"Try." "Oh, it's such a long way." " She mustn't go back..." " Shh!" "Sapphire?" "It's a warm day!" "Oh, it's a beautiful, hot summer's day!" "Mmm!" "There are flowers in full bloom." "There's such a lot of flowers!" "But there's no one here any more." " They've all had to go." " There must be someone." "Someone who was close to him." "Just a minute..." "Yes, there is someone." "Yes, there is." "Come on." "Come on." "There!" "No!" "'All irregularities will be handled 'by the forces controlling each dimension." "'Transuranic heavy elements may not be used where there is life." "'Medium atomic weights are available." "'Gold, Lead," "'Copper," "'Jet, Diamond, Radium," "'Sapphire, Silver and Steel." "'Sapphire and Steel have been assigned. '" "'No!" "'" "'No!" "'" "They were looking for me..." "so you'd better help." "You brought us here!" "You promised!" "So you'd better help!" "Who are you?" "Will you tell us?" "# Here we are on Tom Tiddler's ground" "# Picking up gold and silver... #" "Now children, back to your desks, please." "That's better." "Where's Sam Pearce?" "Late again, is he?" "Always late, that one, always will be." " It's gone wrong." " What?" "We want the name of a soldier, not a child." "Sam Pearce, I reckon you'd be late for your own funeral." " Get her back." " Now?" "Yes, it's gone wrong." "Get her back." "Will you come back to the table, please?" "The circle has been broken, will you return to the table?" "Will you come back to us, please?" "No, no, no!" "She must come to us." "Come back to us - we sent her." "Sapphire?" "Sapphire." "'Please answer me, Sapphire." "Come back to us." "'Come back to the table. '" "No!" "You can't." "I don't wanna be here." "I don't know why anyone should want me here." "What are you people doing?" "Sitting in judgment or something?" " No." " Sitting there like that." " The state of this place." " You know this place?" "I don't know it like this." "I did know it once, mind." "It's a railway station." " Oh." " Dewerton station." "Oh, yes." " You recognise it?" " Well, not in this state." " But you've been here before?" " Yes, when it was tidy, mind." " Of course." " Tully... the name of the soldier." "Will you tell us about yourself?" " There's nothing much to tell." " Oh, there must be." "Look, I-I don't want to be here." "There are things here." "Things?" "What kind of things?" "It's like a power..." "It's using other things." "I just don't want to be here." " It's using you?" " No!" "I don't have a grievance." "What do you mean by that?" "I don't know what I mean." "It's what I feel... all around me." "Can you..." "Can you describe this power?" "Not really." "It's like dark..." "Darkness." "It's just..." "It's very dark." "It's darker than anything." " Anyway, I don't wanna talk to you." " Why?" " You're different, that's why." " Why different?" "You're not like one of us so I don't wanna talk to you." " I'm only asking..." " I don't wanna talk to you!" "Not you." " Will you tell us your name?" " Why?" "Because we'd like to know it." " I'm not telling him." " But you can tell me, can't you?" "Yes." "So what is your name?" "And were you at your school?" " School?" " Teaching at your school." "I'm not anywhere." "I'm here and I don't want to be here." "Tell us something about your school." "It's just a school." "Please, I don't want to be here." "I'm frightened." "Tell me something about your school." "It's just a village school, that's all." "Please." "Who is Sam Pearce?" "Sam Pearce..." "Always late for school, Sam Pearce." "Always late for everything!" "What happened to him?" "Especially in the summer." "Couldn't keep him indoors in the summer." "I said, what happened to him?" "He loved the sun... and the soil." "He liked seeing things grow." "Didn't make a lot of difference really - 12 years." "Well, it did when he was at school but not after." "Not when he'd grown up." "12 years - it didn't mean a lot then." "Oh, it'll stay hot now." "It usually does after a blackthorn winter." "Or when there's a frost in March, of course." "Thought you'd known that." "You know up Goodman's field?" "I laid out straw there last March." "Dragged it up there, spread it out." "It took hours." "For the lapwings, they start nesting in March, and they nest on the ground, see?" "So if there's a frost..." "That one there, look." "No, by there." "Well, turn your head, then." "That's a pasqueflower." "Well, when it was in bloom." "They're rare." "Must be chalk here somewhere." "Chalk pasture." "Know what?" "That would have been in flower at Eastertide." "And we missed it." "So what happened to him when he grew up?" "He went away, to France." " To the war?" " Yes." "I made a hide out of reeds, didn't I?" "Out on Cottal Marsh." "Take you there one day." "Oh, all kinds." "Warblers, reed buntings, yellow wagtails." "You have to be patient, mind." "All right." "You bring the bread and cheese, I'll fetch the ale." "Oh, no, it'll stay hot." "You know what?" "Come next Eastertide, I'll pick that pasqueflower." "They're rare." "There may not be another in a season or two." "Next year..." "I'll pick that next year." "Well, we know who your soldier was." "Yes." "Then let's get Sapphire back, shall we?" "Not yet." "No." " But you've got the soldier's name." " Yes." " Then, that's enough." " No, it's not enough." "Eleanor." " I don't want to talk to you." " Tell me about Pearce." " Did he die?" " Of course!" " In that war?" " Not quite." " What do you mean by that?" " I said I wouldn't talk to you." " Eleanor..." " Please!" "Don't go near her." "Any change, any sudden shock, could kill your friend Sapphire." "Do you want that?" "Will you risk that for information about a dead man?" "All right, then, you find out what she meant." "Right." "Eleanor..." "When did Sam Pearce die?" "Tell me, please, when did he die?" "It was a shame, really, he should have come home." "It was summer again." "12 years' age difference." "It didn't mean a lot, really." "So when did he die?" "They said in the village it was exactly 11 minutes afterwards." "Someone out there had made a mistake, you see?" "11 minutes after what?" "After the armistice, after the cease-fire." "Someone out there had made a mistake." "11 minutes after 11 on the 11th day of the 11th month." "Yes." "Four elevens." "All right, let's get her back." " What's wrong?" " They've found me." " So what do we do?" "Do we go back?" " No." "It's all right." "It's coming to help." "It's coming now." "Let's close our eyes, please." " Why?" " Because we have to." " Can I go back now?" " Yes." "Just close your eyes." " Like this?" " Yes." "Think about your classroom, the children." "Just think of the village, the village where you live." "Yes." "On a hot summer day a long time ago." " Do you remember it?" " I do, yes." "Can you see it?" "Almost, yes." "And the school, the school where you teach?" "Yes, I can almost see it." "Good." "Keep thinking about it." "Yes." "Think about your classroom, the children." "Oh, yes, I can... almost see them." "The sun's shining." "It's a hot day." "Open the window, somebody." "That's better." " Sapphire?" " Who's Sapphire?" "Shh." "Just think of your classroom." "Yes." "And think of the children in the classroom." "Yes, I can see them properly now." " Good." " They're all there." "All of them." "All except Sam Pearce." "Always late, Sam Pearce." "The sun's gone." "It's dark." "Darkness." "Careful at the back there." "Careful." " Tully!" " Please be careful." "Have you ever seen darkness like that before?" "Whatever it is, it's capable of bringing back the dead." " No, don't." "She isn't back." " Why isn't she back?" " I don't know." " Sapphire!" " You can't wake her that way." " Sapphire!" " You can't!" " Come on, Tully." "Tully!" "Steel... you broke the circle!" "You broke the circle!" "She could have been left out... left outside, between journeys!" "Between journeys from one life to the next!" "Eleanor?" "Ellen?" "There was no blackthorn there." "No chalk pastures." "No birds." "No trees." "A point of subconscious had arrived between journeys..." "There was no one." "Don't you see that?" "!" "Between the teacher's life and her own, you must never break the circle." " Do you know what you could've done?" " 'Steel!" "'" " You could have lost her forever!" " 'Steel. '" " You could have lost her!" " Be quiet!" " 'Sapphire?" "' - 'Help me, Steel. '" "'I heard you, Sapphire, didn't I?" " 'Answer me. '" " I was right!" "You broke the circle and lost her out there!" "What do you know about "out there"?" " Not a great deal..." " Exactly!" "'Steel, help me. '" " But it's something we believe in." " "We"?" "People like me." " Then don't worry about Sapphire." " What?" "She knows more than your kind will ever know." "But she's not with us, is she?" "I mean, is she?" "!" " Look after her for a moment." " Where are you going?" "To see where that darkness has got to." " I'll come with you." " No." "No, I need you to look after Sapphire." "Please?" "Very well." "Pearce." "Sam Pearce?" "Sam..." "Is that what they call you?" "Sorry, USED to call you." "Or is it Sammy?" "Well, it wouldn't have been Samuel, would it?" "Not a private soldier." "I wonder what they called you when they marked your gravestone." "I wonder what's written there." "Maybe they didn't give you a stone." "Maybe there wasn't enough left of you to fill a grave." "Not enough of Private Pearce left to bury." "Have you been back, Sam?" "Been back to take a look?" "What about Eleanor?" "Do you think she ever went to take a look at your gravestone?" "To see what's engraved on it?" "No, doubt it." "I doubt she'd bother." "She was too old for you..." "and probably too good." "What chance would you have stood once that summer was over?" "Hey?" "Help us!" "Excuse me, sir." "Group sent me here, sir." "I've got one more op to complete and then I go home." "And he did say, sir" " Group said - that as your flight is one man short and all my team have bought it, that you'd..." "All right, sir." "Sorry, sir."