Thomas Goulding, aged 11 years

They were still there when I came back from taking Fred for a walk in the dunes.   Two huddled figures on the beach, wearing a school uniform that I did not recognise.  They were watching the breakers pound the shore – they weren’t running around or talking or eating, they were just staring at the green-brown sea.  And it was weird, I thought, because all the schools around here had broken up a couple of weeks ago. Fred trotted over to say hello and to sniff around. The girl ignored him and turned around to glare at me with dark, accusing eyes, while the boy, who was much bigger, continued to observe the murky waves. Suddenly Fred got spooked and started to growl.  I trudged across the sand and grabbed him by the collar but even as I pulled him away he just kept on growling. It was then, in a flash of recognition, that I saw the boy’s face.  I should have obeyed my first instinct and run, run like there was no tomorrow, but I didn’t.

“What you staring at?” snapped the girl. …

II was sure I recognised them from somewhere – and their names danced on the edge of my mind, but just as I was about to make a connection, my train of thought was shattered by a sudden blast of water, as an indistinct mass shot out of the sea. As it seemingly hung in midair I caught sight of a curved, savage looking projection; a pair of bat wings and a wicked looking set of fangs, before it disappeared back into the murky depths of the water. I stared at the spot where it had disappeared, struck dumb at the sight of the hellish creature.

It was then that the boy first spoke, “Emoc dneirf.” He boomed, his voice sounding unnatural in the tranquility of the beach. Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of a dark shadow flitting towards us under the waves. A split second later a feral looking beast broke the water and launched itself at me. Closing my eyes, I began to scream… “POTS!” yelled a voice. Slowly, I opened my eyes. The monster hung in mid-air – suspended as though it was caught in a net, its bulbous yellow eyes fixed upon me. Glancing around for my saviour, I saw the boy staring fixedly at the animal, chanting “od ton mrah reh,” under his breath. After a while, he looked away and the nightmare beast dropped to the ground. It gave me a malevolent glare, before trotting over to the children.

“What is that thing?” I stammered. “A pet,” stated the boy, in his creaky voice. I took another look at the killing machine before me.

With its razor sharp talons, savage beak, paper-thin wings and vampire fangs, it wasn’t exactly what I would call pet material. My mind bubbled with panic. Who were these kids with their demonic pet and their eccentric language? Making a snap decision, I scrambled to my feet. Quickly turning, I ran up the beach, heart pounding, feet flying, sand buffeting my face. Fifteen yards was as far as I got, before the boy’s voice rang out: “EZEERF!” Instantaneously my arms locked in the positions they were in, closely followed by my legs. I couldn’t understand it. I still wanted to run, but I was completely immobilised.

By the time the boy sauntered over, I could only move my lips. “You shouldn’t have done that.” He said, and I felt a metallic object catch

a glancing blow on my head. As the darkness rose up within me, I pitched forward and lay still.

“NEKAWA!” sounded a voice. The word rebounded around my head for a moment, before filing itself away alongside all the other sinister words in the back of my mind. Slowly opening my eyes, I glanced around at my bleak surroundings. I was evidently in a cellar of some sort.

Shelving units were crammed with everyday objects, and boxes overflowed with junk. Feeling desolate and alone, I sank to the floor and waited.

I did not have to wait long, as presently I heard footsteps above me and muffled voices. Vexed, I listened as carefully as was possible, but still, I only caught snippets of the conversation. “The transformation can be done …. Full moon …. One more slave…” I sat down on a crate, when suddenly, one corner split open and spilled the box’s contents all over the floor. Clothes of all shapes and styles were strewn across the floor. There were dull T-shirts, a whole range of sized shoes, and even a single, small baseball cap. I picked it up and saw a small square of paper stuffed in the underside of the peak.

My curiosity aroused, I pulled the scrap out and turned it over. It simply read, “Get out while you can.” Before I had time to register this, the door was opened with a snap. Hastily I stuffed the note into my pocket, then turned to see my jailor. Silhouetted against the harsh light of the hall, was a small, hunched, goblin-like creature.

“I’m afraid the Master wants to see you,” it drawled, in a monotonous, nasal voice.

The goblin turned on his heel and led me down the passage. Thoughts of escape flitted through my mind, only to be dispelled, as I realised the house was a giant maze. Five or six turns had already been taken, leading us only deeper into the labyrinth. After a silent few more minutes, we came to a grinding halt before an imposing oak panelled door. “Master is waiting for you,” it said with a gleeful grin. As I approached, the door swung open of its own accord. A sign above the door caught my attention. It read ‘Rorroh.’ For the third time that day I found myself wondering what the strange words could possibly mean.

Apprehensively, I passed through the flaking doorway. As the door snapped shut behind me, an involuntary gasp escaped my lips at the sheer monster that faced me. Seven full feet of convoluted, scarred horror stood before me. Revelling in my apparent fear, it flashed foot long fangs that curved downwards, almost reaching his scarred chin.

Petrified, I tore my gaze from Horror. “Hang on,” I suddenly thought,

“Why did I just call it ‘Horror’? And then I realised, because it was the beast’s name! The sign on the door outside had ‘Rorroh written upon it. That was Horror written backwards! That meant all the unintelligible language I had heard that terrible day was simply backwards talk! Armed with this new knowledge, I once again dragged my eyes to Horror’s face. Still finding it repulsive, I forced myself to hold his malevolent gaze.

“How are you feeling?” asked Horror, in a spine-chilling, unearthly voice. Caught off guard by the question, I grew suspicious. To be honest I wasn’t feeling that great: my shoulder blades were aching, my eyes were stinging and I had a killer of a toothache. I shrugged and grunted, preferring to stay monosyllabic in the monsters presence.

As I did so, I caught sight of myself in the sparkling window behind Horror.

My eyes had a strange yellow tinge and my teeth seemed to be jutting forward from my mouth. Slightly disturbed, I quickly looked away from the window, finding myself face to face with an eerily grinning Horror.

“Ekat su ot eht hcaeb” he intoned. Blue sparks began to play around us, enveloping both of us in a roiling mass of blue swirls. Moments before we disappeared, my befuddled mind realised what had just happened.

‘Take us to the beach’ was what Horror had said, and that was exactly where we were going.

As soon as the sparks dissipated, I stepped away from Horror, although

I made no attempt to run, having already suffered the consequences of that particular action. Looking around me I spotted Horror crouching down on one knee, quivering like a leaf. I leant to one side, trying to see who Horror was so afraid of. Suddenly I gasped. Before Horror stood the twins who had started off this whole mess! I stood, dumbfounded by the implications of what I was seeing shooting around my mind. The twins looked past their kneeling slave and saw me. They each let a cold, heartless laugh escape their lips. “Now, see us as we really are!” they shouted at me.

In a series of convoluted twists and snaps, their skin stretched taut over their arched backs, only to be torn, exposing barbed spines. Soon, two tattered human skins lay lifeless on the sandy beach.

With a jolt I finally recognised the faces. Suzy and Jack Chester; they had gone missing a few months back, and had never been found. It looked like I had just discovered what had happened to them. Free now from their mortal bodies, evil blossomed around the pair, withering and scorching all in their path.

“Look, and behold, your new masters!” they cried out at me, with voices like death itself.

“No! Never!” I shouted, “I will never obey you!”

And then they smiled, a grim, bone-chilling smile that tore through my consciousness like a knife through paper.

“You are already ours” said a terrible voice in my head, and with that, they turned and disappeared, leaving only a trail of misery and destruction behind them.

Suddenly a spasm of pain erupted down my spine. It was so intense I was forced to the ground, screaming and crying for all I was worth. My world shrunk rapidly, now containing nothing but agony and terror. My skin tore and my bones groaned and stretched. Gradually the pain dimmed, allowing me enough strength to crawl to the waterside. Reflected back at me was a monstrous, savage-looking creature. And with a jolt, I realised – I was looking at my own reflection!

Thomas Goulding