Free Dark Winter by John Hennessy Page B

he lacked basic courtesy. No thank you for the towel, no word about being such a trouble for us so late at night. No way of knowing if he will go quietly, and leave us alone. No way of knowing what the hell he actually is, or what he wants. Not to mention controlling my mind and getting me to open the door, the cheek of this dotard.
     
    Toril recounted one of her books of the occult.
     
    Ghosts don’t fade away. They are just out of our range of sight. They never actually fade away. Was this one of those times?
     
    More worrying thoughts.
     
    There’s no way to get rid of him, and we’re stuck playing ouija with some stranger who I only wanted to help, and now I wish I hadn’t, because we could all end up paying the price for my kindness. Ghost, human, devil, stranger…whatever he is, we have to get rid of him. I hope he can’t read my mind.
     
    Toril looked on transfixed, trying with all her might not to betray her true thoughts and feelings, and was just willing Beth and Jacinta to get this over with. Maybe then he would go.
     
    The planchette started to move. Toril suddenly found herself with a pencil in her hand, and she started to scribble the words.
     
    First word: TWO.
     
    Second: WILL.
     
    Third: DIE.
     
    Toril started shaking uncontrollably, and collapsed, holding the pencil in her hand, so tightly, it was like she had rigor mortis.
     
    From her horizontal position on the floor, she could see the man’s feet. They were not human, but cloven hooves. Toril knew what someone with cloven hooves represented. She convulsed on the floor some more, and passed out.  The devil was visiting them this night.
     
    As the figure stood up, the candle-light burned out in Toril’s house, and the screams of Beth and Jacinta could be heard from miles away.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

The Gi rl Wi t h Tainted Hands
     
    The Winters were making their way back from their summer retreat.
     
    “You know,” said Daphne Winter to her husband, “I think the snow comes quicker every year. We’ve only left the place and it has changed from light to dark, from hot to cold, in just a few minutes. Amazing, really.”
     
    Married for over twenty years, Ronald Winter had heard it all, and especially this same old tired line from his wife for the last few of those years. It hasn’t been a few minutes. It’s been four hours. You’d think she’d have cottoned on to this by now.
     
    “Don’t you think so?” said his wife, interrupting his thoughts.
     
    “Yeah, sure, Daph.”
     
    “You do think she’s alright, don’t you? We didn’t make a mistake, leaving her on her own, did we?”
     
    The same old lines again. Ronald Winter loved me, Romilly, his daughter, very much, but I had made it very clear I was a grown-up, and could stay in the wood-cabin, do my own thing, whilst the ‘rents’ could do their own thing. Daphne, being his wife, and my Mum, objected at first.
     
    “Milly, no. Absolutely not.”
     
    “Why not?” I countered sharply.
     
    “Because, you’re too young. I wouldn’t stay there on my own, and I’m much older than you. I forbid it.”
     
    “You forbid it?” I started to get very annoyed. “Well, now I’m definitely going .”
     
    “Then we are definitely staying . This is very selfish of you, Romilly Winter. Go to your room. I’m telling your father now.”
     
    “Yeah, and I hope that when you do, you tell him why,” I said. “I’m not a little girl anymore. You can’t keep me here trapped all the time.”
     
    Mum put her hands on my shoulders. “You know why. Your hands. It’s just not safe for you-”
     
    I pulled myself from her grasp and ran upstairs to my room, slamming the door as hard as I could. I buried my head in the pillow whilst Mum picked up the phone, and ratted me out to my father.
     
    The pillow had almost stuck to my face. I hadn’t realised how much I had