The child continued on his journey along the moonlit path leading up over a hill and off in to the distance. The road began to climb the boy slowed his pace wrapping his long trench coat even tighter round his small frail body. Suddenly the wind grabbed hold of his jacket pulling him back he fell and stumbled for a few seconds he sat there with his hands and knees resting on the ground. He composed himself stood up and once again cocooned himself within his jacket. The gradient of the road climbed even higher slowly he began to crawl higher up the hill. Eventually he reached the top of the hill and stood there looking over the landscape. Over to his left and his right outstretched two long lines of trees which appeared to be moving from one side to the other with the wind. However by now the wind was beginning to die down, the clumps of trees were not swaying so ferociously in the wind. The trees encircled one huge clearing of small hills with odd areas of flat land which had small hermit pine trees strewn over the ground. Every now and then a pair of sparkling diamond eyes would dart across the area quickly disappearing into the tress. Streaks of moonlight stretched out over the hills and off into the distance.
He stood there for about ten minutes with his trench coat blowing in the wind. Gradually the wind began to die until the trees were still and lifeless. The boy continued on his journey at a much quicker pace down the hill no longer fighting the wind. Gradually the gradient of the land began to lessen and eventually the land became flat once again. Finally the boy sighted his goal on old barn off in the distance. The barn was situated at the bottom of the tallest hill in the area it was nearly a mountain, it stretched up towards the heavens and could not be seen in the gloom of the night. The roof was thatched but the thatch desperately needed replacing. There were many holes on the roof and most of it had turned green with mould. There were two small windows located on the top half of the house on either side they glared out like a pair of dead black eyes. The door was ajar it stood there like a huge gaping mouth waiting to engulf the next visitor to enter the darkness. The barn with its green hair dark lifeless eyes and gaping mouth was terrifying. But still the boy carried on walking along the path towards the monstrous house.
Off in the distance the headlights of cars sped past and the pounding sound of great tankers and lorries could be heard carrying their many unknown substances across the countryside. As he drew nearer the number of headlights and noises seem to grow louder spoiling the peace and tranquillity of the whole area. Suddenly a flock of birds driven from their roost by the noise shot off into the night sky, he jumped back startled and tripped over a discarded plastic bottle. He fell to the ground landing on his back quickly he scurried to get up again. Now startled by the fall he began to run along the path then darting off to take a short cut through the trees their long fingers hindering his passage and scratching his face. Tired and with his face scratched he emerged from the blanket of trees. He stopped and rested with his hands on his knees panting hard, steam bellowed from his mouth with every breath. Eventually he stood up straight and looked up at the decrepit old barn; he stared up at the barn with its dark eyes constantly looking ahead. Slowly, cautiously he entered into the gaping mouth and the darkness of the building.
Once inside he pulled a torch from his pocket and began to examine the area, once his eyes became accustomed to the gloom he replaced the torch in his pocket and looked around. Stacked in the corner of the barn was a huge pile of straw and despite the fact that it had been left there for the last few years it was surprisingly dry. The rest of the floor was empty. But the upper rafters were teeming with life, many owls sat on the beams every few minutes another one would enter and a different one would leave. Rats and mice ran back and froth across the beams of wood and many other birds sat perched somewhere on the roof.
Gradually the boy reached into his left pocket and pulled out a bottle of mentholated spirit casually he began spreading it over the pile of straw humming to himself as he worked. He then turned his attention to the rest of the barn splashing the last few drops over the walls. He then reached in to his other pocket and pulled out a tiny box of matches he held the box up to his ear and shook a small rattling sound came from the box. He opened the box to reveal five small matches, he took out one of the matches and laid it on the palm of his hand just staring at it. He clenched his fist around the match and then walked out of the barn. Returning a few minutes later with some small twigs and dry bracken he stacked them up into a pile on top of the straw and then took a second bottle of mentholated spirit and soaked the small fire in the liquid. He pulled the single match and the match box from his pocket. He stuck the match quickly on the box there was a fizzle and the match erupted in flame. He leaned over the soaked fire he had constructed and dropped the match on to the fire. The entire fire erupted in flame the small flames began to chase each other all over the huge pile of straw and along the walls. The flames began to grow larger and hotter and the familiar crackling that is associated with fires began to sound. The boy stepped back to admire his masterpiece this burning leaving breathing thing which he had created it moved around the building with the speed of a cat. The flames began lapping at the ground on the edge of the straw stack searching for substances to fuel their destructive path. The walls glowed red with the heat from the flames and loud cracking noises could be heard. The burning heat began to engulf the structure, mice and other animals began to scurry high up into the rafters where they believed they would be safe. The boy stood their mesmerised by the dancing waves of flame as his very own creation began to grow to an uncontrollable height and size. In distance the whirring sirens of the petrol fuelled fire trucks came echoing.
The Sun rose in the sky illuminating the charred remains of the barn surrounded by fire trucks and police cars. The few remaining pockets of fire were being extinguished by men dressed in large jackets. The report filed later stated that the fire had been started by flammable chemical possible petrol being lit within the barn. There were no suspects as to who started the fire all that was found was the remains of an old trench coat.
