Portent by James Herbert

Author:James Herbert
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Suspense, Fiction
ISBN: 9780330469128
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Published: 2007-05-04T04:00:00+00:00

16

The children stood on chairs before the large map of the world on Hugo Poggs’ study wall, while Poggs himself, with Diane, Bibby and Rivers crowded behind them.

It had been Diane’s idea to bring them in there and confront them with the map, for persistent but patient questioning of the twins had failed to reveal the identity of their Dream Man, or where he came from. He was just there in the dreams, they insisted, and he was kind, not like the other person. They refused point blank to talk about this ‘other person’. The kind one was old, they said, although they had never actually seen him. They had only felt him being there, but they knew he was very old and wise, and that he wanted to help them. Rivers had asked why they felt he, of all people, could find this very old and wise man. Because you’re part of the light, had come the baffling reply.

Rivers had let the others continue with the questions after that, for the children’s simple statement had left him full of unease. What the hell did that mean? How could he be part of the Light? He had witnessed it, but it had nothing to do with him. Noticing his discomfort, Poggs had poured him another drink.

Eventually Josh and Eva had grown tired of the interrogation and that was when Diane had suggested the game with the map. It would be similar to a game they had played a few times before, she explained to them, when something had gone missing around the house and she or Bibby drew a rough room sketch of Hazelrod so that they could point out a particular place where the lost article could be found. Seven times out of ten when they went to the room Josh and Eva homed in on the missing item, she assured Rivers.

He had followed them through, taking the whisky with him and lighting another cigarette on the way. This was ridiculous, he reminded himself as if afraid of falling under the spell of Hazelrod’s residents. They were good people, sincere people, of that he had no doubt; but they had to be misguided, surely? What they were doing – what they were dragging him into – had nothing to do with reality. Yet the children had stopped the pain in his leg. At least temporarily. And they had been aware of the world disasters as they happened. According to Diane. It was with mixed feelings that he gazed at the map with the others.

‘Look at all the countries,’ Diane was instructing the twins, ‘and clear your minds of everything else.’

Josh and Eva stared at the map, looking from left to right, up and down.

‘Ignore the coloured pins,’ she told them. ‘They’re just where bad things have happened in the world.’ Her voice became low and soothing. ‘Now, take your time and think of the Dream Man, not what he looks like, but the kind of feeling you get when you know he’s there.

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