The Holmes Chapel Tales - Tale of the Skeleton Army

Secrets Uncovered

Summer was almost over, and the prospect of a new school term loomed large ahead of James. He hated the end of summer. It felt as though it was somehow the end of life itself, as though some small part of him died with each summers end.

Going back to school didn't mean a great deal to James either! Whilst most kids his age weren't exactly excited about having to go back to school, they could at least look forward to something new... The beginning of a new chapter of sorts. James however dreaded the very idea of his return to school. And not because he disliked school... He actually liked it quite a lot. But this summer had been one in a million. A summer of fun and laughs, of hot days and warm nights, where the sun seemed never to set.

He'd achieved his goal too, and after a few weeks of saving, he and some friends had boarded a train and gone to Manchester, to do all the fun things that Holmes Chapel couldn't offer them, and unsupervised too. It had been a bit scary... The city was so big and loud, but they had fun despite this.

Yet in truth, the thing that had brought him most joy over the summer, was the one thing he'd been sure he'd quickly start to dislike. It was the very thing he was now doing, as he thought back on this fun filled summer... His paper round. Just like every day, he was making his way across the north eastern corner of the village, delivering papers as he went. He'd got the round down to a tea now, more often than not, it taking him not much more than half an hour from start to end.

He'd learnt to love every part of his rounds. He loved organising the newspapers for delivery in the small, sweaty room at the back of the newsagents. He loved the warmth of the afternoon sun on his back as he rode across the eastern half of the village. He loved the freedom of the bike ride itself, finding new short cuts and figuring out the places that he could ride at full pelt, and those places where he'd want to slow down, and take in the scenery. He loved the village itself, how in some small way he had become a part of the villages workings. The smell of lit BBQ's filling the air, along with the sound of lawn mowers keeping the green spaces of the village well kept. But the part he loved the most, was the part he had been sure he would loathe! More than anything else on his round, he loved the speedy decent down in to the valley, the viaduct guiding him down, and then, amidst the hedgerows, he'd see it... Dane cottage.

Some days he wouldn't see anyone, and would come and go as quick as possible. But other days, usually the hotter days, Mrs. Crabtree would be waiting for him with a glass of water. They would exchange pleasantries, usually about the good weather or what James had been up to... But nothing more. James truely loved this special part of his day. But as he rode, there seemed something different to the village this day.

The village was quieter than usual, and unlike the past few weeks, the sky was full of dark, brooding clouds, who seemed to be just waiting to let loose a fury. James hoped he would have his round complete before they did!

By the time he'd reached the new estate, James had begun to feel a little disconcerted. It was like the village had been abandoned. There was an eerie still to the world, not a breathe of wind nor the sound of a car... Just stillness.
Only when he reached the junction of Chestnut Drive did he see the movement of people again.
Not far ahead, almost at the boundary between the smooth Tarmac of the completed part of the new estate, and the rough, dirt road that continued in to the Uncompleted part, three workmen were digging a trench. James paid them little attention, just happy that the village wasn't as abandoned as it had at first seemed, and continued on his way to deliver his second to last newspaper. But by the time he was leaving Chestnut, his attention was fully grabbed by the workmen, for now a small crowd had begun to gather, to look at whatever it was the workmen were so furiously digging up!

His whole life, James had always walked a safe path. He'd never done anything which seemed irrational, or that could put him in danger, and yet, from time to time, a second voice inside his mind was continuously trying to send him down another path. This voice was the one which would tell him to forget about doing his homework, and watch a bit more TV. It would try to get him to look again, take a second glance at events that seemed so unimportant and maybe even stupid. This voice told him to daydream a little more, to stare out of the window in to nothing just a bit longer. For the most part, this voice was innocent enough, and usually James could ignore it. But today it was speaking to him just a little bit louder.
Upon seeing the gathering crowd, James's first thought was, "it's probably just a broken pipe or something!", and he was about to ride off. But something stopped him in his tracks. The voice now shouted loudly in James's head, to turn from his usual path and take a look. What harm, after all could come from having a look.
The rational part of his mind fought to keep going, to ride in the opposite direction and deliver his final newspaper before it started to rain. But the voice shouted on, until James could take it no longer. He decided whatever it was the crowd was staring at, was worth a look after all. As he approached, a shiver ran the length of his spine, and though it seemed to make no sense, he felt as though this moment was somehow important, as though it was about to lead to something far greater than he could ever have imagined!