Beneath by Gill Arbuthnott

you.”
    “But I told you what happened when I went to see him.”
    “It doesn’t matter. I would never forgive myself if you did this and something happened to you.”
    “Nothing’s going to happen to me,” Jess said with a confidence she was far from feeling.
    “Your parents would never forgive me – and they’d be right,” her grandmother went on. “The Kelpies have brought nothing but trouble to this family. Your father spent his childhood listening to people tell him his mother was mad, or that maybe she was a murderess. How will he feel if he finds you’ve gone off to do this?”
    Ellen looked at Jess as she spoke.
    “I found the Kelpie’s hair,” Jess said slowly. “What were the chances of that, do you suppose? I
have
to do this. I’m
meant
to do this. The only way you’ll stop me is by telling my parents everything and helping them keep me locked up. I don’t suppose they’ll be very happy to find you put this idea in my head though, do you?” Jess knew how despicable the words were as she said them, and what a terrible gamble shewas taking that Ellen would remain silent.
    She forced herself to look her grandmother in the eye, saw her lips tighten.
    Ellen got to her feet. “Very well,” she said, admitting defeat. “But at least have the decency to tell me when you mean to go, so that I know when to worry.”
    Jess nodded and watched her gran leave. She didn’t feel as though she had won; she felt as though she had broken something fragile and irreplaceable.
     
    “You haven’t eaten anything, Jess.”
    Martha came across the kitchen, peered at her daughter’s face and put a hand to her forehead. “Do you feel all right? You don’t have a fever. You’re very pale – are you cold? Did you sleep any better last night?”
    Jess could almost feel the questions bouncing off her skin. She looked at her untouched porridge. There was no way she could force down even a mouthful, she was so nervous.
    Now Ashe was staring at her too.
    “I’m fine,” she said to her mother. “I’m just not hungry.”
    “You have to eat something,” Ashe said unexpectedly. “I bet you’re just trying to get out of your chores again.” He scowled at her.
    “No, I’m not. I’ll go and start them now to prove it.”
    Jess got up, her chair scraping on the flags as she pushed it back, glad to have an excuse to get away from her mother’s scrutiny.
    “I’m going to the dairy to skim the cream. I’ll just say good morning to Gran first.”
    Martha nodded absently, her mind somewhere else.
    Jess ran back upstairs, collected her jacket and the old satchel with the halter in it. She hesitated for a second before she knocked on Ellen’s door, then went in.
    Her gran looked at her.
    “There’s nothing I can say that will change your mind, isthere?”
    Jess shook her head.
    “How long will you wait at the pool?”
    “All day if I have to. But not past dark. I’ll be home in time for supper.”
    “And if you’re not?”
    “I will be,” Jess said firmly. “I’ll see you later,” she said with a queasy smile, and left before she had time to think better of it.
     
    After that, it was easy. Jess waited until there was no one else in the farmyard, then slipped out and headed for the woods.
    It seemed oddly quiet as the trees closed in around her.
Watchful
, you might say.
    Stop it!
she thought. She tried hard to keep her mind on everyday things until she was close to the pool, then stood for several minutes, listening for any hint that there was a horse nearby.
    When nothing revealed itself, she began to walk towards the pool again, more slowly this time. Twenty paces, stop and listen again, nothing. Move on.
    She wanted to find a spot from which she could watch the pool unseen. Surely the horse would come out of the water when it appeared? She paused again, scanning the trees and bramble thicket and the pool itself, in case the horse was already there somewhere, and when she saw nothing, she turned her