Malleable Words

For Nathan, in return for all the whiskey and gadgets

Bella dug down as fast as she could. She wasn’t going to let the creature get away. One of her nails ripped off against a buried stone. She squealed, then gritted her teeth and dug harder. Suddenly, she saw a tiny boot in the dirt below her, wriggling as its owner burrowed downwards. Bella snatched at it, and it came away in her hand. She seized the tiny white foot that had been exposed, and pulled, putting all her weight into yanking the small creature out of its burrow.

The Ellermere Imp dangled from her fist, twisting and writhing and spitting curses at her. It looked like a mole that had started transforming into a tiny human and then stopped. Not much more than eight inches high, it had two stumpy legs and a head with two oval black eyes set on either side. Its knee joints bent the wrong way. It had long arms but where there should have been hands, it had paws with thick, yellow claws. It stopped snarling and stared at Bella, moving its head from side to side to regard her with both eyes.

‘You’re the Ellermere Imp, aren’t you?’ Bella demanded. It crossed its arms and stared at her stubbornly.

Bella’s anger flared and she shook the creature, making its teeth clatter together. ‘You’d better be. I hate Ellermere. I hate my new house. And if we hadn’t moved here, Daddy wouldn’t have died in that boating accident.’

The Imp narrowed its eyes. ‘Mayhap I am what you seek.’

‘Then I want you to grant me a wish. That’s what they say: catch the Ellermere Imp and he’ll grant you a wish.’

‘What be yer wanting?’

‘I want my father back.’ The words were out in a breathless rush.

The Imp grinned. ‘Done.’ It doubled over and bit down hard on her hand. Bella shrieked and dropped the Imp which disappeared back into his hole.

Bella leaped up, the pain in her hand overwhelmed by the excitement growing inside her. She ran along the lake’s edge, heading for home. She was desperate to tell her mother and grandmother, to bask in their praise at her unbelievable achievement.

Bella raced up the path and banged on the front door. Her mother, Joanna, opened it. Her eyes widened. ‘Bella! Why aren’t you in your room? How did you —?’

‘I caught the Imp, Mummy! I really did,’ Bella cried, flinging her arms around her mother’s waist.

‘What are you talking about?’ Joanna asked as she closed and locked the door.

‘The Ellermere Imp. Granny said if you catch it, you can ask it for anything.

‘What did I say?’ called a voice from the living room. Bella ran to her grandmother, repeating everything. She’d expected the old woman’s face to light up with joy, not stiffen with tension. Bella’s excitement began to leech away.

‘Anne, what is going on?’ Joanna asked.

Before the old woman could answer, there was a knock at the door, a meaty thud on wood. They fell silent. Gooseflesh rose on Bella’s skin.

‘Did you lock the door?’ Anne whispered, getting to her feet.

‘Yes, of course. You know I always lock it after dark,’ Joanna replied.

Anne gripped Bella’s arms tightly. ‘What did you ask for?’

‘I… asked for my father to come back.’ There was another meaty thud at the door.

‘Were those your exact words? Think, child!’

‘Anne, who’s outside our door?’ Joanna asked, but Anne kept her eyes on Bella.

‘I said… I want my father back. Just that,’ Bella whispered.

Anne’s shoulder’s sagged. From outside came a choked, gurgling noise, followed by the sound of water splashing onto wood. A hoarse voice, barely audible, reached them. ‘Let me in.’

‘Robert?’ Joanna made to rush to the door, but Anne caught her arm.

‘Don’t!’ the old woman pleaded, but Joanna pulled free. ‘At least look first!’ Anne called after her.

Joanna hesitated, her fingers gripping the handle. She peered through the small square window set in the door. She staggered back as a hand slapped against the glass. The fingers were slick and dripping, as if water seeped continuously from the pores.

‘Joanna? Let me in,’ said that rough voice. ‘Bella? It’s Daddy. Open the—’ The words were lost in a gurgle of water. Joanna sprinted over, grabbed Bella’s hand and raced up the stairs, Anne close behind them. Bella looked back at the front door. Water was seeping under it.

They huddled in Joanna’s room, the only one with a lock. Bella sat on her mother’s lap, her head buried in Joanna’s shoulder. The scent of washing powder and jasmine soap almost blotted out the foul stench of stagnant water and rotting vegetation that was filling the house.

‘You should have asked for him alive,’ Anne murmured, ‘asked for your father alive, not just back.’

‘Hush,’ Joanna said, hugging Bella tighter. But even her mother’s embrace couldn’t displace the heavy load that had descended on Bella’s heart.

There was the sound of smashing glass, a moment of silence, and then the stairs creaked. Bella hardly dared to breathe. Another creak sounded at the top of the stairs. Bella whimpered as the door handle rattled. Black water oozed underneath the door, filling the room with a choking stink. Anne moaned in fear.

‘Go away, Daddy!’ Bella shrieked, her pent-up fear exploding out of her.

There was a pause then, from the other side of the door, came a wet, whispered reply. ‘But I miss you.’

After that, there was only silence. When dawn finally lightened the sky, Joanna got up unsteadily and opened the door. Bella shied away, expecting to see a nightmare standing there. But the corridor was empty. There were only watery footprints on the stairs, leading back to the lake.

Malleable Words

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