Chapter 27
Riley's Recycling Plant, Upper Crompton, Wealdshire. Saturday 23 May 1998
Bounce heaved the last of the steel plates onto his back and walked across the yard to the Rainbow van as easily as if he was carrying nothing heavier than a newspaper. He carefully lowered it onto the floor and Shadow closed the back doors. 'You climb in and have a rest while I go and settle up,' said Shadow as he put his hand into the pocket of his jeans to dig out some notes. Making his way to the old hut which served as an office, he looked up and couldn't resist smiling at the sign: RILEY'S RECYCLING We care for the environment. He took in the skips of scrap metal, the piles of scrapped cars, and the oily sludge which covered the ground. I wonder what this environment would be like if they didn't care for it, he wondered. He pushed open the door and saw Mr Riley sitting in front of a portable gas fire reading the racing pages.
'All done?' asked Mr Riley, without looking up from his newspaper.
'Yep. We managed to get them all in the van.'
'Okay. If you need any more — you know where to come.'
When he saw that Mr Riley seemed to be in no hurry to take his money, Shadow asked, 'What do I owe you?'
'Probably lots — if you wanted me to keep my mouth shut.'
'What do you mean?' asked Shadow, suspiciously, not sure what was being suggested.
Mr Riley finally looked up. 'Steel plates — now what might you be wanting those for, I'm asking myself.'
'Uh . . . they're . . . for um . . .'
Mr Riley winked. 'Go on. Get out of here.'
'But how much do you want?'
'If you promise to leave my slogans on those plates — you can have them for nothing.'
'Ah-ha,' said Shadow. 'I wondered why you'd written 'Supplied by Riley's Recycling' on each one. You think you might get a bit of exposure, eh?'
Mr Riley grinned. 'Put it this way — if those plates should happen to be seen by a couple of million television viewers one day — I'd be quite happy about it.'
'And if they're not?' asked Shadow.
'Well, I reckon I'd still be quite happy — knowing they were being put to good use like. You have to remember that here at Riley's Recycling we care for the environment,' and gave such a huge knowing wink that Shadow wondered if he'd need some help getting his eye open. 'Go on. Sling your hook.'
'Mr Riley — thanks.'
Shadow was still smiling when he climbed into the driving seat and started up the engine. 'Scenic route or city?' he asked, knowing he didn't need an answer.
'What's tickling you?' asked Misty. When Shadow had related how Mr Riley had refused payment, she said, 'Restores your faith in humanity, doesn't it?'
Shadow followed the Kingsbourne road out of Upper Crompton for a few minutes before turning left to go over the major road running east from Kingsbourne. Shortly after crossing the River Ouse, Misty asked if he could stop the van. 'Are you feeling sick?' asked Shadow.
'No, I just want to get out a moment.'
Shadow and Bounce joined her at the roadside. 'Are you okay?' asked Bounce.
'Yeah, I'm fine. I just . . . feel that there's something strange here.'
Shadow touched her arm and then pointed up the road. 'The new road will come through here, ' and then added, 'if it's built,' because no-one liked to admit that the road might actually be completed. 'I expect you can feel the earth screaming.'
'No . . . it's not that. I feel as if there's a force attracting me. I feel pulled towards that wood over there,' said Misty quietly.
'That's Blackfriars Wood,' Shadow told her. 'We'd thought of building a camp there, but decided Stumblefrith Forest would be a better site because it's so much bigger.'
Misty continued to gaze westwards towards the wood. 'Have you been there?' she asked.
'Yeah, last year.'
'What's it like?'
'It's uh . . . a nice little wood. It'll be a real shame if it gets destroyed.'
'What I mean is . . . did you feel anything special while you were there?'
Shadow held his arms up. 'Hey. I'm not the mystic round here. You're the one who's in tune with Mother Earth. You're the one who does magic. You're the one who can feel the life force pulsing inside a tree.'
'Okay. I just wondered.'
'We can get closer to it if you like. I'll take the Frogley Heath road.'
As Misty was about to get back into the Rainbow van, she noticed a sign a little further along the road. She walked along the verge for a short distance until she could see it clearly: FOR SALE Tatscombe Hall. The sign looked as if it had been there for some time. A drive led from the road towards the house but, as it curved away out of sight behind some trees. it was impossible to see the building. A pair of wrought iron gates barred the entrance. Misty walked back to the van and climbed in.
'Tatscombe Hall,' she said. 'Might be just the sort of place that I'm looking for.'
'For what?' Shadow asked.
'When Rupert and I get married, we're hoping to buy a large house that I can convert into a sort of New Age residential centre. We'd run courses on spiritual matters, alternative medicine, environmentalism and so on.'
Shadow gave her a playful nudge. 'You're not marrying him just for his money, are you?'
Misty looked daggers at him. 'No! . . . Of course not.'
'Okay okay okay. Only teasing.' Shadow wondered if he'd touched a raw nerve. He started the van and said, 'Let's take a closer look at that wood.'
He drove a little further and then turned right onto a narrow lane which ran along the edge of the wood. 'There's no traffic,' said Shadow, 'so I'll drive slowly. Shout if you want me to stop.'
All the way along the road, Misty gazed at the wood while Shadow tried to crouch down low to give her a clear view. 'Can you stop here?' she asked.
When the van had stopped, Misty jumped out and walked across the road. After a while she announced, 'There's a power point in that wood. I can feel its energy. They can't build a road over it. If it's not a sacred site already — it should be.'
Shadow and Bounce knew better than to contradict Misty or ask how she could be so certain about things. She dwelt on the edge of another dimension. She saw things that no-one else could see. Some things she talked about — others she kept to herself. Poets and artists often say that they like to communicate with nature, but their channels of communication were primitive compared with hers. She didn't so much communicate with nature as be part of it. Shadow often felt that there was one part of her mind which wasn't her own but was shared with the plants, trees, rocks and the earth spirits that inhabited what was left of the wild places.
Misty held her hands out as if she was warming them in front of a fire. 'I can feel the energy flowing beneath me towards the wood. We are standing near a sacred path. I think several paths meet amongst the trees.'
When Misty was in dream mode, Shadow knew better than to disturb her. He was relieved, therefore, when she dropped her arms and walked back across the road to the van. 'Ready to go home?' he asked.
'Yes. But I'd like to come back one day soon.'
'Okay. I'll come with you, if you like. I could see if the wood is suitable for another camp.'
Shadow drove into Frogley Heath and turned left to Swainshurst. There, he turned right at the T-junction and followed the road to Pucks Cross where he took another right. When he came to the main north-south road he went straight over into Chalkpit Lane. 'Why don't you go up the main road?' asked Bounce.
'I thought I might treat you both to a half at the Poachers.'
'Hey, Shadow,' said Bounce, 'You're a good mate. Only a half, though?'
'Yes!' chorused the other two.
'Okay. I was only asking.'
Shadow put his foot down a little as they travelled along a straight stretch. 'You can see Stumblefrith Forest out of this window,' he said. 'Make the most of the view, folks. If the barbarians get their way, the skyline will look a little different. The forest will be totally blitzed and all you'll see from here is a ribbon of concrete and metal.'
'Can't you do some magic, Misty?' asked Bounce. 'Put a spell on old Starling. Make him vanish into thin air.'
'Don't you worry, Bounce. I'm working on it. The trouble is, it poses a bit of a moral dilemma. I'm not supposed to hurt anyone. If I make him vanish — I'd have to make him reappear somewhere else.'
'That's okay. Just get him as far away from here as possible.'
Misty laughed. 'Any suggestions? Where shall I send him?'
'As far away as possible,' pleaded Shadow. 'How about Australia?'
'Poor Aussies,' Misty sniggered. 'What have they done to deserve that?'
'How about Mars, then?' suggested Bounce.
'Sounds good to me,' said Shadow. 'Hold on — I'd better slow down a bit here.'
Shadow braked as they approached a set of sharp bends. The lane was so narrow that, if they met someone coming the other way, one of them would have to reverse until they found a gateway or a firm grass verge. He slowed down even more for the second bend because he remembered that there was a turn off to a cottage. It was just as well that he knew the road because he suddenly had to swerve and brake.
'Idiot!' shouted Shadow. 'Have you got a death wish?' A short and overweight man had run straight out of the track into the road without looking. 'Did you see that?' hissed Shadow as he watched the man in the driving mirror. 'Hey! I think he's carrying a g—'
'Look out!' screamed Misty as a girl suddenly appeared in the middle of the road waving her arms.
'What the —!'
Shadow stamped on the brake pedal, pulled the steering wheel over to the left, and held his breath as the Rainbow van skidded straight towards the girl.