I opened the heavy steel door just a crack at first. The distant streetlights provided some illumination – and I could see no movement or sign of life. So, I opened the door a little wider – and, no, the hinges had not been oiled for some time and they creaked loudly. Spooky – and annoying. There was a large Morton Bay fig-tree nearby and, at the sound of the creaking hinges, a flock of several large fruit bats took to flight, silhouetted against the night sky. (At that time, fruit bats were still very rare in Melbourne.) They had been feasting on the figs, of course, and I had interrupted their meal. Bugger! I had hoped to be a little less obtrusive in my first sally forth from the crypt. So, I waited, ready to retreat inside quickly if I had attracted any unwanted attention. Five minutes or so had passed. No-one came. No footsteps. No voices. Okay, I slipped through the door and carefully pushed it shut again. It made no noise when I closed it. Why was that? Don’t know – I was just grateful for small mercies. I stood for a time to allow my eyes to become accustomed to the darkness. Even so, it was still bloody dark. I cast my eye towards the gate-keeper’s house. If the soldiers had remained stationed at the cemetery gate – opposite the Northern gate of the university – that was the logical place for them to set up base. I expected that they would sleep there, too. The gate-keeper’s house was built solely as a residence some time in the 19th century. Though it was not exactly grand, it must have blended in well with the nearby sandstone buildings of the university. Of course, that harmony had long since been disrupted by the presence of more modern buildings nearby. Still, I had always thought it looked like a particularly elegant and comfortable place in which a gentleman could reside. (Nice garden, too – within a privet hedge.) There was a soft glow at one of its windows but no sound coming from the building. The gatekeeper’s house was, in current times, set up both as a residence and administrative centre. So, I would have expected the squad – or, rather, its replacement – would have found all mod-cons available in the building – as well as space to set up communications, store munitions and so on.
Ny allav vy mires.langbot langbot