The Bully, The Constable & The Vicar
It is said that on those dark winter nights when not even a sliver of moonlight kisses the land, and the wind outside is howling like a demented banshee, you should not gaze into a mirror and say the Lord’s prayer backwards. It is further stated that in doing so, you open a portal —a portal to unimaginable horror that, once released, is never tamed. Our little tale, set forth here before you, tells of such an “adventure” into the realms of pure evil. Hopefully, it will serve as a warning to the unwary, the sceptic and the downright foolish.
George Bilson was counted amongst the sceptics and the foolish when it came to such matters. He was a brash and arrogant man, though unintelligent, and one who, due to his size, thought nothing of bullying those who were incapable of standing up to him. Despite his height and bulk, he had never been a fair fighter, electing to attack even the weakest from behind whenever possible. In truth, his brash arrogance disguised a cowardly weakness and a lack of moral fortitude.
He disparaged that which his low IQ was unable to comprehend, living life for the moment and its temporary pleasures. He did not really have any true friends; he had mostly acquaintances, most of whom agreed with him on most things out of fear of being attacked by him.
There was one man, however, in the village who did not fear him, though he was much smaller in size; Martin Brewster was no pushover. He was now the village constable, but he had previously served for fifteen years in the Royal Marines before joining the police force. As an eighteen-year-old, he had fought in the Falklands War and later in Kuwait and Iraq.
Martin had actually arrested George on a couple of occasions for violent behaviour. Still, each time George had laughed in his face, knowing that the villagers would be too scared to testify against him for fear of retaliation. Like everything else in life, he mocked his arrests and Martin for trying to bring him to justice.
It was a well-established fact that the two men had a distinct dislike for each other. Although George lacked the courage to attack Martin face-to-face, if the chance arose to attack him unawares, he knew, just as Martin did, that he would take it.
Martin was not alone when it came to a disdain for George Bilson; Peter Bilson, the local vicar, who just happened to be George’s older brother, had recognised in their childhood the traits that George would follow in life. Although he tried to get along with his brother, he had to concede that he found it very difficult; however, he did pray for him every day, despite there being no evidence of a change in George’s attitude toward life.
