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Our Story Begins. |
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City Hobgoblins by the Fall (Excerpt). |
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Among the Creatures Were. |
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The Skriker Unveiled. |
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End of Part One. |
Once upon a time that was not so very long ago there was a young woman called Josie who was believed to have killed her baby whilst suffering from a post-natal depression. When she was questioned about her actions Josie claimed that she had performed them because the baby was not a human child but a changeling replacement. Josie was committed to a hospital.
Josie's closest friend was a girl named Lily. Despite the fact that Josie had killed a baby & Lily was pregnant with her own she felt sorry for her friend and went to visit her. On the way to the hospital Lily sang a song by the mighty Fall.
You think it's the pipes,
but who turns on the lights?
Our City Hobgoblins!
Our City Hobgoblins!
Infest my home at night,
They are not alright.
Ten times my age -
One tenth my height!
Our City Hobgoblins!
Our City Hobgoblins!
Upon reaching the hospital Lily was faced with a disapointment for it seemed that her friend had taken a turn for the worse. Josie explained that one of her fellow patients was an ancient & sinister being who felt she had some sort of claim on Josie. Josie asked Lily to help her make the fairy go away but her friend was not impressed.
"You're Mad!" Lily said.
It's easy to see why Lily could have felt like this but things were not as they seemed. The following verse explains matters better than I ever could:
Josie, Josie was not quite a read,
she wasn't as mad as some suspected.
It was true a growth in her gut turned to thoughts in her head;
that she had murdered her baby & made it all dead.
Oh "Josie is mad!" Lily had said,
but now The Skriker stood by Josie's sickbed.
Well The Skriker was very angry with Josie for trying to get Lily to help her; for fairies feed off of the need that mortals have for them & in looking to Lily for aid rather than The Skriker Josie had denied the fairy it's sustenance. The Skriker promised that if Josie would stay with her she would grant the girl wishes. But Josie refused The Skriker's offer & they began to argue. Josie forgot what she was saying & she said to The Skriker:
"I wish you would bother Lily instead!"
Which delighted The Skriker, for the pregnant Lily made a much more succulent target for the eldritch being than poor broken Josie. The Skriker flew from the hospice wards like dead Pegasus from a cliff. Suddenly Josie was filled with a asense of loss, loss long overdue for her unfortunate child.
"Don't go!" Cried Josie, "I'll miss you now!"
But the fairy was in pursuit of other things and Josie was forgotten. Josie's wish had empowered The Skriker, for creatures such as it thrive on belief and faith. In much the same manner that a clapping child can bring swooning Tinkerbell back to life Josie's wish energised The Skriker, allowing it to open a portal to the underworld from which it had emerged. Through this portal floods of malicious creatures and monsters emerged.
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Did these creatures launch an attack on the mortal people of the world toward whom they felt such malice? Did those earth-spirits among them take terrible revenge for the damage done to Gaia by expedience-obsessed city dweller & country bumpkin alike? Did the horde of the Sluagh abduct a thousand babes to pay their teind to Satan? No. They did bide their time, observing humanity, indulging in infrequent seduction & the occasional murder. Disguised as mortals they bid & hid, looking to The Skriker for guidance.
Lily was ignorant of all of this as she made her way home from the hospital. Her thoughts were on the future. A time when she would have a baby to look after and when her friend might be cured of her madness. And it was on this journey that Lily did meet with The Skriker in the guise of a derelict. The Skriker petitioned Lily for monies, though Lily had none. So The Skriker asked Lily if she would embrace her. The following verse extrapolates:
The derelict smelt,
wanted to be held.
Oh, often she swore.
Her son lost in war.
Holding was silly,
"You good girl, Lily."
Lily had to choke,
& cough up pound coins every time that she spoke.
Although choking up pound coins every time you try to talk is disconcerting and uncomfortable it is highly profitable. Understandably confused by this turn of events Lily turned to question the derelict only to find that she had disappeared. The blessing did not last for longer than a few blueys (for The Skriker is no good fairy, and originates from Lancashire, so is therefore tight with money) & Lily was soon able to make upon her way once more.
Lily decided to relieve the angsts of her recent experiences by visiting a local pub for a few alcoholic drinks and it was there that The Skriker approached her for the second time. This time the fell creature wore the guise of an American tourist & in this form it did harp on at Lily with umpteen questions about modern life. Lily fielded these queries as neatly as she could but no amount of information led to any satiation. Lily began to become suspicious at the lack of experience her interviewer had of TV and aeroplanes & thus The Skriker came clean and admitted to her it's status as a powerful supernatural creature.
All things considered Lily took this quite well, her time with Josie & the pound coin phenomenon had steeled her for this relevation. She asked why The Skriker had chosen to pursue her & the fairy answered with cunning flattery & deciet. The Skriker promised Lily that she was a good fairy who had come to reward Lily for her fair appearance & pleasant manner.
It's the wish thing, you see,
The Skriker wasn't all it could be.
Josie's mistake gave it some prowess
but now that wore spare.
Would Lily care
now that The Skriker was under duress?
A sweet drop of honey:
Lily thanked her for the money
& I'm sure those in the know will, when they hear, shake in fear
that Lily did say: "I wish Josie were here."
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This
site was last updated on:
5 October, 2006