An Hour in the Darkness by Michael Bailey Read Free Book Online Page A

sure felt like I was on top of the moon or something. What with old Ronnie almost laughing like that and thinking I was funny, and telling old Geoff that I didn’t frighten her anymore. They sure were the good times. I sure as hell figured that if someone tells somebody else you don’t frighten them then they must like you a hell of a lot. I really thought old Ronnie liked me a hell of a lot back then.
    I sat and stared out of the bus window. The glass was mucky and I couldn’t see out much. That crazy bus driver drove like a maniac until I was practically thrown off the seat, for Chrissake. We passed the stone lions and when the water in the fountain brightened the gaps in the dirty window it made me want to cry for some reason. I think I was feeling pretty romantic in general about things. I used to go to Bradgate Park with Jenny. We sure used to have a lot of fun in the old days, when we were just kids and everything.
    When we reached Bradgate Park I gave the bus driver a sour look, but he just ignored me. I think he was the kind of bus driver who enjoys it when his passengers are waltzed around in their seats like that. I decided to climb the hill and take a look at Old John. Listen, Old John is a ruined castle that stands on top of a hill or something. Listen, it isn’t even a hill, it’s a goddamn mountain. When you climb up to Old John you have to avoid the rocks that stick out of the grass and try to cut through the bottom of your shoes. I’d forgotten how steep it was and I had to stop halfway up because I was getting so damn tired all of a sudden. Listen, I’m not a very fit person, okay?
    I looked up and saw Old John shining in the wet mist of the sky above me. It was all very artistic and poetic, like in the Scriptures. Listen, there’s always a grey, wet mist wrapping itself around Old John, okay? I think it’s because Old John almost reaches the sky. Old John is about a million years old and from the top of the mountain you can just about see the whole world. You should see Old John at sunset though, you really should, because it’s just about the most beautiful thing in the world. Old John looks at its best at sunset. What I mean is this, if I can try and explain it to you some, if you’ll just let me, okay? If you go to Bradgate Park at sunset and stare up at Old John, it will practically burst into flames in front of your eyes. And Old John is so high, they say in Leicester that you can see it from the moon. Well, I was on the moon that day because Ronnie had all but fallen in love with me and I swear I could definitely see Old John.
    When I reached the top I suddenly had the urge to roll back down again. That’s how I was feeling about things. I wanted to lie on my back and roll down the mountain to find out if you could do it without dying. I also needed to know if it would make you dizzy for the rest of your life. Ronnie sure made me dizzy when I thought about her. I sure as hell loved Ronnie a lot back then, I guess.
    I sat down on the grass next to Old John and just stared at the sky. Then I lowered my eyes and looked over Leicester. I was hoping I would see Ronnie, and Jenny. I thought that maybe if I stood up and waved they would see me. Anyway, I did stand up and I did wave. My head was in a bad place back then, I know.
    There was another guy there. He was standing close to the edge, peering down the mountain, and I thought he was going to jump off. It looked to me, at least, like he was thinking about suicide. He had a bright red scarf on and, because I was ill, I thought it was the prettiest scarf I had ever seen. The man looked like Michael Caine in
The Muppet Christmas Carol
and I thought it would be a shame if he jumped off because Jenny loves
The Muppet Christmas Carol
more than anything in the world. She loves the song that Belle sings to the young Scrooge, while the old Scrooge – Michael Caine – is hanging about in the background, crying