Free The Advent Calendar by Steven Croft Page B

their trail had started. From where they were, it looked as though this mountain was at the very centre of everything they could see.
    ‘Faster,’ said Alice, out of breath. ‘I think we need to go faster.’
    Sam looked round. The shadows were still with them and gaining ground. Alice and Sam were growing tired and the air was thinner. Then the path turned a sharp corner and, fifty metres ahead, it entered a kind of tunnel in the side of the hill. Across the entrance to the tunnel was what looked like a thin wall of water. As they drew nearer to it Sam looked up. Right above the entrance to the tunnel was a pool fed by a rushing mountain stream. The pool’s overflow formed a waterfall which fell across the tunnel’s entrance and away down a steep gorge. The path stopped just before the gorge and a tiny bridge led through the curtain of water and into the tunnel beyond.
    ‘Quick,’ said Sam. ‘We have to reach the mouth of the tunnel.’
    The shadows were close behind them, within ten metres and gaining. Sam and Alice both began to run. The drop on their right was steep now. The pathway was cut into the side of the hill. The shadows also gained speed. Alice began to feel a curious heat from the pursuit on her neck and the back of her calves. She sensed them reaching out to catch her hair or the heel of her shoe. Then moments later they reached the bridge. Without stopping, they plunged into the curtain of water. It was wider and stronger than they thought. They held tight to the handrails, breath taken away. Alice and Sam were completely drenched in an instant. They paused panting on the other side. The fiery shadows gathered on the other side of the bridge: black shapes with a flicker of red running through them. There were at least ten or more. They dare not or could not enter the water but reached out their arms, clawing at the air in frustration.
    ‘Come on,’ said Sam, taking Alice’s arm. ‘Let’s move further in. They might find a way across.’
    Alice knew, somehow, that they could not pass. But they moved forward in any case. The path led on through the tunnel in the side of the hill. They could see a patch of light ahead where it came out into the open. The sound of the water falling filled the space. Alice squeezed the moisture out of her hair and her clothes as they emerged blinking into the light.
    ‘Alice, Sam, welcome! You made it through. We’re so glad. We thought you would but we never know, you know. Well done. Come in. Everything’s ready. Here’s a towel for your face. Take these clothes. There’s space to change behind those rocks. This side for you, Sam. That’s the way. Over here, Alice.’
    The greeting from Abraham and Sarah was as warm as ever. As they came out of the changing areas, Sarah brought Alice new shoes for her feet and a clear crystal ring for her finger. Abraham did the same for Sam. Together they led them to a table under a spreading oak tree in the centre of the glade and served them with fresh bread, water from the spring and fruit from the trees which grew in that place. There was kiwi fruit, melon, pomegranates and cucumber. Everything smelt and tasted so fresh.
    ‘You have passed the calendar’s first test,’ said Abraham as they began to eat. ‘We were hopeful that you would. We can now tell you more and send you on your way. This is the last day we will meet with you. There will be other guides as your journey continues.’
    ‘The calendar has twenty-four doors in all, one for each day of the last month until the greatest of nights comes round again. A new door appears each day. This much you know already.’
    Sarah took up the lesson. ‘The days are in four groups of six,’ she said. ‘For each group there will be different guides. On the sixth day of each group comes the test. To move on to the next part of the calendar, you must complete the challenge and pass the test.’
    ‘The pathways,’ said Alice. ‘The choices.’
    ‘What would have