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8/12/2019 A Parallel Prelude, by Roy Gill
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8/12/2019 A Parallel Prelude, by Roy Gill
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A Parallel Prelude
8/12/2019 A Parallel Prelude, by Roy Gill
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Tis prelude is dedicaed o all hose who
found he Parallel, and old me heyd like
o spend a litle more ime here...
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Te snow had been alling heavily or days. Heavier han
Id ever seen i beore.
My Dad used o say winers were or snow, and
snowmen, and snowball fighs, bu back home we never
seemed o ge more han a couple o cenimeres. Jus
enough o make hings slick and slippy no enough o
have a laugh wih.
No like his year. Tis year i kep coming.
We had gone back o Grans house, halway up
Blackord Hill, and jus camped-ou, recovering. Wewere living off hings we ound hoarded in her reezer,
in daf combinaions. Cake and sausage rolls. Ice cream
and oven chips. Meaballs and mascarpone.
I was he maddes Chrismas dinner Id ever had,
ha year. Ta was good in a way. I kep me disraced.
I suppose we should alk abou i, I said o Morgan,as I picked over my random rui salad. Eve had ound
a cache o ins a he back o a cupboard. Te labels had
go damp and curled off, so wed aken urns o shake
hem and guess wha was inside.
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alk bou wha? Morgan said.
You know. Abou wha Gran did.
About what she was really up to, I hough bu didn
say.About the last time I saw her, swirling away into that
black vortex. About the gamble we made, in order to save
my life
Morgan paused mid-chew. Seriously?
I dunno. I sared down a my bowl. Tere were
peaches, pineapples and plums floaing abou in he
sugary waer bu I was airly sure he shrivelled grey
hings were cockail sausages.
Random rui saladfail.
Hmm. No really, I said, picking ou he sausages,
one by one. Maybe no jus ye.
Tank Fa Moon or ha. Morgan reached or a
chicken drumsick. Because Im rubbish a alking.
Eve wrinkled her nose. Eaings more your syle, isn i?
Always play o your srenghs, yeah? Morgan
grinned. Now gimme he sreaky bacon. Im amished.
We kep eaing, and we didn alk abou i.
Some hings are oo big o pu ino words.
Afer our bizarre meal, we wen ou sledging. Slidingdown he road, siting on bin liners, shouing.
Te neighbours didn like i one bi. Tey ook i in
urns o come ou heir snow-draped housesbundled-up
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in heir winer clohes and sand a he garden gaes,
glowering a us, like a load o vengeul gnomes.
Teyd never liked Gran, I knew ha. And now she
was gone, I could see hey didn like me or my srange
riends eiher.
Why isn old Ms Ives aking you in hand? Youve
go an enire hillside o rumpus over! Mr McWhelan
waved his sick a us. Mus you cause a nuisance in he
road? Tink o he cars!
He was alking rubbish. No one had dared drive heir
car up or down he rozen sree in days. I sared o say
somehing, bu Eve sho me a glance.
Youhul high spiris. Pay no heed, she said in her
poshes voice o Mr McWhelan. Ill see i doesn
happen again.
She looked so grown-up and responsible, she had a
way o convincing people o lisen o her. I could see her
charm working on Mr McWhelan already.
So long as you do, young lady. So long as you do. He
otered back ino his house.
Supid old silly, mutered Eve, sicking ou her ongue.I sifled a laugh.
Ta was epic! Morgan came puffing up he hill,
aking grea loping srides. Te snow lay so deep now, i
was almos ipping over he op o his biker boos. He
held ou he atered remains o a bin-liner. I hink Ive
worn his one ou, hough.Tas ok, I said. I spoted some gian ea rays
sashed in he kichen. Gran musve had hem in
case he enire sree ever called round or coffee. Like
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ha was going o happen. I reckon heyd be grea or
sledging, hough.
Yes! Morgan hrew back his head, and gave a grea,
whooping howl. ea ray sledging! Bring i on!
Always so noisy! said Eve. I hink we should all go
inside. Is oo cold and icy or much more un.
I sared o proes, and she firmly ook he remains
o he bin bag rom my hand.
You must be sensible, Cameron. Youre sill geting
beter, aren you? Youre sill no enirely well. She
suck ou her long fingers, and ouched me under he
ribs. I flinched. Beneah my hoody, underneah hree
layers o -shirs, lay a pach o dull-red scarred skin: a
sab-wound rom an ancien magical spearhead. I had
sealed over almos insanly bu I could never orge
how I go i.
I brushed her hand away, sepped back.
Is no bohering me, I said. Im surprised i
doesn hur more. Considering.
Well, ok. I youre sure. Maybe jus one more go. Eve
plonked he bin bag down on he ground, and swiflyarranged hersel on op.
For me, ha is! She pushed off, slihering down he
hill wih increasing speed, and leting ou a coninuous
high-piched scream.
Morgan and I exchanged looks.
One momen shes all grown-up, I said. Te nexshes a iny kid.
Morgan shrugged. Makes a weird sor o sense.
Eve looked like she was a good six or seven years older
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han me: around weny, I reckon. Bu on he inside she
was more like en.
Growing up under he hrall o a daemon can do
srange hings o you. Paricularly when ha daemon
decides o se up home inside your head
Neiher me nor Morgan had he oggies idea i she
could ever be pu back, i she could be de-aged o look
like he girl she really was inside he girl she had been
beore Mrs Ferguson dug her eigh spooky claws in.
I suppose we shouldve been working on i. Going
hrough my Grans old books day and nigh o see i
we could find a clue wha o do. Venuring ou ino
he Parallel ha srange, wised layer o realiy ha
lies halway beween he human world and is daemon
equivalen o seek advice rom he creaures ha
lurked here. Bu o ell you he ruh, I had somehing
else on my mind.
I had problems o my own
All day long, I didn have o hink abou i.
Every ime i popped ino my head, Id jus push i
away. Not now, not now, Id hink. Its not like I can do
anything to stop it so why torture yourself?Insead Id mess abou on my guiar, pracising
chords. Id ge Morgan o lisen o songs I liked and
hoped hed love oo. Someimes I played games wih
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Eve; all he old classics like Monopoly, wiser, Jenga.
She seemed hrilled by hem. She claimed shed never
played any o hem beore.
Why would I have? Tose weren he sor o games
Mrs Ferguson liked o play, Eve said, drawing her knees
up o her chin.
Bu you didn always say wih old spider-ace, I
said recklessly. You musve played board games beore
you lived wih her
I sopped. Eves eyes had gone large. Sorry. Is none
o my business.
I sor o remember beore, bu no much, she said.
All his snow siting round ouside I don know. I
seems amiliar. Is making hings come back.
Like you used o ge major snow back home?
Maybe. She go up quickly, almos knocking over
he board. Monopoly is dull wih wo. Im going o ge
Morgan.
Morgan was nowhere o be ound. I didn surprise
me. I hadn said anyhing o Eve, bu Id caugh him
sneaking ou he back door he oher nigh. Id grabbedhis arm, and asked him where he was off o. Hed growled
and shaken me off.
You remember wha happened las ime, Shory! I
can be like ha again. Ive go o ge my head ogeher,
i Im gonna...
Keep conrol?He nodded. So go ge some shu-eye. Don worry
abou me.
Is no you Im worried abou, I burs ou. Youve
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had your whole lie o be his hing. o cope wih i.
Is all new o me! I don know i I can
Hey, we don know i youre like me, no ye. Tere
was a lo o srange old magic whizzing around ha
nigh. He grinned his lopsided grin, exposing sharp
whie eeh. You migh be unlucky. You could sill be
oally human. Pure monkey!
My hand wen o my shoulder, he locaion o my
oher scar: a row o red eeh-marks sunk deep eiher
side o he bone. I was aking is ime o heal.
When will I know? For sure?
Morgan poined up. Above he brown and green
dome o he Observaory, beween hick grey clouds,
here was a hin o silver shining hrough. He whisled.
Soon enough. I shes go you, she won ever le you
orge.
He pulled his army greacoa around him, and
sepped ino he rosy garden. Looks like is going o
be anoher cold one See you omorrow, Shory. ry
and ge some sleep.
Sill he snow kep coming.
As i go urher ino he New Year, hey even soppedhe rains. I had o call my riend Amy, and beg off
coming over o see her.
Unless you send a helicoper, Im suck.
8/12/2019 A Parallel Prelude, by Roy Gill
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Youve had a lucky escape, she said. Mums even
madder han usual his year.
No possible, I dead-panned back. Even hough I
liked Amys mum, really.
Amy, I hear you! Every word. Dont tell lies about me
to lovely Cameron! Ask him when were going to see him!
Mum but ou! Boundaries! When Im on he
phone, has privae. We alked abou ha, remember?
Amy sighed. So how was Chrismas wih spooky
Grandma? Any op presens? Did you pary like i was
1945?
I paused, no waning o lie o her. Shes no here
righ now. Is kind o a long sory
Are you on your own? Youre no, are you, Cam? ell
me honesly.
I glanced a Morgan. Ice cream was dripping down
his ace, and he looked uterly ouraged. Eve ran away
rom him, giggling. In response, he dug he wooden
spoon hed been eaing off ino he ice cream ub, and
began o carve ou a boulder. Righ. Jus. You. Wai!
No, Im wih riends, I said. Prety supid loudriends.
Oh. Morgan. Amy sniffed. I can hear someone
laughing. Is ha a girl? Cameron, you smooh operaor...
Is Eve. Shes a riend
Ta makes i worse! Amy squealed. Ive been
replaced
Te handse flew ou my hands and cracked o pieces
on he floor. Morgan gaped a me dopily. Te flex had
angled round his legs as he lurched afer Amy.
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I picked up he shatered phone. I was properly dead,
and I jus sor o snapped.
Tas jus awesome, isn i! Now were oally cu-
off! No buses, no rains, no inerne and now no
phone eiher!
Chill, Shory. Is jus a bi o un
Yeah, i is, isn i? Isjust un. Tas all here is, isn
here? I looked around. Gran wouldve had a fiti she
could see he sae her nea and idy house had go ino.
Diry dishes all over he kichen. Crumpled clohes all
over he floor. Ice cream running down he wall. We
hang abou here, day afer day, eaing lefover ood and
doing nothing
Yeah, I know. Grea isn i?
No, is no! I sopped being grea days ago!
As I said he words, I knew hey were rue. Is amazing
how much un you can have when heres no one o ell
you o sop, o mind he urniure, o go o bed, o do
your homework, go o school... Bu afer a bi, you ge
sick o i, you know? Is like eaing oo much chocolae
cake. I seemed like a good idea a he ime.Eve popped ou he hall cupboard, where shed been
hiding. Cameron, were sorry! We didn mean o make
you mad.
Shes righ, mae. I was only a laugh
Whaever. I don care, I said. You guys go crazy.
Desroy he place. Im going o bed.Cameron
Shory
I ignored hem boh.
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Morgan and Eve.
Te Wol Boy and he Girl Who Grew Up in Her Sleep.
I hadn known hem long, bu hey were boh
imporan o me. Tey didn hal annoy me someimes,
hough.
For such a long ime, i was jus me and Dad. And
afer Dad died, i was me and Gran.
I was used o my own spaceime o mysel.
ime o hink...
In my room, as I go ready or bed, I couldn help
lifing he curains, and looking. Checking he progress
o he moon.
I was growing all he ime, urning rom crescen
o circle, sliver by sliver, geting bigger every nigh. I
could eel my hearpounding as I looked, like i waned
o crack open my ribs and leap righ ou my ches. Was
ha he Fa Moon, aking hold? Making changes go on
inside me, wheher I waned hem or no?
I le he heavy curains drop. Every nigh, he laer i
go, he more I hough abou i.
As he red LEDs on he clock clicked unsoppablyround, Id sar imagining abou wha migh happen,
wha id eel like, i I could sop i if I really wanted
to stop itand my hear would hump so bad, like Id
drunk en cups o Grans black coffee, and i would ake
hourso ge o sleep.
I didn even know i ha mean I was scared
orexcied.
Daf, eh?
Maybe i was boh.
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How ya doin, Shory?
Shorty.Why does he call me ha?
Morgans long raty blond hair is sicking ou all
round his beanie ha. How do you eel? he says.
Nervous. Excied. Boh. I shrug in an exaggeraed
way. I don know.
Youll be fine. Once i sars, is prety much
insincual.
He crunches on ahead o me, up he hill.
He has his weird sor o loping sride, like his bones
don quie fi ogeher, or hes go growing pains or
somehing. Which is odd, because when he runs, he
runs fast. Hes a bi aller han me, bu a lo broader. I
used o hink he was a couple o years older bu how
do werewolves coun heir age? Are hey like people
or are hey like dogs, and every single human year ageshem abou seven?
And wha does ha mean or me?
Oh yeah, didn I ell you? Im a werewol oo.
Or I migh be.
All because Morgan bi me. I asked him o, you see.
Hold up, is no as weird as i sounds...When I came o live wih her, Gran promised me
hings suff I should never have agreed o. She said she
could bring my Dad back, she could reurn him rom
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he dead, i only Id help her. Bu she had darker ideas
han ha ideas I don really wan o hink abou.
And he only way ou was or Morgan o bie me and
le he wol run hrough
Acually, ha is every bi as weird as i sounds.
No long now, Shory, eh? Morgan looked back a
me. il Fa Moon ime. I can eel i calling.
In he moonligh, Morgans ace is angular and
srange, like hes already no quie human. Hes always
been a werewol he was born o i. When he changes,
he becomes a huge whie wol. Bu he shif and he call
o he moon is all new o me new and scary. Humans
whove been biten ofen don work ou righ. Tey
don change all he way. Is like heyre no quie woly
enough, and insead hey end up hal way beween
human and dog and jus as mad, and messy, and angry,
as ha sounds.
rus me, I know.
Ive wached i happen.
Bu wha will happen o me?
My hand fidgeed in my jacke pocke, wiching andiching. I drew i ou, and scrached in irriaion. My
fingers me hair proper, dense hair.
Its starting.
I glanced a Morgan, ried o call ou, bu he sound
ha lef my mouh was garbled a sor o whining
growl.He spun o ace me, and I saw he was changing oo.
His mouh and nose were elongaing, as i he bone
beneah he skin was growing, reshaping his eaures
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ino a muzzle. His ears were lenghening, becoming
poined. Te green o his iris pooled ouward, and he
whies o his eyes vanished.
I wondered: is ha how Im changing oo?
I kep expecing i o hur, or i o rip hrough me in
an agony o shifing bone and earing flesh, bu i was
more like sreching and working lie back ino muscles
ha were dorman afer oo long a res. I el cramped
and uzzy, as i Id been shu up inside a box or monhs.
Suddenly he door o he box was open, and I was filled
wih an energy ha I hadn had beore.
I ell orward, ouching he ground.
Black paws on whie snow.
Wol-Morgan sared back me. Refleced in he green
o his eyes, I saw mysel. A huge dark wol, srong and
powerul and perec. No hin o human-me a all.
Im not a mixed-up monster I changed! I changed
completely!
I gave a yip o joy.
Morgan sared o run, and I ollowed
Ta was how i sared.
Te firs nigh o he wol monh. I el so good,running hrough he snow wih Morgan, discovering
my new domain all mapped ou in vivid scen and
sound and sigh.
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I hough i would las orever. Bu i couldn.
Tis is he sory o how my world ell apar.
And how I ough o pu i all back ogeher.
Tis is he sory o he Werewolf Parallel.
Illustration by Mark Manley