if back with her mates. In a
minute she’ll burst out laughing . He turned to look at Andy and Simon, not
surprised at their strange expressions, knowing exactly what they would be
seeing. Tony turned back to the girl and took a step closer. She looked from
empty chair to empty chair at head height, nodding in agreement to silent
questions and saying random comments to silent accusations.
‘Hey,’ a voice
called out. Tony slowly looked behind him. ‘How many did you have before you
came out?’ It was Simon.
Tony turned
back to the girl. She put her hand towards the table as if to grab something
invisible. As she closed her grasp a bottle of cherry cider materialised in her
hand. She brought it to her mouth, sipped and put it back down. As she let go
the bottle disappeared.
With that Tony
brought down his hand towards the girl as Andy and Simon watched on. Knowing
exactly what would happen he reached out to touch her. His hand felt nothing.
No resistance, no chill or texture; it went through as if there was nothing
there. He did it again, sweeping his hand quickly through the girl’s head.
‘Tony,’ Simon
again called from behind him. ‘What the hell you doing?’ The group of pint
drinking girls was now also looking over.
Tony continued
to stare at the girl and then suddenly turned, jumped down the steps and leapt
out of the pub.
Night had
fallen at The Cheeky Half as the image of the bearded man looked down towards
Tony flying out of the pub’s door. He scanned the darkness. The pub was near an
intersection, two roads crossing in four different directions. Tony ran to the
road and looked urgently one way, then the other before seeing what he was
looking for and sprinted off down the road.
‘Hey,’ he
shouted. He was almost out of breath as he approached the group of girls, once
again led by the stand out stunner, coat back on. ‘Wait,’ he called, closing in
on them, he had no doubt this one would hear him.
He called once
more as he drew closer, and reached out his hand to grab whoever was at the
back, needing physical contact to drag him back into some kind of reality.
The girls all
turned and it was the one in red who addressed him.
‘What?’ she asked.
A flirtatious grin transformed into a frown at the sight of an out of breath
Tony reaching out a hand.
Tony paused to
get his breath back and regain some composure. He looked at the girls in turn
then turned his attention to the girl in red, not caring anymore how the
situation panned out. ‘I don’t really know. Are you really there?’ he said
dropping his gaze to the girl’s feet and slowly scanning her body from foot to
head.
‘No, course not
weirdo,’ said one of the girls.
‘No wait, wait.
I’m serious, are you real?’
‘What do you
mean?’ the girl in red said. She looked at Tony, the smile returning to her
face. She would play along. Play along then get the hell out of there. Until...
Tony reached
out a hand and poked her in the shoulder. Once again the girl’s smile
transformed, even quicker this time, into concern as she took a step backwards.
Another of her mates pushed Tony back.
‘What are you
doing?’ she said, beginning to sound alarmed, but mostly just annoyed.
Tony watched as
the girl was pulled back by her mates, she was the last to turn away as they
walked off into the night.
Chapter 7
‘I’m sorry, I
just can’t find anything wrong with these documents. I’ve double and triple
checked them, twice, but there’s no discrepancies between the two.’
‘It’s ok. You
never know, there may be no discrepancies.’
‘But you said…’
‘I said that
upstairs need to know that both these documents are identical. I think it’s
safe to say that they always were.’
‘I was up
virtually all night, and for nothing.’
‘Thank you Kerry,
your loyalty and hours to this company will not have gone unnoticed.’
‘Too bloody
right,’ she said, dropping the documents onto John’s desk. ‘You know,
minute she’ll burst out laughing . He turned to look at Andy and Simon, not
surprised at their strange expressions, knowing exactly what they would be
seeing. Tony turned back to the girl and took a step closer. She looked from
empty chair to empty chair at head height, nodding in agreement to silent
questions and saying random comments to silent accusations.
‘Hey,’ a voice
called out. Tony slowly looked behind him. ‘How many did you have before you
came out?’ It was Simon.
Tony turned
back to the girl. She put her hand towards the table as if to grab something
invisible. As she closed her grasp a bottle of cherry cider materialised in her
hand. She brought it to her mouth, sipped and put it back down. As she let go
the bottle disappeared.
With that Tony
brought down his hand towards the girl as Andy and Simon watched on. Knowing
exactly what would happen he reached out to touch her. His hand felt nothing.
No resistance, no chill or texture; it went through as if there was nothing
there. He did it again, sweeping his hand quickly through the girl’s head.
‘Tony,’ Simon
again called from behind him. ‘What the hell you doing?’ The group of pint
drinking girls was now also looking over.
Tony continued
to stare at the girl and then suddenly turned, jumped down the steps and leapt
out of the pub.
Night had
fallen at The Cheeky Half as the image of the bearded man looked down towards
Tony flying out of the pub’s door. He scanned the darkness. The pub was near an
intersection, two roads crossing in four different directions. Tony ran to the
road and looked urgently one way, then the other before seeing what he was
looking for and sprinted off down the road.
‘Hey,’ he
shouted. He was almost out of breath as he approached the group of girls, once
again led by the stand out stunner, coat back on. ‘Wait,’ he called, closing in
on them, he had no doubt this one would hear him.
He called once
more as he drew closer, and reached out his hand to grab whoever was at the
back, needing physical contact to drag him back into some kind of reality.
The girls all
turned and it was the one in red who addressed him.
‘What?’ she asked.
A flirtatious grin transformed into a frown at the sight of an out of breath
Tony reaching out a hand.
Tony paused to
get his breath back and regain some composure. He looked at the girls in turn
then turned his attention to the girl in red, not caring anymore how the
situation panned out. ‘I don’t really know. Are you really there?’ he said
dropping his gaze to the girl’s feet and slowly scanning her body from foot to
head.
‘No, course not
weirdo,’ said one of the girls.
‘No wait, wait.
I’m serious, are you real?’
‘What do you
mean?’ the girl in red said. She looked at Tony, the smile returning to her
face. She would play along. Play along then get the hell out of there. Until...
Tony reached
out a hand and poked her in the shoulder. Once again the girl’s smile
transformed, even quicker this time, into concern as she took a step backwards.
Another of her mates pushed Tony back.
‘What are you
doing?’ she said, beginning to sound alarmed, but mostly just annoyed.
Tony watched as
the girl was pulled back by her mates, she was the last to turn away as they
walked off into the night.
Chapter 7
‘I’m sorry, I
just can’t find anything wrong with these documents. I’ve double and triple
checked them, twice, but there’s no discrepancies between the two.’
‘It’s ok. You
never know, there may be no discrepancies.’
‘But you said…’
‘I said that
upstairs need to know that both these documents are identical. I think it’s
safe to say that they always were.’
‘I was up
virtually all night, and for nothing.’
‘Thank you Kerry,
your loyalty and hours to this company will not have gone unnoticed.’
‘Too bloody
right,’ she said, dropping the documents onto John’s desk. ‘You know,
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