Skymaze by Gillian Rubinstein

Author:Gillian Rubinstein
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ligature Pty Limited
Published: 2018-10-24T04:07:51+00:00

‘Did you know this place was haunted?’ Mario remarked as they climbed the concrete stairs to the top level of the car park.

‘Yeah, sure,’ Andrew retorted. ‘By dead cars! Abandoned by their owners and left here to rust.’

‘No, seriously. Haunted by ghosts. A lot of kids come here to kill themselves. They jump off the top. And my brother, Frank, had a friend who owned a record shop on the ground floor. One night when he was locking up he saw evil spirits trying to get people to do themselves in.’

‘There’s no such thing as ghosts or evil spirits,’ Andrew said scornfully, but he couldn’t help being aware that the car park had a curious feeling to it that made him feel shivery and depressed, as though he was coming down with the flu. He kept thinking he could hear footsteps on the stairs behind them, but when he stopped to listen, they stopped too. He glanced sideways at Mario. He looked the same as he usually did, thin and white-faced, his shoulders hunched inside the black jacket, his hands shoved deep in the pockets, but his habitual air of loneliness seemed more marked.

‘What are we doing here, anyway?’ Mario asked as they reached the top level. It was almost empty of cars, and through the bars that had been installed to prevent people throwing themselves off, they could see the cranes, neon signs and high-rise buildings that made up the city skyline, blurred and softened by the afternoon spring sunshine.

‘We’re looking for the Skymaze,’ Andrew said distractedly. He was disappointed to see nothing there that wasn’t supposed to be there. He realised he had been hoping they would find the Skymaze activated and present, and be able to walk straight into it. But it wasn’t going to be that easy. ‘How the heck are we going to find it?’ he went on. ‘It could be anywhere! And will we just see it, or is there something we’ve got to do?’

Mario hitched himself up on to the sill overlooking the street and lit a cigarette. He passed the packet to Andrew, who took one, and then changed his mind and put it back again.

‘I don’t really like it,’ he explained, almost apologetically.

‘Doesn’t bother me if you like it or not,’ Mario replied. He blew the smoke out in a cloud, and watched it float away through the bars. ‘Long way down, isn’t it! Can you imagine jumping off?’

Andrew shivered. It felt as if there was someone watching them, keeping an eye on them. He wondered fleetingly if Paul really had gone, or if he had followed them. He scanned the deserted car park quickly and then looked over the edge and tried to imagine how it would feel to fall that far.

‘Have you ever wanted to?’ he asked Mario.

‘Now and again. Not recently. But it’s always there, isn’t it? I reckon it’s a sort of fail-safe. If it all gets too tough, you can always opt out. But I don’t intend to yet!’ He grinned sideways at Andrew and winked.

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