Story Contest: Fairy Tale Edition

Talia Randall and Justin Courtald walked down the gloomy street. Though they held hands, the warm night air between them was brittle with an angry silence. They stared ahead, not speaking, and may as well have had the road between them.

Talia wondered what Justin would do if she squeezed his hand and let her fingers relax as if the whole fight, the whole damned night,had never happened.

He'd be happy. He'd step closer, run his thumb over the inside of her wrist. The tension would leak away and disperse into the night. But she couldn't do it, couldn't reach out.

They had gone to the theatre as a break from the stress at home. But Talia made one snippy remark, Justin snapped back, and the fragile peace shattered. They couldn't disagree about the little things anymore; everything became a big thing.

"I don't care if you say you hate me, Tal. Just say something, for God's sake," Justin had yelled.

"People are staring. Wait till we get home," Talia responded, her arms crossed – not a shield, but to hold herself in. Her voice was calm, composed, despite the turmoil inside.

Once, Justin had known she wore a mask. Now he thought it was her real face.

So they walked down the street and waited for the silence to end.

"You two look happy. I suppose food is out of the question?" A disgruntled voice drifted from beyond the rusting fence to their right.

They halted abruptly and stared into the dark construction site. The metal skeleton of scaffolding climbed a looming building with shattered windows like broken eyes. The gleam of water caught the distant street lights.

"It's just a hobo?" Justin half-asked.

The voice came again, indignant now. "I resent that aspersion." And, atop a jutting metal bone of the scaffolding, a cat thumped its tail angrily.

Talia and Justin blinked up at it. Then Justin yelled and stumbled back, arms flinging up; Talia touched a trembling hand to her mouth.

It had to be the cat. Nothing else moved in the deserted site save the water. The cat had spoken.

"Screaming's good. Normally it's the woman though."

"Sexist. I'm allowed to yell," Justin muttered.

Laughter chased the fear from Talia. That was him right through: no coward, and definitely not afraid to show emotion.

"Well," the cat drawled, "you can hear me, so I suppose you're who I'm looking for." It stretched, paws out and back arched. "Yes, I am a talking cat. No, you're not crazy. It's magic. Does that cover everything?"

"Did someone spike our drinks?" Talia ignored the cat.

"We'd have noticed earlier."

"Animals don't talk."

"That one is," Justin pointed out.

"What's a cat doing in a construction site anyway?"

"Talking to us." He grinned, but the expression slipped when Talia glared. "Lighten up, Tal. We're meant to be having fun. Who cares if we're hallucinating?"

"Crazy isn't fun. Magic isn't real."

"Magic is the bloodstream of the universe. It imbues everything – if you've the eyes to see it," the cat, sitting patiently while they argued, interjected. "It's real. I'd know."

"No, that's atoms. Not magic."

"Your call, human. I suggest climbing over there. If you dare." It turned and bounded along the metal into the dark.

It wasn't a hard decision: walk away from a relaxed Justin and intriguing mystery? As Justin jumped down the other side of the fence and Talia followed, using the bin to boost herself, the cold metal biting into her fingers, excitement pushed aside the misery of the night. Maybe this was the problem; they hadn't broken into a construction site – well, ever. But adventure had been part of their relationship once.

"Humans are graceless." The cat watched them from on high.

Talia reached the top of the fence and shot it a dirty look. "And you're tactless, cat."

"Cat. How rude."

"Do you have a name?" She swung over the fence, scraping her ankle and wincing. Justin caught her legs to steady her.

"Names are a human conceit."

"Then deal with being called cat."

"Your woman is rude."

"So are you," Justin said easily. He helped Talia the rest of the way, hands skimming up her sides and lingering. She looked up at him, and for a moment they didn't move. Then she remembered the fighting, and he stiffened and stepped away.

A long sign was attached to the scaffolding, out of place in the dust and rubbish. It was old and rusted but didn't fit the construction site. The cat leapt to the ground and curled up under it.

"Is it licking itself?" Talia squinted in the dark. The city's constant light meant it wasn't pitch black, but nor was it easy to see.

Justin snorted, then laughed. "Yep. Nice to know some things don't change, even if it talks. Hey, cat, what's with the sign?"

"The sign?" The cat's voice muffled against fur. "Dufe Uabge."

Justin's mouth twisted; then he laughed again and shrugged. "Yeah, right. You made that up."

The cat paused its grooming to look up coldly. "I did not. It translates to Land's End."

"From what? Gibberish?" Talia stepped closer.

The cat hissed, then leapt back up the scaffolding. "This way."

Talia climbed up first this time, the scaffolding creaky but steady. She flipped onto her stomach to help haul Justin up. She didn't look around; she didn't scare easily, but there was an atmosphere about the abandoned site that crept under her skin and made her hair stand on end. Her mind compartmentalised the talking cat and treated it as a normal, if illegal, escapade.

"You're not dreaming. You'll have to make a choice soon."

"Are you a mind reader as well?" she snapped. She wriggled forward to look down at Justin.

"No, but I'm not stupid. Your choice will have consequences."

"Like?"

"Him. You willing to fight for him?"

Talia froze. She stared at the cat in fear; then anger sliced through her. "Yes. Always." Love wasn't meant to be easy. Four years weren't cancelled out by a few months. They'd get through this.

Below, Justin called for a hand. She ignored him. The cat's mouth curved in a smile showing sharp incisors. "This way." It strolled off along the scaffolding.

They followed, less sure in their balance, toward the wall of the building. Talia slid down and swung her legs through the air; Justin knelt on a convenient plank of wood. Below them, the water was a pool of darkness. For a moment the only sound was the background noise of traffic.

"Well?" Talia said testily.

"Look down. What do you see?"

"Water."

"Just water?" the cat asked.

"Maybe it's blood," Justin offered.

"Yeah. Water. That's the truth." Talia ignored him.

The cat said with obvious patience, "It is truth, but truth is not always appearance."

"What does that mean?"

"It's water. It's also true it's more than water. Look harder."

Talia sighed, but Justin leant forward and peered down. "Nope. Still 'appears' to be water,' he said.

"It's nice water. Rippling," Talia added.

"Definitely rippling. Probably dirty. "

"I'm stuck on the rippling." She almost laughed. Suddenly she didn't care it was the middle of the night and they'd broken in because a cat told them to. She and Justin were talking, not arguing, almost teasing.

"Look again, smartarses."

Talia's breath caught suddenly in her throat; deep in the pool was a golden glitter. It grew from a hint of starlight to an intense glow. "What is it?"

The cat smiled smugly. "The way to Land's End."

"What? Like a magic portal?" Justin sounded half eager, half sceptical.

"Not like. It is a portal. Now you have a choice."

"A choice?"

"Jump or walk away."

Justin didn't have to think. He looked at Talia, and the anger and frustration was gone, leaving only a huge grin and the boyish adventure she'd fallen in love with. "We're jumping, right?" He almost dared her.

She thought about the cat's words. Did going through or not going through meant she risked losing him? If it was even a portal. She knew now there wasn't only anger left between them; if they walked away, she could work from that. So jumping in meant possibly losing him.

He shifted impatiently, and she nodded.

This time when they grasped hands there was no space between them. Justin looked at her, but Talia stared at the golden glow of the portal, then flicked a glance at the cat. It nodded, serious, and she knew she was right. Going in meant risking Justin – but she said she would fight, and she would.

They jumped. They disappeared.

The cat rolled over to bat idly at a buzzing insect while the glow exploded into a golden mist. It chuckled, an oddly human and bitter sound. "Alright, hag. I kept my part of the deal: I betrayed Conall. But I warned her, and she went. You made me help you, but I think I helped him more."

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