The Elderine Stone

Swoosh
A large spiked club, twice the length of Jason’s arm, flew over his head, creating a gush of wind that ruffled his dark brown hair. Jason ducked to dodge another swing and scrambled to a nearby rock, hoping for any chance of escape.The club came crashing down beside him. A spray of dust burst into the air, causing a short, blinding cloud, which restricted the vision of both Jason and his attacker. The dust settled and Jason was now inches away from what looked like an ugly, grey skinned, pig-like creature that snorted and growled with every breath.The creature looked at Jason, raised its club, opened his mouth and let out a growl…

“Jason! Wake up, this very minute! I am sick to the back teeth with you young man. I was good enough to buy you that bloody alarm clock for your birthday last year, and this is how you repay me, by treating me like your own personal farm yard roaster, expecting me to wake you up every morning. Well I will tell you one thing, and that’s for sure, the next time that teacher of yours wants words with me for you being late, you will be at the firing line.” The voice quietened to a soft mutter, voicing distaste and other vulgarities that Jason couldn’t quite make out. Then to finish off what was started the voice boomed up the stairs again “and I mean it when I say that, I don’t want to have to listen to that Miss Thornbottle again if you’re late for school!”

Jason stirred in his bed, covered in a cold damp sweat from his dream. This had been the third time this week he’d had a nightmare like that one. The thought rolled idly through his head that he was possibly reading far too many fantasy novels. Rubbing his eyes, he rolled over in bed to face the alarm clock that his aunt had bought him for his fourteenth birthday. It was a knight holding a sword and shield, the time was displayed in the middle of the shield. He could just about make out its red glow, seven forty-five, he watched at the numbers blinked, seven forty-six. He groaned, and closed his eyes pretending to himself that he could just lie in bed for another five minutes and maybe that would be enough to shake off his tiredness. Jason was not a morning person, but he knew as his aunt had said all hell would break loose if he wasn’t up and out of bed within the next few moments. That was it he was going to make a start on this battle. He looked at his little calendar that sat on the pine bedside table, it was one of those that very useful calendars that offered a somewhat very useless phrase of advice for each day. He ripped off Tuesday’s and read the one for today: be careful of what you dream, it may come true. He wouldn’t have much luck, then, if his dreams did come true, being that there was no such thing as those creatures in his dream. However with the way things were going in his life at the moment, Jason felt that anywhere would be better than here, living in this house.