If you go to the end of the road, past Collin’s house, on the left
You will see a field with some old fruit trees in it. A little house
Used to be there where a man called Davis lived. He was a very
Quiet man who seemed to have enough money to live on. He
Didn’t work on the farms, but he always went to town on market
Days. One day. a young man came back from market with him.
The young man was pale and thin, and he didn’t speak very
Much. He lived with Mr Davis and nobody knew if he helped with
The housework, or if Mr Davis was his teacher. But people talked
And wondered why they were always walking together, early and
Late, up in the hills and down in the woods. They suspected that the
Two men were playing with magic and were plotting something
Terrible. Once a month, when the moon was full, they went up to a
Place on the hill where there are piles of old stones and rocks and
They stayed up there all night. Someone once asked Mr Davis why
He went to such a dark, lonely place in the middle of the night. Mr
Davis smiled and replied,’I love old places. They remind me of the
Past. And the air is beautiful on a summer’s night. You can see all the
Countryside for miles around in the moonlight.’
But Mr Davis’s young friend interrupted rudely: ‘We don’t
Want other people near us. We just want to talk to each other.’
Mr Davis seemed annoyed at Ins young friend’s rudeness and he
Politely explained,’People say that there are bodies under those old
Stones, the bodies of dead soldiers. I know farmers sometimes find
Old bones and pots when they are working in the fields around
Here. I’d like to know more about how those people lived and who
Their gods were. 1 think they probably practised magic’
Then, one morning In September, something
terrible
Happened. A farm worker had to go up to the top ol the hill, to
The woods, very early, when it was Still dark. In the distance he
Saw a shape rhat looked like a man in the early morning fog. As
He came nearer, he saw that it was a man. It was Mr Davis’s frienddead,
Hanging from a tree. Near his feet was a knife, covered in
Blood. The poor farm worker was terrified and ran back down
The hill to the village. He woke up some of the villagers to tell
Them about the terrible sight and some men went back up the
Lull with a horse to bring down the body. They also immediately
Sent a young boy to Mr Davis’s house, to see if he was at home,
Because, of course, they suspected that he was the murderer.
When they cut down the young man’s body from the tree, they
Were surprised to see the clothes he was wearing were all black,
Like the clothes that vicars used to wear many centuries ago.
When the men’s horse came near the tree and the dead young
Man, it screamed and tried to run away, but the men were able to
Hold it and they finally got back to the village wirh the body
Across the terrified horse’s back. In the village they found the
Young boy standing in the main street, with several women
Standing around him. He was as white as paper and would not say
A word. When the men tried to move on towards Mr Davis’s
House, the horse again became very frightened. It stopped in the
Road and would not move. Then suddenly it turned and tried to
Run, and the body of the dead young man fell off its back on
To the road. The horse could smell blood. They carried the young
Man’s body to Mr Davis’s house and when they opened the door,
They saw what the poor young boy had seen.
There, on the long kitchen table, was the body of Mr Davis.
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