The people had set the place up as requested and had left to get prepared for the ritual. The high priestess looked over at the long narrow box and smiled.

“You will be pleased,” she said aloud, and looked to the sky.

She walked over to the circle, marked out by a line of salt and candles. The first candle was green, representing earth. She lit the green candle, then lit the other three in order—yellow representing air, orange representing fire, and blue representing water.

Then she walked back towards the shrubbery and waited for the others to arrive.

A short time later, she heard voices. They were coming. Her heart was racing and she felt the adrenaline rush coming.

“You will be pleased,” she repeated.

<°)))><

The black bitumen road came to an end at the estuary parklands. Ruby saw large trees swaying and bowing against the clear night sky as if inviting them to enter. Enter they did.

The night was silent. The moon shone on the estuary, giving the dark waters a spooky feel. Grassland flickered with coloured candles, which took some of the gloominess away. A tall figure in a long dark gown stood near the shrubbery, beside something resembling a coffin. The figure raised a hood over her hair, leaving her face in a dark shadow. A large necklace on her neck sparkled in the moonlight. It all looked rather medieval.

“What’s with the coffin?” Ruby asked in a low voice.

“It’s just a box they put all their goodies in,” Shoana said in a tone of restrained excitement.

Ruby hoped the coffin carriers didn’t have to walk far—seeing that would’ve had the neighbours talking. Although there were no neighbours here. She remembered when they passed the last house—it was some distance back. Perhaps they probably drove it here. She looked around and was glad when she saw a large 4WD vehicle and not a hearse.

“Let’s get our robes on,” Shoana said.

A hooded person dressed in a black robe greeted them with a nod, anointed them each with oil on their foreheads, and gave them each a glass of liquid. Some were already standing in the circle—Ruby watched the hooded people slowly marching, one behind the other. She smiled. It was all a bit unreal. 

Ruby smelt the liquid. Juice. She would’ve preferred something alcoholic at this point, something to relax her and take her mind off everything. This was stepping out of her comfort zone. 

They were told to take their shoes off. Eww. That didn’t sound good. Who knew what crawled through the grass they’d be walking on. No shoes meant toes touching mother earth. No, thanks. Birds are okay but spiders . . . worms . . .

The hooded person must have sensed Ruby’s discomfort, because she relented. But she still wanted a stiff drink.

Candles surrounded the circle. This was easy. Enter the circle, turn left, and follow the flickering yellow lights.

Ruby sensed the atmosphere changing and charging, like their steps were powering up a generator. Then a voice spoke. The circle stopped moving. They all turned to watch the tall hooded figure—must be the high priestess—who stood with her arms raised towards the moon.

“Raise your glasses and drink to the gods.”

They raised their glasses and drank. It was hard not to, as there was a feeling of euphoria in the air.

A voice spoke, a man’s voice. Ruby peeked to see if a man had joined the high priestess. No. She was alone. It was her speaking but the voice was not her voice. It was a deep turbulent voice. The high priestess had not called down a goddess but a god.

Ruby’s vision blurred.

The gravelly male voice said, “I am Osiris, ruler of the dead.”

The voice frightened Ruby. She wanted to scream but she couldn’t. She looked to the moon. Dark spots appeared across her eyes. A river rushed inside her. Her legs felt rubbery and gave way beneath her.

The drink, the voice.

<°)))><

The high priestess now stood alone, her eyes watery as she stared out into the bay. She’d been blessed. Greatly blessed. Immortality had met with her. The lights of the boat were bouncing with the gentle rise of the water. It would be here soon. She turned and tried to bring back into her mind the great event that had just taken place. Twelve robed disciples, the flickering of the candles, the moon, the elements. Goosebumps ran up her arms.

Those who drank the juice were now sedated, all except for the one who’d received a stronger potion than the others. The others . . . their heads would clear up enough to make it home safely. They wouldn’t remember the events of the night. They wouldn’t remember their obsession with the sacrifice. They wouldn’t remember how they fought for the shovels to bury the girl. They’d never know how many spirits had entered their bodies.

She had watched the 4WD drive off, somewhat erratically. There wasn’t a large police presence on the island, so the driver would make it home without being stopped. Besides, the gods were in on this so everyone would be safe. Everything had been tidied up and placed in the vehicle.

They, the authorities, would not understand. They would say she had committed a crime. She needed to leave.

The boat arrived. She raised her gown and waded out into the water. A hand greeted her and helped her into the boat.

“It went well, my princess?”

“Yes, my darling. It did. But we must leave the gods in peace now. They’ve been appeased. Our luck will change now my dear. The curse has been broken.”

9 – Darkness

RUBY OPENED HER EYES. Darkness. The blackest darkness she’d ever seen, so thick she tried to grab hold of it. Was she dreaming? She felt the panic coming, the rushing in her veins. She swallowed hard. This wasn’t a dream. She could hold out no more. She screamed.

She closed her eyes. Deep breaths. There must be a light somewhere. She moved her arms to the side. They touched something solid. She placed her hands above her face—the same thing. She bent her knees, again touching something solid. She repeated her actions but this time exerted herself. Nothing moved, nothing opened, nothing got dislodged.

Be still. A voice in her head told her. Deep breaths. Calm yourself. 

She tried. With all her might, she tried.

Dear God, please help me. She’d played hide and seek when she was young. She once hid herself in a dark, dark place and it frightened her so much that she revealed herself to the seekers, like a jack-in-the-box. She knew the same fear now and she knew she was in the box, the coffin, the goodies box. She ran her fingers along and down the side. There were joints. Scratching with her fingers, she slowly peeled and pulled the flimsy material away, hoping to bring in fresh air, a glimmer of light. 

Darkness.

She was buried. She screamed but knew she needed to stop—no one could hear her.

Be still. The silent voice came again.

Think. The girls would come looking for her. She needed to conserve her energy. She thought of air, oxygen. How much did she have? She had no idea, but she needed to breath slowly, try to meditate. Yes. She needed to be still.

There was a creaking sound above her. Ruby placed her hand where she thought the sound had come from. She felt a bow in the lid, from the weight of the soil pushing down, perhaps? Maybe she wasn’t buried too deep. Maybe she could dig herself out. The creaking got louder. 

Snap.

The lid cracked. Damp soil fell on her body. She cupped her hands over her mouth to avoid breathing in dust and dirt. She tried to move but the weight of the soil was too much. She closed her eyes. There was nothing she could do. 

She started weeping, silently because no one could hear her. But she knew she would need to scream again—that was the only hope she had. She thought of beeswax candles and a redheaded rag doll.

<°)))><

Christopher and Wally were spies. The full moon gave mood and light.