Read Online Hungry Moon by Ramsey Campbell - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Ramsey Campbell
Tags: Religión, Fiction, General, Science-Fiction, Horror, England, Druids and Druidism, Evangelism, Christian Ministry, Evangelistic Work
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isn't camping there?'
His gaze darted about the faces of the Moonwell children, searching for hints of guilt. 'If anyone has been I'll find out, believe me. I've just been told that someone has knocked the safety wall into the cave. It'll take more than that to drive our friends away, but I'm telling you all now there'd better be no more such incidents, or as God is my witness I won't rest until I find the culprits and give them what they deserve.'
When he'd finished glaring, he stalked back into the building. 'I was going to tell you why they were wrong to throw the devil into the cave,' Daniel said, ushering Mary away, 'but I think we'd better pray for you all instead.' He and his friends did so, while Thomas and his group played loudly, though not loudly enough to drown out the prayers.
The new children clearly felt Diana should have kept them quiet. Throughout the afternoon she sensed then-disapproval; once, when the chalk broke on the patchy blackboard and she muttered 'Damn,' it came at her back like a wave. Could disapproval really prevent the floral ceremony from being performed at the cave on Midsummer Eve, and if so, did it matter? Surely it stood for so much, the lost celebrations of Midsummer Day that had been disguised as St John the Baptist Day, public bonfires, dancing in the streets. Mann wouldn't have liked those medieval rites much either, she thought wryly, feeling stifled by the threat of disapproving prayer in her classroom.
She'd never felt so in need of the relaxation classes that Helen from the post office organized each Monday evening. Walking along the High Street, which a mist was shortening, she passed strolling couples whom she didn't recognize, presumably Mann's followers. A thought stirred in her mind, something ominous about the way the town was now, but before she could grasp it she saw Helen tacking a notice to the outer door of the assembly rooms. 'Why, Helen, what's wrong?' Diana said.
'Nothing at all. Everything couldn't be better.' Helen's round face, which was always delicately made up, looked scrubbed raw. 'But I've given up yoga, and I hope I can persuade you to. You don't need that kind of thing when you've let God into your life.'
NINE
Geraldine was threading the last of her flowers through the perimeter fence of the missile base when the police began to move everyone back. 'Come along, madam,' an avuncular constable said, 'you know this is government property. I hope you'll have something besides flowers waiting for the enemy.'
'Anyone in particular?'
He gave her a reproving look. 'I think we know who wants the whole world to be Communists. Would you like your children to grow up under a Communist regime?'
'We haven't any children,' Jeremy said in a ragged voice. 'The one we might have had we lost. Maybe we can thank the nuclear lobby for that. There've been a lot more miscarriages since they started testing fucking bombs.'
"There are ladies present, sir, if you don't mind. Just move along now, there's a good lad.'
His eyes were less patient than his words, and he seemed suddenly to have grown bulkier. 'It's all right, Jeremy,' Geraldine murmured, thinking that confrontations like this were one reason why some bases were being picketed solely by women. 'We have to be going anyway. There's all the new stock to be checked.'
They picked their way across the muddy trampled grass of the dale to their van. The eight-year-old engine only coughed and groaned when Jeremy tried to start it, but it caught first time for her. Jeremy threw up his hands. 'Shows how much use I am.'
'You're a lot more than useful to me. I'm all right, honestly.' The policeman hadn't bothered her, even though it would have been Jonathan's birthday in just a few weeks. It was Andrew she wasn't sure about, not Jonathan. She drove fast through the mountains and up across the moors. As soon as the van was parked, she went round to the Bevans'.
'Come in then,' Brian said distractedly, jutting his jaw
His gaze darted about the faces of the Moonwell children, searching for hints of guilt. 'If anyone has been I'll find out, believe me. I've just been told that someone has knocked the safety wall into the cave. It'll take more than that to drive our friends away, but I'm telling you all now there'd better be no more such incidents, or as God is my witness I won't rest until I find the culprits and give them what they deserve.'
When he'd finished glaring, he stalked back into the building. 'I was going to tell you why they were wrong to throw the devil into the cave,' Daniel said, ushering Mary away, 'but I think we'd better pray for you all instead.' He and his friends did so, while Thomas and his group played loudly, though not loudly enough to drown out the prayers.
The new children clearly felt Diana should have kept them quiet. Throughout the afternoon she sensed then-disapproval; once, when the chalk broke on the patchy blackboard and she muttered 'Damn,' it came at her back like a wave. Could disapproval really prevent the floral ceremony from being performed at the cave on Midsummer Eve, and if so, did it matter? Surely it stood for so much, the lost celebrations of Midsummer Day that had been disguised as St John the Baptist Day, public bonfires, dancing in the streets. Mann wouldn't have liked those medieval rites much either, she thought wryly, feeling stifled by the threat of disapproving prayer in her classroom.
She'd never felt so in need of the relaxation classes that Helen from the post office organized each Monday evening. Walking along the High Street, which a mist was shortening, she passed strolling couples whom she didn't recognize, presumably Mann's followers. A thought stirred in her mind, something ominous about the way the town was now, but before she could grasp it she saw Helen tacking a notice to the outer door of the assembly rooms. 'Why, Helen, what's wrong?' Diana said.
'Nothing at all. Everything couldn't be better.' Helen's round face, which was always delicately made up, looked scrubbed raw. 'But I've given up yoga, and I hope I can persuade you to. You don't need that kind of thing when you've let God into your life.'
NINE
Geraldine was threading the last of her flowers through the perimeter fence of the missile base when the police began to move everyone back. 'Come along, madam,' an avuncular constable said, 'you know this is government property. I hope you'll have something besides flowers waiting for the enemy.'
'Anyone in particular?'
He gave her a reproving look. 'I think we know who wants the whole world to be Communists. Would you like your children to grow up under a Communist regime?'
'We haven't any children,' Jeremy said in a ragged voice. 'The one we might have had we lost. Maybe we can thank the nuclear lobby for that. There've been a lot more miscarriages since they started testing fucking bombs.'
"There are ladies present, sir, if you don't mind. Just move along now, there's a good lad.'
His eyes were less patient than his words, and he seemed suddenly to have grown bulkier. 'It's all right, Jeremy,' Geraldine murmured, thinking that confrontations like this were one reason why some bases were being picketed solely by women. 'We have to be going anyway. There's all the new stock to be checked.'
They picked their way across the muddy trampled grass of the dale to their van. The eight-year-old engine only coughed and groaned when Jeremy tried to start it, but it caught first time for her. Jeremy threw up his hands. 'Shows how much use I am.'
'You're a lot more than useful to me. I'm all right, honestly.' The policeman hadn't bothered her, even though it would have been Jonathan's birthday in just a few weeks. It was Andrew she wasn't sure about, not Jonathan. She drove fast through the mountains and up across the moors. As soon as the van was parked, she went round to the Bevans'.
'Come in then,' Brian said distractedly, jutting his jaw
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