Haunted Cove - Facing The Molloys

"I don't like the look of this," I said to Belenus, coming to land on the shores of the
lake. The body of water had looked inviting from the air, but the moment we
touched down on the sodden banks, I was starting to feel uneasy about this
adventure. "Calm down," said Belenus, putting his glasses on
to read something he had tucked behind his ear. "Is that a map?" I said. "No,"
he said, "Put your glasses on. Wasn't it you who told me we had to see things
differently?" Belenus gave me an annoyed donkey glance, and I found my
glasses in a hurry. "Well, then, what are you reading and how are we going to
find the Dead Man's Chest? That's been missing for a long time, you know."
"It's a cheat sheet," said Belenus. My eyes opened wide, horrified. "Trust me,"
he added, smiling a donkey smile that showed his donkey teeth.

Puzzled that my donkey companion, so wisely schooled in the Classics would
stoop to cheating, I frowned. We had a few moments silence before a circle of vultures
appeared overhead. The sky grew dark. The shadowy mangroves gloomed. Hidden
creatures in the darkened trees made our skin crawl. "Signs of the dead," said
Belenus solemnly, "and we are near water, which can only mean one thing. Follow
me..." Following my donkey was easy, it was trying to see through the new glasses
that was hard. "See things in a new way," I drilled myself, trying to turn the
mangrove swamp into a fantasy island of lush ferns and soaring gums in the
morning mist. But the darkness closed in on us, and then everything was a kind
of strange eerie purple colour. A clearing ahead, revealed an ancient Victorian
house, with not a light to be seen.

"Come on", said Belenus, swishing his tail. I hurried after him, until we reached a
lamp post that was vaguely familiar. "Feels like another time, another place,"
I said. He winked back at me and said, "You are! Victorian times, to be exact."
The lamp post shed a dim light as I passed, with the help of my glasses, but the
house loomed ahead, strange purple, and unforgiving.

"Did you hear that?" I said, fumbling in the bag Enchanteur had given me, and

getting out the anchor. "To keep me steady..." I mumbled and followed Belenus

onto the old creaky verandah, through the front door, laced with cobwebs.

The noise grew louder. Sounded like singing, or wailing. "What

is it?" I asked, above the din. "A broken heart. They're like the sirens. Women

with broken hearts. Ever hear that saying, "hell hath no fury like a woman

scorned"? Now we are faced with the Molloys..." said Belenus, his voice trailing off.

He looked at his cheat sheet again with his glasses on and

started to make strange noises himself. "Don't forget what you know," said a

voice, deep and resonating in the high, dark ceilings. I shivered, but resolved not

to forget what I knew. There was a picture, like a negative photograph I somehow

knew, on the dusty floor. The wailing went on and on, until we saw them, three

ladies, forever mourning, draped in black Victoriana, and wicked, by a window. I

picked up the picture and hid it in my coat.

Belenus showed no fear. He put his cheat sheet away behind his ear, and

he started singing himself, in less a donkey's voice than a man's. The

sound was like a sailor's song, a swashbuckling tune,

round and round in circles it went. With that the wailing slowed and

the ladies disappeared into the shadows, but only for a

moment. Belenus rushed ahead, still crooning his sea song, and snatched a

small chest, carved of oak, and slung it across his back. "Quick!" he said, "Let's

fly!" I stashed the anchor away and jammed on the red shoes, got on his back,

and we flew out of the house, that stayed calm, but only until Belenus' crooning

was out of range. But then we were far above in the sky again, away from the

Victorian house, away from the past, with just what we had been missing. I

had a thousand questions, but they would have to wait until we reached safety...

copyright Monika Roleff 2006.