Luisa awoke in bed with her rucksack in her hand. After the day she had just been through in Cataindar she had all but forgotten about the episode with her Grandmother, the memories flooded back like the tide of a cold sea. She gave a large sigh and went downstairs to see her Grandmother making toast.

"Gran I think we should talk about last night."

Her grandmother stopped scraping.

"Cup of tea?" she said.

"Yes please,"

Her Grandmother silently made tea and Luisa thought about what she should say. But her Grandmother spoke first.

"Luisa I apologise for beating you, that was dreadful of me. No grandparent should hit their grandchild and a woman of my age should know better. I quite lost control."

Luisa held the cup of tea in both hands and looked into it.

"That's OK." She mumbled.

"The truth is Luisa, I saw how much speaking to your mother had upset you and I thought to visit you in your room and talk with you there. Offer some comfort perhaps... perhaps part of me thought you might try and run away to visit her or something equally as ridiculous."

She took a deep breath and continued.

"It seems running away is somewhat of a family trait. My eldest daughter Anne disappeared when she was a little older than you. Taken or ran away, I don't know. Like you, I had caught her gone to bed with bags of god knows what. It was very difficult for me, to see you in her bed, with your things packed up like that..."

Her grandmother stopped talking, and put a cloth to her mouth and closed her eyes for a moment. When she continued her voice was cold and hard.

"Now I am going to be out today, as some of us still believe Sunday is a day to be spent in contemplation and things are far too busy here. You must look after Max. I have something important to tell you, but it can wait for now.

Luisa nodded,

Something important? Who leaves people waiting with a cliffhanger like that?

"Umm, OK."

"Thank you Luisa."

Her grandmother quickly packed up her things and left the house.

Luisa made Max his cereal and they sat chomping down on the flakes as the sun rose high over the ruins of the Abbey. The telephone rang and Luisa answered it like her Grandmother had taught her,

"3491 Wynn residence."

The voice on the end of the phone crackled in a thick Welsh accent,

"Ello Luisa it's ya Uncle, Hugh"

"Oh hello Uncle Hugh,"

"Is ya grandmother in?"

"No she has gone out,"

"She always buggers off on a Sundays, that's why I called actually."

Something tingled inside Luisa and not in a good way.

"So I spoke to Professor Grattan from the pub, and me and 'im are coming over to look at that stone ya' found in the Abbey... today."

Luisa felt her gut wrench, she really didn't want anyone poking around in the ruins at all, or going near the dysk. She really didn't want some stupid professor poking his nose in.

"Ah, Hugh, it was just me being silly, it isn't important and I really don't want the professor to waste his time."

"Pah nonsense Luisa! You have been spending too much time with that negative nana of yours! T'was a great find, we'll see you in an hour!"

And he hung up.

"Rats." Luisa said.

"Who was that?" Said Max

"Uncle Hugh"

"Yay!" Said Max, grabbing a toy and throwing it full force at the wall. "Is he bringing Mummy home?"

"No Max. Mummy isn't coming home yet." Luisa said it and gave a shiver. She had been so caught up in her own doings she hadn't given Max as much attention as she should've been.

"So has Action Man had any interesting adventures recently?"

The hour zipped by, and before Luisa knew it, Hugh had arrived with the professor.

Professor John Grattan did not look like a professor, he didn't have a white beard or crazy hair. He just looked like a nerdy dad.

Hugh made everyone tea and together they had headed out into the garden on the path to the Abbey.

"Wow Hugh," Professor Grattan said, "what faded pietistic magnificence. Beauty. Thanks for the cuppa'."

He spoke with a slight cockney accent, pronouncing his 'th's with an unabashed 'eff' sound. The only thing that betrayed his extensive education was the length of the words that he used. He took a long look around while casually walking and swigging his mug of tea. Max followed them out into the garden uncharacteristically suspicious. Probably because the only professor he knew of was Professor X who was the mortal enemy and occasional love interest of Action Man.

But Luisa was feeling uneasy for quite another reason. As they walked she found her heart was beating hard and her mouth was dry, she racked her brain for a way of getting out of this. She could come out with no way to deter their path to seeing the dysk that brought her to Cataindar.

Hugh spoke thoughtfully, "Ah, I hated it as a kid. Boring"

Grattan smiled and looked at Luisa

"I am sure this hasn't been the most exciting summer for you, stuck out in the sticks?"

Luisa could not even speak, her tongue was a piece of leather in her mouth. She just shrugged, as they slowly, casually but unstoppingly made their way to violate her find. They passed through her Grandmother's garden, along the path until they entered the centre of the Abbey and Hugh showed Grattan the ring of giant stones.

Grattan studied the monolithic stones silently shaking his head in disbelief.

"Good god."

He put his hand on one of the huge white stones and looked up.

"Good god." Professor Grattan said again catching his breath and he began talking quite quickly,

"Hugh, this could be quite a find, quite a significant find. This ring dwarfs any Neolithic stone circle I have ever seen, bloody hell mate, these make Stonehenge look like, like a joke!"

Yes! maybe he will be so impressed with the big stones they will forget about the dysk.

He looked at Luisa and Hugh with a wide smile and shining eyes. "I mean, these stones must weigh nearly a 'undred tonnes. Hugh... This could well be one of the most important archaeological finds of the decade..."

The professor took a deep breath seeming to check himself.

"That is if they are Neolithic, I'll need to do some tests, with your permission of course. I've been in this game a while Hugh and I've had my share of disappointments. Expensive ones. I can't allow myself to get carried away."

Luisa smiled weakly. Hugh thumped her on the back.

"That's not all Johnny-boy! The best is yet to come, follow me..."

They strode towards the centre of the ring, past the great tree in to where the dysk lay, hidden by grass.

Hugh's eyes were twinkling,

"Bach, it was you that made the grand find, you show the professor."

"I can't really remember where exactly it was to be honest,"

"Ah, she is a bit shy," said Hugh winking at Grattan. "It was somewhere just, around... here."

Luisa felt nauseous as Hugh dug around in the grass looking for the disc. He tugged up the clump of grass exposing the dysk's black sheen and put his rough hand down on the stone's smooth surface. Luisa took a breath.

Mercifully the colour of the stone did not change.

"Ah, it's warm as anything, professor, have a feel for yourself."

Professor Grattan handed Hugh his cup of tea and carefully knelt down. Peering closely at the black stone he gingerly put his hand on it.

"Very interesting," he said. "Almost like, well... that is very strange."

Luisa watched him push his fingers to the edge of the disc to feel it curve around. She hated anyone being near it. Staying on his haunches the professor continued to look around at the ring of stones set in the Abbey's walls. To Luisa's relief he did not seem as interested in the dysk.

"Well?" said Hugh, "what do you think?"

"Have you told anyone else about all this Hugh?" said Grattan, on his haunches, while gesturing around.

Hugh shook his head with a half-smile,

"No, just you and it wasn't me that found it John, it was the little one here."

"And you Luisa? Have you told anyone about this at all?" She also shook her head silently. Her face was a picture of discomfort.

Grattan stood up brushing the dirt from his hands,

"I don't think you should. Don't tell anyone. You did well to come to me. This whole area warrants serious archaeological study. Luisa, if this is what I think it is. This ring of stones here is called a Neolithic ring, it's prehistoric, so it predates anything we know about humankind. I have no bleeding idea how prehistoric humans brought stones of this size up here, an' I 'ave no idea about this black stone or why it's so warm. It looks like its been worked on by someone, some time ago to make it smooth. Once term begins, I'd like to bring some of my PhD students up 'ere to do some tests... let's start uncovering the secrets of this place."

"Ooh that's exciting in't it bach," Hugh was grinning ear to ear. "We will have to work the schedule around when my Ma' is out John, but I'll make it 'appen."

Professor Grattan nodded thoughtfully,

"Luisa, something just popped in my head." He took a moment as he organised the old memory, "At one point in time King Henry the Eighth 'owned' Stonehenge. His people did some rudimentary excavating of the site and found a circular tablet in its centre. This piece of stone was inscribed in a language they did not understand. It has sadly been lost. The rumour is it ended up in Russia sometime in the seventeenth century. But the bloody conspiracy theorists have got hold of the tale, so who knows. Perhaps this under here is inscribed too... perhaps it could explain to us the meaning of other ancient Neolithic rings like Stonehenge."

Luisa bit her lip,

"Yeah, maybe," she managed.

Finally it was almost over.

Professor Grattan warmly shook hands and said good-bye to Luisa congratulating her once again on the find. He backed away smiling at Luisa, eyes alive with the thrill of treasure. Hugh was heading towards the car with Professor Grattan, they were heading to the pub. Luisa faked her best half-smile and returned to the house.

Once the door was closed she let her back hit it and slid down. She put her head in her hands and took some in deep breaths to calm down.

It really wasn't theirs to mess with.

She had hated that afternoon, and although the visit had been brief it felt like it had dragged on forever. She heard sobbing coming from the living room. She walked over to see Max curled up in a little ball.

"I miss Mummy." he squeaked diving into Luisa's lap.

Luisa sighed. "I miss her too" she felt another stab of guilt. Her double life had completely taken over. She stroked Max's fine hair. "Mummy's going to be OK Max, I am sure she will be OK."

I hope.

--

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