text: The scream came from upstairs. Matt snapped from his Netflix stupor and bolted up. The sound had come from his daughters room. Bursting through the door, Matt was confronted with the sight of his young daughter Kelly being dragged out of her bedroom window by a man made of black mist. Matt launched himself towards his daughter but was too slow. He watched on helplessly as she was whisked off into the darkness of night. He screamed out in angst and fear as she faded from his view. Manic, Matt’s mind raced. What happened? What was that thing? He knew immediately what to do. He raced downstairs grabbed up his phone from between the couch cushions and dialed his Mum. “MUM! MUM! KELLY IS GONE!” Matt screamed. “What? Matt, ok. Calm down. What do you mean Kelly is gone? What happened?” Martha replied. “I don’t know. I was on the couch then I heard a scream from her room and I ran to her but there was some thing. Like a man but not a man. He....No it.. It took her.” “I knew this day would come. Ok Matt. I need you to listen to me very closely. Don’t touch anything. Don’t go in the room. Your father and I will be right over.” “What do you mean this day would come? Mum? What is going on?” “Matt it will be ok. We will get Kelly back. Just stay where you are. We will be there soon and we will explain everything.” Twenty minutes pass. Matt lays curled up in the living room crying. The front door swings open. Martha and Albert make there way into the house. “Oh god he’s crying” Albert starts. “Leave him alone he's scared. And you would be too if your child was taken by the dark powers and you didn’t know what they were.” Martha snaps back. “Well he would know if you had let me have the talk with him when he was young. We could have prepared him for something like this.” “I wanted him to have a normal life. One without demons and sorcerers messing everything up all the time. Was that so wrong?” “Ok ok, no need to get upset. Anyway what has happened has happened let’s get on with it.” By now Matt has sat up. With a face wet from tears he asks “What are you two talking about? Mum? Dad? What do you mean demons? Is that what took Kelly? Some sort of demon?” “Either that or some sort of evil sorcerer” Albert tells him matter-of-factly. “A sorcerer?!” Matt wails, beginning to sob all over again. Martha leans down and hugs her son “It’s alright baby, It’s ok. Mummy is here and she is going to fix everything.” She turns to Albert and says “Can’t you be a bit more gentle?” “Oh for Christ’s sake Martha he’s a grown man.” Albert protests. “He’s a grown man who’s daughter has been stolen away. Why don’t you do something useful and grab my crystals from the car.” Martha scolds. Albert simply grunts in reply heading back out to the car. Matt sits at the end of Kelly’s bed with a blanket draped over his shoulders. He sips from the hot chocolate that his Mum made him (Double marshmallow just like when he was a kid). Albert finishes setting up for the ritual. There are an assortment of rare minerals scattered spread across the floor set in a swirl. Martha enters the room donning a set of strange golden robes. In her hand is an ancient rolled up piece of parchment. “It’s ready dear” Albert confirms. With a nod Martha stands above the mineral swirl and unrolls the parchment. She squints at it for a moment then says “Oh I can’t read this. Al have you got my reading glasses?” “Right here dear.” Albert replies handing them across to her. “Thank you darling” Martha places on her glasses and stands herself up straight and tall. She begins to read aloud from the ancient scripture. Matt looks on nervously as his mother begins to speak in what sounds to him like animal noises. The night breeze picks up as the light in the room begins to dim. Martha continues reading, slowly growing louder. She begins to sway left and right as she reads. The sounds coming from her change, becoming bizarre and otherworldly. It begins to rain heavily outside. The sounds of the storm raise the ambient noise in the room. Martha gets louder and louder until she is yelling over the storm. Matt and Albert watch on as Martha picks up off of the ground beginning to levitate. Then as the crescendo of the chant and storm begin to climax a clap like thunder erupts in the centre of the room. Matt drops his drink as he leaps away from the cataclysm, hiding his head deep into his daughters Peppa Pig pillow. “Good evening” begins a deep voice. “Good evening” Martha and Albert reply in unison. Matt turns back to see a red half-goat half-man monster standing upright at the end of his daughters bed. The creature glances at him with it’s satanic eyes before turning towards Martha. “Is this your boy then?” the demon begins. “Yes this is my Matthew.” Martha replies with a proud smile. “He is very handsome, not like his father.” The beast flirts. “Hey I’m right here!” Albert exclaims “Oh, hi Al, sorry I didn’t see you there. I must have been distracted by the foxy lady who summoned me” The beast replied winking at Martha. With a chuckle Martha says “Oh you stop that.” Giving a half chuckle himself the beast gets straight down to business “So why have I been summoned then?” “Well my Matty’s young girl Kelly has been snatched up by one of your lot tonight and he is very upset about it. So I was hoping you might be able to help us work out who has taken her so that we can go and retrieve her.” Martha explains. “Young girl you say? Hmm I don’t remember hearing anything about any young girls lately. If only there was something that could jog my memory.” The beast answers. Martha sighs at the beast then nods to Albert. Albert reaches down into the bag of crystals and pulls out a ten pack of cheap cigars handing them over to the beast. “Oh yes I remember now,” the beast says with a smile “There’s this new bozo, calls himself ‘Basotho’. He’s been out snatching up the blood relatives of all sorts of you witch types. He’s got a place down near the River Styx.” “Up or downstream from Devil’s Gate?” Albert asks. “Downstream, I think” The beast replies “Well, thank you very much then. You have been very useful” Martha says with a smile. “Anything for a babe like you Martha” The beast replies. Before he stands upright, stomps twice and poof! Disappears in a cloud of red smoke. Down in the kitchen Matt and Albert sit around the table talking. Martha busies herself fixing Matt a new hot chocolate. “And well I eventually promised to your mother that I wouldn’t tell you. I mean a man can only go so long living as a candle stick before caving to pressure. I guess that’s about all there is to it.” Albert says finishing up his explanation about the dark side, Martha being a witch and why they kept it from him. “Honestly Matt, I always wanted to tell you” Matt sits jaw to the floor staring at his father stunned by disbelief. His mother is a witch? Demons were real? An evil sorcerer has taken his daughter? His father lived for three months as a candle stick? None of this felt real to him. “I must be dreaming. I need to wake up. I need to wake up!” Matt mutters to himself. Martha comes over and places the new hot chocolate in front of her son. “I wish you were dreaming baby, but this is real and we really need to get Kelly back before thing’s get out of hand.” Martha reassures him. “Well... Well... What do we do?” Matt asks. “We? We do nothing. You stay here and drink your hot chocolate. Your father and I will create a portal to the underworld, find this Basotho guy, sort him out and bring Kelly back to you. Ok?” Martha orders to Matt, in that way mother’s do. Matt nods dumbly and takes a long sip from his drink. A pentagram of goats blood isn’t a hard symbol to create, especially not for Albert whose been at this for years. But stacking the shrunken heads takes a steady hand and real concentration. Which is why Al always leaves it for Martha to do. With the skull-stack complete the duo take up their positions either side of the pentagram. They stare into each others eyes and begin chanting. “Esaelp ,dlrowrednu eht ot latrop a ekil dluow ew.” They recite the phrase in unison thirteen times. As they finish the chant the shrunken skulls float up making the corners of a misty blood red triangle. “We’ll be back before you know it” Martha reassures Matt as her and Albert step through the portal. The pair arrive through the Devil’s Gate. They are greeted by Mordecai, the haunted twelve foot tall set of Armour who manages new arrivals. Seeing they are regulars Mordecai gives Martha and Albert a quick bow and returns to his duties. “He said downstream didn’t he?” Albert asks to Martha. “Yes dear” Martha answers. “I hope it’s not too far, my hips are killing me after going up and down those stairs.” “Oh don’t be such a big baby, now come on. Let’s go save our grand daughter.” After about forty minutes of walking (and Albert complaining), the husband and wife combo arrive at a skull shaped mountain. Hanging near mouth shaped cave entrance is a sign reading ‘Lair of Basotho the Brutal’. “I suppose this is the place then?” Martha says. “I suppose it is, what a wanker! Who lives in a skull lair these days? Jimmity Cricket this guy is trying to hard” Albert begins to rant. “Well let’s get this over with” “After you dear” The two walked up to the large door making up the mouth of the skull. Martha moves to the cheap intercom next to the door and gives a single long buzz. “Hello? Who is this?” A voice from the intercom asks. “This is Martha the Magnificent. I’m here with my husband Albert." Albert waves to the intercom camera from behind Martha. “We are here to retrieve our grand daughter Kelly.” “Martha the who? I don’t know you go away.” “Sir I will happily go away, if you hand over Kelly, we will leave you to your weekend.” “There is no girl here leave me alone.” The intercom voice snaps. Martha turns to Albert shaking her head. “Looks like we’ll have to do this the hard way then.” Albert moves away from the door giving Martha some space to work. Martha moves to the centre of the door placing one hand firmly on either side. She takes in a deep breath and recites a short spell under her breath. The large iron doors slowly swing open revealing a modern but messy apartment inside. “WHAT?! How did you do that?” Screams Basotho. A chubby, middle aged man, he is caught standing in the middle of the lounge room wearing nothing but a towel. “I want my grand daughter.” Demands an irritated Martha. Basotho screws up his face and spits the word “Ildkugle!” A huge fireball shoots from his mouth hurtling toward Martha. Martha quickly rolls left behind a stack of dirty cauldrons. As the flame dissipate, she pops her head up from behind the cauldron. Aiming at Basotho she throws forward her hands and yells “Knogle Spyd!” A long spear made of thick bone shoots from her hands and hurtles towards the dark sorcerer. Basotho drops his towel and leaps down behind his cheap faux-leather couch. As Basotho and Martha began their magic duel Albert decides to sneak in to the apartment. Careful not to get caught up in the fighting he heads downstairs. Over his years Albert had fought through enough dark lairs to know that if Kelly was here; she would be caged up in the basement. Traveling down the dank corridors to the basement Albert begins to shout “Kelly! Kelly! It’s your Poppa! Are you down here?” “Poppa Al! I am here! I am here! Come save me.” Kelly yells in reply. Albert makes his way down to the cellar. Arriving downstairs Al finds Kelly hanging in some sort of bone cage. He finds the release lever and brings the cage to the ground releasing Kelly from her captivity. The poor girl is crying as she comes out of the cage and rushes to give her Poppa a big warm cuddle. Al scoops the girl up in his arms and begins the trek back up to the lounge room. Meanwhile upstairs Basotho and Martha continue to fight. Both taking turns to fire off magic projectiles or dash and roll to avoid incoming shots. Albert, still carrying the terrified Kelly, pops his head up into the lounge room and gives Martha a quick nod. Martha answers with a nod and a smile. Seeing Martha's momentary lapse in concentration, Basotho takes his opportunity. He casts a spell transforming himself into a gigantic Golem. He then begins launching his furniture at Martha. First he throws the couch which Martha zaps into dust. Then he catapults the fridge at her. Martha barely dodges away in time. Seeing this fiend getting the better of his wife, Albert decides to take action. He places Kelly down and tells her to stay back and stay still. He then bravely runs out into the lounge room and faces up at the Goliath. Basotho looks down at the little old man and swings an arm to swat him away. Before Basotho can hit him, Albert uses the only magic he knows, at the top of his lungs he yells; “What do you call a magic owl? HOO-DINI! What do you call a short fortune-teller who escaped from prison? A small medium at large!” Hearing this the Golem stops his arm mid-swing and begins to cringe. The cringe hits him hard and his powers drain away. Basotho transforms back into his usual pudgy self and yells “Oh god stop! Fine, take the girl, but please PLEASE! No more puns” *I was trying to use more dialogue in this story compared to many of my others. Also had a lot of trouble keeping consistent with my tense. Either way, hope you guys enjoy the read.