WDS-Tuesday was Quite Odd, Part B

John had not grasped a single word of what she had said and knew that he should have felt at least a little put out that she wanted to know something as personal as his family history, but the words just tumbled out of his mouth. 1

“My father was a bank clerk and my mother was a stay-at-home wife.”2

His answer seemed not to please Jane, who frowned again, looking thoughtful. 3

“Hmmm…odd. What about your grandparents?” 4

John had to think for a few moments. 5

“My father’s father was a postman, and my mother’s father worked in the bank as well; that’s how my father got his job, and met my mother.”6

Jane looked like a dog chewing on a bone. 7

“Either of them have any, you know, odd habits? Hobbies?”8

John shrugged. 9

“My father’s father was into lapidary.” 10

“What about your grandmothers?”11

“Mother’s mother was a voluntary nurse in the Great War.”12

“And your dad’s?”13

Jane stared at earnestly and though John wanted to give her something interesting, he was defeated by blandness. He shrugged. 14

“A stay-at-home-wife,” he raked through his memories, “My mother said she saw ghosts when she was a girl, and that her grandmother…” 15

“Her grandmother what?” 16

Jane was perched on the edge of her seat, leaning forwards rather hungrily. 17

“Well, her grandmother…I never met her-at least I don’t remember, anyway. Nobody ever spoke of her much. It was like…” 18

He frowned, putting down his cup of tea and clasping his hands together as though talking to a councillor. 19

“It was Grandmother Adamantine was an embarrassment or something-”20

“Adamantine?” 21

The name clearly struck a chord with Jane, who smiled in a congratulatory, surprised manner. 22

“I think we found where you get your blood from. There was a witch from Essex called Winifred Saunders and in the 1880s she had a daughter called Adamantine, also a witch and one of the last Pure Ones on record. Most likely she fell for a Normie-your mother’s grandfather. It’s been happening a lot in the past couple centuries and it leads to you happening.”23

“Pardon?” 24

John was still rather confused, especially with what Jane was saying about his mysterious, skeleton-in-the-closet grandmother; half of a teacake was hanging out of his mouth as he listened, with growing bafflement to what the terribly pretty woman was saying. 25

“Breeding with Normies. It spreads the genes out, dilutes them over the years, then we getting people like you cropping up; Half Normies with latent powers. There are very few Pure Ones- magic folk without any Normie blood- left with all this marrying out, although to be honest, I’m just like you.” 26

She smiled. 27

“My great-grandparents were both magical but my grandmother married a Normie so my mother…well, she was an odd one. Some days she could read your mind, and the next she wouldn’t have been able to tell you that there was a ghost standing next to you. And my father-well, he was as insensitive to the supernatural and all things magical and mysterious as they come. A right proper Normie, he was.”28

Jane sighed heavily and wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly sad. 29

“He disregarded my mother’s tealeaf reading once too often and they both died in a car-crash just before my sixth birthday. I wasn’t left alone though!” 30

She smiled to perk John’s spirits up and he realised that he had been staring at her, against. 31

“Great-great Uncle Dunstaffernage picked me up and took me in. He’s that loco loony upstairs-” 32

She jerked her head at the ceiling. 33

‘That’s your great uncle?” John butted in, goggling. 34

“Great-great,” Jane corrected him gently, smiling and nodding benignly, “I know. It makes me glad to think that because so few can know about us so he can’t embarrass me much.’ 35

She sighed a little then, looked distant briefly and then leant over to tear a corner off of the last of the four toasted things that she had brought him. 36

John’s mouthed worked but no sounds came out. 37

“So…if few can know about you…”he said, slightly hesitant, ‘how comes you brought me here? And told me things? Aren’t you worried that-?” 38

Jane smiled brilliantly, her expression one of amusement of the like normally given to a naughty pet or child. 39

“I can tell you these things,” she said, still smiling, ‘because you, John, are a wizard. Yes!” She giggled at his gormless expression, “a very latent one, admittedly, but one of us nonetheless, and if what Spike’s estimated is anything going to go by-“ 40

“What did he say?” John asked, still having trouble believing her words. 41

“He, well…”Jane picked up her tea again and blew on it gently, “Late last night, Spike picked up a very serious disturbance in the Fabric between our world and the Hereafter where the demons live. We followed it to where you lived-Parsley Road, and found King Mammon’s corpse lying in the gutter but then Fluffy-our dog-picked up your scent. We had to go to your house and pick you up-sorry for that, by the way.” 42

“Hmm? Oh, you mean for-? No, don’t-” 43

“It’s quite all right,” Jane told him flippantly, now looking a little sheepish, “I don’t mind apologising. I did help abduct you after all! But understand, we did have our reasons. I certainly wouldn’t be the first to put it past Prince Asmodeus for hunting you down-”44

“Excuse me?” 45

“Hmm?” 46

Jane added another lump of sugar to her tea and stirred it with a small, silver spoon as she looked at John, who stared back with a lost expression. 47

“Who’s this ‘Prince Asmodeus’ again?” He asked. 48

“Prince Asmodeus-well, King Asmodeus, now-he’s the son of King Mammon, the Demon King. He’s the one you saw getting murdered last night by Asmodeus’ minion. Remember that?” 49

She spoke kindly and John could not help but nod in agreement. 50

“He-this Mammon bloke-he called the guy ‘Mamilion’”. 51

“Ah.” 52

Jane nodded her own head and sipped her tea. 53

“You know him?” John asked, surprised. 54

“I know of him,” she replied, “He’s not the pleasantest fellow, is he?” 55

Her tone was so mellow that John could not help spluttering and blurting out, “He killed someone!” 56

“I know,” Jane said, “We sent King Mammon’s body back to his kingdom this morning. His son was gracious enough to accept it, but I don’t think he’ll stay civil for long. That’s another reason we brought you here-Spike thinks you might be crucial in tipping the stakes.”57

John eyes boggled. 58

“…stakes?”59

“You know, the war we’ve been having?” 60

Jane rolled her sea-like eyes good naturedly at his puzzled look and elaborated in plain terms, “The classic battle between good and evil which has been raging for centuries. The Dark against the Light-not that either side is particularly winning at the moment…”61

She sipped her tea pensively and nibbled on the corner of a custard crème before flashing John one of her characteristically optimistic smiles. 62

“But that’s a horrible topic, especially for someone as new to all of this as you. What’s important is that you can see demons and you saw those demons. As I said, most with the Gift who have the diluted blood can only feel their presence, although the lucky few might she a shade every now and then, but to be able to see a demon-that’s power.” 63

She tossed her curtain of black hair over her shoulder. 64

“I’m pretty sure that Spike will tell you more in the morning, if he’s willing to.”65

“And what about your great-great uncle?” 66

John pointed at the ceiling. 67

“Oh, don’t worry about him. Uncle Dunstaffernage’s too busy trying to make Albert into some monster bird to actually teach anybody anything these days. He hardly ever leaves his room anymore-” 68

“Yourself?” 69

He looked at her hopefully. 70

“I don’t know the half of what goes on around here, surprisingly.”71

And with that, Jane stood up to her full, average height, and smiled yet again. 72

“The bedroom you found yourself in is yours. Mind, it’s dustier than it looks and there are probably mothballs in the drawers, but it should fine for sleeping in. If you need me, I’m on the next floor, but be quiet, ‘cause Spike hates being woken up in the middle of the night. It gives him a right temper you do.”73

She picked up the tray and walked out of the room, the door clicking shut behind her. John was left with an ebbing headache and a mind awhirl with confusion. He didn’t even notice that, without asking, she knew his name. 74