Strange Tales

by Philip R Benge

help in stopping the ceremony that was due to take place that very night. They told him who they were and how they had lost the initial fight against the druids, priests of the old religion that ruled for so long in old Britain. How they had united in death and slept within the amulet waiting for such a day as this. They needed a priest who believed in God as Mason did, to make a triad of good against the triad of evil, the coven, Lucifer, and the ancient gods. He must find in his soul the will to fight for his God or see the world forever in the power of the evil that only awaited the rising of the moon this midnight, Mason saw visions before his eyes of the evils that would be let loose upon the world and also of the final resting place for his soul should he forsake his people in their hour of need.

  Mason shaking all over from the sights shown to him, and also of the thought of returning to the cellar was close to collapse when he finally agreed to pledge his body, his mind, and his soul to what could be the last battle upon the planet Earth between good and evil, between the powers of light and darkness. Night had fallen when they finally returned to the house, but not before the amulet had bathed him in the purest of lights that not only refreshed his body but also restored some of his flagging faith in the power of good to overcome evil. When they reached the house all its lights were on, although no one appeared there to greet him. That their visit had been noticed went without saying, but Mason hoped that their swift exit would have convinced the powers of evil that they could be dismissed as far as being a threat to it.

  The old priest was certainly surprised by the courage that Mason was showing for the evil that was represented here would have been enough to drive away even the bravest of the knights that had pledged their swords to him.

  The house yawned invitingly empty as they passed through its back door once more to reach the stairway that would take them down towards hell. Mason was soon at its bottom and this time the door stood open.

  “Come into my web said the spider to the three little flies.” Mason whispered. The others stayed quiet as they too suspected that their return had been duly noted. Mason entered the room, ahead was the altar but this time the mirror stood mounted upon a pedestal to its right.

  “A man of the cloth, well your kind are normally too frightened of their own shadows to even contemplate entering into Satan's temple my friend, are they now making a new model of priest?" A hooded figure ahead of him asked this question.

  “Any priest worth his collar would come here to stop you and your master.”

  “Well why did not more of them come with you then priest to assist you in your fight.” This was something that Mason was wondering, why didn't the old priest call on more help. The old priest answered him. ‘Because mere numbers will not win this battle, this will take a true belief in God to win, which is something that many of the priests of this modern world no longer have.'

  The door slammed shut behind Mason who now turned to see that the rest of the coven had entered behind him unnoticed.

  “Tie him to the altar. He is to be tonight's sacrifice.” The hooded figure ordered. Mason jumped to one side and pointed the amulet at them. His heart was racing now but thankfully the power of the amulet brought the members of the coven to a dead stop as they recognised the amulet for a powerful symbol of good, a power that even their Gods feared. The leader of the coven had turned a paler shade of grey as he sought to transfer the fear within him to the heart of the priest.

  “Leave now priest, whilst Lucifer will still let you go, for you know in your heart that you cannot win against so mighty a foe.” The hooded man`s voice quavered as he said these words, fear now emanating from every the pore of his skin, for his mind was filled with the thoughts of the many tortures that would be awaiting him in the pits of hell, should he fail his masters.

  All around Mason fiends from hell materialised from out of the ether, their snarls freezing his blood.' Don't worry Mason they are not real.’ The words flashed into his mind as his own mind said to run. ‘They are but figments of your imagination sent by Lucifer to scare you into dropping the amulet, as long as you carry it no harm can come to you.’ Even so Mason snatched his hand away from one of the slavering mouths of the repulsive creatures. Moments later Mason felt the energy of his allies fill his body as they sort to help him resist the efforts of the evil inside the room.

  “This is all very pretty, but we can do without the theatricals.” Mason said to the hooded figure that was still standing in the same position that he held when Mason had first seen him. His words were said though with far more confidence than he actually felt, but even the words left his lips the creatures of hell disappeared leaving him with only the coven leader and his followers to face, although the ancient Gods were still there and Mason knew that he would have to fight them before the night was through.

  “You certainly are a different kind of priest, but you cannot win you know, Lucifer will not be beaten this time.” The hooded figure said as he looked nervously about for help from his evil lords.

  Whilst this battle had been going on the ancient ones had been preparing to enter the arena. The light in the room dimmed as the mirror began to glow with a weird purple light. A light that dazzled Mason and moments later he found himself bathed in its light as the forces of evil strove to break through his faith in the one God that Mason believed in beyond all else. For an instant Mason's guard was down as he sensed them withdrawing from the battle but it was only a feint. The brief lapse, small as it was, allowed the powers of evil to attack him with renewed vigour and Mason was slammed backwards hard against the wall, all his breath exploded from his lungs, his body filled with pain such was the strength of the power pitted against his weak body. He looked within for help from his allies but his new friends had enough of their own problems to worry about and couldn't provide him with the help that he so desperately needed.

  Mason found himself transported to a wreck of a world where life seemed to be on the verge of extinction. A purple sky served as a roof and a desert for a carpet, for decoration the nearby volcanoes would have to do. Mason sense of desperation grew when he realised that the amulet had disappeared from his hand, but at least the coven, the evil gods and even Lucifer himself had gone. The only sign of life were the stunted remains of a once noble forest and a dried up river bed. It was from these dried up remains of this once vibrant river that a human figure appeared. This thing seemed more like an animated figure of a man, a sketch even with no colour save black and white and various shades of grey. From its cavernous mouth the figure let out what Mason could have sworn was the growl of the beast and then catching sight of him it moved towards him, a sword that appeared out of nowhere flashing in its hand.

  “Die priest; die by your own hand.” Mason was stunned, but not by the words, but by the figure was now close enough for Mason to see, it was a monstrous copy of him. From far away a faint voice came to him on the wind.

  ‘You are within your subconscious Mason.’ It was the old priest that was crying to him. ‘You may arm yourself simply by willing it so, but beware that you do not kill your double, or he you, for then you will die in the real world too.’

  His doppelganger was upon him almost before he awoke to this new peril from hell but Mason had just enough time to quickly will a sword to appear in his own hand and miraculously it did, and then his battle against the other Mason was commenced. The battle was all one sided as Mason could never go onto the attack lest he killed his doppelganger and so himself. Only his faith in the power of his God kept Mason going and as he prayed for help a thought appeared in his mind, If this is all in my mind then by simply willing myself back into the house, back into the room that the mere thought of filled him with dread. But better that than this fight against this doppelganger. Mason knew he had to act swiftly for he was weakening fast, while his doppelganger seemed to be growing stronger, was it feeding off him? With the decision made Mason focused all his remaining strength on the house in Hampstead, on the room and all it contained. The doppelgange
r sensed that it was about to lose the battle and pressed forward with the attack knocking Mason to the floor, he lay there with visions of his death, his adversaries blade sweeping towards him. It was in this hopeless situation that he tried once more to concentrate his mind on the house in Hampstead and not on the sharp sword that was sweeping down towards his defenceless neck.

  The world of his subconscious disappeared from before his eyes and amid a blaze of light he was back, there before him the ancient ones, there before him the coven. ‘You have returned Mason, well done; now it is our turn.’ His friends of the amulet cried. About time too Mason thought.

  With that the powers of good focused all their willpower on destroying the mirror and all it contained, unfortunately for Mason it was through him that the battle was fought once more. He thought that his brain would be ripped apart such was the pain that he had to endure as the battle between good and evil raged. Then the light from the mirror dimmed as the power of the light began gradually to triumph over that of the dark and the mirror exploded in a flash of the purest light that Mason had ever seen, closing this door at least against the