Banshee Angel Of Judgement (6 page)

Time past speedily and the
men soon came together. Micky stepped back to let his, less
experienced, friend finish the last part of the fence
alone.

“
You missed a
bit,” Micky said pointing to where Andy still hadn’t
done.

“
Where?” Andy
asked falling for the joke as Micky laughed. “Oh, I see okay, okay
smart guy.”

Micky moved
off to collect the lid for the tin still laughing, picking up his
coat on the way as Andy finished the fence which he did before
Micky reached the paint top. He then waited for his friend,
forgetting his own jacket, to join him.

“
Aren’t you
wanting your jacket then?” Micky said as he strolled back towards
Andy.

“
Eh, oh right,” he
replied as Micky nodded in the direction of the
garment.

“
And you
better put the lid on the tin as well,” Micky smiled as he
spoke.

“
Yeah,” Andy
made his way over to where he left jacket, Micky following behind.
“Where will we wash the brushes?”

“
There’s a
tap behind the tea house.” He didn’t stop to wait for Andy as he
halted to put the top on the pot.

“
So where
about is this tap then?” Andy enquired as he jogged after
Micky.

“
Just follow
me.”

They were soon
over the fence next to the large wooden building and round the back
to the tap
, washing the
heavily brown covered brushes clean. The water gushed out of the
spigot over the brushes to the earth turning it muddy; some of the
mucky water splashed up onto their trousers and
trainers.

“
Micky!”
An echoing cry
came from a group of three in the distance, heading up from the
cabin towards the two men.

Micky smiled
as he recognized his old friend from previous years at the park;
then headed in their direction
with the now cleaner brush. Andy followed closely behind as
Micky walked quickly to talk with his friend, climbing the fence to
the main road, to join the approaching figures.

“
What they let
you back?” Micky joked as he got closer to the three
co-workers.

“
Yeah, well
they said, they needed somebody to keep you from scaring the
customers away,” said an average sized, thin man on the right of
the group; his longish dark brown hair falling into his eyes before
being flicked away with a toss of his head.

“
What? Me?”
Micky looked sheepishly back at the man.

“
After last
year most certainly,” the slender man jokingly
responded.

“
I’ll let you
know I treat all the customers the same,” Micky smiled
playfully.

“
And that’s
what I’m talking about,” the man nodded as he spoke making his hair
fall back into his eyes which he flicked away as before.

“
How what does
he do?” asked one of the thin man’s companions bringing loud
laughter from Micky and the brown haired man.

“
What doesn’t he do?” Andy joined the fun as he’d heard
plenty of tales from the maintenance cre
w over the past week or two at
lunch.

“
And another thing,” the thin man began, “if your in the
park on
you’re day off, don’t
go on the ride he’s on.”

“
Why?” Asked
a young slip of a girl with large brown eyes which caught Micky’s
for a moment as she smiled up at him.

“
Don’t listen
to him,” Micky poked his thumb at the slight figure in front of
him, “he’s just getting old and can’t keep up with us younger
ones.”

“
Younger ones,
well that rules you out then,” the slender man said,
smiling.

“
I resent
that,” joked Micky.

“
What, the
truth hurt,” the other man continued the pretence.

All those
gathered joined Micky in his laughter. “So where were you at the
induction?”

“
I had other thing
s on
so couldn’t make it but then they asked me to come in today to
clean some of the rides for tomorrow,” the brown haired man
answered Micky.

“
And there I
was hoping you’d come to help me and Andy here,” Micky nudged
Andy.

“
I bet you
do,” he started, “and you watch he doesn’t leave it all for you,”
he said to the taller man.

“
I’ve noticed
he was a bit of a lazy sod,” Andy cheerfully put in.

“
Don’t listen
to them,” Micky said to the other two trying to catch the girl’s
eye again without success. “Anyway what time is this to be
starting?” Micky asked looking at his watch which stated it was
just going onto twenty to ten in the morning.

“
Cocopops
told us just
to come in for half nine till two so,” shrugged the other
man.

“
A short day
then,” Andy stated.

“
Yeah, how
long have you’s been in for?”

“
Since eight,
and we’re not sure when to,” Micky said a little
wearily.

“
Hopefully not
to late though as I don’t fancy walking through the woods in the
dark,” Andy gave a nervous smile.

“
Somebody’s
scared of the witchy house,” Micky poked fun at his friend with a
gesture of the head.

“
What house?”
asked the thin man’s companions in unison.

“
Oh, it’s just an old dilapidated cottage in the woods
everyone thinks is haunted around here
,” Micky explained almost laughing out loud at the
thought.

“
Ah, right,”
the others smiled back.

“
You can mock
all of you if want but I don’t think many folks about here would go
near that place at night,” defended Andy.

The rest of them smiled at
him.

“
Well I
suppose we better get on a lot to do unlike you part timers,”
quipped Micky after a moment.

“
Listen to
who’s talking,” Micky’s friend replied, “but I think we’d better
get on with it as well. If I don’t see you later I’ll see you
tomorrow then.”

“
Yeah, no
doubt,” they shook hands before parting company. The three new
comers heading for the rides at the top of the park as Andy and
Micky headed down towards the cabin, the walled garden; then the
office.

“
You fancy a cuppa tea?” Micky asked as they
g
ot closer to the canteen
building.

“
Why not,”
replied Andy suddenly feeling a little parched. They quickly turned
into the gateway.

C
hapter 8

She watched as
her captives swam around the inside of the jar
. like fish in a bowl trying to find their way
out to freedom. Some of the spirits seemed brighter than others to
her sensitive eyes; she knew this was because they hadn’t been in
there for as long as those dimmer, weaker souls.

She noticed
one that was barely visible to her. She knew this to be the fat,
arrogant sheriff that had sentenced her to death; knowing her
innocence. Why, she had only found out the night she had finally
caught up with him, to bring upon him the hell he now
endured.

It was over a
month since she had been put to death though life had gone on for
those responsible. She had used the glass jar she had found as an
anchor to stop herself from moving on to the place of rest. She
knew that was the only way to bring a
bout the justice she so desired. That she could not rest
until all the guilty were brought to task for what they had
done.

The sunset
earlier as the seasons began to change
, as August reached towards its end. She felt happier as
the longer nights grew closer for it gave her more time to seek out
those that she sought. But where would she start? She knew whom she
wanted first but how to reach out without alerting the others
before she was ready to let each know of their mistake?

It was as she
wandered close to the castle manor house think
ing, plotting these things over when she heard
voices drifting on a breeze. She recognized one as that of her most
hated of enemies, the sheriff. Her curiosity was raised so glided
through the dark, closer to the window where the voices came
from.

“
So I heard
that the old minister has been causing trouble over the witch,” the
laird said to his guest the bulging sheriff.

“
Nothing that the rumours that have been going around won’t
sort out, if you know what I mean,” the
sheriff gave a knowing laugh, which was joined by the
laird as they shared the joke. She noticed from where she gazed at
the men that they were alone, enjoying a night of drink and the
gentlemanly pursuit of cards as they discussed business, which was
just an excuse to drink even more than usual.

“
Yes well
everyone loves gossip,” the laird smirked, “and the right coin in
the right pocket can help it along quite nicely.” Both loudly
bellowed out their amusement, feeling no guilt at the harm they
caused to those they saw as beneath them.

She didn’t
understand; were they plotting something against the old minister,
why? She felt her hatred growing; barely able to contain it with in
but what was the laird doing, what was his part and how could he
gain from hurting the clergyman?

“
Well he should have taken my warning to mind his business
after we dealt with the witch, instead he
goes sending letters to the parliament asking for the
matter to be looked into,” the fat man shook his head
disapprovingly, “luckily you have such good
connections.”

“
Nonsense no luck involved,” the laird said sure of his
breading as he saw it, “planning is all it takes
, just as with that scheming witch. To think her
and her mother could steal my land, really,” he added
dismissively.

The shock hit her, the
laird had been behind this and now he was plotting against the one
man that had always been there for her as well as her mother
throughout her short life. She controlled the anger growing inside.
She wanted to rush at them, to take what they had taken from her;
damning them to the glass prison she had prepared for those she now
sought plus one.

“
Yes, well she paid. It’s just a pity we couldn’t have done
the same to her crow of a mother,” the sheriff’s words burned her
soul almost as pain
fully as
the fire had her flesh.

“
I’ll drink to
that,” the laird raised his glass then took a large swallow of the
liquid refreshment it held.

“
What do you
think of her curse?” The laird narrowed his eyes as he asked the
question, as if to hide his own thoughts within.

“
Nonsense,
total nonsense,” the odorous fat lump of a man mocked, “she is in
hells own grasp now and as we all know there is no escape for
that.”

Their
laughter once again taunted her as
she listened. She would show them, yet she knew she needed to do
this right; she knew she may have to wait so as to fulfil her
malediction.

The men talked
on as the hour grew late
,
though she no longer showed interest now she knew the truth. It had
been for simple greed that she had been sacrificed to the fire. If
the laird had so wanted the land why not just request it be
returned?

Finally the
sheriff decided it was time to head home. His host seeing how late
it was offered to put his guest up for the night but the sheriff
wouldn’t
hear of it, wanting
the comfort of his own bed with it’s a small number of bedbugs,
though he doubted if the laird would have few, if any.

H
is mistake of
dismissing her curse and taking the quick road through the woods
made him easy for her to follow, especially since he was walking as
it was such a fine night for such activity. He’d left his coach
behind though the laird had offered his, more out of appearing
sociable than to save the sheriff from the walk.

The fat lump
strode purposely along the main track way that cut through the
wood
s that contained her
cottage. As he went, she rustled branches in the darkness out of
his sight yet loud enough for him to hear. The noise at first
didn’t seem to bother him but as he continued onwards he began to
get more nervous as fear rose within of vagabonds hiding waiting to
waylay him though he tried to dismiss the fear by putting the
sounds down to deer or some such other creatures foraying for
food.

“
Who’s
there?” he’d
nervously asked as she snapped a large branch which he no longer
could put down to animals. He search the night as far as his eyes
could reach into the shadows though saw nothing.

No reply was
given to his challenge. He picked up his pace, pecking as he went
as his breathe grew more laboured; as she followed in the woods,
shaking more branches, snapping others causing his fear to rise,
driving him on along the roadway and regretting not taking the
laird up on his offer of a room for the night yet not wanting to
turn around to head back.