The Man By The Fire

Prologue

I opened the door to his room cautiously, with a hidden fear that I didn’t want to show. The orange fire flickered nosily from a dreary corner and I watched the shadows it cast along the floor dance and jeer at my shaking legs. I didn’t like it here, I wished I hadn’t come.
I was about to turn back but I heard him call to me from beside the fire, ‘Dan,’ he cooed in that long silver voice, ‘Where are you going?
I paused, uncertain. ‘Nowhere,’ I lied.
‘Then come over here my boy, come over here so I can see you.’
I reluctantly walked along over the floor, past the shadows that twisted around me and towards the fire that climbed the walls. He sat quite still in his chair, his balding head the only thing that I could see in the lamenting firelight.
‘I’ve been watching you,’ he told me icily, ‘I’ve been watching everything you do.’
‘I know,’ I told him, ‘I came here to see what you wanted with me.’
I felt him smile, a long cold smile that echoed through my bones. His tongue must have stretched with a silent joy inside his mouth, I could hear the pleasure in his voice when he spoke, ‘Tell me,’ he asked, ‘Have you ever seen hell?’
I hesitated, ‘Once,’ I admitted, ‘In the eyes of man so twisted his only joy was pain.’
‘That’s interesting.’
‘Why?’
‘They say it’s something you can never escape, the ones who are saved will never see those flames.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘It means only the ones destined for hell can ever witness it.’
‘Liar.’
He turned his chair around so I could see his face and he looked at me with an eyeless glare, ‘Would I lie to you?’
‘If I go there I’m taking you with me, if I can see those flames so can you.’
I felt him smile, again, ‘But my boy,’ he told me, ‘I have no eyes to see the fire with.’
‘Liar!’
He smiled, ‘No, lying is one thing I could never do. Look at me, I lost my eyes long ago. I’m afraid only one of us will be going to hell tonight.’
I surged forward, I’d kill this man, who was he to condemn me to hell? I grabbed his throat between my fingers and tightened my grasp around his neck. His skin was cold and dry against my hands but soft and smooth like a velvet robe. I was surprised that he didn’t try to stop me.
He smiled again as his soul departed, he had won and with a final pleasure he laughed in my face. ‘Some things are meant to happen,’ he told me as his last breath left his body and his head went limp in my shaking hands.

I wept as I let his lifeless corpse drop to the ground.

Some things are meant to happen


Chapter One


‘I’m telling you Karl, this boy is something else.’
‘I think you’re loosing it Paul, all this war is driving you mad.’
‘No, he knew Karl, he knew.’
‘Perhaps this would be a job more suited towards a religious man.’
‘He asked specifically for you Karl.’
‘I hope you’re not wasting my time then Paul. I am a very busy man.’
‘I assure you, I’m not.’
The two men stopped at the lift and one of them placed his finger on the pad that would bring it to their level.
‘Fine. You can return to your post now. There’s work to be done.’
‘Sir.’
The door to the lift opened silently and one of the men stepped inside. He entered a code into the keypad and pushed the button for sub zero eight. The floor groaned and the lift slowly began its decent. The journey seemed to take forever and the man impatiently began to rub his hands. The lift stopped with a jolt and the door slid open. The man stepped out with a cautious stride. He observed his white surroundings before picking the path labeled ‘Oberstes Geheimnis’.
From here he didn’t stop moving and long paces helped him glide quickly along the empty corridor. The artificial light gave the basement an eerie glow and the man watched his numerous shadows follow silently behind him. He turned left at the junction and headed towards a steel bolted door guarded by two grey soldiers.
The man slowed as he approached and the soldiers stood tense to attention. He stopped completely two foot from the door and slipped a piece of paper into the hand of the guard on his right hand side. The guard glanced at it and looked back at man before nodding and signaling to his companion to open the door. The second fumbled with the lock before stepping aside to let the man in who pushed briskly past him. The door closed with a bang behind his back.
The room he entered was not a large one, measuring four meters each side and with only a single bulb to light it in the centre of the white ceiling. The walls were tall and seemed to stretch upwards like desperate shoots clawing relentlessly for the sky far above. Protruding from one corner was a plain black four poster bed with a thin mattress and white sheets skewed across its small surface. In the opposite corner was a small black chair with thin winding legs. Apart from this there was nothing else in the room, nothing with the exception of the small boy who sat calmly on the edge of the chair. He was young and fair and had eyes that glittered slowly as he watched the man who entered his lair. He was a very thin boy, his skin was pale and he almost blended in with his background. He wore only a single white garment and much of his face was hidden by his untidy mess of hair.
The man observed all this in an instant and quickly assessed the child. He then smiled coldly and stepped forward. The child watched him intently but did not move from his seat. The man crouched down so his eyes were level with the child’s and he began to speak.
‘Hello Christian, it’s very nice to meet you. Are you O.K?’
The child didn’t reply, he remained still and regarded the intruder with an unwelcoming stare. Sensing hostility the man rethought his tactics and tried again:
‘I heard you’re a very smart boy Christian, they said you could tell me all sorts of things. I wanted to come and see for myself, I wanted to see just how smart you are.’
The boy continued his blank stare and the man began to grow impatient. He decided to try one more time; if he didn’t speak he would be free to go.
‘I’m sorry, it’s very rude of me not to introduce myself. My name is…’
The boy interrupted, ‘You’re Colonel Karl Schneider of the forth battalion.’
The man paused, intrigued but not put off. His smile broadened, ‘How ever did you know that?’
The boy took a moment to consider the question, ‘He told me.’
‘Who told you?’
‘The man by the fire.’
‘The man by the fire? And what fire is this?’
The boy twitched uncomfortably, ‘The fire. He always sits by it.’
‘Is it a big fire?’
‘No. Just a normal one – in a fireplace. He sits by it in his arm chair and you never see his face.’
‘Where does he live?’
‘In a small village with lots of old buildings – and a church. And it’s always dark.
‘Where?’
‘I don’t know.’
The man paused. He was irritated by the child’s lack of useful answers and was already growing bored with the concept of the man. But curiosity convinced him to ask more questions and he found that he had a strange sense that the child would tell him something that he needed to know.
‘How old are you Christian?’
‘I’m ten years old.’
‘And do you have any parents?’
‘A father.’
‘And where is he?’
‘I don’t know, he went when the Germans were coming. He left me with all the other children in the park and he said he’d come back for me.’
‘When we found you, where you waiting for him?’
‘No.’
‘Then who were you waiting for?’
‘The soldiers.’
‘Why?’
‘Because he told me they would take me to you.’
‘Who did?’
‘The man by the fire.’
The man stopped; annoyed that he had been drawn to the same conclusion. He considered the answers given to him by the child and reluctantly decided that he should find out more.
‘Who is this man by the fire Christian?’
‘I don’t know. He comes to me when I sleep but I never see his face. He tells me things I don’t want to know and shows me things that scare me. But I always have to do what he says, if I don’t bad things will happen.’
‘Bad things?’
The child leaned forward and his eyes widened, ‘He is a very bad man.’
The man paused again and evaluated the information he had gathered before asking his next question, ‘Why did you want to see me Christian?’
‘I have a message to give you.’
‘And what’s that then?’
‘He said, “Watch out for the car, the roads a dangerous place for small boys.”’
‘Really? And whatever did he mean by that?’
‘I don’t know. I could feel him smiling when he said it. I saw a little boy in a bed and a woman, his mother, she was crying. And there was a man standing behind her, he said it wasn’t supposed to happen.
‘What do you mean?’
‘There was a mistake, something went wrong. It wasn’t supposed to happen.’
‘And what was?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘Right…’ The man had had enough. He stood up straight and looked at his watch. ‘Well, I think that will be all for today Christian. Thank you for talking to me and make sure you get a good night’s sleep. I’ll see you again soon.’
The boy nodded and the man turned around and walked towards the door. Then he heard the boy call behind him.
‘Wait.’
‘What is it Christian?’
‘There’s another man. He’s tall and he wears a long black robe. He carries a small briefcase and has a silver cross around his neck. He told me I should tell you his name – it was Gabriel. He said he would like to come and see you.’
‘Well then, if you see him again Christian, tell him I’d like that very much.’
The man banged on the door and after a moment of clicking it swung open and he pushed out through the small exit. He walked back up the white corridor and turned right towards the lift. He waited as the indicator showed the lift descending and he began to think what a waste of time it had been talking to the boy. He couldn’t believe how naïve his staff had been when jumping to their conclusions and he was annoyed that they had bothered to bring him into such an unimportant case. He thought about this all the way to his dormitory and all the time whilst he prepared for dinner. His thoughts were only disturbed whilst he was fixing his collar by a knock at his door.
‘Karl, Karl it’s me.’
‘Just a minute Paul,’ he shot himself a look in the mirror and went to open the door, ‘How are you?’
‘I’m O.K. thanks. You ready for dinner?’
The man sighed, ‘Just about, what is it tonight?’
‘Lobster. Plundered from the finest restaurants in Paris.’
‘I hate sea food.’
Paul smiled, ‘More for me then eh? Ah it’s much better than what any of the troopers get anyway.’
Karl nodded unconvincingly, ‘Still, you would of thought they would have managed to find some half decent grub in the whole of Western Europe.’
‘Yeah.’ There was a moment of awkward silence, then, ‘Hey, Karl, did you speak to that boy?’
‘Yes.’
‘And?’
‘Load of dog shite. We’ll talk about it over a bottle of whisky if you want to.’
Paul nodded and they started walking towards the dinning hall. The meal passed slowly with bad jokes and fake laughs and at the end of it Karl was in a worse mood than he was before. On a slightly queasy stomach he headed over to the bar and ordered a glass of gin. Paul begrudgingly followed his friend over and ordered the same and waited for the right moment to start his own interrogation.
‘So?’
‘So what Paul?’
‘So what did the boy say?’
‘Nout. I can’t believe you thought he was ‘gifted’, he’s just some random head case. You’re a load of gypsies the lot of you.’
‘He didn’t say anything…unexpected, weird?’
No. Just a load of crap. - Well, he knew my name – but he could easily have gotten that from one of you guys.’
‘I think you’re under estimating him Karl.’
‘I don’t think so. He’s just another screwed up kid in this stupid war.’
‘No. Karl, he told me how my wife died, he told me as if he had been there himself. When he spoke about it he took me back to the night when it happened, I felt like I was there, standing over her again. He told me how old she was and the exact time she died. He knew the last thing she said was I love you Paul and he described to me how she loosened her grip as she fell into her sleep, how her cheeks lost colour and how her eyes slowly shut. And how would he know that Karl, how would he know that? This kid’s more than strange, I’m not the only one who thinks it. You need to keep an eye on him.’
‘Bollocks.’
‘Trust me Karl. He freaked out a whole unit, sent them mad. They said he made the men they killed come back to haunt them.’
‘Bullshit. That boy hasn’t got any powers, he hasn’t got any gifts, he doesn’t see ghosts. All he is is a waste of my bloody time. We’ve got a war to fight and I can’t waste any more resources babysitting some stupid kid. I’m telling you Paul, you’re wrong.’
Paul starred at Karl as if he was stupid, he placed his glass back on the table and gripped the chair with his hand, ‘No Karl, you’re wrong.’ He rose from his seat and swiftly paced out of the bar.
Karl wasn’t bothered though, he saw it as a chance to finally get some peace and enjoy a drink. He was annoyed when he was disturbed again by a young soldier not long after.
‘Colonel Schneider?’
‘Yes, yes, what is it?’
‘There’s a man at the gate. He says you’re expecting him?’
‘What, a man? I have made no prior arrangements to meet with anyone this evening… Send him away.’
‘He says it is important, Sir.’
‘I’m very sure it is but I have no time for men who wait at gates for meetings they never arranged. Did he even tell you his name?’
‘Just Gabriel Sir, he said he had no surname. I told him you were busy but he insisted that you would want to see him.’
‘Who the…’ Karl broke off. His eyes narrowed and he stood up. ‘I’ll be in my quarters,’ he told the soldier, ‘Tell him he can speak to me there.’

                                                           *

Karl looked out of the window beside his bed. It was a cold night and the rain dripped down from his window sill towards to broken ground beneath him. The clouds hid the stars and the moon so it was very dark outside but in the bushes below he could just make out the faint shudders of moving shadows.
There was a knock at his door, once, twice. Karl hesitated; he cautiously walked over to the door and slowly pulled back the latch to reveal his visitor. He was a very tall man, dressed in a single black robe. He carried a black brief case and had a small silver cross around his neck. Karl recognised him as a holy man and he wondered how on Earth he had come to him.
‘Hello Karl,’ the man said in a deep but gentle voice.
‘Evening, Mr. Gabriel. How very nice of you to come and see me on this dark night.’
‘Indeed, I trust you received my message then?
‘I did.’
‘I’m glad, would you mind if I came in?’
‘No, not at all,’ Karl moved aside and fetched a chair, ‘Can I get you a drink?
‘Just a glass of water please. I’m not much of a drinker.’
‘Please, have a seat.’
The priest sat down and placed his briefcase by his side. He held his hands still in his lap and watched Karl scurry around before he joined him.
‘Have you come from far Gabriel – it was Gabriel wasn’t it?’
‘Gabriel, yes. And no, not very far. I’ve been around the area a lot recently.’
‘Is that so? Well tell me then Gabriel, what is the nature of this visit?’
‘I’ve come to warn you Karl.’
‘Warn me eh? Whatever would you need to do that for?’
‘Something’s gone wrong Karl, something’s gone dreadfully wrong. I don’t how but a mistake has been made. And it’s your fault Karl, you’re to blame. And this mistake has annoyed some very powerful people, in particular an individual who I can assure you is best not upset. And he’s angry Karl, you have no idea.’
‘Oh yes? And who would this individual be then?’
‘I think you know Karl, you’ve already been told.’
‘Who?’
‘The man by the fire.’
‘Is that a riddle?’
‘It’s whatever you want it to be. The man has no name, it suits him better. I suppose you might call him mysterious, even strange, but he’s very smart Karl, very smart indeed.
‘He will try to trick you, try to fool you into doing all sorts of awful things. You mustn’t listen to him Karl, no, you mustn’t listen.’
‘Why are you telling me this?’
‘Everyman lives on borrowed time, but still, when his time is up he complains and argues. Who is man to question the nature of fate or the sands of time? Do the ants question the world they live in? Do they ask the leaders and the politicians about the ways they rule? No. Nor should man question a world that he does not understand. I give you fair warning Karl, after this do complain about the road where your actions will take you.’
‘I am no ant Gabriel.’
‘No. You’re a man, and that’s exactly my point.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘You head towards a world that’s beyond you, one you will not understand. There are no countries, no famine, no war. But there’s still hate and lies and murder. Men cannot comprehend the reasoning of the infinities Karl, just as ants cannot comprehend the world of men. They live in the same world as you but they do not even realise it. They breathe the same air as you but they do not even know that you exist. They do not laugh and they do not cry. They do not understand love and hate, pain and joy. They think their queen is the ultimate in wealth and prosperity, but what is an ant to a general or a king? They will never have authority and they will never understand. To you they are stupid, they are simple, they are worthless. Their world and very existence is irrelevant.
‘But to the ants the nest will always be the centre and most important part of the universe and they will not give a thought to the world outside it. And when man sees that a house should be built upon their nest they will not question him - they will just accept it - and they will get on the best they can for as long as they can in the circumstances they are given. For the world belongs to men and men belong to Gods. Life is not yours Karl, do not try and change what has been done. When you crush an ant between your fingers and his brother sees he will not question why, it is not his place, and nor is it yours.’
Karl sat there unconvinced. He grabbed the bottle of whisky from the table and drank carelessly from it, ‘Who the hell are you Gabriel? What’re you doing here?’
‘I told you Karl, I came here to warn you. Do not mess in things you do not understand or the consequences will be catastrophic. He’ll out smart you, he’s no fool, you can’t win.’
‘Who?’
‘The man by the fire Karl, the man by the fire.’
The priest rose from his seat and headed towards the door. Karl called after him, ‘Off already?’
The priest turned and threw Karl a look of disgust, ‘I’ve said what I needed to say, there’s much work to be done this evening.’
‘You won’t stay for a drink?’
‘No. I already said, I’m not much of a drinker.’
‘You have a service to attend to, father?
‘You are my service Karl.’
‘Well then, Gabriel, I think I’ll be off to bed. It’s been a long day and I’m very tired you know.’
‘I doubt that very much, you have the longest night of your life ahead of you. But I really should be going now… Mark my words though, you’ll regret not listening to me after your phone call.’
‘What phone call?’ but the priest had already left. Karl ran to the door to chase him but when he looked outside he was no where no be seen. He returned to his chair defeated and he cursed the man under his breath. Then there was another knock at the door.


Chapter Two


‘Who is it?’
‘Please Sir, there’s a Dr. Heinzentag on the phone for you.’
‘Doctor eh?’
‘Yes Sir.’
Karl finished his bottle of whisky and climbed out of his seat. He was both confused and aggravated but his stubborn nature refused to allow him to link his recent encounters together and he merely muttered to himself, ‘What a bloody queer day it’s been.’
Something caught his eye and he span round and stared out of his window. For a second he thought he saw a man, empty eyes that glared with curiosity and a fixed mouth that was biding its time. But he brushed this notion from his mind swiftly and opened the door, ‘Where?’ he asked the man.
‘If you’ll follow me Sir, I’ll take you to communications.’
Karl stepped out into the corridor and closed the door behind him. The young man had already started on his way and Karl had to move quickly to catch up with him. He noticed the walk to communications seemed to take longer than it usually did; each stride seemed to require more effort and the corridor seemed to stretch further and further away from the flustered colonel. Somehow the base appeared different; he had never noticed how plain the walls were before, or how the dim light cast menacing shadows that stalked their owners. A woman walked passed, her face was worn and she looked tired. Then a solider, he was the same. They walked through the doors of communications and Karl noticed the dirt on the tables, the battered equipment and messy floor and he had a strange feeling that he shouldn’t be there. He picked up the phone:
‘Hello?’
‘Mr. Schneider?’
‘Speaking.’
‘It’s Dr. Heinzentag here.’
‘How can I help you doctor?’
‘I’m afraid I have some bad news Mr. Schneider, your son has been involved in a most unfortunate accident. He was hit by a car that was out of control earlier today.’
Karl’s heart pounded and he felt a bitter desperation whirl in his stomach. ‘Lukas?’
‘Yes.’
Karl swallowed, he wouldn’t believe it, ‘There must be a misunderstanding. It can’t be my son.’
‘I’m afraid so Mr. Schneider, the boy I am talking about is defiantly yours.’
‘No, it can’t be...’
‘I know this will be very hard for you to take Mr. Schneider, but I assure you, he was identified by your wife.’
‘What happened? Is he O.K.?’
‘For some reason the driver panicked and the car swerved off the road, your boy was in the field just beside it. He was hit in his lower back and then fell onto his head. He was brought immediately to us but he sadly passed away before a doctor could see to him. I am very sorry Mr. Schneider, he died at 7.42 this evening.’
Karl’s grip on the phone loosened and he tried to absorb what he had just been told. He opened his parched mouth slowly, then realised he had nothing to say. He tried again, ‘Where’s my wife?’
‘She’s gone to stay with her parents. She wasn’t in a good state when I saw her earlier... She needed to be with close family, I’m sure you understand.’ There was silence down the phone and in the room. Karl didn’t move, he didn’t even blink. The doctor continued, ‘I am very sorry Mr. Schneider, it is most unfortunate. I understand your son was a very loving boy, it is a great shame that you will never see him grow up into a loving man. As a father myself I know of no pain I fear more than that of loosing my daughter and I offer you my condolences. These are dark days for all of us.’
Karl moistened his lips, ‘Thank you doctor.’ He placed the worn receiver back on the wall and he turned to face the young soldier with tearful eyes. He walked over to the window and rested his body on his arms and he gazed out into the blackness that had encased him so suddenly.
Unsure of what to do, the young soldier followed him and stood by his side, ‘I’m sorry Sir,’ he whispered.
Karl’s head span around and he looked at the soldier with a new found hatred, ‘There was a man in my room before you came. I want him found.’
The soldier nodded, ‘Sir.’
Karl then turned back to the window, there were so many questions. How had the priest known? He knew the doctor would ring him, he knew his son was dead. And he didn’t tell him. Karl’s arms shook with rage.
And the boy, the boy knew as well. He knew about the car hours ago, maybe even days. He could have told him, he could have stopped it happening. But he didn’t, he had allowed his son to die.
Karl tore his eyes from the window and wiped a tear from his face. He would go and see the boy, he would find out why he did not tell him, he would kill him if he had to. He walked quickly down the corridor and called for the lift. When it came he stepped inside it and pressed the button for sub-zero eight. Then he waited, and he waited. The floors passed like hours on a clock, why did the lift take so long? The doors slowly pulled apart and Karl leapt out of the lift. He observed his surroundings and took the path labeled ‘Oberstes Geheimnis’.
Karl’s strides were smooth and he glided silently along the corridor. He turned left at the junction and headed towards the steel bolted door guarded by two grey soldiers. He stopped two foot away from the door. There was a pause.
The guards looked at each other before one came forward and nervously asked, ‘Can I see your papers Sir?’
‘I’m afraid I don’t have them with me.’
The guard threw his companion a worried glance, ‘Then I’m afraid you can’t come in here Sir.’
‘Oh…’ Karl looked the guard in the eye and seeing the fear in his face he smiled. Then he smashed him back and he crashed into the wall. ‘Open this fucking door or I’ll tear off your testicles,’ he ordered.
The soldier hesitated and considered his options, then he shouted to his companion with a shaky voice, ‘Open the door!’
The second guard fumbled with the lock then pulled on the lever. The door swung open and the colonel stepped inside. He pointed a menacing finger at the boy and shouted at the top of his voice, ‘YOU!’
The boy sat quite still, unafraid and unalarmed. He watched the furious colonel with curious eyes and breathed in slowly through his nose.
‘You knew all along didn’t you? You knew that car was coming. And yet you sat there and you said nothing. You didn’t even tell me my own son was going to die.’
The boy remained calm and waited for Karl to finish before he answered, ‘Yes.’
This enraged Karl even more and he advanced on the boy with a murderous face, ‘Then why? Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you say something?’
‘Because you would have stopped it happening. You would have stopped him dying.’
‘Yes, yes, you’re right! Why wouldn’t you let me save him?’ Karl fell to his knees and began to weep. He held his head in his hands and pulled at his short brown hair. Then he looked back up at the boy and he repeated his question, ‘Why wouldn’t you let me save my son?’
‘Because he didn’t want me to.’
‘Who didn’t?’
‘The man by the fire.’
‘Who is this fucking man by the fire?’
‘I don’t know. He sits in his arm chair and you never see his face.’
‘Well that’s just fucking great isn’t it.’
There was a silence that was only disturbed by occasional sniffs from Karl that lasted for an undetermined amount of time. During this the boy never stopped looking at Karl and he gazed down at him thoughtfully before he eventually spoke.
‘He said you would want to meet him.’
‘And why on Earth would I want to meet him.
‘Because he’s the only one who can bring your son back.’
Karl paused. He starred at the emotionless child in front of him and his unsettled mind raced before his blurry eyes. He heard the steady beat of his pulse crash against his skull and felt the coolness of the air flow across his face and for a moment the world seemed to stop. ‘How can I find him?’
The boy starred right back, through Karl’s eyes and through Karl’s mind, ‘I can take you there,’ he whispered.



Chapter Three



Karl lay on his bed starring at the ceiling. He couldn’t sleep. He didn’t understand and because he didn’t understand he was very afraid. He remembered how his son used to come to him in his study and show him pictures that he drew of them playing together in the sand. He smiled. If it was at all possible for him to bring his son back he would do anything to do it. He needed to fall asleep, ‘Meet me here as soon as you can,’ Christian had told him.
‘How will I know if I’m dreaming?’ he asked.
‘Watch your shadows. When they stretch and twist and jump and shout the shadow men let you know you’re out.’
He sighed. He wondered why it had happened, why it chose him. He remembered what Gabriel had told him, ‘He will try to trick you, try to fool you into doing all sorts of awful things,’ he didn’t care. All he wanted was his son back. ‘I wonder what he looks like,’ Karl thought, ‘I wonder what he’ll say.’ He rolled over and looked at the photograph on his bed-side table. He stood there with his wife and his son in the field, the grass was long and the sun was high and they all looked so happy. ‘I will do this for them,’ he told himself, ‘I’ll bring Lukas back.’ Karl closed his eyes.

                                                           *

Karl sat up straight in a flash. His room seemed to turn slowly around on its axis and he heard laughter from the shadows. He grabbed his torch and revealed the corners, nothing. He crept out of bed and put on his clothes. He grabbed his coat and headed for the door, it slammed shut behind him with a bang.
The artificial light cast an eerie yellow glow along the elongated corridors. All around shadows stretched and twisted, running up the walls and sinking through the floor. Karl watched them carefully and although they had no faces he swore he could see them smiling. They were up to no good, he didn’t trust them.
He began to walk faster up the same white corridor to the same grey lift. He passed the same woman he saw earlier with her head hung low, he watched her carefully as she slowly passed by. As she drew closer her neck suddenly snapped up and Karl jumped back. She starred at him with an eyeless face and clawed at him with dirty fingers, ‘Don’t tread the path where no one goes, beware the man who snatches souls.’
Karl stepped back startled. The woman stood perfectly still, watching her victim with her empty sockets. He turned and walked swiftly on. He saw the same soldier he had seen earlier and he heard him whisper as he walked past, ‘He’s a bad man Karl, he’s a bad man.’
He stopped at the lifted and pressed the button. Then he jumped up as he felt a hand tighten on his shoulder. He span around, it was Paul.
‘He knew about my wife Karl.’
‘I know Paul,’ Karl said desperately, ‘I know.’
‘It gets worse Karl, he knows about the boy.’
‘What boy? My son?’
‘No Karl, the lost soul. He saw you do it.’
‘Do what?’
‘Be careful Karl.’
Paul walked away down the empty corridor. Karl called after him but he either ignored him or didn’t hear. He stepped into the lift and entered the code and pushed the button for sub-zero eight. The lift groaned angrily and shook with rage as it slowly passed dark corridors. Eventually the doors slid open.
Karl stepped out with a cautious stride. He observed his blurry surroundings before picking the path labeled ‘Oberstes Geheimnis’.
He began to walk swiftly down the corridor. All around him the shadows twisted and shouted warnings from their dark hiding places. Karl tried to speed up but his legs felt heavy. He heard them laugh when they saw him struggle and he doubled his efforts. He tried to run but his feet seemed to sink into the floor, the lights flickered and the noise grew. Karl turned left. He could see the door at the end of the corridor but he could barely move his legs. Behind him shadows gathered and they pulled at his ankles and dragged him back. It wasn’t much further now, he hauled his legs forward one at a time. He leaned forward to grab the door but he couldn’t make it. He fell fast and hit the ground hard.
When he looked up he saw a tall man in front of him, dressed in only a single black robe. He carried a black brief case and had a small silver cross around his neck. He looked at Karl with a sorry face.
‘I told you not to come here Karl, I told you not to meddle.’
‘You don’t understand Gabriel, you don’t understand.’
‘I do Karl, he killed your son. But theses things happen and you must accept them. You can’t just go and change the world as you see fit.’
‘It’s my son, I have to do something.’
The priest shook his head with a despairing pity, ‘He’ll out smart you, you won’t beat him.’
‘I have to try.’
Gabriel nodded, ‘I won’t stop you Karl.’ He put out his hand and helped Karl to his feet.
For a moment there was an unbroken stare and Karl gazed into grey eyes of great wisdom. He watched them shimmer gently, a glittering hope, and for a second Karl was happy and felt as if nothing could go wrong. He realised then he held the hand of a man with great power.
‘Will you help me Gabriel?’
The priest paused, unsure, ‘I wish I could, but there’s really not much I can do. He is a very powerful man Karl. But if I can help you I will, you have my word on that.’
‘Thank you.’
Gabriel nodded and a smile seemed to almost break out on his face, ‘Just be careful Karl. He’s not to be trusted.’ He pushed past him and the door swung open. Karl turned to watch him leave but he had already gone, disappeared, so he nervously stepped into the room.
The boy’s cell seemed subtly different from before; the white walls seemed greyer and they almost blended into the black of the bed. The ceiling stretched tall and at the top Karl swore he could see people with out stretched arms churning around in silent circles. The boy sat with his back to him, facing the wall. Karl stood in the doorway and waited for the boy to speak.
‘My father’s dead,’ the boy eventually said.
‘How? When?’
‘I don’t know. I just know he was shot, by a man, not long ago. That’s why he never came back for me at the park, that’s why he left me there. You know, if he hadn’t have been shot I never would have met you,’ the boy paused and turned around, ‘I wonder who killed him…’
‘I’m very sorry to hear that.’
The boy nodded, he didn’t seem particularly bothered. He looked at the man in his thick coat and leather boots and suddenly seemed to remember why he was here, ‘Are you ready?’ he asked.
‘Where are we going?’
‘To a small village with lots of old buildings – and a church. And it’s always dark.’
Karl nodded, ‘And how do we get there?’
‘The secret passage.’
‘And where’s that?’
‘You’re standing on it.’
Karl looked down to find himself standing on a small wooden hatch. He stepped back in surprise and watched the boy creep over and carefully pull it open. Karl looked down through the floor and up into the sky of another world. Through the hole he could just make out the shadows of old buildings against the stars and he felt the stillness of the air sink through the open door.
The boy lowered himself in and motioned to Karl that he should follow him. Karl reluctantly did this and clumsy allowed himself to pass through the floor. He fell hard onto the firm ground of another universe and felt sharp dirt in his mouth. He brushed himself down and got up. Looking around he saw he was in a small Victorian town; seemingly deserted and unfriendly. Lack of maintenance meant the buildings sagged sorrowfully and beams of rotten wood bent under huge weights. It looked like it hadn’t been lived in for decades, the windows were broken and the doors were cracked. The General store sign hung desperately across the shop entrance and the fields were empty and over grown.
Karl walked along the dusty road to where the child was waiting, ‘Where are we?’ he asked.
‘He lives here. I think once there were other people too but he killed them. He is a very bad man.’
A shiver went down Karl’s back, there something abnormal and strange about the whole town. He gathered his courage and looked down at the boy, ‘Take me to him,’ he said.
The boy nodded and they started walking through the town. It looked as if it had been left in a hurry, pots and pans littered the streets and random photographs and items of clothing could be found here and there. Karl saw movement from the corner of his eye and he fumbled around in his pocket for his torch. He shone its dim glare into the dark corners – rats, they were everywhere.
Presently the child stopped and pointed at a house with a dim orange glow seeping through its windows, ‘That one, that’s his, the one with the smoke coming from the chimney.’
Karl walked forward, then, noticing the boy remained still, he turned to him to see what was wrong, ‘Aren’t you coming with me?’ he asked.
‘I don’t want to, I’m afraid.’
It hadn’t occurred to Karl until now that the child wouldn’t come with him but he realised then that he had no obligation to stay. He told him he could go and he started towards the house. Then he stopped and he called back after the child, ‘Christian, how do I get back?’
The child paused and looked up at the man with a silent sympathy, he stood still and his hair danced delicately in the gentle wind, ‘You won’t,’ he said before he turned and walked back up the dusty road.
Karl slowly walked on. He approached the house and climbed up the steps to the front door. He pushed against it lightly and it smoothly creaked open. He stepped inside. He was in a dusty old hallway, in front of him was a rotten staircase covered in webs and beyond it he saw a corridor with a thousand doors. Through the doorway on his left he heard the crackling of a fire and he opened the door to reveal the source of the orange glow. The fireplace flickered from the end of the room and he crept over as quietly as he could. In front of the fire was a wide arm chair, rotten and moldy, old enough to have outlived the town itself. And in the chair was the shadow of a man, although from where Karl stood he could only see the back of his head. He was small and thin and had soft grey hair that rested on his shoulders.
No one spoke; Karl just stood there and watched the fire leap and dance like a deadly angel.
‘Isn’t it amazing,’ the man said, ‘How beautiful but deadly a fire is. I could look at it for a life time but I couldn’t survive for five minutes in it.’
There was another pause were only the fire spoke, the hot ashes whirled up and around the chimney and the young logs crackled and burned. ‘You know, I almost thought you weren’t going to come. You are a stubborn man aren’t you Karl, I almost thought you wouldn’t believe it. But that’s foolish, isn’t it? You didn’t really have a choice.’
‘Why did you kill him?’
‘Ah Karl, so ignorant. There’s rules and there’s order. There’s a place and a time. You broke the rules Karl so I got to break them too.’
‘So you killed my son?’
‘Yes.’
‘You murderer.’
‘Don’t be so hypocritical. After all, if you hadn’t of murdered in the first place none of this ever would have happened.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Do you not remember Karl? Do you not remember?’ That long dreary day in Paris where - Private Muller I think it was - he was shot.’
‘Snipered, yes, I remember.’
‘There were two children, a boy and a girl. Their mother had been killed. You grabbed them both and got your men to round up the town. You said if they didn’t reveal the sniper you’d kill them, no one came forward. What did you do then?’
Karl paused, ‘I shot the boy.’
‘Yes, you did, then what happened?’
‘The sniper came forward, a French man, middle aged, I executed him on the spot.’
‘His name was Bernard Claud. He was a father and a clergy man.’
‘I did what I had to, that sniper would have picked off my whole unit.’
‘Perhaps, but the boy, he wasn’t supposed to die.’
‘What d’you mean?’
‘He wasn’t supposed to die, he had a destiny, a purpose. You stopped it. You weren’t supposed to.’
‘How was I supposed to know? He died for the greater good. That sniper wouldn’t have given himself up if I hadn’t have killed him, there would have been many more deaths that day.’
‘There was no sniper Karl.’
‘What?’
‘There was no sniper. Muller saw movement ahead and so in a panic he fired. When he went to check it out he saw that he had just killed an innocent woman with two children. Muller was already close to breaking; he shot himself on the spot. Hearing the gunshots you rushed over, you assumed it must be a sniper. You grabbed the child and blackmailed the town into giving up the gunman they didn’t have. You murdered the boy, he died for no cause. His name was Francis, he was only four and a half.’
The man paused and allowed all this to sink in. Karl didn’t say a word; he just stood still in the light of the fire. The man continued, ‘Further more, the man who gave himself up to save the girl was also innocent. He was killed on the spot and died before he hit the floor, he had committed no crime. Bernard Claud was 46, he gave his life to save that little girl he had never even met. Both him and the boy were murdered Karl, they were murdered by you.’
Karl swallowed hard, his throat was dry and he was sweating fiercely. He tried to explain himself, ‘I didn’t know...’
‘I’m sure you didn’t Karl, however, I’m afraid you have murdered both a small boy and a middle aged father and by the very laws of existence that gives me the right to enact similar torment upon yourself. I think you will agree that it was only fair that your son died, it’s really not much. After all, you did kill that boy…’ Karl didn’t say anything.
‘To be honest though, I don’t really care that you murdered those people. You could have gone and shot a bus load full of children and I wouldn’t have shed a tear. I’m not usually the type to seek revenge, I can’t really be bothered with it.’
‘So why with me?’
‘Oh c’mon Karl, you wouldn’t ever have come here if I hadn’t have killed Lukas. I knew there was no other way on Earth that I could convince you, it’s a shame you’re so stubborn.’
Karl nodded. Everything the man had said had been right. He felt exhausted and defeated. But there was still more he wanted to know.
‘Why did you bring me here?’
‘I told you, that boy had a destiny, a future, there was something he needed to do. You stole it from him Karl, you stole it from him and you had no right. You see there’s an order, a way things are supposed to happen. It wasn’t ever supposed to be like this, you weren’t ever supposed to come here, you shouldn’t even know that I exist. But I had to intervene, just that one small shot could change everything, it could have catastrophic consequences. You don’t understand the significance of it, the whole world is beyond my grasp.  And I’m very worried Karl, you ruined my plan.’
‘So what do you want me to do?’
‘I need you to fix it Karl, you’re the only one who can. I need you to go back to that day in Paris and stop yourself from killing that boy, I need you to put things right.’
‘And why would I do this for you? What do I care about your plan?’
‘Because if you change the past the future will never happen. Your son doesn’t ever have to be hit by a car. And he’s such a lovely boy Karl, it’s such a shame.’
He had won, Karl knew it. He would have to do whatever the man told him to, he didn’t have a choice. He asked the question, ‘How do I change it?’
The man smiled and although Karl couldn’t see his face he could feel his cold pleasure echoing through his bones, ‘There’s a man,’ he said, ‘He’s neither here nor there, old nor young. He can help you. You need to speak to him.’
‘How do I find him?’
‘At the top of the stairs there’s a corridor. It stretches for far longer than you could ever see and has more doors than you could ever count. Each door leads to a different place, beyond this house and beyond this world. Choose carefully, one of them will take you to him but many will lead you to your doom. He is not easy to find, he’s a very peculiar man.’
‘How do I know which door to take?’
The man’s smile grew, ‘Oh, I don’t think you need to worry about that,’ he turned his armchair around so he could see Karl and he starred at him with an eyeless face, the grooves of his sockets where smooth and he grinned sensing Karl’s disgust, ‘It’s your fate.’