Benjamin Tweedy passed the empty net to his son, as the already poor light of day grew dim. “We’ll be getting away as soon as the Harbour Master’s paid me for the last shrimp catch Daniel.”
“He’s on his way over now,” said Daniel. “I’ll be glad to get back home and get warm after all day on the boats.”
“Yes son, me too. It’s always this cold mid-January, but a brisk walk will put the colour back into your cheeks.”
After receiving their money, Benjamin and Daniel headed for home. They didn’t live too far from the harbour, and could in fact see the coastline from their front window. Where they lived was a bit separate from the rest of the village. It could be described as tumble-down; consisting of eight terraced houses it was called Harebell Cottages. Next door to the Tweedys were the Perriman family, with whom they were on very good terms. John and Sarah Perriman, both in their early thirties had four children. They had a boy and a girl of three and five, and two older boys of ten and twelve.
Like most of the people in the area they made a living through the fishing trade, and this brought them close to the Tweedys. For the time, they weren’t badly off and lived off the fish they caught as well as home baked bread, cheese and pulses and lentils. In many ways the families were like relatives to each other. Often they spent evenings together around a roaring fire in the small kitchen they virtually lived in. Despite it being rather cramped the children played together and sat and listened to the adults.
What they talked about would have shocked the rest of the entire community. Nell and Sarah, already involved in witchcraft, wished to set up a coven in Lulworth Cove. Perhaps the most sinister aspect of all this was the fact that they coached their three boys in ways of magick. The boys learnt arcane symbolism, how to influence others for your own ends, and shape-shifting. Benjamin Tweedy’s main aim in life was to acquire wealth. He had a particular interest in alchemy, whilst his wife sought out ways of getting rich through mysticism and what she called ‘dreaming spells’.
Their son Daniel had become as discontented as them with their poverty. He had a desire for money and also for power. He was arrogant and bold, and at thirteen, just entering adolescence. Certainly good-looking, he was dark-haired and strong. There was no doubt about the fact that he was bad, but like a lot of bad people he was able to conceal it. He existed for the realization of his dream.
It was particularly cold one evening and both families had retired to bed early, or so it seemed. By midnight the three boys were sleeping soundly. It was then Nell began her scheming. Through sorcery, she hoped to conjure up a dream to whet the appetite of all three boys. She concentrated hard and becoming trance-like, fixated on their dormant minds. She believed in her dreaming spells and the power they were able to generate. As her magick formed in the unknown world of sleep, the boys’ dream began.
A black maelstrom became splashed with a thousand colours. Seduced by the visual splendour, the boys were plunged into a reverie. Their senses were bathed with fabulous stimuli, and in the sensual music, were repeated glissandos that represented the beautiful harmony of wealth. As the colours faded out, people dressed in the best finery of the day appeared and took centre stage. Some were mounted on jet black or chestnut stallions and rode proudly in the sunlit, sylvan surroundings. There was a wonderful feeling of salubrious well-being, great affluence and overwhelming happiness. In the background rose up a huge mansion of perfect beauty. It had a rich sandstone finish, with windows that glinted in the sunlight like diamonds. The surrounding estate was vast, covering many acres, and one of its main features was a lake. Fabulous, still, calm water, it was crowded with white and black swans. Plumed peacocks were by the water’s edge, and pink salmon leapt from the centre of the lake, creating ever recurring ripples in the dreaming pool.
Patterns of gold and silver then flashed before them, and they were taken inside the beautiful mansion. Large, grand rooms impressed themselves on their memories, and in this sequence of ostentatious splendour they saw the priceless antiques and ornaments that only great wealth could afford to buy. A splendid gold horse stood proudly against a backcloth of red velvet and a million coloured jewels spilled from a golden treasure trove. A glitter cloak and golden bell sparkled in the sun. The maelstrom that started the dream was coming back. In its return were whorls of many coloured silks. You wanted to reach out and touch the satiny fabric. The plan was being crystallised in a jewel. The final vision was that of an opal, and as the vision faded, it was wreathed in smoke.
The effect this dream had on all three boys was the same. They all experienced it at the same time, through Nell’s magick, and now all felt a burning desire for riches. Daniel had felt this to some degree anyway; now he was fired with enthusiasm to hatch a plan to realise this fantasy. He decided to seek out his two friends, and discuss it. It was Saturday morning and they were not going fishing; sometimes they worked, sometimes they took the morning off. As he passed through the gate at the back of the cottages he caught sight of James and Stephen returning from the village shop. Walking over to them he suggested they go to the back of Lindale’s workshop on the potash mining site. Once there, they talked of the dream experience and each of them admitted to wanting to get that sort of lifestyle for themselves. It was Daniel who knew from the start that the money must be stolen. It was his idea to rob the church itself. James and Stephen were not as keen on the idea as their friend, but one of the things Daniel was capable of, was influencing people in all the wrong ways. The churches, monasteries and cathedrals in the area would provide rich pickings, he told his friends. In their minds they all decided on it; all that needed to be done now was to work out the precise details of their first looting.
To their surprise, what they devised paid dividends. They found a success with thieving they never thought possible. Spurred on by their ill-gotten gains, their thirst for more grew and grew. They built up quite a collection of silver and gold objects; some artefacts were studded with gems. They put them altogether in a secret cache. They thought they might smelt them down for money or sell to pirates operating around Lulworth Cove.
It was Daniel’s job to search for new places to ransack. An important jaunt was going to be to Melbury Minster. The cathedral’s collection of silver was very valuable and there was also a priceless gold chalice that dated back to the fifth century. When the day came to steal from Melbury, John Perriman, Benjamin and his son Daniel, and also James Perriman, set out early to make the journey which was cross country on horseback. A cold day became a wintry, bleak night with a terrible wind, blowing a gale. All four of them were glad to arrive in Melbury, lay low until the appropriate time, and then carry out the operation. They forced their way into the Minster and took what they were looking for. They were finishing up when they heard someone open a side door. They fell silent. It was one of the clergy attached to the cathedral. “What are you doing here ?” he asked them. No sooner had he got these words out when John Perriman lunged at him with a dagger. No one had expected thieving to turn to murder.
The journey back was long and hard, but it seemed they were not discovered and not followed. They got out of their drenched clothes and fell into their beds exhausted. Daniel was relatively unaffected by the experience, so bad had he become. He planned to see James the next day to talk about it. All Daniel was really concerned about was the fact that the chalice was now in their possession and they were hundreds of pounds the richer.
Monday morning came and both families went to the quay to fish. It was a good day for a catch and as the nets were hauled in they were invariably full, mainly of herrings and kippers. All the time he was working, Daniel’s mind was on the stashed away wealth. When they finished for the day, the boys had decided to meet at Lindale’s workshop near the mine. This was the place to discuss things that concerned them and them alone.
Although it was early evening it was twilight. James and Stephen arrived first and waited in the shadows for their friend. Eventually he arrived and they talked of the misadventure concerning the clergyman in the cathedral. None of them felt any remorse. What none of them expected however was what was to happen now. There, standing under a tree was a figure of the clergyman, a ghostly figure, sad and distressing. It was Steven who saw him first. He felt a cold shiver shuddering through his entire body. The hooded figure started to walk towards them. The three boys were paralysed by fear. The figure said nothing as it got closer and closer to them. It was surrounded by a glowing light, and then when it was in striking distance of Stephen said to him, “ I am revenge,” and then plunged a dagger into his young body.
A terrible scream pierced the still air. It was Sarah Perriman. She was followed by her husband and Nell and Benjamin Tweedy. They couldn’t believe their eyes. Nell fell on her knees and begged forgiveness for the terrible sins of the past, but it was too late now. And as she looked up in tears, a few yards from the murdered Stephen, were two figures huddled together. They did not move. She stared at them for at least five minutes, and the other parents wept, not moving themselves, from the place where they stood. Their interest in sorcery and magick had come to an end. The opal was wreathed in smoke.
