Made to Pay: Eighteen

The Green Man drove the car to a little bridge, just the other side of Aberystwyth, pulling in by a half-derelict set of farmbuildings. He opened the door and got out, leaving Sian on her own. She watched him go through the mirror, before at last deciding to follow him. Removing the jacket in an effort to further disguise her appearance, she ran after him down the long private road.

The road ended by the sea, where a big house, sheltered by a wall, looked out over a long, sloping beach. It seemed that no a sould was there. Except for the lonely figure in Green who stood on that beach, looking out to sea, the wind blowing back his long overcoat.


"What's the matter?" Sian spoke breathlessly, as soon as she reached him.


"I took her here after ... after it happened." The Green Man spoke in a whisper. "I often found her out here, looking at the sea. Now that I've collected payment for her, it felt right to come here."


"You were expecting something to happen, weren't you?" Sian held his arm. "Expecting she'd snap out of it, be girl she was - the girl you loved?"

The Green Man said nothing for a very long time. When he spoke, he seemed far more distant than before.

"Once," he told her soberly. "Once did hope that. But that hope faded a long time ago. Do you know what true love is, Sian Rule? True love travels on to its goal, even when hope is gone. Maybe she will never know just how much I loved her, but that really doesn't matter. What matters is that justie has been done."

Sian nodded, a lump in her throat. She looked out on the waves, a tear rolling down her cheek.

"It's done." The Green Man nodded. "They have been made to pay the debt they owe to justice and to vengeance. Thank you for your part."

"Any time."

Sian Rule returned to the car, leaving the Green Man alone with the wind and waves.