ã€ŠGhosts Over the Forestã€‹


 Of Dreams and Nightmares

    Anya awoke from a terrible nightmare. She shivered at the memory, her heart fluttering - flames, crackling, bright, blazing orange and yellow and burning hot, all around her, the mirror cracking and her little table consumed. But it had only been a dream. She felt a great sense of relief and her mood lifted as she washed herself. She had been lonely and unhappy this summer, with all her friends gone away to summer camp and Jana her best friend not writing to her as promised, but well¡­ she was alive!

    She selected her light blue frock and stood in front of the mirror as she drew a brush through her long, brown hair before tying it into a ponytail and then sailed into the little stone kitchen and threw her arms around her mum, causing her to almost drop the sputtering frying pan she was holding above the hearth.

    "I''m trying to fry the eggs, mouse," said her mother.

    "Just glad to be alive today," said Anya, shrugging. "Where''s Dad?"

    "He has to work in the fields. Not everyone gets the whole summer off. The life of a churl is a laborious one."

    "I don''t want the whole summer off. I''m bored and lonely. If the farmer would accept a girl as a farm hand I would work in the fields with Dad. And Jana hasn''t even written to me like she promised."

    "Sorry dear, but we just didn''t have the money to send you to camp this summer."

    "You couldn''t afford brothers or sisters for me either? Everything comes down to money in this world. I suppose I won''t be able to go to the fairground when it opens because we''ll have no silver."

    "Anya¡­"

    Anya bit her lip and quickly hugged her mum a second time. "Sorry mum. It''s just I''ve no friends in the village this summer, Jana hasn''t written ¨C there aren''t even any neighbours, just that empty old house beyond the copse. But I can write to Jana and let her know I''m cross with her."

    After helping with the washing up, Anya picked up her spluttering old quill and scratched out a note to her best friend, Jana.

    Dear Jana,

    Do tell me, how is camp? I''d love to be with you, hiking, swimming, canoeing and telling stories around the campfire. Have you made any new friends? Met any merry boys? I was so disappointed that I didn''t get to come and I''m even more disappointed not to hear anything from you! What happened to writing every day, like you promised, hmmm?

    Stay safe and don''t let the bed bugs bite!

    Love,

    Anya

    On reflection, Anya felt that the note contained the right amount of scolding and she set out to deliver it. The sky was a clear blue and the sun felt warm on her face. A pair of pale gold butterflies fluttered over the flower garden. She spread her arms and pretended she was flying down the pavement to the letterbox on the corner by the wool shop.

    The wool selling lady was beside her stall today. Anya waved to her. "Hallo, Mrs Wolle!"

    Mrs Wolle ignored her. Cheek! She could hear perfectly well. Was it because Anya couldn''t afford any wool, that she wouldn''t answer?

    Feeling a bit huffy, Anya jogged away. She needed a friend her own age to talk to. The summer days were so monotonous that it was hard to keep track of time. The days all seemed to melt into one. there was so little to do here besides going for long hikes in the woods¡­ and she wanted a companion. At least mum would not ignore her. She turned to go home, but as she passed the empty house near her own, she stopped in her tracks. There was a boy in the front garden. He had his back to her and he was pulling a large mullsack into the dustbin. His golden blond hair glinted in sunshine.

    So, they had a neighbour now! But how? The house had been empty for years and there was no sign of anyone moving in recently. Still, why question it? Maybe she now had someone to hang out with. She trod lightly up to the boy.

    "Hallo!"

    He gave a start and swung around. He looked about her age. His blue eyes were wide with shock for a moment, but it passed.

    "Oh, you made me jump!"

    "Sorry. I''m Anya. I live next door." She smiled and spread her arms wide. "Welcome to Green Forest Valley."

    "You live next door?" He frowned at her.

    Anya hoped very much that he wasn''t going to be stand offish, but she would give him every chance not to be. She nodded. "Yes, I''m your new neighbour. I live in the cottage over there, beyond those trees." She paused as he shook his head, but when he offered no explanation she continued: "When exactly did you move in anyway? I never heard a sound. Do tell me about yourself. What''s your name? Where are you from?"

    The boy stroked his cheek pensively. "I''m Gabriel," he said slowly, "we moved here from the golden fields in the western lowlands. My mum, my sisters and I." Anya was taken aback by his narrowing his eyes at her, but she wouldn''t let it put her off. She grinned.

    "Well someone should show you around and welcome you properly. Officially make you one of us. We''re all friends here. I want to be your friend."

    He seemed to relax. "Well that''s neighbourly of you."

    "Well, why don''t I show you what there is around here that''s fun? Come?" She beckoned and hurried off down the weather-beaten track into the woods where there was a plan afoot to build the fairground in a great clearing. Maybe they would have finally got started. She dashed off down the track. Gabriel was some way behind so she turned and gave him a reassuring smile before entering the shade of the trees. The track continued here and the trees pressed in on all sides. She heard the harsh cawing of crows nearby. Gabriel came crashing through the undergrowth.

    "This is the path, Gabriel," she called and turned around a bend.

    "Wait, why are you leading me into the wood?" he asked her as he came to a halt, panting.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    She put her hands on her hips and looked him full in the face. "Don''t you trust me?"

    He shrugged. "Of course I do. You''re a total stranger. I''d follow any stranger deep into the forest."

    Anya shook her head. "Do you really think I want to hurt you? I''d never hurt anyone."

    "Come on, don''t you get irony?"

    "Oh." She gave a small smile, shook her head and ran along deeper into the heart of the forest and into the clearing. To her surprise, she could see the shapes of a fairground all around the great expanse of the clearing ¨C a Ferris wheel, a fun-house, a roundabout¡­ They had really made progress with the fairground. It looked complete and yet¡­

    Gabriel arrived in the clearing.

    "Behold-" Anya gestured around them. A fairground stood around them, but not what she had expected¡­ the surfaces of the roundabout looked grimy and it was covered in ivy. A sapling was growing up right beside it. In fact, everything here seemed to have an air of neglect. The front wall of the fun-house had been bedecked with a giant painted clown face and yet this was grimy¡­ How odd. It must all be newly built, but it did not look it. Anya turned to the Ferris Wheel. It was immobile with no-one to work the mechanism; every carriage was in a fixed position. But perhaps that didn''t matter. She turned to Gabriel. "See. The fun of the fair. I didn''t know they had finished."

    "Finished? It looks abandoned," said Gabriel glancing around.

    "Well it can''t have been here long. Want to ride the Ferris Wheel with me? I''d like that a lot."

    She scrambled up the ladder that bisected the Ferris Wheel, astonishing herself with her speed until she reached a carriage near the top, Gabriel toiling behind her. She peered down at him. "Are you OK?" Suddenly he seemed to flicker and then he was right beside her. She gave a start. "How did you do that? Where were you?"

    "Where were you? You just disappeared."

    "I didn''t..." Anya shook her head. She must be seeing things. She didn''t want to spoil the moment. "So here we are. The first to see this view," she gestured over the clearing, the carved wooden horses of the roundabout and the looming structure of the funhouse.

    "Now I don''t regret so much that we moved here," said Gabriel.

    "Why did you move here?"

    "Well I told my mum: Mum, I want more than anything to move to a village that''s little more than a hamlet fenced in on all sides by dense forest and I won''t take no for an answer. The life of a land egg is the only one for me!"

    Anya was puzzled. "Why though¡­? Oh! That''s your irony again. Sorry, but you just say these things so matter of fact."

    Gabriel laughed. "Not everyone gets irony. My sense of humour gets me in trouble sometimes." Anya liked seeing him laugh. He had such a warm smile. She gazed at him, taking in his freckled nose and cheeks, his dark blue eyes, his blond hair that gleamed like gold, his perfectly sculpted jaw¡­ She felt calmer and happier than she had all day.

    "Well I like your humour," she said decisively. "I''m glad you''ve come. It''s been so lonely this summer ¨C it''s really, strange¡­ it''s like it''s just been me and mum and dad in the village. My friends are on holiday or at summer camp and today, no one else will talk to me." She gazed into his dark blue eyes again. "It was driving me crazy."

    "I haven''t been all that well either," he admitted, gazing back at her. "There''s me, my mum and sisters, but nothing has really been right since Dad died two years ago."

    "Dear Gabriel, I am so sorry," she reached out and touched his arm.

    Instinctively they clasped one another''s hands. Anya felt that she wanted this moment to last for hours.

    Gabriel broke the silence. He spoke softly. "Anya, may I ask you something really serious?"

    "Yes, dear Gabriel," she whispered.

    "How do we get down?"

    Of all the questions she had been expecting¡­!

    She shook her head. "We don''t. I never thought of that. We''re stuck." She grinned. She thought she rather liked irony. She winked. "But keep your hand in mine and we''ll find a way."

    Once they had climbed down again they came across a dilapidated confectioner''s cart, painted with bright pink stripes.

    "Sweet treats?" Gabriel prized open the lid of the cart and peered inside. He reached in and extracted a pink sugarcloud.

    "I don''t know how long that''s been there, dear¡­" Anya began, but Gabriel was already sampling it. Anya was determined to check it was safe and leaned over to lick at it herself. She got the sweet flavour, although strangely her tongue made no impression on it.

    "It''s gone hard."

    He shook his head, his mouth full. "No it hasn''t, it melts in the mouth."

    Time passed pleasantly at the fairground. The place was deserted, but they could still play with the games at the different stalls, trying to fling wooden hoops onto a wooden post, rummaging through a lucky dip and playing catch with a wooden ball from another stall. That afternoon they came to the fun-house. Stepping into its gaping maw, they found two doors, one with the sign ''Hall of Mirrors'' and the other with the sign ''Dance Floor.''

    "Seeing oddly shaped reflections can only be so funny, for so long," said Gabriel, taking the handle of the Dance door.

    "Agreed. I like dancing," said Anya as she followed him in.

    This room was crowded with brightly coloured mannequins, all in dancing poses. The mannequins were all such bright, artificial colours. Perhaps this was supposed to be some sort of fantasy themed display. Gabriel went up to one of them in the shape of a tall, bright green lady. "I bet she could teach us to dance. And she may be a bit green in the cheeks, but she is really beautiful and confident. Too bad I would embarrass myself if I tried. I don''t know any steps."

    Anya grinned. "Well she''s probably tired right now, holding that pose for so long. How about I teach you a little?"

    She really liked the idea of dancing with Gabriel. It seemed proper somehow. They clasped hands again and Anya tried to guide him in a quick step. At first he nearly trod on her feet and she had to be alert and move quickly so that he wouldn''t be embarrassed in this way. But he improved on the second attempt, even managing to twirl her around. She gazed into his deep, blue eyes as they began to dance in rhythm. His hair gleamed like gold. His cheeks flushed rosy pink. "Are you tired, dear?"

    "A little. But you dance as if you were light as air. You''d probably prefer an expert. Like one of these mannequins."

    "Oh Gabriel, it''s a question of practice. And I like dancing with you, I don''t want another partner." She halted, feeling a little self-conscious as they gazed at one another again, without speaking.

    "Um¡­ it''s strange. This is a fairground and there''s literally no living person here besides us and no one selling anything," said Gabriel breaking the silence.

    "Ah well, I''ve got no money," said Anya. "We''re too poor for me to go to camp, even."

    "Well I would buy you a bunch of blue ribbons if I could, to tie up your bonny brown hair."

    Anya recognised the nursery rhyme and smiled. "Oh dear, what can the matter be?"

    "Oops¡­ talking of which, my mum will worry if I''m gone long and my sisters will scold me." He chanted the nursery rhyme again: "''Oh dear, what shall I say to them? I''ve been so long at the fair.'' And look." He gestured to the window. "The sun''s setting."

    "Well it was my idea. I''ll explain to them," said Anya, "let them blame me."

    They walked hand in hand back up the path that wound between the trees. Anya was thrilled to hold Gabriel''s hand. The loneliness inside her was gone. The last rays of the setting sun shone through the foliage overhead.

    But then night fell on them. All was no longer well. She could sense something in the air¡­ something dreadful. The birds had fallen silent. Anya felt a chill to her very heart and a dark shadow reared high above the foliage. The darkness pressed in around them and she was aware of a groping horror that seemed to surround them both¡­

    "Quick! Take cover!" she tried to cry out, but her voice came out in a strangled squeak and she pulled Gabriel off the path and into a hollow under a tree stump, where they huddled close together.

    There was a terrible shriek above, like a file scraping on glass. The darkness outside deepened and then¡­ Anya choked as a putrid smell of decomposition invaded her nostrils making her gag and heave. She had never smelled human putrescence or bloated corpses before, otherwise she would have recognised the stench. She sensed the poisonous probing tendrils of a chilling malevolence floating near the edges of her consciousness.

    The children hugged one another tighter, terror overwhelming them, the evil presence looming closer.

    "What is it?" Gabriel''s voice broke and squeaked.

    A bloodcurdling hiss sounded.

    "You cannot hide¡­ I sense you¡­"

    Slang used:

    Mouse = dear/ darling child

    Mullsack = rubbish sack

    Land egg = country bumpkin

 In the Dark of the Night

    <u></u>Anya hugged Gabriel tightly as he shivered. They could both sense the dire peril outside.

    "The blood of the innocent will flow! Thus will the Dread Disciples rise! A feeble scrap of flesh and bones is all that stands in our way... BUT WAIT!"

    That terrible hissing voice lanced through their minds. It sounded like a woman''s voice, but much, much harsher than any human voice Anya had ever heard. It grated. It snarled. It shrieked. And it growled.

    "By Carcescu... What is this? You would dare challenge a Dread Disciple? And yet you do not even know yourself. If you do not even know, I cannot finish this now. Curse the rules of this backwater world! In my own realm I could smite you anyway. But when you do know yourself, then I will come for you! Combat will be brutal, indeed... oh yes..."

    The poisonous presence withdrew and both felt a sense of great relief, like they had been saved from drowning in icy water. Anya shuddered. Her skin was still crawling. Nothing had ever spooked her out anything like this.

    Gabriel''s face looked very pale in the near darkness. "Gabriel¡­?" She touched his cheek, her anxiety clear in her voice.

    "What was that?" His voice was shaking. "A waking nightmare?"

    "You''ll be OK. I''m here." She helped him stand. This was clearly no place to linger. Arm in arm they hurried back up the forest path and back to Gabriel''s house.

    Gabriel seemed to have recovered his poise now he was in sight of home. "We certainly find adventure. Maybe too much. And I thought land eggs led boring lives."

    The oil lamps were shining in all the windows of the ground floor of the large house. They lit up Gabriel''s face. He still looked a little pale. There was a smudge of earth on his forehead and a leaf in his hair. "Hold, dear," said Anya, "there''s mud on you." She brushed it off and plucked the leaf away. "There."

    They walked up the front path, arm in arm. A beautiful young woman in a long pink dress ran up to them, her long, blond hair streaming out behind her. She could only be Gabriel''s sister, she was so beautiful. Anya had seen statues of goddesses who looked like her, although this goddess had a sprinkling of freckles over her nose and cheeks and her eyes were of the bluest blue, like his were.

    "Gabriel! Where have you been? How could you wonder off and worry us all like this?" Her voice was trembling a little and her cheeks were flushed pink.

    Anya stepped forwards. "It was my fault, it was my idea that we go to the fair. Blame me."

    "Do listen to Anya, Lotte," urged Gabriel.

    But Lotte didn''t even look at Anya. She glared at her brother, her blue eyes bright with anger. "What are you talking about? And what have you got to say for yourself? Mother''s been beside herself with worry."

    "Listen, Lotte, there''s a demon at large tonight, it swooped down on us in the woods, a terrible shadow with the stink of death."

    "He''s right. A most dire peril is at hand," urged Anya.

    Again, Lotte did not look at her, she just folded her arms as she faced Gabriel. "I''m in no mood for your jokes, little brother. I''m very displeased."

    "Listen to Anya," said Gabriel, gesturing towards his friend.

    "I will not listen to Anya, I am not interested in Anya. You''re coming inside, now!" Lotte, took her brother by the hand and led him inside.

    "Sorry," said Gabriel, turning to Anya with a helpless shrug just before Lotte slammed the door.

    Anya stood there, feeling confused and upset. Lotte had been angry, but she looked like a nice young woman. Why would she deliberately ignore her like that and hurt her feelings? Did Lotte think that she was not a suitable playmate for her brother? Anya felt her bottom lip quiver and tears in her eyes. She hurried back to the cottage beyond the copse and then quickly stopping to wipe her eyes, she entered the kitchen. Her mum and dad were both there.

    "Listen mum, dad, we have new neighbours in the big house beyond the copse," she began. "My friend Gabriel lives there now with his mother and sisters. He is such a nice boy¡­"

    Her mother shook her head. "Neighbours, sweet? We would have known if anyone moved there. The house is empty."

    "I was surprised too. And that''s not all, for I have very serious news, there''s something terrible on the loose tonight, a shadow looms over the forest¡­"

    "Listen Anya," her father cut in, "I bear serious news." He looked unwell. His voice was strained. Anya fell silent. "The farmer has decided to make cut backs. I''m laid off."

    "Oh no! If there''s anything I could do¡­" She laid a hand on his arm.

    "We are penniless, mouse," said her mother.

    "I must be able to do something. I don''t want to be helpless. I''ve done babysitting before, I like that." Her mother shook her head. Her eyes looked glazed. There was definitely something wrong here¡­ Anya felt like the floor was slipping away from under her¡­ so much had been weird and unfamiliar today, everyone besides Gabriel ignoring her, the spectral stalker in the forest and now mum and dad sitting there with glazed eyes...Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    Anya took a calming breath. "If there is anything wrong, I want to help. Shall I prepare you an ale, Dad? You must need cheering up."

    "We need to rest. You need to rest, dear daughter."

    He seemed so tired and wan¡­ She couldn''t bear to worry him. She kissed him on the cheek. "Everything will come right in the end. You''ll see. We should all get a good night''s sleep."

    Back in her bedroom, Anya''s mind was racing and her spirits were low. If her dad had no job, they were in trouble. And it had hit him hard. It was so upsetting to see him like this. He was so resigned¡­ so weary. She wouldn''t have thought he would ever get that way in his entire lifetime. And then there was something terribly wrong all around her... In the entire community.

    She untied her hair and then sat by her bed, lost in thought. The whole atmosphere over forest was wrong, somehow. She thought of the stinking shadow with the bloodcurdling hiss and shuddered. The memory of it made her skin crawl. The fiend must surely be the reason why everything felt so wrong. She and Gabriel were the only ones who knew about it. She thought of Gabriel and smiled feeling warm inside. She must speak to him again. Just looking on his face again would be a great comfort. But it was late and Lotte hadn''t exactly been welcoming. Anya would not be rude enough to butt in where she wasn''t wanted. She gazed through the window at the starry sky and smiled as she remembered gazing into Gabriel''s dark blue eyes that time on the Ferris wheel and how they danced together in the hall of mannequins. But she wouldn''t visit him without an invite. On the other hand, what if the evil spectre should intrude again tonight? Could the fiend be after Gabriel? If so, Anya would be there to defend him.

    Anya stood up and wrapped herself in her ragged old traveling cloak that was a little too big and slipped out of the cottage and through the copse. It was a warm clear night, with a crescent moon shining silver above in a sky full of stars. The windows of Gabriel''s brick house were still lit up by oil lamps. Through a ground floor window, Anya could see that they were metal oil lamps. She had only ever heard of those before, from the priestess of Grace who had educated her as part of her charity work. Evidently Gabriel''s family did not have to rely on candles and their hearth fire. Anya paused, thinking about what she was doing. Was she really about to trespass? Without an invite, that was what it amounted to. That was not justified, however much she wanted to see her friend again. But then¡­ these circumstances were not normal. She reminded herself of the menace of the shadow that hissed foul threats and she tiptoed up to the back of the house. She was going to defend Gabriel if the foul thing came back. That had to justify trespass.

    She circled round to the back of the house and looked up at the first-floor window. There was the light of an oil lamp shining through the diamond panes. She clambered up the side of the house, using footholds and toeholds in the rough stone walls. She was astonished at her own agility. It was as though she were much lighter somehow than she used to be.

    Gripping the stone windowsill, she peered through the window and found herself almost face to face with a beautiful older girl who sat at a small wooden dressing table on the other side of the glass, brushing her long blond hair with an ornate hairbrush. Anya gave a little gasp. How could she have been so stupid as to think this was a good idea? This must be another of Gabriel''s sisters. What would she think of Anya peering in her bedroom window? But the girl was gazing into a mirror on her vanity table. Had she not noticed Anya''s face looking in? Apparently not. Her sky-blue eyes were fixed on the pretty, heavily freckled face of her reflection in the looking glass. Anya wasn''t about to question it further and slipped to the ground. She shook her head. She had no right to come to someone''s house without an invitation. She knew better than this.

    But then¡­ A terrible shriek high above¡­ a hissing and a wailing¡­ the moon was abruptly cut off by a black shadow swooping across it. Then the shadow lunged towards the house and Anya sensed its chilling malevolence once more. The garden was suddenly plunged in darkness. The lights of the oil lamps in the windows flickered and died. Anya felt an icy sense of terror. Hadn''t the fiend hissed that she was coming for one of them? She must have meant Gabriel then. Anya leaped back up the side of the house determined to find Gabriel''s window and protect him at all costs. How long it took her to scramble up the side of the house this time she could not say for certain ¨C she was in the grip of panic. But then she heard Gabriel''s cry through an open window and made for it, heaving herself over the sill.

    There in the room was the darkest shadow of all. It was so dark and so opaque that it would surely obliterate any light. It seemed to turn its attention to Anya and for an instant, she felt she was staring into the very pit of wickedness. More full of pure, blind evil than anything she had ever imagined. It chilled her heart.

    Yet again, that terrible hiss lanced through her mind: "Again you would interfere, sunburned brat? You do not even know yourself! When you do I can squeeze your soul until it bleeds."

    Then as before, the evil presence withdrew. The oil lamp flickered back to life. Gabriel was sitting up in bed, pale and trembling. Anya hastily gathered him into her arms. "I''m here now, dear, you''ve nothing to worry about." He was shaking so she kissed his forehead and stroked his hair. She rocked him and hummed a favourite lullaby of the villagers. She felt overwhelmingly relieved that she had arrived in the nick of time. She turned cold at the thought of what might have happened if she had not.

    "Thank the gods you''re here, Anya," said Gabriel sniffing, burying his head in her cloak.

    They sat together in silence for a while. "It was that horror from the forest," said Gabriel abruptly. Anya gazed upon his face as he told her what happened. "I was sleeping and then was plunged into a nightmare. I was stuck running along a horrible tunnel reeking of the stench of death, rotting arms groping for me from all the walls until I entered a cavern piled with corpses¡­" he shuddered, "I never even imagined anything like it before. And there was the shadowy figure standing on the pile of bodies, looming over me. Then I woke up and it was standing at the foot of the bed, watching me. Then I saw¡­" He choked and Anya hugged him tightly again.

    "Oh you poor, sweet thing! She''s gone now, she''s gone and if she intrudes again, she''ll have to go through me."

    He continued; "then she cast aside the shadows. The shadows were her wrappings and then I saw a woman, skin as white as chalk, her eyes burning with dark fire¡­ brrr! Her eyes had the look of serpents as she glared at me. The strands of her black hair coiled around her like writhing snakes. She spoke to me and her voice sounded hollow¡­ dead¡­ ''Do you know who my enemy is boy? You do know, don''t you? I can do nothing if she doesn''t know, but you can tell her. I can make you mine then, it could be your reward.'' She grabbed my wrist and her touch burned, searing, icy cold. She had a silver bracelet in the shape of a serpent. Then I saw her white hand shrivel and become dead and rotting. The snake came to life and hissed. I looked up and her face was like a skull, framed with filthy hair, the eye sockets burning with fire and she drew back her lips to show me a mouthful of rotting fangs and hissed; ''you would be wise to obey.'' But when you came she went away again. I knew I could count on you."

    Anya shuddered at this chilling tale. What were they up against?

 In the Cold Light of Day

    Anya heard soft footfalls outside the door. "Sorry dear, I shouldn''t be here." She dived under the bed and not a moment too soon.

    "Gabriel? Did you yell?" The soft voice of a girl. Anya could see the hem of her forget-me-not blue dressing gown sweeping across the floor as she hid under the bed.

    "Yes, Astrid. It was the demon from the forest. She flew in through the window."

    Astrid sat down on Gabriel''s bed, her freckled legs just inches away from Anya''s face. Astrid was probably the girl Anya had seen through the window.

    "You had a nightmare, Gabriel. I did too. It came on all of a sudden."

    "The demon caused them when she flew in and hissed at me."

    "I think you shouldn''t tell stories, Gab. Lotte doesn''t like it."

    "She''s bossy."

    "Mm. Listen, we''re going to start work tomorrow. Exciting eh? Heidi the farmer seems super nice."

    Heidi? Who was Astrid talking about? The farmer was an old man and Anya remembered that his name was Klaus, not Heidi.

    "Hard work though I bet. Dad wouldn''t have forced me to work hard." Anya felt concerned. She hoped Astrid had the sense to hug him. From under the bed she could not of course see.

    "I miss him too, but we have to all pull our weight now," said Astrid softly.

    "Lotte will be living it up in the dress shop." Anya could envision Gabriel pouting as he said that.

    "Dress making''s hard work as well. And I must say it doesn''t appeal to me."

    "I wish Anya would come to the farm tomorrow," said Gabriel loudly, "then it would actually be fun. She could make some money, too."

    Under the bed, Anya grinned.

    "Well now, I''ve heard so much about her all evening I must meet her," said Astrid sounding amused.

    "Probably not in the middle of the night," said Gabriel, still speaking loudly. Anya silently agreed. It would be so embarrassing to be found hiding under the bed like this. She felt her face grow hot at the thought.

    When Astrid had bidden her brother goodnight and left the room, Anya slipped out from under the bed.

    Gabriel looked quite relaxed again as he lay back in bed. His golden hair gleamed in the light of the oil lamp.

    "Are you sure you''re alright, darling?"

    He tapped his cutely formed nose. "I''m not sure, perhaps you should check?"

    Anya thought she had better, so she leaned close to peer at him, her dark hair spilling onto his pillow. He flashed her a cheeky grin. "See, my irony gets you each time."

    "Very good." Anya sat down on the side of the bed again. "I think I should stay, in case the demon comes back. I ¨C I don''t want to go back alone anyway. Not while it''s dark." She shuddered at the thought of meeting the demon alone outside on a dark night! Such a horror truly had no place in her world.

    "I''ll protect you, Anya. Any demon or dragon would have to go through me first, my dark-haired princess."

    Anya grinned. "I hear you, my beautiful Knight. Protect me and I''ll leave at dawn."

    "Well you must come with us tomorrow, you heard Astrid and me."

    Anya smiled. "I had no idea there was a new farmer, but I''ll be delighted to come with you. It would be so merry if we could work together. I might be able to earn enough to support us as at home as well."

    "If you were the bread winner you could make the rules? Like staying up as late as you wanted? And buying whatever clothes you liked?" Gabriel''s piping voice was beginning to sound sleepy.

    "We could afford to go to a real fair then," said Anya, stroking his hair. "Or to summer camp." Looking on Gabriel''s sweet face she thought that he should be her new best friend. Jana had certainly let her down by not writing as promised. Although she would give Jana a chance to explain herself face to face, there was no denying she had hurt her feelings.

    As Gabriel nodded off she lay beside him, on top of the blankets, still fully clothed. She would not nod off, just rest her eyes for a second and then carry on with her guard duty¡­ But nod off she did.

    Anya awoke to the sun shining in through her own bedroom window. She sat up and blinked. How was she back here? Had she been dreaming? No, that was stupid, she remembered the events of last night with crystal clarity. Had she sleep walked back? Was that possible? She was in her white night gown again, just as she had been yesterday morning, but she had not undressed herself last night, she had still worn her frock and the old traveling cloak.

    Still, she had to get going. It was exciting that she could finally work and really support her mum and dad. She washed herself carefully, found her old gardening clothes for mucky work ¨C hand me downs from her mum ¨C and then she hurried into the kitchen.

    Her mum was frying eggs again, standing by the hearth just as she had the previous morning. "Morning, mummy dear. So we have more fresh eggs?"Stolen story; please report.

    "Yes, mouse. I hope you¡¯re hungry."

    "Where is dad? I have good news."

    "Gone to work in the fields. The life of a churl is a laborious one."

    "Wait-" Anya was puzzled. "Sorry, but what happened to his being laid off? Is it that he is applying for a job from Heidi?"

    "What do you mean, mouse?"

    Anya was getting a curious sense of deja vu from the previous morning. It was making her uneasy. That sense of something being wrong that had bothered her yesterday before meeting Gabriel was back, now twice as strong.

    "I ¨C I''m going to apply for a job at the farm."

    "That miserable old fellow won''t employ a girl."

    "I''ve heard that there is a new farmer, named Heidi." Anya peered hard at her mother. What was not quite right? Mum''s eyes had that glazed look¡­ Anya swallowed.

    Her mother began to serve the eggs. "Your father works for farmer Klaus."

    "Last night you said that Klaus had laid dad off."

    Her mother shook her head, that vacant look back in her eyes. "I don''t remember."

    "Mum, please, you''ve got to tell me if something''s wrong, if I don''t know, how can I help?" Anya was on her feet and her voice rising shrilly, feeling once again like the ground was slipping away from under her. "There''s a demon on the loose¡­ has she put a spell on you? She''s after me, it''s clear." The thought of the foul, hissing shadow touching the minds of her parents gave her chills.

    "Oh you poor sweet thing, don''t get in a state," her mother put her arms round her.

    Anya pressed her face into her mother''s shoulder, feeling tears coming to her eyes. "You''ll be OK, mum. I''m going to get help. I ¨C I want to see Gabriel next door. Then we''ll know what to do."

    "The house next door is empty, dearest," said her mother, her voice still with that absent tone.

    Anya hurried through the copse, so fast that her feet seemed to skim over the grass. Gabriel was waiting for her by the front door, his blond hair gleaming gold in the sunshine. She flung her arms around him. "Good morning, Anya. What kept you? Astrid''s already gone on ahead." He caught sight of her face and saw the tears in her eyes and her frightened look. "What''s happened? You look like you''ve seen the demon again."

    "I ¨C I think she''s put a spell on my mum. One I don''t understand." She beginning to sob now. "We need help. Badly."

    Gabriel nodded, his face uncharacteristically grave. "The farmer knows everyone. Perhaps she knows a priest who will fight the fiend. If we''re her employees, it stands to reason she''d want to help."

    Despite the seriousness of the situation, Anya felt a little calmer. Just seeing Gabriel''s pretty, freckled face again was a comfort. She nodded, her bottom lip still quivering. Holding hands, they walked up the rutted dusty track to the farm, glancing around uneasily in case the demon should swoop down on them.

    Now they were surrounded by green fields. Gabriel pointed to a long, low stone building. "We''re supposed to go in there."

    They slipped in through the open door. There were other young people sitting along rows of wooden benches, some Anya''s age, some younger still and some nearing adulthood. At the front there stood a tall, beautiful lady with long auburn hair that glinted in the sunshine that streamed through the low windows. Everyone looked round as they entered.

    "Sorry we''re late, it''s my fault," said Anya.

    "Sorry," echoed Gabriel.

    "Welcome!" the lady beamed at them. "I''m Heidi, please take a seat."

    They sat down on the end of a bench. Anya could see Astrid frown at her brother. Hadn''t she heard that their lateness was Anya''s fault, not Gabriel''s?

    "Now today we can all try out the jobs we feel we''d be good at and find the right ones. Yay!" chirped Heidi, raising her arms as if in celebration. There were smiles around the room. Everyone began to tell Heidi what job they would like to try out for. Anya thought it was a very good idea. And there were equal numbers of girls and boys. Heidi was so much fairer about it than Klaus had been. Undoubtedly she would rehire Anya''s father. She waited for Heidi to come around to them, but Gabriel raised his hand and piped up:

    "I would like to try out baking first, I quite like it at home. But I want to work with Anya, whatever happens and she needs a good job."

    "Anya, my dear?" Said Heidi, smiling at him.

    "My neighbour. In the cottage beyond the copse next to our house," said Gabriel, pointing at her.

    "Yes, Heidi, I would love to work with Gabriel," said Anya.

    But Heidi looked concerned. There were a few muffled sniggers around the room. "My dear, there is no longer a labourer''s cottage next to your house. It burned down five years ago." Her voice was grave and she was no longer smiling. "A terrible tragedy. I knew Franz, the poor, poor man¡­ he, his wife and young daughter all died. Anya has been dead these five years."

    Anya felt a chill to her heart, just as if she had been plunged in icy water. She leaped to her feet crying out wildly. No! It couldn''t be true it couldn''t be! And yet... why did it seem that the pieces were falling into place...? Gabriel looked at her, alarmed, but no one else noticed. No one else could see her. But her mum and dad were still at the cottage, they had to be.

    She hurtled out of the door and down the weather-beaten track, past Gabriel''s house and through the copse and then she found ¨C

    There was no cottage, just a charred husk; the stone base was surrounded by fragments of charred old wood. Nothing left of her home and family, but ashes and dust. She collapsed onto the old stone floor and screamed and screamed and screamed wildly. Then she broke down, crying hard. Now everything made sense. That terrible dream of a fire¡­ that sense that time was not going by¡­ that no one besides Gabriel could see or hear her¡­ that Gabriel''s family had moved in, Heidi become the farmer and the fair been abandoned for years, all without her knowing¡­ that her mum and dad were not really her mum and dad anymore, they were just memories and their cottage a burned-out shell¡­ she had just seen what she wanted to see before, but now she knew. That had been what the foul demon hissed about. The creepy rambling of the fiend made sense now¡­ that bit about Anya not knowing herself. She had not known that she was a ghost! Nothing would ever be the same again...

    She lay face down on the cold stone crying hard, her whole body shaking uncontrollably. "Mum¡­ Dad¡­ come back¡­" she moaned. No answer. She wailed and cried even harder, beating at the stone floor with her fists.

    Soft footfalls behind her. "Anya¡­"

    "Gabriel!" She rose and threw her arms around him again. She was taller than him and could not bury her face in his shoulder, but she hugged him tight as she cried. "Mum ¡­ dad¡­ they''re dead and so am I. I''m dead...! It''s too late. I shouldn''t even - even be here." She wailed again and fresh tears poured down her face, splashing onto Gabriel''s hair.

    "Anya¡­ dear¡­ we''re both here and can get through this. There is a reason you are here. Remember ¨C the demon said that you''re her enemy. You made her run away twice. Isn''t it obvious? You''ve come back to fight her and save the village. That must be it. And she kept hissing that she couldn''t fight you until you knew yourself. Now you do know we''ve got to make a plan."

    She gazed into his beautiful, blue eyes. "Dear Gabriel I ¨C I" she hiccoughed. She wanted to say that she was too sad to carry on, but with him near, she couldn''t be so sad as that.

    "Wow, my best friend is a ghost. And I thought village life would be dull. What do I know?" He shook his head.

    Her friend¡­ he wanted to be her friend even though she was a ghost. He was not scared of her¡­ he was a friend. Despite her sorrow, that thought warmed her.

    "The demon appears at night. We''ve got to be ready and we''ve only got until sunset," he urged.

    She nodded, her throat tight. Time to pull herself together. She wouldn''t lie down and give up, she would make mum and dad proud. The demon must not win. Anya would fight.

 A Warning from Beyond

    Gabriel held out a linen handkerchief for Anya to dry her tears. She pressed it to her face. She knew she must be strong. If it took a ghost such as herself to defeat an evil spirit, then Gabriel and the other villagers all needed her to be strong. It was too late to save herself and her family, but it was not too late for them.

    She handed the handkerchief back to Gabriel who turned it over in his hands. "It''s dry. I do wonder how being a ghost works. Now you know that you are a ghost, do you know what your ghostly powers are?"

    Anya shook her head. "Um¡­ no my dear, I really have no idea. We need to find Heidi. I think ¨C I hope she will know what to do."

    "Wow, have you worked out how you to make everyone else see you?" His blue eyes were wide as he gazed at her.

    She didn''t like to disappoint him, but she had to shake her head again. "Ach! I forgot about that. Please walk with me while I think on this."

    She took his hand and they walked back through the copse. The sunlight shone through the wall of trees, illuminating the individual beads of the morning dew on a cobweb amidst the low hanging branches. A squirrel that scampered high into the foliage as they walked past. "Dad said squirrels are too timid to make friends with," said Gabriel, glancing up at it. Anya smiled at him.

    They re-joined the weather-beaten track to the farm. "You can already do ghostly things though," said Gabriel as they walked. "You can climb like no living person that I know. And remember how you vanished and reappeared that time we went up the Ferris wheel? Do you think you can walk through walls now?"

    "I don''t get how I did that on the Ferris Wheel. I have never walked through a wall. I can''t answer any ghost questions yet. I am sorry."

    Gabriel stood on tiptoe to peer at her face. "I used to think ghosts would always be pale, but your face is very tanned. When I first saw you, you did look a bit transparent, but now you really don''t. Perhaps it is a ghost''s nature to come and go."

    Anya pushed her long hair away from her face. "So that is why you looked at me as if I was strange."

    He flashed his cheeky grin at her again. "Well now I''ve got to know you, you''re not in the least bit strange really. And you''re going to become a legendary heroine. Aren''t you? You must. Our enemy''s the stuff of nightmares."

    She didn''t know exactly how to answer, just gave a wan smile and suggested that they sit in the shade of an old beech tree near the field.

    "Can you phase through the tree?" asked Gabriel. Anya pressed her hand against the unyielding bark and shook her head.

    A small black cat padded up to them and Gabriel called to it. It sidled up to Anya and rubbed itself against her leg, purring.

    "Hallo, you dear little thing," she said, petting it. It looked up at her with clear, emerald eyes and then nuzzled her hand. "Aw, so adorable."

    "A clever beast. That''s two of us who can see you," said Gabriel.

    Anya felt somewhat cheered. "Yes. Thank you both, for keeping me company."

    Gabriel began to tie his handkerchief to a twig on the ground. "If you wave this, then someone else will believe in you. Best not to show it to anyone ''til I''ve talked to them. I think we should find Heidi, like you said."

    They passed through a field of sheep and another of cows. "Astrid''s trying out being a milkmaid," said Gabriel, indicating the milking shed. "Maybe she knows where Heidi''s got to."

    Anya glided along beside him. "Sorry you had to run after me like that. I''m sure you needed to be getting on with your new job. I will try to tell them it was my fault ¨C again."

    "I really hope they hear you this time," said Gabriel shaking his head.

    Heidi''s clear voice rang out as they approached the milk shed: "well done, you dears."

    In the shed the rows of cattle stood on either side of the aisle. The other children were busy milking them.

    "Heidi¡­" began Gabriel, "I''ve something important to say."

    Astrid was sitting on a stool next to a cow that stood near them. She turned her heavily freckled face to her brother and glared at him, not even seeing Anya. "What did you mean by running off like that?" she murmured.

    Heidi strode towards them, the rays of sunlight shining through the windows glinting off her long, auburn hair. She beamed at Gabriel. "Of course, my dear. If there is something on your mind, do share it."

    "It has to be somewhere private," said Gabriel with a half glance at Astrid who was shaking her head.

    "Of course," said Heidi, taking him by the hand. "Steffi," she addressed one of the older girls, "you''re in charge while I''m out."If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    Heidi led the way out of the cow shed and to a small tool shed with an earthy floor nearby.

    "So dear Gabriel, if there is anything troubling you, you must feel free. No one else can hear."

    "There is someone dear to me, but she''s dead and not at peace." Heidi gazed at Gabriel, an anxious expression in her green eyes. "I know she is still here, but no one else can see."

    "My dear, that is not uncommon when we lose a loved one," said Heidi softly, laying a slender hand on his shoulder.

    "But Anya is here, right now," insisted Gabriel. "Anya, now!" he handed Anya the twig with his handkerchief tied round it. Anya held it up and waved, the handkerchief flapping like a white flag.

    "Oh!" Heidi''s green eyes went very wide as she gazed at the flag in Anya''s hand.

    "Please, please see me. Please hear me," said Anya feeling a wild hope.

    "Can you hear her?" urged Gabriel.

    Thinking quickly, Anya knelt and scratched in the earthy ground, writing her name. Heidi stared at the letters in the ground. "Anya¡­" she mouthed.

    Anya quickly scratched more letters. "I am Anya. Please help. We are all in peril."

    "Can you see her?" said Gabriel pointing. "She''s a tall, wispy girl of my age, long dark brown hair and big brown eyes, face tanned honeyed brown by the sun, wearing really shabby gardening clothes¡­"

    Anya knew she must prove her good intention so she drew the rune of good, just as the Priestess of Grace had once instructed her. It was to ward off evil spirits. Heidi had to realise that Anya was here to help.

    "Anya, Anya¡­ can you hear me," breathed Heidi, looking a little pale.

    YES, Anya scratched into the earth.

    "I see you are a servant of good as well. Stand up Anya and take my hands."

    Heidi held out her hands, glancing around the shed. Anya stood and slipped her hands in Heidi''s. Heidi gave a little gasp. "I realise you are also a servant of goodness and that no evil spirit would draw the rune designed to repel them. Anya ¨C look into my eyes." Her heart thudding Anya looked up into Heidi''s eyes, so emerald green, like a cat''s. Heidi gazed at her with surprising intensity then her mouth fell open slightly. "I ¨C I see you¡­ poor sweet thing¡­"

    "Hurrah!" said Gabriel, leaping and punching the air in celebration. "Now Anya, can you tell Heidi why I was late?"

    But Anya''s emotions were bubbling up inside her again. Her throat tightened and her lip trembled and she realised she was crying once more. Heidi put her arms around her, her long red hair obscuring Anya''s vision for a moment.

    Gabriel touched her shoulder gently. "Anya''s been through a lot. I''m sorry it had to happen to you, Anya."

    "Thank you, dear," Anya glanced at Gabriel then looked up at Heidi. "You know who I am, Heidi? Dad worked for Farmer Klaus."

    "Klaus was my uncle and I knew who the labourers were." Heidi smiled at her sadly. "I''m sorry we never met¡­ before."

    "We have found something out," piped Gabriel.

    "Indeed," said Anya. "A menace from another world casts her shadow over the forest. An evil spirit. A shadow that can take different forms. Last night she reared her head twice. She kept hissing that I am her enemy and that she was not allowed to fight me until I knew that I was a ghost. I caught her intruding in Gabriel''s bedroom, trying to intimidate him into revealing this."

    Heidi''s green eyes registered shock. "She could well be a servant of evil from another world."

    "Another world?" Gabriel sounded confused.

    "The priestess mentioned the theory to me in passing, dear Gabriel," said Anya, turning to him. "That different realities exist side by side, but separate from one another. Only reachable by magic."

    Heidi nodded. "If a great evil-doer has invaded our world, then that is a violation, hateful to all the gods of good. Perhaps they have appointed a ghostly guardian. Perhaps they have appointed Anya."

    "Well that''s a good choice," said Gabriel, standing beside his friend. Anya grinned.

    "Ach, you dears, don''t underestimate how dangerous evil spirits are, especially one with the power to cross the gap between worlds. Have you honed your ghostly powers, Anya?"

    "Sadly I''ve no idea how. Sorry." The reality of having to fight the demon was beginning to hit home and the bare idea gave her the chills. "When I fell asleep in Gabriel''s bedroom last night I woke up back in our old cottage which is where¡­"

    Heidi brushed her long red hair away from her face. "There are no priests in the neighbourhood at present. It would take days to send for one. But the training we both received from priestesses could help us. For I was once trained by a priestess of Justice. The cottage may well be a portal through which we can find answers. Come, you dears." She beckoned to them and they followed, Gabriel trotting and Anya gliding across the grass to keep up with her long strides.

    Anya felt a raw pang of emotion, seeing the charred base of the cottage once more. All that there was of her old life. Like dead leaves in cold December, nothing but ashes remained. She stopped dead still and began to tremble. Gabriel put an arm around her waist as she breathed deeply.

    Heidi turned to them, a sad expression on her face. "I know the pain is great, Anya, but there are things we must confront. Where was your bedroom, dear?"

    Anya put a hand to her mouth and stepped lightly over to the rear right quarter of the stone floor. "I used to sleep here. That is where I came back. It was like I awoke from a long sleep." Whispering voices seemed to call for her, making her feel warm and fuzzy. "I ¨C I"

    She fell to her knees and touched the cold stone. As though from a distance she heard Gabriel''s cry of alarm and then she felt herself rushing upwards through bright lights towards the stars. She could feel her mother''s presence. Her heart swelled with joy and she felt herself reaching out for her. Then she heard her mother''s querulous calling; "Anya mouse, beware! The dread serpent rears her head each night. On the third night she will break her bonds and strike at the standing stones. Beware, Anya beware!"

    And then with a rush Anya felt herself plummeting back to the Earth and her eyes snapped open. Gabriel was kneeling beside her, eyes wide. "Anya you just flickered again and now you''re dressed in white, like a ghost from a storybook. Are you alright?" She realised she was now dressed in a pure white gown rather like her old nightdress only smoother and made of the whitest satin that gleamed in the sunlight.

    "I heard my mother!" said Anya glancing quickly around and listening hard, but the whispering voices were all silent now. "She had a warning for me, I know it."

    Heidi nodded, the waves of her long red hair rippled and bounced. "It is said that ghosts can communicate with those beyond the veil. I suspect it must take practice as with everything. We must help you hone all your ghostly powers, Anya, for there are many."

    "I ¨C I heard my mother¡­ I want to speak to mum and dad again."

    Gabriel put a hand on her shoulder. "Of course she does. Can''t you help her?"

    Heidi looked sad again. "We must both help. Anya, you need to practice. Communicating beyond the veil is only one power. You have the potential for many others. I will send a messenger for a priest or priestess, but until they arrive, we are on our own and we must be prepared."

 Lessons to be Learned

    The three of them stood outside the hay barn. Heidi pointed to the wooden wall of the structure. "I believe that for a first attempt, phasing through a wooden wall would be best. Dears, I''m setting you to work together on this. Gabriel, go inside and be ready to help Anya if she has difficulty."

    Gabriel nodded and ran into the barn. Anya pressed the wall of the barn uncertainly. "I really don''t know how I could phase through any wall, even a wooden one."

    "Just try," said Heidi with a smile. "Focus on getting through to the other side. I''m sure Gabriel can help."

    Anya took a deep breath and closed her eyes visualising Gabriel on the other side of the wooden wall. She leaned forward slowly, felt a barrier of resistance and then found herself breaking through it. She gave a start and opened her eyes. She could see the dingy interior of the hay barn and Gabriel standing near looking surprised. She was stuck half way through the barn wall. Her front half leaning forwards had phased through the wooden planks into the barn, but her legs were still standing outside...

    She put her hand to her forehead and shook her head. "Ach no! I''m really not focused enough for this kind of thing."

    "I''ll help," said Gabriel and she held out her hands for him to clasp them, but his hands phased through hers. It was a strange sensation. She could feel his hands, but couldn''t grip hold of them.

    "Sorry dear," let me concentrate. She closed her eyes and willed her hands to be solid. "There that should do it."

    Gabriel took hold of her hands and she attempted to propel herself forwards into the barn. She felt a sense of lightness through her body, but could not move forwards. "Please pull me when I say ''now'', Gabriel." She closed her eyes and willed herself to become lighter and lighter. "Now." Gabriel pulled and she started forward much faster than she had intended to, cannoning into him so that they both fell into the hay with Anya on top, his beautiful face pressed against hers so that she was looking directly into his dark blue eyes.

    "Sorry, sorry," she moaned, helping him sit up, feeling all warm and tingly inside.

    He was blushing. "It''s alright. Good thing you''re so much lighter than you look." He winked at her.

    She laughed and brushed the bits of hay away from his hair and clothing. "I can phase through walls! After a fashion." She put an arm around his shoulder. "Thanks, you''re a great learning partner." They gazed at each other and she leaned her face closer to his. How pretty the rosy blush of his cheeks looked up close. She could have counted the freckles on his nose. They were about to lean closer still when they heard a piercing meow from the barn door causing Anya to look round. It was the black cat from earlier that morning which now sidled up to them. Anya exclaimed in delight as the cat rubbed up against her, purring.

    Gabriel folded his arms. "That cat''s the master of distraction. Heidi will be waiting to hear that you''ve done it."

    Next Heidi had the idea that Anya could learn to defy gravity.

    "Could I really fly?" Anya knew her voice betrayed her scepticism.

    Gabriel looked up at the sky where a dove soared high overhead. "Don''t go anywhere I can''t follow."

    She touched his arm in reassurance. "Don''t worry, I never fancied flying. I can already climb rather well."

    "And a good thing too. If you hadn''t climbed in my window when she arrived," he shuddered.

    Anya put her arms around him and stroked his back, feeling his warmth again and smelling the now familiar scent of his hair.

    Heidi looked grave. "The evil spirit can fly, yes?"

    Anya nodded at her over Gabriel''s shoulder. "I''m afraid so, dear Heidi. I can only climb."

    Anya demonstrated just how well she could climb by shinnying up the rough side of the barn and standing on top of the wooden roof. The planks did not even creak as she stood there, waving down and Heidi and Gabriel on the ground.

    "Bravo!" said Heidi, clapping.

    "You''ve made your point. Get back down, now?" Gabriel called up anxiously.

    Heidi put an arm on his shoulder. "My dear, Anya is past being harmed by a fall from a barn."

    Nonetheless, Anya couldn''t bring herself to jump off, so she hastily scrambled back down the way she had come.

    "The skill I need to hone now is my meditation." She glanced quickly from Gabriel to Heidi. "I need to be able to communicate with the departed better. My mother had a message for me, I know it. And I want to speak to both mum and dad again¡­" she realised her bottom lip was quivering. She hoped she wasn''t going to break down crying again.

    Gabriel put a hand on her arm. "Well then, that''s much more important than phasing or flying. It''s most important for Anya to be happy."

    Anya swallowed and nodded, slipping her hand in his. "The Priestess taught me the importance of clearing my mind before meditation and the value of emotional support during. I really need someone to hold my hands during a session."

    "You are absolutely right and we should both see how well we work with you," Heidi cut in.

    Anya was a little disappointed when Heidi decided that she would try to help Anya first. They sat facing one another, cross legged on the hay covered barn floor with their eyes closed, holding each other¡¯s hands. But Anya did not notice any difference compared to the times she had practiced alone in life, except that it felt better to be holding someone''s hands. She willed and willed herself to reach her mother again, but she could hear nothing. Eventually they opened their eyes. "I could not find her this time," said Anya apologetically, putting her hand to her forehead. "I must need more practice."

    As she hoped, Heidi suggested that she practice with Gabriel next. She had the chance to gaze into his dark blue eyes first and then think about how she would like to stroke his golden hair once she had closed her eyes. She felt a greater sense of calm this time, imagining herself floating upwards through an ocean of serenity¡­ But still she could not hear her mother.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    Eventually she opened her eyes again. Gabriel had not opened his so she leaned close, feeling a sense of warm excitement again. "Gabriel¡­" she said softly.

    "So, you dears, how did it go?" Heidi''s strident voice rang out.

    "I still can''t find her," said Anya sadly. "Since I am dead, I should at least be able to talk to those who have also died."

    Heidi plumped down beside them and stroked Anya''s long hair. "Oh Anya, if only it were simple to get loved ones back¡­ when my father died I was so emotionally affected¡­ I gave up my aspirations to be an opera singer because I felt that I would never be able to go on stage again." Anya noticed Gabriel''s azure eyes widen at this. She was about to speak, but Heidi asked with a note of urgency in her voice, "can you remember the message, my dear?"

    Anya closed her eyes trying to remember. "Mum said the dread serpent rears her head each night. And that on the third night she will strike at the standing stones."

    Heidi looked deep in thought. "The standing stones is the name given to a site nearby. Ancient stone blocks positioned in a circle. Very likely the site of a ritual in the distant past."

    "Ach! The stone circle!" said Anya.

    Gabriel scratched his freckled nose, also pondering the matter. "Could the dread serpent be the demon? The way she hisses¡­" he shuddered.

    Heidi stood up suddenly. "It is perhaps most important that Anya contact her departed loved ones, but now the day draws to a close."

    "The demon may be coming back soon." Gabriel was looking a little pale now, his freckles really showing. Anya put her arm around his shoulders. He looked up at her. "Anya must come and stay with us. Heidi, do you think you could at least make Astrid see her?"

    "Astrid, I believe it is time you met Anya." Heidi had called Astrid to the farm house and they were now in the parlour, Anya and Gabriel standing to one side. Astrid glanced at her brother curiously before looking expectantly up at Heidi. "Now Anya is a little different, but we must make her feel welcome. She''s been lost a long time and is very unhappy. I expect all my workers to make her feel welcome." Heidi beamed at Astrid. "But that won''t be problem, will it?"

    Astrid shook her head. "Absolutely not."

    "Please hold out your hands and remain still, dear." Astrid nodded. Anya floated up to her and clasped her hands, gazing into her sky-blue eyes. Astrid gave a start and then a gasp. Heidi put a hand on her shoulder. "Can you see her?"

    "Skinny girl with brown hair? No mistaking her. What''s going on?" Her eyes were fixed on Anya''s as though mesmerised.

    "Where are your manners, Astrid? As Lotte would say," said Gabriel smirking.

    "Uh¡­ Hallo Anya, good to finally see you," said Astrid, her bright blue eyes still wide.

    Anya beamed at her. "It''s great to finally be introduced, Astrid. How was work today?"

    "Oh mixed, being a milkmaid, gathering carrots and I had the pleasure of feeding a lambkin¡­ erm¡­"

    "You think I am a ghost, dear? Well, I am," said Anya with a sigh.

    Astrid grinned, her white teeth a contrast to her very heavily freckled face. "Living out on the land is more exciting than I thought it would be! But don''t babble to anyone about it, many are superstitious."

    "Anya''s really good," said Gabriel testily, "she has come back to fight a really evil ghost."

    "And we must give Anya all the emotional support she needs," said Heidi.

    The four of them left for the assembly hall. Outside the sun was setting.

    Gabriel glanced nervously around. "We should be quick."

    In the assembly hall, the other children were gathering. The black cat sidled up to them and greeted Anya with a chirrup, rubbing himself against her as she knelt to stroke him. "Settle down," called Heidi, clapping her hands, "I have an announcement of the gravest importance."

    But at that moment there came a terrible shriek from outside. Gabriel jumped and glanced wildly around. The other children muttered in consternation as the oil lamps grew dim and a chill darkness pressed in around them. The cat flattened his ears and hissed and then gave a low growl and bolted.

    The shadows coalesced in the middle of the room until a figure of pure darkness stood there, radiating malice. And then, just as Gabriel had described, she cast off her shadow wrappings like a snake casting off its skin and revealed herself: a woman with bone white skin wearing a cloak of the blackest shadow of all, the strands of her black hair coiling around her like snakes, her unblinking black eyes seemed to smoulder with a burning fire as she glared round the hall. She drew back her lips to reveal her teeth. "Greetings! I get the pleasure of killing you all."

    Anya jumped in front of Gabriel. "Stay behind me." The other children screamed and began a stampede for the doors.

    "Be gone, evil vision!" screamed Heidi, swiping at the evil spirit with a garden hoe. But it passed right through her as though she were a shadow.

    The fiend lunged at her, swiping with claw like nails¡­

    Anya hurled herself forwards, moving with such swiftness that she astonished herself. Heidi gave a cry as the demon slashed her bare arm, leaving ruby red cuts on her pale skin. "Vision, am I? When I tear you, do you not bleed?" She hissed and rounded on Anya who gave a cry of terror ¨C for the evil one now appeared as a decaying horror, desiccated skin stretched tightly over a skull like face framed with masses of filthy hair, the lips pulled back so that her rotting fangs were bared, the empty sockets blazing with a searing fire.

    "She is a mere psychic projection. Don''t believe she can hurt you!" called Heidi.

    Anya raised her arms and crossed them in front of her in a defensive posture the priestess had once taught her. The demon shrieked and slashed at Anya''s arms. Anya felt a searing pain, but she had no blood to bleed. "You''re a projection, I''m already dead," she said through gritted teeth and raised her fists to strike back, but the horror instantly transformed back into a shadow and swooped away, hovering above the crowd of other children who were still trying to escape.

    The shadow hovered over a short, stocky girl and then lunged at her, enveloping her in darkness. The girl''s eyes were now pitch black, with no iris or pupils. She moved with swift jerky movements towards a scythe, propped up in the corner. Anya glided towards her, catching her by the arms. She struggled with weird, spasmodic movements. Anya called to the others; "the demon has possessed her, please help me restrain her without hurting her!"

    A pair of older identical twin girls with long, blond hair ran forwards and grabbed the victim''s arms. "Don''t hurt her!" urged Anya.

    "We''re not," said one of the girls. She had an unusually low voice for a girl.

    "Wait, you can see me?" said Anya, puzzled.

    "Of course," said her sister, raising a pale eyebrow.

    Heidi hurried forward. "Anya, can you cast the evil spirit out? Poor Isolde is lost otherwise."

    "Of course Anya can save her," said Gabriel who was looking at her expectantly.

    Anya bit her lip. She had no idea what to do, but she must do something.

    Isolde suddenly went stiff in the grasp of the twins. Her mouth fell open and demented laughter issued forth, followed by a hissing voice: "the weakling is lost already and soon I will be here in my fullest glory and the soil will become a blood marsh! I gained my power from carrying out human sacrifice in my world. I will gain much more power in yours!"

    Anya gritted her teeth and reached for Isolde''s forehead. She had to try. She phased her hand through the girl''s head and suddenly the room swam before her.

    She was now floating in a twilit void, the terrifying vision of the demon glowed with corpse light in the near distance. The fiend was floating above a bridge made of bones which reached nearly as far as Anya. The demon drew back her lips to reveal her fangs to their fullest extent.

    "What you have seen thus far are indeed just shadows. I have almost completed the bridge to your world. Soon, very soon, I will arrive in your world and the Dread Disciples will lay waste to it. I am Disciple Phobia. This is my decree."

    Anya could hear the querulous calling of Heidi and Gabriel and felt herself floating back¡­ Her feet found a solid surface and she stood in the hall again, in front of Isolde and the twins who both gaped at her.

    "Ohhh my head¡­" moaned Isolde. "What a nightmare¡­ like I had a skull full of snakes and scorpions."

    "I told you Anya could do it. No monster can stand against her. Three cheers for Anya!"

    Anya beamed at Gabriel as the hall erupted in cheers. How good it felt to be loved. A light before the encroaching darkness.

 Final Reckoning

    In the parlour of Gabriel''s house, Heidi acquainted Lotte and Kathrin, Gabriel''s mother, with the facts about the two ghosts. At the part about the demon Kathrin turned pale and murmured, "save us."

    "So you see, Kathrin, Anya needs a place to stay as well as all the help and emotional support we can give her," Heidi concluded.

    The beautiful Lotte shook Anya by the hand. "Hallo, Anya. Good to finally meet."

    "She was there when I came back from the fair last night, but you could not see her then," chimed Gabriel. Anya smiled and nodded.

    "Well I''m sorry of course," said Lotte. "But what can have changed?"

    Heidi looked grave. "I have a theory. The demon has moved out into the open, ready to attack anyone. Anya has come back to defend us. Now the demon attacks openly, Anya has come back fully as it were."

    "You''re very welcome, dear," said Kathrin embracing Anya. Kathrin had such a pleasant, soothing voice.

    Anya rested her head against her bosom, closing her eyes for a moment. "Thank you so much for accepting me into your home." She glanced around at the well-kept mats and tapestries on the stone walls and floors and smiled. "Well this looks wonderful."

    It was suppertime and roast pork was being ready to be served. Anya was on her feet. "What can I do to help, Kathrin? I want to help."

    "How nice. You can cut the pork if you so wish."

    Anya carved a thick slice and handed it to Gabriel, but Lotte took it from her. "I can serve Gabriel, thank you." Astrid smirked.

    "Ah Okay." Anya was a little taken aback.

    "Just so long as it gets done," said Gabriel.

    "I don''t know if I can still eat," said Anya. "Perhaps I''ve got more solid now everyone can see me."

    "Try just a small piece first, dear," said Kathrin.

    Anya lifted the pork to her mouth, but it passed right through her. She could taste it, but her teeth made no impression. She shook her head. "Oh well."

    Kathrin looked a little put out. "I''m sorry, Anya."

    "It''s alright, I''m happy to sit with you even if I can''t eat," said Anya brightly. She smiled on Gabriel as he devoured the roast pork and vegetables followed by berries and cream. And at least she could help with the washing up even if she could not help with the eating.

    "I can take charge of this if you wish to rest, mother," said Lotte. Astrid rolled her eyes behind Lotte''s back.

    "That''s fine, dear," murmured Kathrin. Kathrin washed while Gabriel and the three girls dried. Suddenly Anya felt her fingers phasing through a plate she was holding and she only narrowly caught it again.

    "Sorry. Listen, the demon has appeared in this house before, so we should all stay together tonight." Kathrin blanched.

    "I did tell you so," said Gabriel nodding.

    "Indeed," said Astrid.

    "Anya was the one there to comfort me," Gabriel added. Anya could see Lotte frown and fold her arms.

    "My dears, we should all stay in my room tonight and the girls and I will take it in turns to keep watch," said Kathrin firmly.

    That night they sat wrapped in blankets around Kathrin''s bed while Kathrin took her turn sleeping first. Gabriel snuggled up against Anya who put an arm round him. "Wake me up if anything happens," he murmured.

    Lotte had applied a thick, green paste to her face. It was surprising how pretty she still was, even though it had hardened and congealed to form a mask. "Shouldn''t we barricade the doors and windows?" she said, her teeth clenched as though her face were tight.

    "That wouldn''t keep her out," said Anya shaking her head.

    "Listen to Anya, she''s obviously the ghost expert," said Astrid gravely.

    "Love Anya," murmured Gabriel in his sleep. Lotte sniffed, the lamplight shining off her green nose and cheeks.

    "How about a game of eye-spy to while away the dark hours?" said Astrid. "I spy, with my little eye, something beginning with F.P."

    Anya glanced around the room. "I could not begin to guess."

    "Well a clue then. Lotte''s clearly dressing as a frog princess."

    "Watch it," growled Lotte.

    The night passed by uneventfully. Astrid took her turn at sleeping next and then it was Anya''s turn. Heidi had assured her that she would not return to the site of the cottage when she fell asleep this time, but who could really tell? Anya focused on staying where she was, hugging Gabriel to her and drifted off¡­

    She felt herself floating in the semi-darkness of that void between the worlds once more. And to her horror, there was the hideous, decomposing face of the demon looming out of the gloom, the fires of her eye sockets blazing. "Human sacrifice¡­ it made us strong. Spilling all that life blood! That''s what Dread Disciples do! Their lives will never be avenged."

    Then Anya heard a woman''s soft voice calling her back and she floated away from the evil vision who hissed at her in derision. She was floating upwards towards the sound of the voice and the vision of a beautiful woman with long golden hair and a green face swam into focus. She was back in the bedroom, her arms still around Gabriel. Lotte was standing over them, golden hair shining in the lamplight. "If you are rested, Anya, I can sleep."

    "And you don''t want to see how grumpy Lotte will be after a sleepless night," chirped Astrid.

    Lotte folded her arms and glared at her sister. "Astrid!" Then she turned to Anya. Those dark blue eyes, so like Gabriel''s, seemed to show something like resentment. Anya really hoped she had not been unintentionally rude. A guest must always be polite.

    She smiled up at Lotte. "Of course you must sleep, dear Lotte. Thank you for standing guard all night." Lotte gave a tight-lipped smile, nodded and then curled up beside Astrid. The first faint streaks of dawn had appeared on the horizon and soon it was light outside. Anya remained deep in thought.

    Lotte awoke and went to wash herself. Gabriel stirred and opened his eyes, smiling up at Anya. "Good morning, beautiful spectre. What fun and terrifying things do we do today?"

    Anya beamed. "Good morning, dear. I have thought about it and I must visit my parents'' graves. If you want to come with me, I''d be glad."

    Kathrin had sat up in bed. "You want to feel close to them again, Anya? I completely understand. We''ll go immediately after breakfast."

    After breakfast, Lotte left for the dress shop while the rest of them set out for the graveyard. Heidi had given Astrid and Gabriel the day off to help Anya prepare. The entrance was flanked by stone likenesses of the goddesses of Justice and Grace. Anya curtseyed before them as the Priestess had instructed her and looked up at the statue of Grace. "Thy servant vows to act graciously."This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    Anya led the way through the tombs, searching with a sense of rising apprehension. She glided too fast for the others to keep up. Then she saw it. A small stone memorial to her parents. A communal effort roughly carved as most of the stones were. She breathed hard and slowly knelt beside it, feeling the tears rolling down her cheeks, her grief a fresh stab to the heart. Astrid and Gabriel came hurrying over with Kathrin panting behind them.

    "It''s alright, it''s alright," said Gabriel putting his arms around her and stroking her back.

    "They ¨C They had a message for me¡­" said Anya between sobs.

    "Take all the time you need, darling," said Kathrin soothingly.

    Looking a little pale beneath her freckles, Astrid pointed at a smaller stone nearby and Kathrin hastily stood in front of it, blocking it from view. Mother and daughter looked at each other and nodded.

    Anya sobbed on Gabriel''s shoulder, feeling glad of his closeness. She looked into his beautiful eyes for reassurance. "They must have another message for me¡­ mum already gave a warning¡­"

    "The hurt never really goes away," he said sadly. She kissed his cheek.

    "There''s the epitaph," said Astrid.

    Anya peered at it and read aloud.

    "Those who have gone, so we but cherish their memory, which abides with us, more potent, nay, more present, than the living if we can but call the memories to us. If they remember us, we will remember them."

    Anya flicked a strand of her dark hair away from her face, lost in thought. "I''ve already gone and then come back. Could I call those who remember us?"

    Astrid''s sky blue eyes widened. "Could you do it Anya? As a ghost, could you possibly call on other ghosts and bring them back to us?" She was speaking quickly, eagerly.

    Kathrin put a hand on her arm as if in restraint. "Astrid¡­"

    "Mum, you must need this as much as I do, if I could just speak to him again¡­"

    "We all do, but don''t fluster Anya, give her time to think," piped Gabriel. Astrid folded her arms.

    "I ¨C I might be able to if I could study more on meditation. Heidi was going to find a rare tome on the subject."

    "Where is Heidi?" Astrid''s freckled face showed such intensity of emotion. Anya swallowed. She would not want to disappoint her.

    She stood up, Gabriel''s arm in hers. Astrid insisted on taking her other arm. Astrid smiled at her. "I am glad Gabriel''s made a friend like you. Relieved you know."

    "Didn''t you think I could make any?" said Gabriel sticking out his tongue at her.

    "Dears, don''t squabble," said Kathrin mildly.

    "Well I do worry about my brother sometimes, but anyone who can find a friend like Anya is clearly smart." She was breathing a little hard and fast. "Heidi had better be able to find that book. I hate it when people say they can do things and can''t really."

    Back at the house, Heidi soon arrived with a leather-bound tome. "I hope this is of use, dears. The scribes of the goddess of Justice penned their collective opinions on meditating and communication with the other side."

    Anya nodded. "And as a ghost myself I should be able to communicate more easily." She took the tome and shifted uneasily on her feet. "Tonight is the third night since the demon first appeared. If she strikes at the standing stones tonight, then I have to be ready by sunset."

    Heidi pushed her coppery hair away from her face. "Yes, my dear. Do ask if there is any part of the text you do not understand. Gabriel, Astrid, you are to work in a group of three."

    They worked through the book together, chapter by chapter. That afternoon, Anya opened the book at the chapter on the multiverse theory.

    "This part is particularly relevant: The multiverse has many different worlds, like an apple tree has many fruits. Most are fresh, but a few are blighted. Let these blighted ones be called dystopias."

    Astrid groaned. "Oh no! What is a ''dystopia''?"

    Anya pushed her dark hair away from the page. "It''s from an ancient tongue. It just means a place that is not good.  A world where everything is wrong."

    "Good, you dears. Try to work things out in your group if you can," said Heidi approvingly.

    "I''d just leave all the difficult words to Anya, she''ll know them," said Gabriel.

    "I wanted to be able to help you more," said Astrid, her voice quivering slightly.

    "Well, I like having your pretty faces near," said Anya beaming at them. Gabriel shook with laughter at Astrid''s expression.

    Anya read on: "Woe betide us should a denizen of a dystopia ever bridge the gap between the worlds¡­ well that''s what''s happened already."

    The chapter went on to relate how it was possible through meditation to gain a wider view of the multiverse, but that this was very difficult, since the living were anchored to this world.

    "Perhaps that is where I come in," murmured Anya. She scanned over the instructions on meditation. "My dears¡­ please be ready to call me back, as it says in the instructions."

    Gabriel put his arms around her. "Please don''t go anywhere."

    "I''ll be right here, dear Gabriel," she kissed him quickly on the cheek and his blue eyes widened. Then she let her mind go clear and a sense of calm filled her. She felt herself floating upwards and upwards, surrounded by the planets and then the stars¡­ upwards so that it was as though the multiverse surrounded her, every separate reality that could never be reached by travelling through space alone gleamed like a perfect gemstone. Their brilliance surrounded her. But she knew who she was searching for. "Mum¡­ Dad¡­ help me¡­ help me help the villagers and all the living of our old world¡­ please talk to me."

    Then with a rush of joy she felt her mother''s presence nearby. "Anya mouse, the dread serpent breaks free from her shackles tonight at the standing stones."

    "Mother, please tell me how I can defeat her and how I can bring you back!"

    "Dear daughter, you read the epitaph. A spirit can concentrate and summon spirits from beyond the veil who remember spirits that still walk the land. A spirit can summon other spirits if there is unfinished business. Dear daughter, beware the dread serpent."

    At that moment, Anya heard her friends calling to her from the Earth far below and felt herself floating back. She opened her eyes. The freckled faces of Gabriel and Astrid were peering anxiously into hers.

    "You flickered and I couldn''t hold you," said Gabriel, looking pale. "I was actually afraid we''d lose you this time. Heidi, does Anya really have to fight the demon? It''s too dangerous."

    Astrid turned to Heidi, her blue eyes gleaming. "Dear gods, yes! I don''t want to lose Anya either."

    Anya felt touched by their concern, but had to speak up. "It''s my duty. I''m the one who might have the power to save the village, so with the power there comes responsibility."

    Heidi beamed. "Spoken like a true follower of Grace. Come, you dears, the sun is sinking. The hour is drawing near."

    Heidi arranged for a band of farm workers to surround the standing stones. The sun had set. Anya was prepared to glide between the bare stone arches that stood forming the circle. It felt like there could be no turning back. Astrid hugged Anya and put her face close so that Anya could clearly see all the overlaying constellations of her freckles. "You must win, okay? And come back to us. And I''d do all your chores for a week. How does that sound?"

    "I''ll try, dear Astrid," said Anya solemnly.

    Gabriel pushed her aside and gazed up at Anya, tears in his blue eyes, all trace of flippancy gone. "I''ve changed my mind, I don''t want you to go, I love you."

    Anya felt overcome with emotion for a moment and tried to speak, but her throat was tight. "I ¨C I love you too," she said hoarsely.

    "Then don''t do this," he pleaded.

    But suddenly a chill sense of dread descended on the clearing and the workers began to mutter in terror, transfixed by a shadow that formed above the circle marked out by the standing stones.

    "She''s here!" cried Anya and glided into the circle, suddenly feeling afraid. The shadows deepened to form a space of absolute darkness. There was a scratching and a rending sound and then out of the dark there poured the foulest shadows of all which coalesced to form the hideous shape of the demon, larger and more distinct than ever, her rotting fangs bared, the fire of her eye sockets blazing and her filthy claws raised to strike.

    Anya knew her plan, but the presence of the evil one filled her with an overwhelming sense of terror, impairing her concentration. She tried harder, feeling herself slip away, flickering, fading¡­

    "What is this? Peasants with torches? What a welcome! We''ll make corpses of you soon enough. Pay the price for your insolence, yokels. Live your worst nightmares."

    The fires of her eye sockets flared. There were cries of horror as the people surrounding the circle were afflicted with malign illusions and saw their worst nightmares come to life. One man yelled that everyone had turned to skeletons and that the village was infested.

    The demon shrieked with demented laughter. "Now kill each other, you fools. Kill ¨C wait, what is this?"

    By a supreme effort of will, Anya reached over to the other side, calling forth the spirits of those who had unfinished business with the two ghosts. A mass of shadows poured forth through the rent in the fabric of the world that the demon had made, surrounding her. She hissed in fear and the illusions she had inflicted on the minds of the villagers faded.

    Anya raised her arms aloft in triumph. "The ghosts of your sacrificial victims. In this world, justice will be done."

    The demon shrieked in rage and disbelief and attempted to claw at the mass of shades who pulled her in all directions, but sheer weight of numbers overwhelmed her. They pulled her to bits as the villagers looked on breathlessly, reduced her to tiny shreds of shadow which they then dragged back into the rent in space which closed with a resounding clap like thunder.

    The villagers erupted into cheering.

    Anya felt a sense of calm after the storm. A beautiful blue light filled the circle and she could see the outline of her parents as if at a great distance. She could hear her mother''s voice. "Good job, mouse. Now it''s time to come home. Come back to us." She realised she was glowing, her whole body giving off a shining white light.

    Gabriel pushed through the crowd and flung his arms around her. He was crying. "Don''t go. If I hold you tight enough, will you stay?"

    Anya felt a lump in her throat and tears coming. But she had to be strong and comfort him. "You have to let go, dear Gabriel." She brushed a tear away from his cheek. "You''ll be Okay, my love. I''ll always be with you in our memories. Remember me." She held him tight, one last time and they kissed, a long loving kiss on the lips.

    Then that whole world faded from view and she was rushing upwards through bright lights. Anya was going home.