Friday Drinks Cancelled

The last lesson and there’s a message on your phone from Krystal telling you there’s no Friday drinks this week. Oh well. You pack up and prepare to go home.

You pause to consider the week, looking out through the classroom window. The view is growing familiar. The shorter buildings. The wooded slope behind them. The ruined tower, that Abigail called the Pepperpot.

There’s movement around it, a procession of 5 people ascending the path to the ruined tower, pushing aside the warning tape and unlocking the board that covers the doorway. Maybe you should warn someone. No, you recognise one of them as the red head of Dr Stricture, and isn’t that Mrs Oversight behind her? Yes. She’s talking to one of the others, this one dressed like a Catholic priest.

You watch them all traipse inside. Dr Stricture, Mrs Oversight, the priest, one of the others, an old man in a suit. The final one stands outside, watching, suspiciously. He’s all edgy. A couple of girls are ascending the path up the hill. They see him. He waves them away. When they approach to see who he is, you see him gesture angrily in their direction. You can’t hear what’s said, but the girls turn and run. The man glares at them as they run.

It can’t be suspicious. There must be a good reason. Maybe they’re looking to knock the ruined tower down? Or rebuild it? Why they’d bring a Catholic priest is beyond you, but whatever. None of your business. It might appear strange. There’s probably a good reason.

Yet you carry on watching. From a vacant hole high up the tower you see a sliver of light emerging, as bright as a floodlight. It flickers for a moment and then fades. A spark dances at the top of the building. It leaves a waft of black, oily smoke that doesn’t dissipate in the evening air.

When the four emerge, they are arguing. Both Dr Stricture and Mrs Oversight berating the priest, who shrugs with embarrassment. The other man joins them. The argument appears heated. All four of them have blackened faces. Very odd.

You shrug. Lock your office. Lock your classroom. Head back home.