The Secret of the Swan Read online

“What are you saying? You used magic?” said Rebecca incredulously.

  “There’s magic… and there’s magic.”

  This comment sounded very like what he had said about the treasure. It brought it back and provoked even more questions.

  “What do you know about monks?” asked Megan.

  Mason paused as though he was thinking hard about his answer. “Well, what is it you want to know about monks?”

  The children clamoured for answers. They wanted to know if Mason had seen the monk on the road. He raised his hands to his ears to block out the noise. He signalled them to calm down and be quiet.

  “So,” he whispered, “You’ve seen the brother then?”

  “Yes! Just now, but who is he?” asked Rebecca impatiently.

  “Oh you’ll find out in time, when he wants to tell you who he is, he will…”

  “But is he dead?” Danny demanded.

  “Dead? Hmm! Well, he’s not alive now… but dead? I’m not sure you could say that!”

  “But you can’t be alive and dead at the same time!” said Rebecca.

  “Well… it depends I suppose… on what you mean. If you mean alive is a living, breathing creature – something that you can see and touch, then no he’s not alive… but if you mean is he dead and gone from this world, then… no that’s not right either.”

  Puzzled looks shot round the children’s faces.

  “I don’t get it… what do you mean?” questioned Danny.

  “Well… just because you can’t see a person doesn’t mean they are not there… and… just because you can see a person doesn’t mean they are there!” Mason mused.

  Danny shook his head in bewilderment. “But that’s what you said before, about the magic thing. So do you mean the monk isn’t a ghost of a dead person? He’s real and he is somehow here, even though he isn’t alive?”

  “In a nutshell…” Mason smiled. “Time will tell… you will know who he is… why he wants you to see him… and what he wants you to do.”

  The children glanced quickly at each other. Mason smiled again.

  “He wants us to do something?” questioned Danny. “How did he know we would be here?”

  “Ah…” Mason mused, stroking his chin, thoughtfully, “Well, it’s obvious; he’s been waiting for you…”

  “Waiting? What do you mean?” asked Rebecca.

  “He needs you, to carry on where the boy left off… you’ve been chosen.”

  Danny erupted with a myriad of questions. Megan’s face creased with frowns filled with confusion.

  “Well, my friends, I’ll have to be getting on. I’ve work to do…” said Mason.

  Voices rose in protest, but Mason silenced them with a gesture. They all shut up, as if under a spell. The tall man turned and silently waved, as he strode off into the distance.

  Rebecca stood, unable to move as she watched him disappear into the Cloister. When they discussed the strange afternoon they felt little wiser than before.

  As they walked home, they weren’t confident about walking past the gatehouse where they had seen the monk. Rebecca and Megan walked as close to the river as they could, not daring to look up the hill. Nobody spoke and they were conscious of their own breathing. Rebecca was sure everyone could hear her heart beating. They walked down the narrow path, underneath the trees towards the 15th century packhorse bridge. Rebecca’s breathing relaxed slightly as they crossed the bridge and pushed their way through the kissing gate, into the lane. They ran, faster until they reached the brow of the hill above their houses. They slowed down to a natural pace as they turned the corner into the close.

  “We’re on the edge of something really strange… something big… something that we’ve gotta do, but what it is I can’t imagine…” announced Danny.

  Megan shook her head solemnly. They fell quiet again. Rebecca broke the silence.

  “Well, I think we will find out… soon. We need to keep our wits about us – there must be clues… we’ll need to go back to the abbey again and this time we have to keep our heads and not be complete wusses if we see that monk!” she said with conviction.

  Megan interjected, “Yeah, I think Becca’s right, but I’m not keen on meeting him again – even if he isn’t dead – whatever he is, he’s not normal is he?”

  Danny said, “Let’s sleep on it and see what we can find out tomorrow. I’m going out with mum and dad, so I can’t do nothin’, can you?”

  “Yes, I’ll try, will you help, Megan?” asked Rebecca.

  “O.K. but I’m a bit scared…do you think we should be dabbling in this?”

  Rebecca shrugged, “I dunno… but we’ve got to try.”

  CHAPTER 6

  STRANGE CREATURES

  After hours of turning and rolling, Rebecca pulled up her blind and pushed open the window as far as it would go. She took a deep breath, hoping that she would feel cooler. No chance! The air outside was as hot as that inside. She hung over the window sill, trying to find fresh air, looking out over the terraced garden, towards the railway line. In the distance she could make out the houses on the other side of the valley, some displaying lights, but most blacked out in darkness. The night was quiet and still, broken only by occasional weary bleats of the sheep pasturing in the fields.

  As her eyes became accustomed to the dark she found she could see. The intense light emanating from the moon’s silver disc, highlighted familiar features across the field and down the valley towards Park House Farm.

  From the corner of her eye, she saw a flickering light. She turned, straining to see more clearly. The light grew in intensity. It was coming closer. She leaned further out of the window. Gasping, she saw the light swing to and fro. Light etched the outline of a long hooded robe. It didn’t take too much brainwork to discover the figure was a monk. Rebecca was petrified and quickly bobbed down beneath the window sill.

  Thoughts shot through her brain like a meteor shower. She steeled herself and slowly peeped over the sill. The window was open, but she could hear only the usual night noises. He was still there but had moved closer, just across the railway line, which ran along the bottom of the garden. He lifted the light; it was clearly an old lantern of some kind. Waving slowly, he looked straight at her. She froze, hardly daring to breathe, when from the left of the monk she saw another figure move. The slight, small figure moved unbelievably quickly and the lamp caught a gleam of metal in his hand. The monk turned, facing the other form. The figure jumped back, avoiding him. The monk raised his hand, the flat of his palm facing the creature. There was an unearthly howl and it fled. Rebecca had never seen anything like it before.

  It was then that she spotted two more creatures, scattering and running wildly away from the monk. She could not identify the creatures, something about their appearance made her shudder. The monk turned again to face her. He moved seamlessly and smoothly. Calmness oozed from his very being. Gradually, Rebecca’s apprehension melted, as she finally accepted that the monk was not a threat at all. In fact, it suddenly seemed that he was exactly the opposite. He was her guardian.

  Danny and Megan had both been unable to sleep too. Danny lay still, staring up at the ceiling, wondering when he would manage to drop off to sleep. Soft moonlight shadows flickered and changed the ceiling. He could make out the silhouette of leaves and branches from the tree outside his bedroom window. The silvery light filtered gently into the room. Images played along the wall, he felt relaxed and soothed. His eye lids closed momentarily. When he opened them again, the shadow had changed.

  The lacy pattern of the leaves distorted and closed up. Danny caught his breath. The image became a monkey like creature, odd and thin. He was terrified, unable to move or breathe. The shadow moved along the outline of one of the branches. It looked scarily close. When he could stand it no longer, Danny sat up in bed, scrambled to the window and peered into the tree, which in reality, was not close at all. He made out the shape of the branches and within it he could see the creature. It was angular and bony,
human but not human, strange and frightening. Danny pulled away from the window and hid behind the wall. He peeped round the window frame and he could still see it.

  Something rustled in the bushes below. He saw to his horror that there was another one in the garden. He prayed quietly that they wouldn’t hear his heart pounding against his rib-cage. He looked over to Megan’s house on the other side of the close and saw two more of the things in her garden. They were running around the flower beds like rodents. Danny wondered if Megan was aware of these strange animals patrolling her garden.

  His answer came quickly. A piercing scream echoed across the street, from the direction of number 22. The creatures stopped, looked sharply round and then started to move again. Suddenly, the creatures froze and looked towards the corner of the road. A white mist appeared, illuminated by the street light on the other side of the street, along from Rebecca’s house. A commotion was going on at Megan’s house, lights snapping on and people moving, but Danny was transfixed by the mist. A figure was forming within its centre, becoming denser and clearer. It was the monk.

  The creatures scattered in different directions, away from the monk. He stood firmly and watched them until they had all disappeared into the night. Danny sighed with relief and felt that his earlier fear of the monk had evaporated and he knew that he was on their side. The monk remained still for a second and then he looked directly at Danny and raised a hand to wave. Danny was so astonished that he waved back. With that the monk turned, the mist enveloping him and finally melting away to nothing but a whisper.

  Next day, they met at Megan’s, each desperate to tell their experiences of the night before.

  “They were dead scary weren’t they? They looked like something out of a horror film or something; creepy, ugly, weird looking things,” said Megan, “I screamed my head off and mum and dad had to come in and cuddle me. I hope I never see them again, you don’t think we will, do you?”

  She shuddered and pulled a face as though she had just taken a dose of particularly disgusting medicine.

  “I went cold when I saw “them”, I couldn’t tell what they were, but they didn’t half move fast. I saw that flippin’ monk as well – but, d’ya know, I wasn’t scared of him this time!” Danny paused as if convincing himself, “At least… I don’t think I was.”

  “It’s strange – neither was I” exclaimed Rebecca, “But I didn’t like the things, they were eerie… and they remind me of something, but I don’t know what.”

  “Yes, I thought they must be an animal or something.…” Danny added.

  “I don’t fancy coming across them again, but perhaps we should tell Mason about it,” began Rebecca.

  Danny groaned.

  “But that means going down to the abbey again…” his voice tapered off.

  It took them a little time to decide what to do. They wanted to find out about the quest, but it was hard to put the night’s events out of their minds. They returned to the abbey the next day, albeit apprehensively. This time as they crossed the field a part of Rebecca secretly hoped the monk would re-appear – he was something of a saviour after the incident with the night creatures.

  They reached the abbey ruins without any strange occurrences. They saw Mason in the area of the old infirmary, repairing a low wall. They shouted to him over the metal railings. He looked up and smiled, beckoning them to come in. They ran around the perimeter of the abbey and up the steps to the museum entrance. They paid and went through the museum and into the abbey grounds.

  “We’re gonna own this abbey soon, if we keep having to pay like this!” exclaimed Danny.

  “You won’t be complaining if we find the treasure,” retorted Megan.

  “It depends what the treasure is… it might not be gold or silver or jewels you know…” suggested Rebecca.

  The children ran through the cemetery and along the reredorter until they reached the buttery – the only part of the abbey with a roof. Footsteps echoed as they ran across the uneven cobbled floor and out into the infirmary. Mason was awaiting their approach.

  Suddenly, a raucous cackle crackled through the air. Four sleek magpies swooped, furiously flapping black, tattered wings, blue and white gleaming in the sunlight. They flew perilously close and the swish of wings hissed in the children’s ears.

  “They’re coming straight for us!” shrieked Megan.

  They sprinted as fast as they could, protecting their heads with their hands. Suddenly, the pitch of the birds’ cries rose in panic. A booming voice drowned out the screeching. Mason scattered them, flailing long arms and trowel in a circular fashion, like a human windmill. The magpies flapped ferociously, gaining height and circling menacingly, finally flying into the trees in Abbot’s Wood.

  The children dropped to the grass catching their breath and trembling. Mason sank to the ground, removing his hard hat and mopping his forehead with his handkerchief.

  “Well,” he said, shaking his head, “That’s a turn up…”

  Danny asked, “What is?”

  “The old magpies… Someone’s bothered about you lot!”

  Mason slowly replaced his helmet. He stroked his chin, thoughtfully, a gesture they were now familiar with.

  “It’s begun; I think you need to know a few things.”

  The children looked attentively at him, waiting for him to start.

  “You’ve attracted attention”, they all opened their mouths to speak, their minds full of questions. Mason gestured them to wait.

  “You need to be prepared. The treasure has been hidden since old Henry’s time… and its time it was found and made safe for good. They want it so badly and it’s a wicked time… they could just manage it! The treasure must be safe and it must be given to those who can take care of it. It holds great power and in the wrong hands, well…” the words hung in the air like a black cloud. Mason will help, Masons have always helped. The boy came close… he helped to keep it hidden… he’ll help again… you’ll see him, he will come to you.”

  “Well, that’s really cleared that up, Mr Mason!” said Danny.

  “Time will tell, young lad… time will tell! You must search, but they won’t like you looking. The treasure is still within the abbey lands and they are coming closer to it all the time. We… you have got to save it!”

  “But where do we start? What is the treasure?” asked Danny.

  “You need to discover that yourself, but remember who owned it and what it stood for, before you go off looking for gold and jewels. It’s abbey treasure, not a pirate hoard.”

  “What about “them”… are they bad or something?” asked Megan.

  “Bad and very dangerous!” whispered Mason in hushed tones.

  “Something strange happened to us last night,” interrupted Rebecca.

  Mason raised his eyebrows and looked sharply at her. She continued slowly.

  “There were weird creatures… and the monk… at our houses.”

  Mason’s face creased into worried lines, “What creatures? The magpies?”

  “No, not them…skinny, bony monkey things,” she added.

  “Ah… I might have known. Don’t worry; they can only use them at night… they are creatures of the dark.”

  “Is that supposed to make us feel better? Cos it don’t,” remarked Danny. “What are they anyway?”

  “You can find them… they’re all around the abbey… look carefully. The brother… well, he is around too. He doesn’t stray far from the abbey… you can find him if you look.”

  “Did he hide the treasure?” asked Rebecca excitedly.

  “He was its guardian and he passed his knowledge onto others to protect it.”

  “But what are we supposed to do?” she exclaimed, exasperated.

  “Start with the swan… think hard about it!” he answered. “The treasure will reveal itself. He looked after it, saving it for the future, passing it on to the next guardian. When Henry got rid of the abbey, others thought they could take it. By destroying the abbey
he let them in.”

  “You said something about a boy… what’s that all about?” asked Danny.

  “The boy helped. He’ll help again; watch out for him and…”

  Mason’s eyes tracked along the cloister wall, a man was walking down the steps and onto the path. He stood up and turned away. ”Well, I’m off now, but be careful and stay alert. I can guide, but it’s your quest… not mine!” With that he strode off to where he had been working, picked up his bucket and tool bag and walked away, leaving the children astounded by his abrupt exit.

  They had no time to discuss the odd conversation, because the man who had been walking through the cloister was now walking purposefully towards them. He was a thin, tall, balding man, who seemed to glide across the grass, he walked so quickly. He was dressed smartly in a dark suit, with a crisp white shirt and shiny black tie. He reminded Rebecca of an undertaker, but his eyes were made of flint. He smiled at them, a cold smile which stayed on his lips, not travelling to his eyes as a smile should.

  “I hope you have your tickets with you. Too many youngsters have been climbing over the railings to get in!” he held out a long, thin hand to receive evidence of their entry ticket.

  “Course we’ve paid!” Danny said in a disgusted tone.

  “I would like to see please,” he said, undeterred.

  They searched in pockets and purses, each finding a crumpled green ticket and showing him. He looked disgruntled that they could prove their honesty.

  “Good,” he said, his expression disappointed, “But I will be particularly watching you… we have suffered from a lot of vandalism recently.”

  “We wouldn’t do anything like that!” protested Rebecca.

  “I don’t trust children and I will be watching for you. I am Mr Steele and I know everything that goes on in this abbey. What are you trying to find here? You seem to have visited the abbey rather frequently recently, so the cashier tells me?” he enquired.

  “We’re looking for t…” began Megan.

  “… tiles and carvings,” interjected Danny quickly. Something told him this man was not someone to share their quest with. “We’ve got a school project to do.”