Read Online Hungry Moon by Ramsey Campbell - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Ramsey Campbell
Tags: Religión, Fiction, General, Science-Fiction, Horror, England, Druids and Druidism, Evangelism, Christian Ministry, Evangelistic Work
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between the desks, and Sally said defiantly, 'I love Jane too.'
'Girls shouldn't love girls and boys shouldn't love boys,' Jane's seatmate said. 'Godwin Mann says so. You have to offer up all your love to God.'
'If you're going to argue I think you'd better just tell whoever you're sitting with your name,' Diana said, reminding herself that it wasn't their fault they were so old before their time and so insufferable, it was the way they'd been brought up. 'Now I'm going to hear each of the new children read, and the rest of you can see how much you can read by yourselves.'
She'd heard two readings when Thomas's seatmate said loudly, 'You mustn't say that kind of stuff. Tell Miss Kramer the kind of dirty stuff you were saying.'
'Not here, okay, Thomas? We don't want to offend anyone when there's no reason to.'
'I forgive you. I'll pray for you,' Thomas's deskmate said, and Diana had the disconcerting impression that he was talking to her as well as to Thomas. That was the way the morning went, the new children not so much telling tales as telling their seatmates to confess whenever they did anything wrong, however trivial. She went into the schoolyard at lunchtime praying that they wouldn't be so puritanical while they were playing games.
A radio was blaring disco music, which seemed promising until Diana realized that the lyrics, repeated over and over, were 'Upon this rock I shall build my church.' Some of the Moonwell children began to dance enthusiastically, until the owner of the radio switched it off.
'You shouldn't dance like that,' she rebuked them.
Some of Diana's class were teaching the newcomers to play Harry-in-the-hole. The Welsh girl, Mary, was chosen to be in the hole, to be blindfolded and try to grab a victim from the circle that surrounded her, holding hands. If she guessed who the victim was, that child had to join her and be blindfolded, and once that process started the circle wouldn't hold for long. But before the game had even begun, Mary pulled the blindfold off. 'What am I supposed to be?'
'The giant who lives down the well,' Thomas said.
'He means the cave,' Ronnie said impatiently. 'We poked your eyes out and threw you in.'
'No, we chopped your arms and legs off and rolled you in,' Thomas told her with relish.
Mary looked as if she wanted to run. Diana hushed Sally and Jane, who were holding her hands and telling her secrets, and started to intervene, but the boy with the portable radio was ahead of her. 'What's wrong, Mary?' he demanded.
'They want me to play at being him down the cave, Daniel.'
'You mustn't play that, any of you. Don't you know who he is? He's the devil waiting down there. He'll come for you if you don't pray to God and make sure your folks do.'
A cloud rose into view above the town, blotting out the sun. Its shadow flexed rapidly over the cottages and rushed into the schoolyard, evoking a sudden stony chill. 'He's not a devil, he's a giant,' Thomas said. 'Anyway, if he gets out he'll get you first in those tents up there. He'll pick you up and turn you inside out and put you down as something else, and then you'll have to crawl about like that for ever.'
Andrew spoke for the first time, haltingly. 'He can't be a devil when the cave's a holy place. My granddad said they threw the giant down there because it was holy and he wouldn't be able to get out.'
'Your granddad's telling lies,' Mary said in her sharp Welsh voice. 'You should listen to Godwin Mann. He speaks with the voice of God.'
'What is he then,' Andrew said, 'a telephone?'
Good for you, Diana thought, and caught sight of Mr Scragg in the school doorway. 'All right now, children, don't take everything so seriously. It's only a game, after all,' she said, earning herself a contemptuous glance from Daniel. For a moment she wanted to lash out at him, and was shocked by her feelings until the whistle interrupted them. As soon as there was silence Mr Scragg said icily, 'Has anyone been up on the moor today who
'Girls shouldn't love girls and boys shouldn't love boys,' Jane's seatmate said. 'Godwin Mann says so. You have to offer up all your love to God.'
'If you're going to argue I think you'd better just tell whoever you're sitting with your name,' Diana said, reminding herself that it wasn't their fault they were so old before their time and so insufferable, it was the way they'd been brought up. 'Now I'm going to hear each of the new children read, and the rest of you can see how much you can read by yourselves.'
She'd heard two readings when Thomas's seatmate said loudly, 'You mustn't say that kind of stuff. Tell Miss Kramer the kind of dirty stuff you were saying.'
'Not here, okay, Thomas? We don't want to offend anyone when there's no reason to.'
'I forgive you. I'll pray for you,' Thomas's deskmate said, and Diana had the disconcerting impression that he was talking to her as well as to Thomas. That was the way the morning went, the new children not so much telling tales as telling their seatmates to confess whenever they did anything wrong, however trivial. She went into the schoolyard at lunchtime praying that they wouldn't be so puritanical while they were playing games.
A radio was blaring disco music, which seemed promising until Diana realized that the lyrics, repeated over and over, were 'Upon this rock I shall build my church.' Some of the Moonwell children began to dance enthusiastically, until the owner of the radio switched it off.
'You shouldn't dance like that,' she rebuked them.
Some of Diana's class were teaching the newcomers to play Harry-in-the-hole. The Welsh girl, Mary, was chosen to be in the hole, to be blindfolded and try to grab a victim from the circle that surrounded her, holding hands. If she guessed who the victim was, that child had to join her and be blindfolded, and once that process started the circle wouldn't hold for long. But before the game had even begun, Mary pulled the blindfold off. 'What am I supposed to be?'
'The giant who lives down the well,' Thomas said.
'He means the cave,' Ronnie said impatiently. 'We poked your eyes out and threw you in.'
'No, we chopped your arms and legs off and rolled you in,' Thomas told her with relish.
Mary looked as if she wanted to run. Diana hushed Sally and Jane, who were holding her hands and telling her secrets, and started to intervene, but the boy with the portable radio was ahead of her. 'What's wrong, Mary?' he demanded.
'They want me to play at being him down the cave, Daniel.'
'You mustn't play that, any of you. Don't you know who he is? He's the devil waiting down there. He'll come for you if you don't pray to God and make sure your folks do.'
A cloud rose into view above the town, blotting out the sun. Its shadow flexed rapidly over the cottages and rushed into the schoolyard, evoking a sudden stony chill. 'He's not a devil, he's a giant,' Thomas said. 'Anyway, if he gets out he'll get you first in those tents up there. He'll pick you up and turn you inside out and put you down as something else, and then you'll have to crawl about like that for ever.'
Andrew spoke for the first time, haltingly. 'He can't be a devil when the cave's a holy place. My granddad said they threw the giant down there because it was holy and he wouldn't be able to get out.'
'Your granddad's telling lies,' Mary said in her sharp Welsh voice. 'You should listen to Godwin Mann. He speaks with the voice of God.'
'What is he then,' Andrew said, 'a telephone?'
Good for you, Diana thought, and caught sight of Mr Scragg in the school doorway. 'All right now, children, don't take everything so seriously. It's only a game, after all,' she said, earning herself a contemptuous glance from Daniel. For a moment she wanted to lash out at him, and was shocked by her feelings until the whistle interrupted them. As soon as there was silence Mr Scragg said icily, 'Has anyone been up on the moor today who
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