Alice- Return to Glory

Alice was quite some distance away but, illuminated by the baleful red glow from the sky, I could see her kneeling on the grass, her hands held high in supplication. Then she began to cry out so loudly that her words echoed through the trees.

‘Pan! Pan! I beseech thee! Give me my power again! All of it! One last time! One last time! Please! That’s all I ask. One last time before I die! In return, I will pay any price that you demand. I will do whatever you demand!’

I wondered if Pan would ignore her. If there was no service that she could perform, if he needed nothing, why should the god bother to respond?

But respond he did. There was no flash of lightning, no disturbance of the air, just a very faint sound of distant reed pipes being played, a sweet magical, haunting music that lingered upon the air and sent shivers up and down my spine. Soon that faded away but Alice did not move for a long time. She remained on her knees, her forehead touching the ground.

At last, Alice came to her feet and walked slowly back towards us.

‘He did what I asked, Tom. My magic is strong again – at least for a while. He didn’t say for how long …’

‘And the price?’ asked Tom, a haunted look in his eyes. ‘What did he ask for?’

‘He didn’t tell me, Tom. No doubt he’ll let me know when he wants something.’

The Last Spook Chapter 22