Jim slammed the door and looked atDaisy with wild, frightened eyes. “Our little Poppet,” he said in a falteringvoice.
“That drug I was talking about,” saidOphelia. “I’ve got some in our van.”
“But that’s down on the square,” saidArthur.
“It’s okay. I’ll go and get it,” saidOphelia. She tried to look calm and collected but inside was feeling verystrange. It was hard to control her breathing and she felt a weird disturbancestart to grow inside her head. She was sure she could hear a vague and distantmuttering... Seeing the blood on Rosie had quickened her pulse and made herfeel restless, made her think again of embracing Percy. She didn’t want to tellthe others how she felt, but knew she had to get that Vita Dantis asmuch for herself as for Rosie.
“But you may turn into Og’s slave.”
Ophelia looked at Arthur and raisedher eyebrows. “Are you forgetting something?”
He felt very stupid when he rememberedthat she’d already been cursed. He wondered if people in the Og cult knew shewas already in and so would avoid attacking her. But he wasn’t really sure ifthis was true, or what effect meeting others would have on her. She may nevercome back. Arthur decided that it was worth the risk to save his baby sister.
“I’ll show you out via the back door,”he said.
Ophelia went off with him into thekitchen.
There was another loud thump on thedoor, so hard it made a fine dust of plaster come out of the frame.
“Daddy,” implored Rosie. “Let me in...please! I’m scared. A funny voice is talking to me, in my head.”
“Oh Daisy,” exclaimed Jim turning tohis wife and wringing her hands, “what are we going to do?”
“I don’t know, I just don’t know!”
“I guess we should all calm down,”said Jim with a look of decision, “go back to the kitchen and finish off ourtea. She can’t get in so we’re safe.”
“Please Daddy!” wailed Rosie throughthe door, “you’ve got it let me in. I want my Daddy.”
“Back to the kitchen,” said Jim,determined to ignore Rosie’s pleas.
They all went back to the kitchen andsat around the table. Bill looked at Daisy’s tearful face and wanted to giveher a hug. She was the closest thing he had to a mother. He didn’t know whatBeryl wanted with him or why he’d woken up at the Manor with her standing overhim, but he was sure of one thing – Beryl certainly wasn’t his mother.“Please Mrs Small, don’t get upset. Ophelia will be back soon with the VitaDantis. I’m sure it’ll make Rosie a lot better.”
“She’s gone off through the veggarden,” said Arthur. “I hope she doesn’t get nabbed by those bikers, or theman on the horse, or his dog.”
“I should have gone with her,” saidBill.
As they were talking they hadn’tnoticed that Jim had got up and gone back out into the hallway. He was over atthe front door, almost rested his head against it. They heard him mutteringover and over again, “My Poppet...”
There was a high pitched and veryintense scream from outside that made Jim jump.
“Daddy help!”
Jim panicked and instinctively flungopened the front door. Rosie rushed inside and with a flying leap wrapped herarms around her father’s neck. Bill, Daisy and Arthur watched on in horror asRosie lifted her head and opened her mouth wide, revealing dirty yellow teeth.
“Don’t you dare young lady!” screechedDaisy, rushing into the hallway.
She quickly pulled Jim and Rosie apartand gave her daughter a very stern look.
Rosie stamped her foot like a petulantchild and hissed at her mother with an angry glare. She then shoved Daisy ashard as she could, making her mother fall backwards – the force of the shovemade her land heavily on her back and slide a few feet across the hallway tiles.
Jim ran over to his wife and bent overher prostrate, unconscious body. “Daisy! My love! Wake up!” He shook hershoulders gently. “Wake up!”
“My sister’s gone crazy,” said Arthur.He looked at Rosie in shocked amazement.
She returned his gaze disdainfully andsaid, “I just really need to bite daddy. You see Arthur? The voice keepstelling me I must. So Daddy must be bit.”
She moved slowly towards Jim, with asneaking motion.
They heard the clatter of an engineand a skid as a vehicle pulled up outside. The front door was still open andOphelia came rushing in, clutching the black bag.
“Oh no...” she said, when she sawRosie creeping up behind Jim, who was still bent over his wife.
“Ophelia!” said Bill. “Do that thing!Make her sleep!”
“What?”
“Remember that thing Professor Jarethdid to Lilith? Made her sleep. I think it’s some sort of Dark Pagan spell. Makeher go to sleep.”
Ophelia nodded a little unsurely. Sheremembered seeing what the Professor had done but had no idea how she’d doneit. She pressed a finger to her temple and looked solemnly at Rosie. “You willsleep...” she mumbled.
Rosie put her hand on Jim’s shoulderand bared her teeth. Jim looked up at his daughter with a look of horror butdidn’t move.
“It’s not working,” said Ophelia.
“Try again,” said Bill.
Ophelia closed her eyes andconcentrated as hard as she could, visualising Rosie slumped on the floor.“Sleep! Just go to sleep. Now! Please! Come on! Off you go!” She wasconcentrating hard but was also aware of a very distant voice, in her mind,mumbling its discontent.
Rosie’s eyes fluttered, her hand fellaway from Jim’s shoulder and she fell to the floor unconscious.
“That was so cool,” saidArthur. “You saved Dad!”
Daisy opened her eyes and groaned. Sherubbed her forehead and groan heavily. “I feel like I’ve gone ten rounds with aprize fighter. How did our Poppet get so strong?”
“Are you okay Love?” said Jim. “Youbumped your head?”
Daisy saw her daughter lying next toher, fast asleep. “Ah there she is, the little Devil, lying there. She’s goingto get such a telling off for pushing me like that.”
Jim looked at Rosie and gulped. “Shemust be tired Love, tired and grumpy. That’s what’s wrong. Let’s just get heroff to bed.”
He helped Daisy up and they bothlooked down at Rosie, lying on the floor. She was sleeping but her youngfreckled face looked clouded over with troubles.
“Poor little Poppet,” he said.
Jim
