensitive, she wished in that moment that she
was not. The creatures’ energy was sinister and she could clearly sense it.
Anxiously, she took Gray’s hand and she heard his thoughts:
“Don’t be afraid, Marie! I’m here.” That
gave Marie a feeling of safety and security. Hand in hand they went even
further down the old cellar steps, closely followed by Jack.
Gray indicated to the others that they
should wait with a hand movement. He let go of Marie’s hand and went down the
last two steps alone. Marie held her breath. The final step creaked, but
luckily none of the creatures awoke. “Psst!
It’s ok!” Gray whispered to the other two, gestured to the creatures and showed
with a head and hand movement that he was going over to them. A couple of
creatures made some loud noises, but Gray went and stood between them despite
this.
Something suddenly moved in the back
corner. Marie noticed it first and was about to warn Gray, but it was too late.
The creature noticed the intruders and immediately sounded a screeching alarm.
Now the creatures around Gray woke up and noticed him too. There seemed to be
no way out. Jack and Marie threw their test tubes containing Gray’s special
mixture at the creatures, but there were just too many of them.
“Run!”, Gray shouted at them.
“Gray!”, cried Marie, wanting to rush to his
aid. She was grabbed by Jack, though, who dragged Marie out despite her strong
opposition. Marie could only see out of the corner of her eye that Gray drew
his blade and began to fight the creatures in the middle of the cloud of smoke.
Marie struggled and hit out at Jack with
both fists, but he remained firm and held onto her tightly as best he could.
“Calm down, Marie! He can do it! Marie, stop
it!” he shouted at her and shook her a little. “Stop it!” Only now did she
notice Jack’s tears, which filled his eyes and streamed down his face. “Stop
it! Please! We can’t help him – accept it!”
Marie shook her head violently. “No!”, she
sobbed. She hit out again desperately at Jack with her fists, but not as hard as
before. She felt how Jack soothingly stroked her back.
And she heard him say gently: “It’s ok!”
Then his words fell silent beneath a sob.
Suddenly they jumped from a blast which
sounded like an explosion. A foul-smelling metre-high cloud of smoke rose into
the sky.
“Oh, my God!” they both cried out at the
same time and looked in the direction of the noise. Marie held her nose. “Wow
that stinks! It smells worse that rotten eggs and old fish! What in heaven’s
name is that?” she looked at Jack, who now stood smiling before her.
“Not what, but who!”
“I don’t understand!”, she looked at him,
bewildered. Jack made a small gesture over to where the thick smoke came from.
Marie squinted to see more clearly. A tall figure emerged from the cloud of
smoke, which came towards them slowly and proudly.
Marie laughed, “Gray!”, she shouted and
jumped into his arms, beaming with joy. “Oh thank God! You’re alive!” Heavy
tears of joy rolled down her face. Gray lovingly wiped her dry and looked at
her adoringly.
A proud smile crossed Jack’s face and he
embraced his brother, overjoyed. Then he slapped him approvingly on the
shoulder.
“At first I thought the house’s gas pipe had
exploded! But when this stink crept into my nose, I knew it was you!”
“That was my other special mixture!” smiled
Gray with a wink.
THE END
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