A Shadow on the Lens by Sam Hurcom

Author:Sam Hurcom [Hurcom, Sam]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Orion Publishing Group
Published: 2019-09-05T07:00:00+00:00

18

A Slip of the Tongue – June 22nd, 1904

To my surprise Cummings did what was asked of him, so that when I returned to the Twyn and made my way to the town hall at the base of Britway Road, I caught sight of Constable Vaughn, standing in the relative shelter of the hall’s arched entranceway. By now the rain had become even more bitter, biting against the skin in a way more accustomed to deepest winter than late June. I quickened my pace at the sight of lit lanterns and the young Vaughn waving excitedly to me.

He seemed genuinely pleased to see me as I stood next to him, placing a hand upon my shoulder before taking hold of my camera case.

‘I d-didn’t quite believe it when M-Mr Cummings told me.’ He spoke jovially as we walked through the open door. ‘You have made quite the recovery, Inspector.’

I coughed violently as I pulled off my heavy coat.

‘Not entirely, though I am sure to live.’ I was being a little coarse, yet in many ways I felt grateful for the man’s welcome, far kindlier than the glares and mistrust I had grown accustomed to since the time of my arrival. I felt in no mood for idle talk however and enquired if there were a fire in the hall. Vaughn led me through a large, stale foyer to a dim antechamber, lit solely by a small hearth with red embers glistening. I knelt beside it and sat in silence for a time as Vaughn spoke of my state of illness.

As I stared into the soft embers, I saw the terrible spectre of the fiery spirit once more, lunging at me in the cellar of All Saints church, eyes hollowed, encased in white flame. I felt a wave of fear pass over me, my chest tightening, my skin turning hot all over as though the fever were taking hold of me again. I closed my eyes, trying to breathe slowly. Was the spectre the result of my illness, an image of my own making? I wished to a god I had no faith in that were so, for the thought of a ghost haunting this place brought all manner of misery and fear into my heart. Horrors began to swirl about me, growing in size and depravity as I was forced ever deeper into a dark void of madness, one I feared I could be lost in for ever.

‘I’ve managed to g-gather twelve or so members of the village, though I don’t know how useful th-th-they will be.’

‘What?’ I asked with a sharp intake of breath as I returned to the room with a start.

Vaughn hesitated, before speaking slowly to me.

‘Mr Cummings said you wanted to gather members of the village. I tried the labourers, and f-found one or two, but most are out dealing with the storm. I didn’t know where to start but managed to gather twelve persons for now. I thought that w-would be enough this afternoon.’

I nodded as I rubbed at my eyes and continued to take deep, slow breaths.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.