Free Abomination by Robert Swindells Page B

Helpline. My name’s Doris and I want to help you. Won’t you tell me what’s the matter? She sounded sort of old and really kind, but when it came to it I couldn’t do it. My voice wouldn’t work. I stood with the phone to my ear and she said, There’s no need to be afraid, caller. You can say anything you want to, and nobody will ever know you called. Please talk to me so I can start to make it better . I couldn’t though. I hung up and collapsed in the chair, crying.
    I know she’s there though, Doris. There’s a picture of her in my mind. Big and cuddly with strong arms and soft eyes, and I can call her anytime. Count your blessings is one of Mother’s sayings and I do, lying in bed. One, Scott. Two, Mary. Three, Doris. Mother wouldn’t see these as blessings of course but there’s a saying: One man’s blessing is another man’s abomination . That’s from the Book of Martha.

39. Scott
     
    I was specially nice with her, Tuesday. Told her I’d enjoyed seeing her place. Even remembered to mention the postcards – said I’d love to see ’em next time. I didn’t mention the Internet though. Well – it was such a long shot. I mean, not all that many people are on the Net, and the chances of Mary being one of them seemed pretty slim. Also I felt uneasy, like I’d butted in on a family conversation or something. She was nice back, but said we better not fix to meet up. Not tonight. I didn’t argue, but I thought maybe I’d just show up on her step again and I did, and that’s how I found out the truth.
    The truth. Yes. You remember I said if you get to really know a weird person you’ll find there’s a reason why they’re the way they are? Well, listen up and tell me if I was right.
    I got to her place around seven fifteen. I was standing on the step thinking, I hope she’s not going to be mad at me, when I heard this noise, this sort of howling. It was muffled, like it might be coming from a distant part of the house and my first thought was, it’s her. They’re beating her. That’s why she wouldn’t fix to meet me – she knew her folks weren’t working tonight and they’re not. They’re in there belting the daylights out of my girl. I actually called her that inside my head – my girl – and before I knew what I was doing I was hammering on the door with both fists. What the heck I’d have done if old man Dewhurst had opened it I don’t know because I wasn’t feeling like a knight in shining armour. I was scared spitless if you must know, but anyway it didn’t happen. Nobody came. When I stopped pounding everything was quiet for a second then the howling started again, except howling’s not quite right. It wasn’t howling. Not exactly. It was a mixture of hoots and screeches, and between these a sort of bubbling drone that made my skin crawl.
    I wanted to leave but I couldn’t. Not without trying one more time. I waited for a break in the noise then knocked again, this time more urgently. All this did was to start whatever was in there screeching again. I turned and hurried along the path feeling sick. I was halfway down Taylor Hill when I saw Martha coming up.

40. Martha
     
    When I spotted him coming down towards me I was glad and mad at the same time. Glad to see him, mad because he’d obviously been up to my place. Glad and mad had a quick wrestling match inside my head and glad won. I decided I’d be nice to him.
    As soon as I saw the expression on his face I knew something was wrong, and I’d a fair idea what it was. No chance of a happy half hour now, and no point acting mad either. Ye shall know the truth , I thought, and the truth shall make you free . John, chapter eight, verse thirty-two; another of Mother’s favourites. She wouldn’t be all that thrilled at my revealing this particular bit of the truth but blast it, I’d had enough. It was time to talk to someone.
    He didn’t mess around either. ‘What the heck you got in that house of yours – a vampire?’