Into the free - Valentine phone home

Friday 09:00

I screamed when I got through the door and punched the wall. That's how I strained my throat and now have my right hand surrounded by a bag of frozen peas found in the freezer and with an expiry date of June 1983.

I found my phone charger and plugged in my mobile then stomped upstairs and kicked the bathroom door as hard as I dared ( I was angry but I didn't want to break a toe and all the doors were solid wood). I threw my damp pungent clothes onto the floor and reached for the tap, cursing when I tried to bend swollen fingers around it and shocks of sharp bitter pain ignited within them.

My left hand turned on the taps and I slunk into the deepening bath. The water was hot and I didn't care, it was washing away my cold damp fears from last night and cooling my steaming temper; the bubbles popped diffusing the air with the aroma of summer blossoms and fruits.

10:45

Several top ups of near scalding but welcoming water later I was back to being as close to human as I could manage. My hair was curled and knotted and I was stained with bruises and small cuts across all surfaces of skin. One or two thorns had returned with me and I utilised a needle from a travel sewing kit to liberate them from my person.

I wandered back downstairs after a deep physiological internal debate over whether to get some sleep or to call the Boss. I didn't have that much to tell him, and what I thought I knew I was questioning in the cold light of day. Small shadows run deep in the night and can fish attack animals? I thought I had heard about perch or pikes (some fish starting with a "P" - do we have piranha in England?) that take bites out of people and animals that fall into he water; how big can they get and do they actively hunt at night? I scribbled it down on a back of a receipt from my bag to remind me to look it up on line later.

My phone was fully charged when I got to it and as I was desperate to contact Xanthic and report of my diligent activities last night I did so immediately after I made a cup of tea, buttered toast and following that broke into a family size bar of Galaxy chocolate.

The phone rang once before it was answered and the carefully prepared blurb I had been reciting within my head suddenly disserted me.

"£3.50 baguette." I said as I pulled out my note from my pocket and read the wrong side. "Big fish eating thing and evil old witch." I corrected without a pause hoping I would get away with it and Xanthic would understand my research into the strange activities happening in this neck of the woods - quite literally this neck of the woods.

"Big thing eating fish? Could be cats." Came the reply "and as for evil old witches, I thought they had all dies out years ago to be replaced by college girls with copied grimores and middle age divorcees with a bucket full of petrol, the ex's silk ties and a lighter." He sounded like he was trying to get a rise out of me and I was determined to remain professional.

"Yeah, a real witch and no, not fish eating things, a fish eating thing. A fish ate a badger took a great chunk out of it, left big claw flipper marks in the mud and then I met a witch, who was here when I left and had a go at me then I met her in her house; which I may add is in your garden and she said to call her Melody, but thats not her real name. And I got soaking wet."

I was beginning to think I should have applied for an office job somewhere in town where the strangest thing that happens is someone wears a a red tie or brings in a balloon - that was a really good day when I was a temp with a few other girls and we kept a pink balloon up for hours till the boss popped it; good days.

"I think I understand whats going on and I'll be coming down there tomorrow. I will phone in the morning and I will need picking up from town." Xanthic said, I could hear shuffling in the background like he was reading a broadsheet news paper in a confined space and trying to turn the pages into a size he could hold with one hand.

"For now I want you to look into the river side of things. Find out if there have been any siting of anything in the river. The animals being mutated stories could fit in with this but not all of them have been near water, or at least they haven't been reported that way. Ask around, find the local nut, a different and normal local nut if you can to Miss Melody and see if they can illuminate the dark a little."

I made a note of this on my receipt, along with a note to but a new notebook.

"The countryside does bring out funny ideas in people, especially in Wykham, its surrounded by three crossed ley lines and it does attract people who are tuned into the world in a different way to the vast majority. Some are very distantly related to Others, some are touched by Fae and some.......well I'll call then nuts to their face if I can't smell anything from my lot on them." Xanthic paused and I could hear him talking quietly to someone on the other side; I made out the words fifteen and grand and flout, and really hoped he hadn't just passed on a large contract to go zombie hunting again.

"If you take my advice, and I would, its usually right. Stay away from anyone calling themselves a witch or anything else till I get there. Just concentrate on narrowing down out search area to a few miles. If my guess is right it'll be an animal and will stay close to its den. We can then track it down the old fashioned way and be on our way before the local authorities stomp in kicking and shouting and mess the whole thing up for us...........Look, I have to go now."

And then he hung up. I was left holding the phone to my ear listening to the monotone of the disconnected line while my brain assimilated the information.

Stay out of trouble, ask a few questions (this sounded like another trip to the pub) and stay out of trouble. Simple.

Firstly, I had a pressing date with my duvet and I hated to stand it up.