It was gone midnight when Daf called for a taxi to take them to the Guest-house. It was walking distance really, but they were strangers, who'd had a fair bit to drink and the weather was atrocious. Plus Merthyrmôr was the sort of place where it was easy to get lost. She'd never have forgiven herself if they'd gone over a cliff or something trying to make their own way into the town centre.

The taxi pulled right up to the pub's door and the four inebriated friends piled in. Within five minutes they were making a similar dash for the open door of the Croes Guest-house. Olwen was waiting at the door wearing a dressing gown with a tray of sandwiches and some hot chocolate. She was a lot younger than any of them had imagined, much closer to their own age, if not a little younger. It was quite impressive to think that this girl was running her own business, even if it was only a small guest-house.

“I've made up beds for you all, there's plenty of hot water for baths, and you'll find towels the the cupboard on the landing.” Olwen explained, “I've put out a nightgown for the young lady in Room 1” she nodded towards Danni, “and you gentleman are in Rooms 2 through to 4, but I'm afraid I haven't got any suitable night attire for men. Breakfast is served from seven until ten in the dining room.”

“Thank you so much.” said Danni.

“To be honest, it's a relief to have some guests in.” Olwen confessed, “This weather's been terrible for business. Now I hope you don't think I'm being impolite, but I've got an early start in the morning.”

“Oh of course,”exclaimed Levi, “I'm sorry we didn't arrive earlier.”

“Don't be daft,” Olwen jokingly rebuked, “you're on holiday. If you want to stay out 'til the early hours that's your right. The rooms are all at the top of the stairs and we can sort out the bill in the morning. Now I'm going to have to say Goodnight.”

Danni had to admit, sometimes it was good to be “The Girl”. She may go on about just being one of the guys, but there were certain perks to not having a Y chromosome. First dibs on the bathroom was one of them. For the first time today she was soaking wet and loving it. She didn't usually indulge in baths, she was a shower person really, but the old roll top looked so inviting she just had to fill it with steaming water and climb in.

Lying there she felt like some Hollywood superstar, not the modern, here one day gone the next tabloid fodder mind you, more like the glamorous actresses of the black and white era. She closed her eyes and lay back until she was totally submerged, listening to the relaxing sound of her own heartbeat gradually increasing in speed as she held her breath. The tranquillity was instantly destroyed by the sound of rushing water. An icy coldness flowed up from the foot of the bath, which made Danni jump, but instead of rising out of the water, she banged her head against the side of the tub. Opening her eyes, all Danni could see was dark murky water and in a panic she felt absolutely certain that she was encased by the metal. She threw her arms upwards and, with more than a small sense of relief, found the edge of the bath. Curling her fingers tightly around the cold rim, she lifted herself into a seated position. As her blurred vision came into focus, she saw that the cold tap was running full blast into the tub, she must've knocked it with her foot. Danni laughed at her mini panic-attack, embarrassed by how spooked she'd got. Almost knocking herself out probably had something to do with it. Well maybe she hadn't hit her head hard enough to actually render herself unconscious, but by the time she was towel-clad and staring into the bathroom mirror, quite a deep bruise was beginning to blossom on her left temple. She pulled her hair forward in an attempt to hide the wound, picked up her clothes and made her way back to her room, bumping into Kyle on the landing.

“You finished in there?” he asked.

“Yes.” she replied without stopping. “See you in the morning.”

She couldn't risk him seeing her injury. The thought of standing there wearing nothing but a towel whilst Kyle did his concerned friend bit was a little repulsive. Danni knew Kyle was interested in her, he was interested in any girl who wasn't currently in a relationship, but she certainly was interested in him, not in that sense at any rate. He was nice enough to look at she guessed, and was a good lad at heart, but despite being the eldest of the group of friends by two years, he was the least mature and still wasn't over thinking of women as possessions rather than people in their own right. Danni preferred her men to want more out of a relationship than a piece of arm jewellery.

Back in the safety of her room, Danni put on the cotton night gown Olwen had left out for her. It was a little frumpy compared to the camisole and shorts combo she was used to, but it would serve it's purpose. Danni dried her hair and climbed into the steel framed double bed. The Victorian kitchness was a theme which continued throughout the Guest-house, but in a fashion that complimented the property to a point only a little short of what might be considered luxury. Danni was very impressed and made a mental note to tell Olwen so in the morning.

It had been a long and unusual day, and sleep came to Danni easily as her head met the pillow. She slept soundly, without dreaming, until she woke to the sound of knocking on the bedroom door.

The room was filled with the sorry glow that Danni was coming to accept as the Welsh version of daylight and the ever present rain was still hammering against the window.

“Danni?” came Levi's voice from behind the closed door, “we're all heading down for breakfast. Are you going to join us?”

Danni looked at the clock which sat on the bedside table. It was ten to nine.

“You guys go on ahead,” she replied, “I'll be down in a few minutes.”

Danni got dressed, did her best to hide the now positively purple bruise on her head behind her hair, and headed down to the dining room.

“Good Morning!” Olwen called from the adjoining kitchen before anyone else had noticed Danni entering the room, “I'm just frying some bacon. Is a full English okay for you?”

“Sounds great.” Danni replied.

“There's tea and toast on the table while you wait.”

“Thanks.” replied Danni.

The three lads mumbled their morning greetings through mouths filled with hot buttered toast.

“Radio says we're totally cut off.” said Anthony, “We could be stuck here for days.”

“There are worse places to be stuck.” said Levi, wiping the crumbs from his chin.

“Still, I think we'd better call home,” said Anthony, “just to let them know we're here.”

“What's the matter?” mocked Kyle, “You don't want your mum to worry?”

“No, I don't.” Anthony replied.

“And I'm due back at work on Monday.” added Levi.

With that the three lads pulled out their mobiles. Danni shot them a stare.

“Phone calls can wait 'til after breakfast,”she ordered, “there's nothing more rude than using your phone during a meal.”

“I couldn't agree more.” said Olwen as she re-entered the room, carrying a tray laden with everything you could possible want from a fry up. “You'll be lucky to get a signal round here anyway.”

Olwen placed the tray on the table “My Word dear,” she gasped looking at Danni “What have you done to your head!”

Danni lifted her hand to the now uncovered bruise. She must've tucked her hair behind her ear without realising.

“I slipped in the bath.” She explained, “It's not as bad as it looks.”

“Still, I've got some Witch Hazel somewhere.” offered Olwen, “I'll dig it out after breakfast.”

Danni hadn't seen Witch Hazel for years, but the smell was something which etched itself into your memory. The sweet odour of comforting hugs distilled in clear liquid form. It wasn't only the coolness of the solution which soothed, but the ghost of a mother's concern. Danni breathed in the vapours and closed her eyes as she tried to stay in the memory.

She'd had such a happy childhood and she had her parents to thank for that. They'd treated her like a princess, but still saw to it that she'd grow up to become a thoughtful and mature young woman. She owed them everything, the least she could do now was give them a phone call. She took her mobile out and glanced at the screen. No signal, just as Olwen had predicted. Danni placed the lid on the bottle and headed back into the kitchen where their hostess was washing the breakfast dishes.

“Thanks for that.” she said placing the bottle down on the kitchen top.

“No problem,” replied Olwen, “us girls have got to take care of our looks!” she joked.

Danni smiled, “I don't suppose I could use your phone?”

“You free to try,” replied Olwen, “but it's a bit temperamental, especially in this weather. It's on the table in the hall”

“Thanks again.”

Danni dialled her parent's number and, despite what Olwen had told her, it rang only twice before her mother answered.

“Hello?”

“Hi Mum, it's Danni.”

“Danni?” Mrs Arthur replied, “We weren't expecting to hear from you.”

“I just thought I'd better let you know that the weather's took a turn for the worse and we've ended up stuck in a town a little further along the coast. A place called Merthyrmôr.”

“How long are you going to be there?” Danni thought her mother's voice sounded a little strange.

“Is something wrong mum?”

“No, nothings wrong.” her mother replied, “It's just so good to know your okay.”

She was lying. Danni knew it straight away. Her mother was upset, and as always, was trying to hide whatever it was from her child.

“Is Dad there?” asked Danni. If she was going to find out what was going on, her father was the one to ask. He'd never lied to his daughter, even when a lie could have be considered a kindness.

“I'm afraid he isn't dear. He had to go away for a few days, but I'll let him know you called.”

“Thanks Mum. I'd better go. I don't want to run up a huge bill.”

“Call again in a few days.” Mrs Arthur gently ordered her daughter, “If you're still there that is.”

“I'll ring you even if I'm home by then,” replied Danni, “which hopefully I will be, touch wood.” she lightly tapped the hall table. “Bye Mum.”

“Bye Danni, I love you.”

Danni placed the cordless phone back in it's holster and sat on the hall chair. Danni wasn't much of a worrier, but her mother didn't get upset often and it wasn't like her father to leave his wife alone for more than a day at the office. Something had happened, something bad, but there was little she could do about it now so instead she headed back to the kitchen to see if Olwen needed any help with the dishes.

Danni took the opportunity to discuss the bill.

“Usually I charge £48 per room off-season, £62 peak, but given the circumstances, I was thinking of just charging £150 a night for the four of you.” Olwen answered, “I hope that's reasonable.”

“It's more than reasonable.” replied Danni, “I'll have to clear it with the lads first, but I'm sure that'll be fine”

It was only then when the boys' absence became apparent to Danni, “Where are the lads anyway?”

“Oh, they headed back to the Lighthouse to pick up the car.” Olwen explained, “They shouldn't be long, it's only a five minute walk.”

Danni looked out of the window. It was still raining pretty hard, but it wasn't anything like it had been. Even so, she'd have probably put off walking anywhere more than a block away for a while longer. Plus there was the fact that she was now alone in this place with a woman who, despite being an excellent hostess and extremely friendly, was a complete stranger.

“I was meaning to compliment you on this place.” remarked Danni, searching for something to say, “It really is beautiful. I can't believe that someone as young as yourself can run a place like this by yourself.”

“Well Bryn comes by once a week and does the gardening plus any odd jobs that are beyond me,” Olwen explained, “...and I'm not as young as I look.” she added with a wink.

“If you don't mind me asking, how old are you?” Danni asked.

“A little bit older than my teeth.” Olwen replied with a cheeky smile.

The walk back to the pub wasn't too bad. Most of the journey was down Main Street, and most of the shops had awnings out front, which offered a fair amount of protection from the rain, although Levi couldn't help but think that if the wind hadn't eased off so much since yesterday, the whole row of awnings would've been ripped from the shop fronts and would probably be half way to Ireland by now.

The last two blocks to the pub were completely awning-less and so by the time the three young men piled into the car, they were yet again soaking wet, but not as wet as the SUV's interior. The seats were all absolutely sopping and the smell of damp ropes had filled the vehicle. Levi turned the heater on full blast in the vain attempt to dry everything out, but all it succeeded in doing was steaming up the windows. Levi wiped clear the part of the windscreen directly in front of him and started the engine. The glass quickly started to mist up again and by the time they'd reached the turn onto Main Street Levi had to stop the car and wipe the window again.

While they were sitting there with the engine idling, there was a knock at the driver's side window. Levi obligingly wound it down. The elderly man pulled the collar of his anorak up around his ears.

“Hello?” ventured Levi.

“Don't over think things, but don't let yourself be fooled,” said the man, “don't take anything for granted and don't assume anything.”

Levi felt as if somehow he'd missed the start of this conversation.

“I'm sorry?”

“But most importantly, don't let yourself get scared. Fear can get you into all sorts of trouble.”

“If you say so.”

“One last piece of advice,” the man pulled the peak of his flat cap down, “get out of this place, if you can.”

“Will do.” Levi nodded. The man turned and walked down one of the side roads.

“What,” asked Anthony, “was that?”

“Wierdos on parade!” offered Kyle.

“Bit creepy though.” said Anthony.

“I think he was just trying to be helpful.” Levi offered, although he inwardly he had to admit that there was something about the way the old guy had said “if you can” which made Levi feel uneasy. The man's tone of voice hadn't been threatening or insistent. He'd simply been stating a fact that there was a very real chance that they wouldn't be able to leave.

Of course by the time they'd got back to the guest house Kyle had transformed the rather normal looking old man into a decrepit hunch-back with a limp who had chased the car down the road. Levi quickly set the record straight and Olwen easily identified the old man as Elgan Trevor.

“He's a nice enough man,” she explained, “just occasionally he acts a bit... well... odd. Most of the time though he's perfectly sane, and very clever.”

“Seemed totally cuckoo to me.” said Kyle.

“We all have our off days.” suggested Danni.

After lunch, the four friends paid a quick visit to Main Street, where they picked up some supplies and spent the rest of the afternoon playing boardgames in Olwen's parlour. By early evening the rain had stopped and the stranded holidaymakers began to hope that perhaps they might be on their way home in the morning.

“We'll have to settle up with Olwen.” Levi thought out loud.

“She said she'd charge us £150 per night.” said Danni.

“For the four of us?” asked Anthony, Danni nodded “That's not bad!”

“It mightn't be bad,” Kyle interjected, “But do any of us have £300 in cash? 'Coz I haven't seen any cash points round here, and I doubt that Olwen will take a card.”

Kyle had a point. They weren't expecting any major expenses during their little trip to Wales, and over the last two days they'd already spent out for extra clothes and toiletries, not to mention a night of drinking. There was no way they could have that amount of money between them.

“I'm sure that if we all club together we'd...” Danni started.

“... have enough to get her a box of chocolates.” Kyle interrupted.

“Well how much do we have?” asked Anthony.

Out came the wallets. Levi was quite surprised to see that he had a hundred and thirty pounds in notes, plus a whole load of change. As he gazed around at his friends he could see a similar look of amazement on each of their faces. Each had more than the £75 for their share, much more.

“But I didn't even have that much before we left Glynafon!” exclaimed Kyle.

“Don't over think things...” Levi mused.

Tiny rivers trickled down the rock face exploring every crack and crevasse. Anthony was finding it much more difficult to find a suitable hand hole.

It had been raining pretty heavily all week, but it had eased off somewhat this morning, and they only had two days left to tackle the crag before they were leaving, so despite the weather not being ideal the group of friends decided that today was the day. Levi and Danni had gone up first, with little trouble, now it was Kyle and Anthony's turn. Kyle flew up the cliff like a spider, instinctively knowing exactly where to place his hands and feet, Anthony on the other hand was beginning to struggle. It had been a long time since he'd climbed outdoors and he'd never climbed in these conditions before, conditions which were getting steadily worse. The trickles of water were now starting to carry bits of soil and vegetation along with them, which started to collect in every cavity, making each potential anchor point so much more slippery.

“Try the one up and to the right.” called Levi from the bottom of the cliff.

Anthony looked around to see what his belayer was referring to. There was a small ledge just a little higher than was comfortable to reach, not to mention an angled surface, rather than the ideal horizontal he'd been hoping for, but it did look like the best option. Anthony stretched out, and giving his body a little swing to the right, he managed to get hold of the rock. From there the next hand hole was much easier to spot. He let go of the rock with his left hand and instantly felt himself slip from the rock face.

For a horrible moment Anthony felt as if he were just another piece of debris being washed down the side of the cliff, but Levi grasped the safety rope with both hands, and Anthony jerked to a halt. Dangling from his rope, it was now Anthony who resembled the arachnid. He'd turned a full 180 degrees during his fall, and was now staring out to sea.

“Sorry mate,” Levi called, “the rope's soaked. It's a bit more difficult to get a grip of it.”

“I think we'd better call it a day.” suggested Anthony, his eyes fixed on the horizon.

Kyle was about to protest, but as he turned to his friend, he saw what it was that had caused Anthony to make such a decision.

The sky over the sea had turned a deathly black and the rain was so heavy that it was impossible to workout where the sea met the air. The waves themselves lurched forwards, growing taller as they marched upon the shore.

“Yeah,” agreed Kyle, “Let's get down.”

The two climber's reached the foot of the crag just in time. Almost as soon as they'd unclipped themselves from their carabiners, the air became thick with rain. It was practically impossible to see anything other than water, but it was important that they took good care of their equipment, and so packing up, a job which would ordinarily take ten minutes at most, took them over an hour, during which time even the toughest of cagoules had given up any hope of remaining waterproof.

The four soggy and somewhat muddy climbers sat in the 4X4, removed their outer most layers, and did their best the dry themselves with what seemed to be the smallest hand towel in existence.

“Well at least the two of you conquered the crag.” offered Kyle in consolation.

“It doesn't count unless we all do it. We're a team”said Danni, “Besides, there's still tomorrow,” “you and Anthony could still make it up.”

“Nah, this rain's not going anywhere,” said Anthony, “it'll have to wait for another time.”

Levi started the engine and pulled out of the gravelled excuse for a car park. He carefully made his way down the steep dirt track, praying that there wasn't a car coming in the opposite direction. When the tyres finally met tarmac, Levi sighed with relief. He felt so much safer to be on an actual road again, even if it was only a pothole ridden country lane. Now he could concentrate on remembering the way back to the B&B, or, to be more accurate, to the pub just down the road from where they were staying. Even with all the chatting, and the excessively loud music filling the SUV he was able to navigate his way back onto the B-road which led back into the picturesque Welsh village of Glynafon. In no time at all they'd be crossing the little ford by the old church and then only a couple of miles more before pulling into the B&B's driveway and heading straight over to The Prince & Hounds for a well deserved beer.

The windscreen wiper were going at full pelt, but the view ahead was still less than twenty feet. The first sign that perhaps the journey back was going to take a little longer than planned was the blue flashes punctuating the raindrops. Levi couldn't tell how far ahead the police car was and so slowed down. It was a good job he did, because the figure in the road appeared so quickly out of the squall, he would have certainly hit him if he'd been going any faster, and somehow Levi didn't think that knocking over a police officer would look very good when added to the six points he'd already accrued for speeding.

The poncho clad policeman tapped on the driver's side window, which Levi obligingly wound down.

“You'll have to turn around,” shouted the officer over the storm, “the ford's totally unusable. We've already had one car washed away.”

“Is there another way into the village?” Levi asked.

The policeman shook his head, “Not from this side of the river.”

“What are we supposed to do?” asked Danni.

“If you head back the way you came and take the second right you'll come to the village of Merthyrmôr. There's a small pub there, and if the weather's no better by this evening there's plans in place to put people up in the Village Hall.”

“Thank you officer.” replied Levi as he put the car in reverse and performed probably the scariest three point turn of his life.

“Did you see his police car?” asked Kyle, “It looked like something from the 1970s!”

None of the other occupants of the 4X4 had paid any attention what the policeman was driving. Instead they'd all been straining to see the swollen river which was now more than twice the width it had been earlier that morning. There was no way even an SUV like the one they were driving would've made it across. They had no option but to follow the policeman's directions. He had made it sound as if Merthyrmôr was only a few minutes drive away, fifteen minutes at most, and maybe in fairer weather it was, but today the drive seemed to take forever and the longer the journey took, the more convinced Levi was that he'd missed the turning, but just as he was about to turn around he spotted the turn onto the coast road.

The weather began to lift as the angry sea came into view. The rain was still hammering on the roof of the vehicle but at least now they could see more of the country. Considering how close they were to Glynafon, it was a little surprising that they hadn't come across this road before, not that there was a lot on it. As they drove around the curve of the peninsular they finally spotted the first signs of civilisation. Perched somewhat precariously on a cliff was a rather tired looking farmhouse. The grey rendered building looked derelict at first, but the Land-rover and the BMW sitting in the yard both looked pristine.

“Do you think we should stop and ask for directions?” asked Danni.

“What are they going to say?” asked Anthony, “Keep going or head back the way we came? Well we know there's nothing back there...”

“I was just thinking that we've been driving for a while now and there's still no sign of this village.” Danni explained.

“That's because Levi's been driving like my grandmother.” laughed Kyle.

“I'd like to see you do better in this weather,” defended Levi, “besides, that looks more promising.” He nodded towards a collection of buildings that were coming into view.

Merthyrmôr looked more like a seaside town than the village the policeman had described, but the road sign stated the name with perfect clarity in both Welsh and English, despite the difference being nothing more than the little hat over the “o”. The coastal road continued alongside the shale beach while the other side of the road was dotted with small cafés and shops selling buckets and spades and the like. Why exactly you'd need a spade on such a pebbly beach was unclear, but the buckets would be useful for rock pooling if the day were brighter. The town itself continued beyond the beach, past the small harbour and up onto the cliff top. At the highest point of the cliff sat a church over looking the buildings below. It was surrounded by a small churchyard, which seemed to continue straight off the edge of the cliff, but the sight which truly warmed the heart was the old fashioned inn which sat over the road.

It wasn't a large building, but the sign outside declared that Cythraul's Lighthouse served “Only the best Real Ale since 1527”.

“I hope they've changed the barrel since then!” joked Kyle as Levi pulled into the car park the pub seemingly shared with the Village Hall and Church. They ran from the car into the inn. The pub was deceptively large on the inside, but totally void of patrons. The only sign of life in the place was the little black dog who ran happily towards the wet foursome.

“Trapper! Down!” came a female voice, thick with the welsh accent. Trapper obediently sat, his tail tapping against the tiled floor. The woman had been sitting at a table near the back of the room. No one had seen her when they came in, which was quite astonishing, given the size of both her glasses and her perm, both of which had sprung right out of an 80s soap opera and both of which more than made up for her short stature. She stubbed out the cigarette she'd been smoking in an ashtray and stood up.

“I'm sorry if he startled you.” she apologised as she walked over to the bar, “What can I get you?”

“Four pints of lager please.” replied Levi on behalf of the group.

“Get yourselves over to the fire and dry yourselves off. I'll bring them over.”

The Landlady nodded towards a large fireplace not too far from where she'd been sitting.

In no time at all the weather outside was well and truly forgotten. Daf, the Landlady had poured herself a drink and sat with the group of youngsters. After the initial excitement of seeing new people had worn off, Trapper lay down in front of the fire and was now chasing the phantom rabbits which inhabited his dreams. There wasn't likely to be anymore customers today, not until the evening at any rate and Daf liked meeting new people. It was a pleasure she didn't often get the opportunity to indulge in. Merthyrmôr wasn't exactly the tourist destination it was trying so desperately to be.

“So what brings you to our neighbourhood?”

“We're into rock climbing,” explained Anthony, “there's a particularly tricky crag not far from here that we thought we'd try climbing.”

“The one by Glynafon?” Daf asked.

Anthony nodded as he took another sip.

“I used to walk up that way with my husband.” exclaimed Daf, “Haven't been up there for ages.”

“Is your husband around?” asked Danni.

“No, Fred and I had a falling out way back.” their host explained, “I haven't seen him since I inherited this place.”

The conversation had reached a dead-end and as it was Danni's fault that they'd arrived at this awkward silence, so she decided that she'd better try to reignite the conversation.

Looking around the room her gaze fell onto the oil-painting which hung above fireplace.

“Is that Cythraul's Lighthouse?” she asked.

The storm in the painting made the one currently blowing about outside look like a passing shower. The streaks of lighting stretching across the canvas lit up a monstrous wave dwarfing the peculiar lighthouse below. The building itself sat defiant in the water. The upturned horn seemed to be entirely constructed out of riveted, cast iron sheets and was topped with a metal cage and exterior walkway.

“It's one of them.” answered Daf, “The Romans apparently built the first lighthouse when they invaded Wales. That one dates from the 1860s.”

“Who was Cythraul?” asked Kyle. Daf let out a laugh.

“Cythraul is The Devil.” she explained, “According to local legend Satan would blow out the flame during storms and cause boats to crash on the rocks below. He'd then skip through the waves and drag the souls of the drowning sailors to hell, relighting the Lighthouse's flame with Hell-fire as he opened the gates to the underworld.” Daf did like storytelling, “Of course, that's just a fairy-tale, but what is true is that there's been at least seven lighthouses on the site of the original Roman one over the centuries, each of them having either burnt down or fallen into the sea before being replaced by the next. The last one collapsed in 1962. The house on the peninsular that you must've passed on the way into the town is what used to be the Lighthouse keepers cottage.”

The group had a closer look at the painting. It took a moment to notice the small ship in the distance helpless in its plight. What was much more apparent was the fact that the lighthouse itself was not casting any light of it's own.

“There are some locals who claim that they can still on occasion see a light out at the point where the lighthouse once stood, and still others claim that such a light occurs whenever The Devil claims another soul.”

“Who lives in that cottage now?” asked Levi.

“To be honest I'm not sure.” replied Daf, “I've not been up there myself and no-one's ever said that it's theirs. There's some strange folk around here. Some people with very bizarre ideas. Most of them are harmless, but there's the odd one that's better to avoid and as a general rule round here it's better not to be too nosey.”

Danni wrapped her arms about herself “I can't wait to leave.” she said, using a tone of voice she hoped sounded sarcastic.

“Oh come on,” laughed Kyle, “all these places have there own ghost stories to spook visitors with.”

“They certainly do,” Daf confirmed, “ it's standard practice. I can assure you, it's a lovely place. There's literally dozens of people living here who were originally just passing through, but fell so in love with the place that they decided to stay on. Sure it's quirky, and full of oddball characters, but that all adds to it's charm.”

“Oddball characters?” asked Levi.

“Like The Monk.” replied Daf, the for young people all gave the Landlady a look which seemed to ask “The Monk?” without the need for any words to be spoken. Daf didn't need to be asked to elaborate anyway.

“There's this guy, I don't know his name, but he goes round dressed as a monk.”

“Seriously?”asked Anthony, “A Monk?”

“Seriously!” replied the Landlady with a giggle, “Seems perfectly normal to speak to, but he's got the robes and the sandals and everything. He's in here most nights.” Daf's eyes suddenly lit up, “Hey are you likely to still be here around ninish? That's when he usually turns up.”

Anthony glanced across to the window. The rain was coming down in sheets again, and the wind had started to pick up.

“Well it looks like we're not going anywhere soon.” he surmised, “ The Policeman said that we'd be able to sleep at the Village Hall.”

“Well I guess you could do that,” replied Daf, “but the Youth Hostel's literally two minute's down the road and for a couple of pounds you'd be able to sleep in a bunk rather than on a floor. Or there's the Croes Guest-house, in the town centre. It'll cost you a bit more but the beds are much more comfy and Olwen will see you all well fed.”

A unanimous decision resulted in the latter option being chosen and Daf kindly offered to phone her friend to inform her of their forthcoming visit so as to save them heading back out into the rain.

It was seven when the locals started to make an appearance, the ones brave enough to venture out at any rate. Daf left the young people to their drinks and headed back behind the bar. Trapper, sensing his mistresses movements woke from his slumber and toddled on behind her.

As the evening drew on the collection of people in the pub had just about reached double figures. It was quite an eclectic mix of characters doing their best to prove that this town was the place that fashion forgot. Most of them were male and of them a lot were confidently ignoring the smoking ban, but it would have taken a real swine to force anyone outside for a quick fag in this weather. Eventually Kyle decided that he needed to light up himself. Danni shot him her usual glare of disapproval, adding extra disgust for his disregard for the law, which did shame Kyle enough to move over to the window, which he cracked open just enough to allow the thin trail of smoke to escape, not that it made any significant difference to the overall nicotine content of the air inside.

Kyle watched the lightning as he smoked. Fingers of light gently tickled the waves as they tried to wriggle free of the storm's grasp. He wasn't sure when the lightning had started, but he was now quite mesmerised. It was then when he saw the figure. It was walking slowly across the church yard, bent over in the wind. It was difficult to pick out exactly who it was, but as the sky lit up with each lightning strike it became clear to Kyle that whoever it was wore a long hooded robe. He glanced at his watch, five past nine, and laughed to himself. If he hadn't been warned about “The Monk” he would have sworn that he was looking at a ghost. He flicked the cigarette stub out of the window and rejoined his friends.

“And just when you thought it couldn't get any weirder...” he announced motioning towards the door.

He was hoping that Daf's “oddball” would step through the door at that point, but he'd miss judged how quickly the robed figure was moving and it was a good few minutes later when The Monk finally made his appearance. He did look rather funny, shaking the rain his thick woollen cloak, flashing his sandals, ankles and all, to any who'd cared to take notice, but Danni and the guys found it more amusing to make fun of Kyle's premature introduction.

“Another fine example of your comic timing!” exclaimed Levi.

The morning sun crept into the Bedroom. Danni had been awake for quite a while already, but chose to stay wrapped up in the fresh cotton sheets just a little while longer. Eventually she decided that she'd better get up, pulled herself away from the comfort of the bed, got dressed and started packing up her things. There wasn't a lot to pack, but the act of getting ready to leave had such a calming effect. Soon enough they'd be on their way, leaving the Welsh seaside behind them and heading back to their everyday lives. It wasn't that she didn't like the village, but the uncertainty about how long they'd be staying had made Danni somewhat uneasy, and then there was whatever had been going on back home. In no time at all she was sat in the parlour, impatiently waiting for her friends.

“You must come back and visit when the weather's better.” Olwen insisted as the group loaded their belongings into car.

“Well we've still got the Crag to conquer.” offered Levi in reply.

They said their goodbyes and headed out of the village.

Merthyrmôr looked much more jolly in the sun. The stone walls of the seaside shop fronts glistened as the light reflected off the various crystals contained within. The whole place seemed to emit a welcoming glow. The only exception was the lighthouse keeper's cottage, which somehow appeared just as depressing and eerie as it had done when they'd first spotted it only a couple of days earlier. Maybe it was because they now knew it to be the last physical remnant of a local ghost story, but it felt to Danni that she could almost feel an evilness seeping from the building. Perhaps the SUV felt it too, because as the vehicle approached the turn off for the last building in village, the engine started to stutter, and soon the vehicle had come to a complete stop.

“What now?” Kyle complained.

“I don't know,” Levi replied, “There's plenty of petrol.”

He turned the key a couple of times, but the car simply refused to budge.

“Perhaps the rain got into the electrics somewhere.” he suggested.

After a walk back into town, and a chat with the owner of the local garage, Levi was sitting in the passenger seat of the recovery vehicle. The old truck looked as if it could probably do with a tow itself, but it rattled confidently along the road to the rescue of the English visitors. Soon enough the 4X4 came into view. Kyle was leaning against the bonnet, happily puffing away on his cigarette, Danni and Anthony were sitting in the relative comfort of the dank metal box. The mechanic pulled up in front of the SUV and started rummaging about under the bonnet, trying to diagnose what the issue was. After half an hour of taking things apart, wiping them down and putting them back together again he was forced to admit defeat.

“I'll have to take it back to the garage and give it a proper going over.”

“How long will that take?” asked Anthony.

The mechanic shrugged his shoulders. “Could be hours, days even. If a part needs replacing could be even longer.”

“I guess it's back to town then.” Anthony muttered glumly.

The mechanic offered to drive a couple of the friends back in the tow truck, but they all agreed that they'd rather walk back together. It would have been a pleasant walk too, if it wasn't for Anthony's constant grumbling. As far as he was concerned the beauty of the Welsh countryside wasn't worth the effort of traipsing up and down muddy hills in his second best pair of trainers, which weren't designed for this kind of activity and were causing his feet to ache. At least that's what he protested. In truth he was really just upset that it looked likely they'd be staying for a while longer.

Anthony was really beginning to miss home, but he couldn't say anything to the others, being the only one of the group still living with his mother provided ample fodder for mocking, anything he could do which might remind the rest of them about of his living arrangements was certainly to be avoided. So instead he spent the morning actively seeking out any other reason why he might appear fed up.

The walk back into town only took twenty minutes, but, thanks to Anthony's griping, it ended up feeling like hours. What was needed was a nice cup of coffee and perhaps a little cake to refuel.

“This isn't a scratch on Starbucks!” grumbled Anthony.

“Your not going to get your snooty lattes round here.” laughed Kyle.

“My point exactly.”

“Oh will you please just be quiet?” Danni begged with all the force of a force ten hurricane, “We're all missing home, but the rest of us are trying to have a nice time despite the inconvenience.”

Anthony's face turned a shade of purple which almost rivalled Danni's bruised temple in vividness. He spent the rest of the mid-morning respite desperately avoiding eye contact with his friends and when Levi suggested that they have a wonder around the village it took all Anthony's courage to simply nod his false symbol agreement.

He had no interest in the quaint rows of houses, or the old fashioned shops, but the school building did catch his eye. It reminded him of a very similar building that he used to walk past on his way home as a child. It even had the “Boys” written above the main entrance. There was bound to be a similar “Girls” entrance around the corner, probably with a smaller door as was the fashion for schools of that time, however the “Girls” entrance of Anthony's childhood had been half bricked up. Anthony reached the age of seven before realising that the Victorians didn't expect female students to enter the building via a window. His younger-self's imagination brought a smile to Anthony's face as did the memory of him and his friend Gary Mabbs scratching their names into the chipboard which covered the presumably broken pane. The smile hung unsteadily on his lips for an instant before his features returned to their previously sullen demeanour. The others were chatting amongst themselves, oblivious to Anthony's nostalgic moment. There were times when Anthony felt certain that his friends saw him as nothing more than a limpet, holding onto the surface of the clique, irremovable, but never actually a part of the group itself. At best he was a source of ridicule, at worse, an annoyance. Anthony could feel the shadow of despair creeping over him and decided to have one last look at the building which moments before had taken back to a brighter place. From this angle the “Girls” entrance was now visible and Anthony actually had to let out a snort of laughter as he saw that this doorway too had been converted into a window, a window which was boarded up. They'd even used chip-board to cover the pane. It was just like staring back through time. He could almost make out the graffiti scratched into the sheet. He took a step closer to the building. There was something scratched into panel, something which looked so familiar that he just had to get a closer look.

Anthony was over the fence and staring at the wall before the others had realised that he wasn't with them anymore. It was Danni who noticed his absence first. She looked back down the street and saw him standing in the playground of the old school building they'd just passed. He had his back to them. She called to her friend, but he didn't move. She tried again but when even a threat from Kyle that they were going to leave him there had no response, they made their own way over to the school.

Even from behind Danni could tell something was wrong. Anthony was standing almost to attention, a bead of sweat trickled down the back of his neck. As she approached the soldier to dread, Danni could see that Anthony's face had turned from purple to pale grey. He stood motionless, his eyebrows drawn together in a confused fashion, his eyes glazed with fear.

“What's the matter?” Danni asked as she placed her hand on his cold damp shoulder. The contact seemed to snap Anthony out of whatever trance he was in, partially at least.

“It can't be here.” he muttered.

“What can't?”

Anthony's eyes wandered even as Danni asked her question. They grew wider as they explored the rest of his surroundings. He hadn't been paying attention before, but surely he would've noticed...

“Hey look at this,” Kyle called from the window, “Some kid round here had the same name as Anthony!”

Anthony didn't hear a word. What he was seeing made no sense whatsoever. It was too much to take in.

“Anthony might not be that common a name, but it's not beyond the scope of possibility for someone else to have it.” argued Levi.

Anthony's brain was focusing all it's energy into what he was looking at. All sensations apart from sight stopped registering. He felt almost as if he were in a bubble. An impossible bubble, which was hovering just outside of reality.

“If it was just the name Anthony, I'd agree with you, but Anthony Allan Knock? That's got to be some coincidence!”

Levi and Danni joined Kyle to inspect the childish scrawl for themselves. Sure enough there it was “Gary Mabbs + Anthony Allan Knock wer ere 95”.

“OK that's weird” admitted Levi. He turned back to ask Anthony about the words, but Anthony was already halfway down the road.

“Anthony!” he shouted after the sprinting figure as he too started to run, but there was no catching Anthony. He ran as if he were on a cushion of air. In a matter of moments he was gone.

“We can't just let him go off like that!” exclaimed Danni.

“Let him?” panted Levi.

They continued at a slower pace in the direction Anthony had been running, checking every side street they went past, until they finally spotted him. He'd taken up the same trance-like stance as earlier except now he was staring at a seemingly unremarkable mid-terraced house.

“It can't be real.” uttered Anthony as his friends approached.

“What can't?” asked Levi.

“Any of it.” Anthony replied a little louder.

“I don't get it.” Kyle sighed.

“The house, the school, the whole neighbourhood,” Anthony explained, “It doesn't belong here.”

Danni, Levi and Kyle looked around taking in their surroundings. The same thought struck both Danni and Levi at the same time. The red bricked terrace houses were not what you'd usually expect to find in a small welsh seaside town, neither was the old school building. The whole place felt more like an industrial town in the north of England.

“The houses are the wrong type.” stated Kyle, vocalising the epiphany his friends had encountered before him.

“I guess they could've copied the style...” suggested Levi.

“No, you don't get it.” Anthony interrupted, “This is my house.”

“I've seen your house,” said Kyle, “It's a new semi-detached thing.”

Anthony shook his head, “I mean this is where I used to live, before Dad left. This is where I grew up.”

“Come on Anthony, it just looks similar.” Levi offered “It can't be the same place.”

“I know it can't be...” Anthony replied, “...but it is.”

He went back to staring, trying to decide what to do next. This place, or rather the memories of this place, were some of his most treasured. Here he used to be happy, as was his mother and, on the face of it, his father. This was home. Except here he wasn't happy, he was afraid and therein lied the dilemma. If he knocked on the door then either some stranger would answer and he'd be slightly embarrassed, but at least he'd be able relax and eventually forget about the whole incident, or a younger version of his mother would open the door, in which case he would almost certainly freak out. His other option would be to walk away now, almost certain that this place is his home, but then every time he was reminded of his childhood those happy feelings would be joined by the fear he was now experiencing. Was it worth risking a breakdown for the chance of keeping his memories from being tainted? Anthony wasn't sure and his unease was becoming contagious.

“Let's get out of here.” Kyle suggested. The others were more than happy to oblige.

Anthony kept his eyes on the pavement as he walked, absolutely determined not to take in enough of his surroundings to recognise anything and trying desperately to convince himself that he'd imagined the whole episode. He had to get away.

This morning his desire to get out of this place was simply due to a bout of homesickness, now, thanks to his ever growing confusion and the dread that came with, that desire had turned into a need. So much so that when Kyle exclaimed that he could see the car, Anthony ran straight to the vehicle, climbed into the driving seat, and turned the key, which was sitting invitingly in the ignition. The fact that the car may not have yet been fixed didn't enter his head, neither did any thought of his friends, who yet again had found themselves chasing Anthony down the road, although this time he was in a car, while they were still on foot.

“He shouldn't be driving in that sort of state.” exclaimed Danni as the car pulled away.

“He shouldn't be driving at all,” Levi wheezed “he hasn't passed his test.”

“That might explain why he's going so slowly.” Kyle surmised as the three runners came to a stop.

Levi explained the situation to a surprisingly understanding mechanic who agreed to give chase in the garage's recovery vehicle.

Considering the speed Anthony had been travelling at, he'd gotten quite a distance away before the 4X4 eventually came into view. As the rickety old truck passed the pub at the top of the cliff, the SUV was just visible leaving the village. The car was veering from side to side as it went.

“He's going to come off the road if he's not careful.” the mechanic observed, only adding to Danni's already quite substantial concerns.

Anthony had never been the most sensible of people, but in his present state Danni was more than certain that he was going to do something silly. He was bound to have an accident. She was already having visions of the car ploughing into a dry stone wall, or hitting the grass verge and toppling over. What her eyes actually beheld, however, was far more terrifying.

The gap between the truck and the 4X4 was growing smaller and smaller. By the time the recovery vehicle drew level with the Lighthouse Keeper's cottage, Anthony was only around 100m in front. The mechanic hit his horn twice to try and get Anthony to pull over.

The SUV came to a halt, but before anyone could get out of the vehicle, the metal frame began to bend and buckle, like a coke can being squeezed by an unseen hand. The windscreen popped from it's frame spewing shattered glass across the road. The mechanic slammed on his brakes and all four climbed out of the truck staring at the mound of twisting metal as it rolled itself into a tight ball and then rolled into the ditch which ran along side the road. They ran to remains of the 4X4 grasping onto the smallest hope that their friend had somehow survived, but looking down at the wreckage it was clear that there was no space within the mangled cage for any living creature.