Sea Change Prologue

Shadows moved, and a cat flowed from darkness into the narrow alleyway. It stepped in silence between the two rows of cottages, stopping only to sniff at a lobster basket propped up to dry.

A dark shape something like a man came into the alleyway, and the shadows pressed in closer. The cat froze, one paw in the air, fur standing on end. Then it was gone, a blur of movement that did not stop as it reached a wall, just changed direction from along to up.

The man stood still for a long time, as if he was waiting for something to happen. Dawn began to paint the tiled roofs of the cottages red, but the light did not reach down into the alley. A mist grew around the man, and dark shapes moved within it. He raised his head, and sniffed at the air, like a dog that has caught the scent of a rabbit. Then he spoke, his voice dry and papery and sounding as if it came from a long way away.

“A boy is coming,” he said, and he sniffed at the air again. “He is the one.” The shapes in the mist moved restlessly.

Then the shadows pressed in even closer around him, and when the dawn chased the last of the night from the alley there was nothing there other than an empty lobster basket set out to dry.

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Chapter One (approx 2700 words) follows on Sunday evening.