Ancient Echoes Read Free Page B

anything other than a rational basis for the phenomenon. It might or might not be reincarnation, but if it
were,
then reincarnation could be explained!
    Her games invariably consisted of ‘projects’, analyses of her friends and family for evidence of reincarnation; searches in chalk quarries or other fossil sites for unusual remains (evidence of time travel); speculative essays about life on other planets. It was natural that she should begin to study Jack, and although their friendship waned towards the end of their primary school years and into their first years at Exburgh’s red-brickcomprehensive, they eventually came to be in the same class and joined the same group – which they called a tribe, the fashion of the time.
    Angela’s interest in the phenomenon associated with Jack’s encounters remained high, and it was she who coined the word
‘shimmering’
for the film of other light that seemed to seep from Jack’s skin when the bull-runners were close.

4
    Jack had finally escaped from school.
    The endless questions from Ruth, the ‘retesting’ with electrodes as he described running-from-the-fire, and Angela’s long conversation with the psychologist afterwards had eaten up his spare time, and he was edgy and irritable as he met Simon and the others at the school gates.
    ‘Come on. There’s a lot to tell.’
    ‘Don’t do this,’ Angela called to him, standing away from the rest of the tribe. Jack ignored her.
    Simon Baines’ parents always worked late, and his house, close to Jack’s, was a perfect place to go to after school. He’d been nicknamed ‘Mouse’ – alone in the house, although ‘Mouse’ hardly described his stocky, slightly swaggering gait and long, unkempt hair. He knew where to find the key to the glass-fronted cabinet where the Scotch, gin, Cognac and liqueurs were kept. Each drink was rationed carefully so that the dip in quantity wasn’t too obvious. Even so, lately there had been a questioning look in his father’s eyes as he studied the depleted bottle of Southern Comfort.
    Most evenings, when Simon opened his house to the tribe, they watched videos, or played
Elite
, a 3-D space game that ran on Simon’s personal computer. He alone possessed such an extravagance; the computers at school were never made available for games. Jack was hopeless at
Elite
, which depended on lightning reflexes and a willingness to kill everything in sight. He preferred to watch the Baines’ collection of banned horror videos, and especially the pirated copy of
Clockwork Orange
which they kept poorly hidden in the drawer of their bedroom table.
    They approached the house shortly after six, Angela trailing reluctantly behind. Jack’s parents wanted him home by seven, so there was not a lot of time, but Simon led the way to the front door, then stood back to collect the fifty pence coins, the price of entrance.
    ‘Don’t do this,’ Angela said again, standing at the bottom of the step. Jack shrugged her off, but felt his skin flush at her disapproving look. ‘You’re such a fool!’
    ‘I have to tell the story. I saw it today. I have to tell it.’
    ‘You’ll make it up. It’s all lies. I don’t like you, Jack. You’re cheating on Greenface.’
    Simon gave Jack four of the six coins. ‘If you’re coming in,’ he said to Angela, his face pinched with hostility and dislike, ‘pay up. If you’re not: eff off!’
    Angela stared at him for a moment. ‘You’re disgusting,’ she said coldly. Then with asharp glance at Jack she turned quickly away, hunched in her black school jacket, arms folded.
    Inside, Jennifer was clumsily rolling a joint. Simon swore. ‘Not that! They always know how much they’ve got of that!’
    But Jennifer moved away from him to the window and leaned out with her friend Deborah, laughing as they drew on the cigarette, blowing the smoke into the day.
    ‘Don’t worry, Mouse, we won’t give you away in court.’
    ‘We love your
body
too