Page 207 - The Chronicles Ser2 (6-10)

arrived. He poured honey over the salty; spicy meal. Out on the street a crowd was gathering around
the remembrance monument. As the clock struck Noon a single sweet sounding bell chimed ten
times from the top of the Obelisk style structure.

A Lapse in Time and Memory and a Burning remainder
Arthur came round; his clothes slightly damp, in a grassy patch at the side the lane. Jenny;
nearby, was already sitting up. She was holding her head and shaking. He got up and immediately
felt the urge to vomit. As he did; he noted it was yellow in colour and it tasted sweet. He staggered
over to her; his ears ringing as if he’d suddenly developed Tinnitus. He sat down beside her. She
reached over and hugged him sobbing. There was a small reddening patch on her dress in the region
of her groin. It was then he noticed that his hands had cannulas’ sticking out of the backs of them.
He noticed something else too; it was evening, probably close to early dusk. He looked at his watch.
It had stopped at two minutes to nine. That had been the time he’d been jogging along the lane
when… Why couldn’t he remember; what had he been doing all this time; where had he been? He
helped Jenny to her feet and they headed into the Village Centre. James Harrington the local Bobby
was doing his beat. When he saw the two of them he immediately called the Police Office and asked
for an Ambulance.
A woman from the local Late Store came and reassured Jenny while the Ambulance arrived.
“What has ‘appened to you’se two?” James asked adding “You’re missus has been going Crazy. Here;
you didn’t…” he started to ask, but Arthur interrupted him
“NO! I didn’t I don’t know where we’ve been and I don’t know who did this to us” He said showing
the backs of his hands and a scar that had mysteriously appeared on the left side of his midriff. He
then explained what had happened up till the point they’d been flashed with the extremely bright
light. He told him all about the strange craft; the dog running off, and waking up damp in the grass at
the side of the lane. James listened to his story; his colleague a female officer had arrived and was
taking a statement from Jenny. She signalled to James to compare notes.
“Either these two are incredibly good liars or that makes the third incident hereabouts in as many
weeks” she said “I’ll report the incident to Regional while you accompany these two to the Hospital.

Sarge aint gonna like this one bit. More of them Ministry Wallach’s will
follow. You mark my words Jim” she said and the two headed off to tackle
their separate duties. Arthur reached into his Hoodie pocket… The Crystal
Ball was gone!

About ten days later a Cyclist on a touring holiday was reported
missing by his compatriots as they traversed the same area of countryside.
They had heard a strange shushing sound behind them and there was a
bright flash. When their eyesight had recovered they noticed that their
friend was missing. His bike was curiously hanging from the topmost
branches of a tree near to a corn field. Its tyres had burst around the wheel
rims and the spokes were distorted as if it had been heated to within a
degree or two of the aluminium frame melting. The Police took it for “Forensic Analysis”… Unlike
Arthur and Jenny; their friend never came back. James was walking along the lane one afternoon
near to where Jenny and Arthur had said they’d woken up. Lying on the grass was a small; silvery
grey, light weight disk. It was glinting in the sunshine. He picked
it up and examined it. It was one of the oddest looking coins
he’d ever seen. No head on either side; no knurling around the
edge and weird looking symbols on one side with what looked
like a child’s representation of a Pyramid next to a river on the
other. “Well; aren’t you an oddun’. I’ll takes you to our Charlie;
he’ll know where you’ve come from he will” he said and put the
coin in his breast pocket for safekeeping. He thought nothing
more of it and forgot he’d even had it in his pocket until his wife