“Tell me if I get it wrong, Zoe,” Catherine said. “The moon is always the same size. We know this. Its changing size is an optical illusion, because the brain adjusts our perception of things, puts things into what it thinks is the right perspective. It gathers data from what else is around—trees, buildings—and then does its calculations.”

“Wow,” Ruby said. “I had no idea. Amazing, isn’t it, the things we take for granted. We don’t challenge or think too much.”

“You can test this theory with a round object like an aspirin or a pea. Hold it at arm’s length when the moon is at the horizon, and again when it’s high in the sky,” Zoe said. “It will confirm the moon is the same size.”

Jack watched Shoana. She was quiet, not interested in joining in on the banter. Maybe she’d lighten up if a witch flew across the face of the moon—or was that ET?

Now, Jack. No need for that. 

“Anyone have an aspirin or a pea?” Jack asked.

“Funny man,” Catherine said.

“No seriously. I’m going to test that.” Jack nodded with a smirk.

Zoe dug into her backpack. “I think I’ve got a pea in here.” 

Jack raised his eye brows.

Zoe smiled. “Just joking.”

“Funny girl. But I will test it sometime,” Jack turned to his partner. “Hey Cath, come down to the deck with me and get an update from the forensic guys.” 

They both descended the steep staircase to the deck. Jack looked back up at the girls. The sunset added a beautiful glow to Ruby’s red hair as it fought with the wind. The other girls had hidden their hair in baseball caps. Ruby was showing Shoana her phone, maybe confirming the size of the moon. Google had all the answers.

“There’s something about that Shoana, Cath. I can’t put my finger on it.”

“I agree.”

“Now, I know you don’t think you’re religious, but I think it’s appropriate to ask you this question.”

Catherine raised her eyebrows and tilted her head to the side. 

“Can a person see demons?”

Jack watched Catherine take in the question, process it. He knew she’d take the time to analyse the question before answering. She always did.

“Do you mean a normal functioning person, Jack? Because we know the meth addicts give the impression they’re in communication with such beings on a regular basis.”

“Yes, I mean a normal functioning person. Not influenced by any drug.” 

Jack walked over to the side of the barge and peered down on the water and saw a few blue jellyfish swimming just below the surface of the water—survivors, stragglers of the summer months. Jack always found something weird about jellyfish. 

He was surprised by Catherine’s matter-of-fact reaction to his question. But perhaps he shouldn’t have been, as they’d been venturing further into the eerie world of darkness more and more of late. It was as though a dark heavy cover was creeping over society—slowly, so as not to awaken the inhabitants and to keep them warm and cosy. 

A thought dawned. He was one of those inhabitants of society being covered by the blanket of evil. He’d been too busy out in the battlefield to stop and look at the madness. Too busy working with drug addicts being chased by demons to think about what it might mean. Too busy, too distracted, to realise all the addicts were describing the same thing. Meth and the other drugs were a doorway to something unseen—a realm. Jack didn’t understand. And now he’d met someone who claimed to see this realm. Without drugs.

The jellyfish were gone, unseen, covered by the waters. 

Catherine joined him.

“It’s like the moon illusion, Jack. Our mind is powerful and makes the required visual adjustments but what does it stop us from seeing? What does it protect us from?”

He could just make out the blue of a jellyfish coming back to the surface. Jack gave his head a slight shake hoping the pieces zigzagging through his head would form some order.

“This is deep. Why do some people think about such things, like you do? And others don’t. People like me.”

“We’re complex beings, Jack.”

“We are.”

“Our eyes are sensitive to a tiny part of the spectrum of light, and that’s how we see our environment.”

“Science wasn’t one of my favourite subjects at school.” 

Catherine smiled. “We should talk to our forensic friends. I’m sure they could contribute to this discussion.”

“Best focus on the task ahead.” 

“You know other creatures—like cats and dogs—seem able to see things that we don’t. I once saw a cat acting weirdly around a meth addict. Its fur was raised, and it was hissing at the man.” Catherine clawed at Jack and smiled. “We can only see a tiny part of what's going on in this world.”

Jack had already decided his partner was crazy, but in a nice sort of way.

“So, Jack, has Wiccan awakened a spirit in you? Why the question? Have you seen a demon?”

“Not me, Cath, but one of our witnesses. He says he sees them all the time. Well, maybe not all the time, but he’s given us a good clue to help identify the one who was in charge of the ritual.”

“Is she a demon?”

“No, but one keeps her company. It was there when she came off the ferry, and it was there at the ritual. He believes he can possibly show us who she is.”

“Wow. It’s a good start. We can find out who she is and then try and find some evidence that lives in the spectrum we can see.”

Jack rubbed his hand down his face and onto his neck. The unseen realm. Just like the ocean. We can’t see what lurks beneath unless we dive into it.

“That’s a plan,” Jack said. “We’ll meet up with the ‘demon seer’ at the island tomorrow and review the CCTV footage at the Island Ferry Services office. I’ve already sent the paperwork to get us access.”

Demons? He wasn’t sure. He knew how that would play in court. Yes, your honour, this is the lady with a big green demon attached to her. 

He needed a holiday. 

But meth addicts saw the same thing. There must be an element of truth in what our demon seer guy said. Many meth addicts talked about entering another realm, another dimension.

He looked up towards the girls. Shoana was looking directly at him, with an almost trance-like expression. What was her connection to all this?

19 – God on the move

THEY WERE HOME, and Ruby was in her bedroom with Zoe sitting on the edge of her bed. Street light fused into the room through open curtains. Ruby didn’t want darkness.