THREE SMOKERS’ CLEARING
THREE
SMOKERS’ CLEARING
I slump against the side of a bike shelter. The stone-paved veranda stretches out before me, with the playing field beyond. Today, it’s devoid of the usual lively atmosphere. The grey, damp weather seems to match my mood.
I haven’t spent much time out here since joining the college. This area must be a popular spot in the summer term – studying and socialising in the sunshine.
Today, aside from a groundsman raking up fallen leaves and a group of boys kicking a football around on the mud, there’s no one around, which is just what I need to clear my head.
After History Insiders, Lily had said she’d meet me here once she managed to pull Jack away from the newsroom. I didn’t tell her what I read in the book with Sophia. I just needed to get out of there, to take a breath and get some air.
I slide down the shelter, sitting on the cool stone floor. I pull out my phone, unlocking it on Katie’s Instagram. I tap her profile photo. She’s a modern-day Snow White.
I can’t shake her lifeless body from my mind.
That book mentioned Keepers dreaming of other Keepers’ deaths. It’s unbelievable, having the exact same recurring nightmare. Watching Katie get killed, over and over. Could it mean that I’m somehow connected to her?
The more I try to make sense of it all, the more my head hurts. I’m caught in a web of impossibilities.
I run my hand through my hair. My eyes feel heavy again. Part of me wants to run to Smokers’ Clearing now, and get it over with; the other part of me wants to crawl into bed and sleep for a week.
A mighty thud echoes above me.
A football drops at my feet. The group of boys on the field are huddled together.
One of them breaks free and jogs toward me as I stand up.
‘Pass it here,’ he shouts.
Contact sports have never been my thing. My hands tremble slightly as I pick up the football.
‘Hurry up!’
A surge of heat rushes through me, and I launch the ball with one hand. It flies through the air like a missile, and hits the boy squarely in the chest. He falls and slides backward through the mud. His friends rush over, some helping him up, and others laughing.
‘Mate, what a pitch,’ Jack says as he and Lily step outside. ‘I’ve known you for over five years, and I’ve never seen you throw like that. In fact, I’ve never seen you throw at all.’
I’m dizzy. The heat again. Just like this morning in the shower and yesterday with the vending machine.
‘I have no idea what just happened,’ I finally mutter, staring at my hands in disbelief, then gesturing an apology to the boy on the ground.
‘Did you join the rugby team and not tell us?’ says Lily.
‘There’s only one reason Liam would join the rugby team.’ Jack winks at me playfully.
‘Ah yes, buff naked rugby guys showering together. Now that is a dream,’ Lily says, her eyes wandering off in thought.
Jack looks slightly deflated.
‘And on that note,’ I begin, snapping out of my shock, ‘let’s get going.’
I march across the field, Lily and Jack tagging along behind. My head’s a mess, but I have to figure out what’s happened with Katie. Smokers’ Clearing might hold the answers, and I can’t waste more time.
Craythorn Forest oozes ancient mystery. It might not match the thickness of Grovely Wood or the vastness of the New Forest, but it carries an age and history that outdoes both, or so my old geography teacher claimed with contagious enthusiasm back in school.
The forest is surrounded by a bunch of small villages, including Winterford where my grandparents lived.
They used to drag me here for picnics and walks when I was a kid.
Grandad, always eager to share, filled my head with creepy tales about the place, much to my nan’s disapproval.
‘You’ll give him nightmares,’ she’d scold, a sentiment I couldn’t argue with.
Those stories did keep me awake at night.
‘So, explain to me again why we’re trudging all the way to Smokers’ Clearing?’
‘I told you, Jack. Liam had a nightmare—’
‘Nightmares,’ I correct her. ‘I’ve been having the same one for the past week.’
I’ve been hesitant to share the full extent of my experiences, but it’s time to come clean. After all, they’re coming out here with me.
Lily pulls at my shoulder.
‘You didn’t say that before?’ she says.
‘I didn’t want you thinking I was going mental.’
Lily looks genuinely worried now. I haven’t seen her face like it since the day I revealed my disinterest in going to university.
‘Mate, so you’ve been watching Katie get killed, like on repeat?’ Jack says.
I nod.
We fall into a contemplative silence. Do they believe me?
As we continue our walk through the dense forest, I bring up the topic of Keepers. Jack seems puzzled, his brow furrowing in confusion.
‘Keepers? What do you mean?’ he asks.
Lily takes the lead in explaining. ‘Surely you’ve heard of them? They’re a local legend.’
I exchange a quick glance with Jack, who shakes his head slightly. I don’t reveal that the first time I encountered the term was in the book I read earlier.
‘They talk about them on the tours at work. The Keepers were supposedly ancient protectors of the city. They watched over the Crossing, some mystical gateway that is said to be located at Old Sarum. Far-fetched, I know, but it certainly makes for a more interesting story for the tourists than the usual “here’s some stone ruins”.
Each Keeper is said to have had special powers to aid them in their duties. ’
Jack snorts. ‘This is why I don’t take history with you guys. Half of it is made up. This is some local guy’s fireside tale way back when. Bet he’s up there right now having a good old laugh at us.’ Jack gestures to the sky.
‘What about the dreams?’ I say, steering the conversation back to my more pressing problem. ‘The book I read said that the Keepers experienced dreams of their predecessor’s death.’
The distant sound of wood snapping makes us all stop in our tracks. There’s some movement in the distance. Is someone watching us? I search, my eyes darting back and forth, but there’s nothing.
‘This place gives me the creeps,’ says Jack.
‘It’s probably just a deer. Come on.’ Lily ushers us to continue. ‘I read that when a Keeper dies, another takes their place; their destiny is passed down, along with their powers. The dreams are a way of highlighting the new Keeper’s duty, and so that they don’t meet the same fate.’
‘That’s what the book said,’ I confirm.
‘You’re not seriously buying into this, mate? It’s just some old folklore.’
I shrug. ‘I don’t know, Jack. The dreams I’ve been having – they feel real, like memories. Now there’s this Keeper stuff, it’s got me thinking, I guess.’
‘Okay,’ Lily starts. ‘Let’s say for a second that these dreams are more than just dreams. That they’re some sort of calling. What other evidence is there? You don’t have any powers, Liam.’
‘Yeah, it’s not like you’re shooting laser beams from your eyes or hacking through these trees with adamantium claws right now,’ Jack adds.
They’re right. I haven’t displayed any extraordinary abilities. I’m still just my normal, clumsy self – dropping my phone, falling out of the…
‘… shower,’ I mumble.
‘What?’ Jack and Lily say in unison.
‘This morning. I slipped in the shower.’
‘Yes… I saw. All of it,’ Lily says, grinning.
Jack sucks in his lips to hide his amusement.
‘I slipped because I dropped my phone, but I caught it.’
‘So, you’re telling us your special power is… catching phones… naked? I got to say, mate, it’s a unique one,’ Jack says.
‘No. What I’m saying is I made an impossible catch. My reaction was so fast, I didn’t believe I’d done it myself.’
‘That sounds more like luck, Liam,’ says Lily.
I sigh, looking down at my bandaged hand. ‘Okay, what about this?’ I say, holding it up.
‘What about it?’ Lily says. ‘You hit a vending machine.’
‘I didn’t just hit it, did I? I put my hand through the glass.’
‘You said you were tired, not thinking straight. Besides, that machine is old. I’m pretty sure it was there when my parents were in college,’ Jack says.
‘Fine. Then explain my ball throw just now. You said it yourself you’d never seen me throw like that.’
Lily and Jack exchange glances. I know exactly what they’re thinking. I know because I am talking about impossible things.
‘It’s getting dark,’ Lily says, finally. ‘We should probably get to Smokers’ Clearing.’
None of us talk as we approach the clearing. We peer through a break in the trees. Lily moves closer to me, her shoulder resting against my own.
‘Even if there was something, don’t you think a student or one of the groundsmen would have discovered it by now?’ she says.
‘It’s been raining most of the day, I doubt anyone has come all the way in here,’ I say.
As I enter the clearing, the log, slightly off-centre, is lying there, just as it was in my dream.
I drop my bag and brush away some leaves, revealing a layer of soggy cigarette ends.
‘This is it; this is definitely the area from my dream.’
Lily and Jack explore the clearing, their voices fading as I close my eyes, attempting to assemble the images from my dream.
Stepping away from the log, I make my way toward the clearing’s centre, crouching low to sift through the layers of dead leaves.
Memories of Katie’s tragic end flood my mind.
The gleam of the man’s blade. Droplets staining her trainers, her falling to the ground, and the figures closing in around her.
‘This is where it happened, right here,’ I mutter.
Lily crouches beside me, placing a hand on my back.
‘Liam, are you sure you want to be here?’ she says.
I take a deep breath, trying to steady myself. ‘I need to figure this out.’
‘Liam, the cigs aside, I can’t see anything of anyone being out here, let alone a murder that relates to Katie.’
‘There must be something,’ I say.
Lily reaches for my hand. ‘We should head back.’
My heart sinks as I scan the clearing once more. There’s nothing here to support what I saw. No blood, no scorch marks, no trace of any sort of struggle at all.
I push my fringe out of my eyes, trying to clear my head. ‘I don’t understand. Something should be here,’ I say, picking up a handful of leaves and chucking them aside.
‘Maybe it was just a dream, a really vivid dream,’ Lily says, softly.
‘But I saw her, I saw her… die.’
‘Mate, you had a nightmare. We all get them,’ Jack says.
‘Not the same one,’ I say.
They might think I’m losing it, but at this point, I don’t care.
Jack steps forward. ‘Look, I’m no crime scene investigator, but there’s no obvious evidence Katie was here. Maybe it’s just a coincidence that you’re dreaming about her.’
I want to argue, to defend the validity of my nightmares, but deep down, I know they might be right. How can this be real? How can I dream about something so specific and have it align with reality? It’s impossible, isn’t it?
I sigh in defeat. I might never understand what’s happening to me.
I walk over to the fallen tree trunk, taking a moment to calm myself. I can’t let these dreams consume me; I need to find a way to shake them off.
Lily and Jack haven’t said a word for some time. They are probably trying to process everything. This isn’t me. Getting fixated on something so… unusual. Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything.
‘You guys go home. I’m going to stay a little while,’ I finally say.
‘Are you sure?’ Lily says, concerned. ‘We can stay if you want, have another look around.’
‘No, you’re both right. There’s nothing here. It was just a crappy dream, or nightmare, I guess. I’m sorry for dragging you guys out here,’ I mumble, lightly kicking my heel into the side of the log.
‘Don’t worry about it,’ Jack says, reassuringly. ‘We’re here for you. Even if you are turning into Maggie Vera.’
Lily and I stare blankly at him.
‘Okay, am I the only one who watched the Charmed reboot?’ he says.
Lily rolls her eyes. ‘Anyway, Jack’s right, we’re here for you.’
I manage a weak smile. ‘Thanks, guys.’
‘See you Sunday, for our hit?’ Jack says.
I nod.
‘I really don’t mind staying with you,’ Lily says.
‘I’ll be fine. I probably just need some sleep. I just want to clear my head out here a little first,’ I reply, trying to sound more composed than I feel.
‘Text me when you are home,’ she says.
As they disappear into the trees, I lie down on the damp wood, my hands behind my head, and take in a deep breath. The quiet ambiance of the forest surrounds me, and the passing dark grey clouds above create a sense of calm.
It was just a dream. A bad dream. Katie’s just missing. I hope the police find her, wherever she has disappeared to. I hope she’s safe.
I let the sounds of the forest and the rhythmic beating of my heart wash over me. Maybe, just maybe, a little peace can find its way into my troubled mind. I shut my eyes.