It was a week or so later and the gang minus Maria were driving down an old country road. Clyde was sat in the front with Sarah-Jane while Luke and Jenny sat in the back, an awkward amount of distance between the two after Luke had commented how nice she looked to day… which freaked Jenny out a little.

She was wearing a dress, that had a knitted lace look at the top, and a striped skirt that went down to her knees. She was wearing heels and a pink pearl-trim crop cardigan, with a pink bag thrown over her body.

She was meeting a very special friend today. She wanted to look nice, considering this was the first time she had seen her in a couple of years.

"My nan and Mrs Randall go way back." Clyde explained "She used to live next door until her old fellow died. Nan says there's no way Mrs Randall sees things or makes things up."
"And it's not just her that's been scared by this ghostly nun? Other residents have seen it?" Sarah-Jane asked as the pulled in to the retirement home 'Lavender Lawns'.
"Yeah, always at night, in their rooms." Jenny said leaning forward to rest on the back of Sarah-Jane's chair.


"Nora Connelly saw her first. She'd been to the loo. Oh, dreadful trouble she has with her waterworks. Three or four times every night. She comes out of the bathroom and there she is, the nun, by her chest of drawers." Mrs Randall told Sarah-Jane before turning around to pass her tea-cup and saucer to Clyde to put down.

"And what happened?" Sarah-Jane asked
"Well, she fainted clean away like a schoolgirl. No constitution at all. Surprised, the amount of times she's been married. Since then, most of us have seen her. Them that's not too Ga-ga not to notice, anyway." Jenny furrowed her eyebrows as she watched Luke stand up and stare out of the window.
"Well, thank you for your help, Mrs Randall." Sarah-Jane said.
"So, will there be a photographer?" Mrs Randall asked, touching her hair "You wouldn't think it, but I was in all the papers once. Miss Ealing of 1951."
"Well, it depends. I'll have to talk to the manager first." Sarah-Jane lied, picking up her bag.
"While you do that, I've got a few little jobs for Clyde to do. Your grandma said you wouldn't mind." she said, smiling at Clyde as Sarah-Jane and Jenny left the room.

"If that's all, may I go see my friend now Sarah-Jane?" Jenny asked, standing outside of Mrs. Randall's' room.

"Of course. But don't be gone too long."


Luke entered the courtyard to see the woman he saw through the window walking arm in arm with Jenny

"The Colonel won't believe us, darling. But who would? Better to keep mum. Sad. Better that way." she was mumbling to Jenny.

Suddenly the women stumbled and Luke leapt forward to help catch her, grabbing the arm that Jenny wasn't holding.
"Are you all right?" Luke asked her.
"Yes, yes, yes. Quite all right, thank you. Are you one of the one of the Colonel's chaps?" the lady asked standing taller.
"The Colonel? No, I-"
"I'm Bea Nelson-Stanley. I'm looking for my husband, the Professor. He said to meet him between the paws of the. Oh, what do you call it, the blessed thing? Er, the Sphinx." Bea said, pulling away from Jenny
"The Sphinx?" Luke asked confusedly.
"Yes."
"That's in Egypt."
"You're the boy in the window." Bea said, suddenly back in the present.

"Bea, this is my friend Luke. We're here to speak to Mrs Randall remember?" Jenny asked. Luke watched how she spoke fondly to the elderly women. As if she was close with her, not meeting her for the first time.
"She says this place is haunted by a nun. Have you seen her?" Luke asked as they walked.
"Yes, I have. And she's no ghost. There's something different about you. Oh, don't be afraid. It's all right, I've seen unusual people before, have you not meet Jenny. But perhaps you can help me."

"We have to be quick, Luke, in case anyone's watching." Bea said leading Luke by the shoulder, Jenny following behind.
"Who's watching?" Luke asked
"The er. Oh, for goodness' sake. I have these gaps. Er, hold this." she said, passing her cane to Luke. Bea pulled out a tin box from behind the ivy growing up a tree.
"I knew they might find me one day, but I couldn't be parted from it, but noway I could give it to Jenny, what if something happened to her. Foolish old woman." she opened the box to reveal a large necklace with a central blue stone.
"What is it Bea?" Jenny asked moving forward to touch it. As she did it started to glow a forest green.
"Never you mind. Just promise me, you will not tell anyone you have the talisman. And whatever you do, keep Jenny safe and do not let her get it. Do not let her get it." Bea said, passing the box over Jenny to Luke.
"Who?" Luke asked, concerned.
"Put it away, and promise me!" Bea said in desperation.
"I promise." Luke said as Jenny took it off of him and put it in her bag.

"But who's after it Bea?" Jenny asked, grasping her free hand – not the one holding the cane – tightly.

Suddenly Bea looked beyond Jenny and at Luke, "Do you know him? He's staring at you."
"What?" Luke asked, but Jenny just shook her head at him.

Bea sighed, thinking the shake was for her and left muttering under her breath again.

The teenage duo moved to catch up with her, Jenny taking her arm and Luke walking just behind.

Once they got to the pavement, Jenny kissed Bea's cheek and wished her goodbye before moving towards the front of the retirement home with Luke.

"Ah, no, not me. Way technology's moving, by the time I'm forty I can get my brain put in a robot and live for ever." they heard Clyde say as they approached the steps.
"Oh not this again." Jenny moaned, "You talk in your sleep as well now." she complained, thinking back to how she leant over to tell her brother to sleep to see he already was.
"Where've you been?" Sarah-Jane asked.
"Just looking around." Luke replied

"He meet my friend Bea." Jenny explained, moving to get into the car.
"Come on." Sarah-Jane said, suddenly softer "Let's get going."
"So what's the story, then. Is this place haunted, or what?" Clyde asked, as Sarah-Jane opened her door.
"I don't know. But there's something about it here I don't like." she said looking at the manageress who was staring at them from the window.


[Attic]

"Mister Smith, I need you." Sarah-Jane said, the second she was in the attic. doorway.
"Yes, Sarah Jane. What can I do for you?" he asked. Luke moved to sit on the bed like sofa in the corner, as Jenny passed him the tin box out of her bag, thinking he was going to tell Sarah-Jane
"The Lavender Lawns Rest Home is apparently being haunted by a nun. I need you to access Central Land Registry database for me, and see if there's anything historically to support the possibility."
"Of a haunting?" Mr Smith checked, sounding unsure for a computer. Jenny tool her cardigan off before sitting next to Luke,
"Just run the check, Mister Smith." Sarah-Jane ordered
"Very well."
"Doesn't Mister Smith believe in ghosts?" Clyde asked.
"Not as such. And neither do I." Sarah-Jane added.
"There is no record of any past ecclesiastical building on the site of Lavender Lawns." Mr Smith informed them. As Luke pulled the talisman out of the box, Jenny stood up, suddenly feeling something bad coming from the talisman and wanting to get away form it.
"So no obvious reason for the home to be haunted by a nun, then?" Sarah-Jane asked
"I assume that by haunting you mean the projection of energies imprinted on psychic-assimilating matter."
"Obviously."
"Come again?" Clyde asked confused.
"Events get recorded on their surroundings, then, under certain circumstances, they get played back." Sarah-Jane explained
"Sarah Jane, are you aware that Luke has brought an unidentified element of alien technology into the attic." Mr Smith snitched.
"What?" Sarah-Jane cried, moving over to the sofa, eyeing up where Jenny stood, staring at the thing in almost fear.
"Whoa, Luke! No way did that come off the Shopping Channel." Clyde said, reaching out to touch the talisman.
"Give it to me, Luke."
"One of the residents, Mrs Nelson-Stanley, gave it to me. She told us to keep it a secret. Sorry, was that wrong?" Luke asked. Jenny blinked as Luke unknowingly snitched her up,
"I don't know. Mister Smith, is it safe?" Sarah-Jane asked, placing the talisman on the tray that was ejected from Mr Smith.
"Insufficient data. I'd like to carry out a detailed analysis." Mr Smith said.

Suddenly the door behind them slammed and they turned to see and upset looking Maria.
"Do you mind? There's a lot of sensitive equipment in here." Sarah-Jane scolded
"Sorry. So, what's going on?" Maria asked moving closer to the gang, accepting the hug off of Jenny who could see she needed it.
"Some old biddy's given Luke an alien gizmo." Clyde said

"Hey! That 'old biddy' happens to be my friend." Jenny said, glaring at her brother.
"She said the nun wasn't a ghost and now it's looking for the talisman." Luke said
"Well, I'd better go back and talk to Mrs Nelson-Stanley. Do you want to come with me? You two stay here." she said, pointing at the boys.
"But she gave it to me." Luke said.
"And I brought you in on this. It's like my case." Clyde argued.

"And she is my friend. That trumps both of you."
"No arguments. Are you all right?" she said in a lower tone to Maria.
"Mum's back." she whispered and Jenny could see a look of understanding and sympathy spread over the older women's face.


Mrs Randall was the one to lead Sarah Jane, Jenny and Maria up into Bea's attic bedroom. The first thing Jenny noticed was lots of old framed photographs lying around the room.

"Poor Bea, she can't really tell you anything, Miss Smith. It's the Alzheimers, you know. Such a tragedy after the life she led." Mrs Randall said
"She's been everywhere. Was this her husband?" Maria asked.
"Edgar, he was an Archaeologist. They went all over the world together." Jenny said fondly, having heard the story a million times growing up.
"What happened to him?" Sarah-Jane asked.
"He died about five years ago. Bea started to lose it after that. That's when she washed up here."

"He was killed.. by aliens." Jenny whispered, giving her a look.
"The talisman." Maria said holding up a photo of Bea and Edgar at the Sphinx.
"Talisman? I thought you wanted to talk to her about the ghost?"

"We think they are linked." Jenny told her, just as Bea entered the room
"Bea, you've got visitors." Mrs Randall said, giving her a hand into the room.
"Do I know you? I'm sorry, these days I'm not very good with faces." Bea said causing Jenny to frown. This was the first time Bea had forgot her.
"This is Miss Sarah Jane Smith. She's a reporter."
"Oh, oh, well, it's my husband you want to talk to, then." Bea said.
"No, it's you we need to talk to, Bea." Jenny said moving closer, "Remember me Bea-Bea?" she waited a moment till Bea had smiled and put her hand on Jenny's face 'That's better' "We need you tell us something Bea. Can you tell us where you got this talisman?"
"That's my Edgar." Bea replied
"Your husband?" Maria confirmed.
"Yes. He used to say the Sontarans were the silliest-looking race in the galaxy." Bea laughed, and Jenny laughed along.
"What did you say?" Sarah-Jane asked, wide eyed.
"She's always going on about monsters and spacemen." Mrs Randall explained, not knowing they were real.
"She's seen Sontarans." Sarah-Jane couldn't quite believe it.
"What's a Sontaran?" Maria asked confused.
"The silliest race in the galaxy, that's what Edgar used to say. Like a huge potato with a ray gun. Quite nasty blighters they were, all the same." Bea described.
"Yes, Bea, they are. You're right. You're absolutely right." Sarah-Jane nodded.
"You shouldn't encourage her, Miss Smith. She'll go on and on about monsters, and especially the Gorgon. I saw that years ago at the flicks with Christopher Lee and er, Barbara Shelley."

After that Mrs Randall left and Maria turned to Sarah-Jane.

"So, if Bea's wearing this talisman, and it's alien, and she's seen these Sontarans, she isn't just talking about a bunch of old horror movies, like Mrs Randall thinks, is she."
"Aliens have been coming to Earth for centuries, Maria. Now maybe Bea's adventures with her archaeologist husband involved a lot more than just old pots and bones." Sarah-Jane replied watching Jenny help Bea put a LP on the record player.

"This was our song. Edgar had such a lovely voice." Bea said, showing Sarah-Jane the cover
"Did he? I'm sure he was quite a man."
"It's so sad. The things she seen, the things she did and now everyone just thinks she's crazy. But I don't so I Bea?" Jenny said, crouching down to help the elder women.
"Yeah, well, who knows where any of us will end up? But someone else doesn't think you're crazy, do they, Bea. Someone knows what the talisman is and they want it." Sarah-Jane said furrowing her eyebrows.
"The talisman?" Bea said snapping up straight, turning to Sarah-Jane.
"Yes, Bea. The talisman. Tell me what you know. I promise I'll believe you. Sometimes people have thought I've been mad, but I've seen things too, like you."
"Edgar unearthed it in a dig in, in Syria and he gave it to me. And he had no idea what it was. He had no idea."
"So, what is it?" Maria asked
"They mustn't find it. They mustn't find it!" Bea said instead of answering the question.
"Who, Bea? Who do you mean?" Maria asked.

"The nun!" Jenny breathed, figuring it out.
"The Sisters." Bea nodded
"The nuns?" Sarah-Jane said in disbelief
"They protect her."
"Protect who?" Sarah-Jane asked.
Bea seemed to find it hard to talk, "The Gorgon."


"It's all in here, I know it is." Sarah Jane said taking a book from the top shelf.

"A Gorgon, all snakes for hair and turning people to stone by looking at them? It's a fairy story, isn't it?" Maria asked.

"A myth. A Greek myth. Rumour has it Poseiden and Medusa were lovers but as a priestess of Athena, was devoted to a life of celibacy. After being won over by Poseiden and falling for him, she forgot her vows and married him. She was punished by Athena in a most terrible manner. Each wavy lock of the beautiful golden hair that had charmed Poseiden was changed into a venomous snake." Jenny shrugged when they looked at her, "I love Greeks."

"There's a big difference between fairy-tales and myths. And incidentally, for future reference, Maria, even some fairy tales have a foundation in fact. Here it is."
"There were three Gorgons, the hideous daughters of Phorcys the sea god and Ceto."
"Stheno, Euryale and Medusa. That's right. But in some versions of the story there was just one. Medusa. And she wasn't always ugly. She was a beautiful nymph with golden hair, but Poseiden fell in love with her and jealous Athena turned her into a Gorgon." Sarah-Jane read looking up at Jenny at the last bit.
"Medusa was killed by Perseus as a challenge." Jenny told them.
"The Greeks were always dishing out challenges to each other. I think it must be a man thing. But this one really had to be a tough call. Warrior after warrior had tried to slay the Gorgons, but all of them turned to stone." Sarah-Jane said.
"Because they had to look at them to kill them." Maria guessed
"Perfect defence mechanism. Once you laid eyes on a Gorgon there was no escape. You couldn't run, you couldn't attack. Your body was already turning to stone. And there was nothing you could do to stop it. One glance was all it took. Terrifying." Sarah-Jane explained to Maria.
"Does Bea believe Gorgons actually existed?" Maria asked looking at Jenny.
"I think she believes one does at least." Jenny nodded, "Does that mean that one of my favourite myths is an alien?"
"Remember what I said? Aliens have been coming here for hundreds of years. Thousands." Sarah-Jane repeated
"And one's survived all this time?" Maria asked.
"Yeah, perhaps." Sarah-Jane nodded.
"But how can it turn people to stone just by looking horrible?"
"Well, I doubt that's quite how it works." Sarah-Jane laughed, so did Jenny.

"It's thought that Athena's curse was so strong, that by looking at Medusa, it was reflected back at you, slowly turning all of your flesh to stone." Jenny explained as Sarah-Jane's mobile started ringing.
"Hello?...What?"


Sarah-Jane bundled Jenny and Maria into the car before driving to meet Clyde, who apparently lost Luke to a bunch of nuns.

"I warned him not to talk to that freaky nun. I tried to stop him but just happened so fast. They pulled up, and bam!"
"Clyde, just calm down." Sarah-Jane said as he reached the car. Jenny opened the front door to the car, sticking one leg out so she could stand.
"She was after the talisman."
"Where's she taken Luke, any idea?" Sarah-Jane asked
"I don't know. She was from some abbey."
"She's a nun." Jenny said blatantly

"Clyde, think. Which one?" Sarah-Jane pushed
"I'm trying to. I don't know. Some old woman's name like the lady writer. The old lady detective."
"Miss Marple?" Sarah-Jane asked
"No."
"Agatha Christie?" Jenny raised an eyebrow. 'When was she a detective?'

"St Agatha?"
"Agnes. St Agnes' Abbey!"
"Get in the car." Clyde ran around and climbed in behind Sarah-Jane.


They pulled up outside of the Abbey and Sarah-Jane and Jenny got out of the car. Sarah Jane knocks on the door and selects a fake ID from her collection.

"Oh, hello, my name is Felicity Barnes, this is my trainee Jennifer. We're doing a story for the Times on religion in the twenty first century. Is there anyone we can talk to?"

"Didn't they tell us to speak to a Sister Helena?"
Sarah Jane pushes her way in past the nun at the door. Jenny smiled widely at her before following Sarah-Jane.

The duo were lead to a beautiful library and the second they were in the room the nun shut the door and locked it.

Sarah-Jane tried the handle before shrugging at Jenny, "So much for fake ID."

Sarah Jane pulled out a book and started reading up on the Gorgon while Jenny wandered around, admiring the room.

They both looked up when the door opened and Luke walked in.
"Luke! Oh, are you all right?" Sarah-Jane said rushing forward to hug Luke
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"So, what do you think you're doing, getting into a stranger's car? For an intelligent boy, sometimes I can't believe how stupid you are," Sarah-Jane chastised.
"I didn't just get in." Luke complained
"Luke was never in any danger, Miss Smith, but it seemed that bringing him here was the fastest way of attracting your attention. Although your other two young friends were a surprise." the one Jenny believed to be sister Helena said before snapping her fingers. This must have been the signal for letting Clyde and Maria lose because they suddenly ran in.
"We found Mrs Gribbins." Clyde said, heading straight to his sister, at the back of the group.
"She's been turned to stone." Maria added
"Unfortunately Mrs Gribbins always was something of a useless old fossil." Sr Helena… joked? 'Was that humour?'
"Are you really protecting a Gorgon here?" Sarah-Jane asked, putting her arm around Maria.
"A creature with writhing serpents for hair? Those melodramatic Greeks. They never could resist embellishing a story. But yes, as you've seen, the myth isn't entirely without foundation." she said as other nuns brought in a veiled woman, who appeared to be hissing.
"But it's an alien, right?" Maria confirmed, staring at the thing.
"The Gorgons travelled to our world three thousand years ago. Once there was three. Now only one."
"A real live Gorgon." Jenny said in slight awe.
"Generations of our Sisters protected the Gorgons down the centuries."
"If she's survived three thousand years, what happened to the other two?" Clyde asked, elbowing his sister.
"One was killed during ancient days, when our sisterhood served Demeter. When the key was stolen."
"The key to whatever brought the Gorgons to Earth. And the Sisters have been searching for it ever since. Did you get close once, Sister Helena? Maybe fifty years ago. Was that when the second Gorgon died?" Sarah-Jane asked stepping forward..
"Professor Nelson-Stanley and his meddlesome wife. But you have the key now, Miss Smith. I'm sure you will be more reasonable." Sr Helena also took a step forward.
"I wouldn't bet on it. Kidnapping, turning people to stone? No, no, not the kind of things that make me feel reasonable."
"Sarah Jane," Sr Helena started taking Sarah-Jane aside, "Three thousand years is a long time, even for a being with a Gorgon's lifespan. She is old. The talisman opens a portal to the Gorgon's world. She only wants to go home to die. You can understand that, can't you?"
"All right. We'll get it." Sarah-Jane said coming back to the gang.
"The boys stay here." Sr Helena said, raising her voice.
"No!"
"They'll be perfectly safe, as long as you don't try to deceive us."


The boys ended up staying at the Abbey.

"We can't give them the talisman." Maria whispered as the three of them walked past the nuns to the door,
"I know, but at least we're on my territory now, not theirs." Sarah-Jane replied
"We are, but they've still got the boys." Jenny whisper-shouted at Sarah-Jane.
"The girl stays with me." Sr Helena said, grabbing Maria's arm, ending their conversation. Sarah-Jane and Jenny shared a look before entering the house, Jenny showed the nuns to the living room while Sarah-Jane ran upstairs.

"Doesn't she speak English?" Maria asked, once they were in the living room.
"The Gorgon doesn't need to speak." Sr Helena sneered.
"You mean she's, like, telepathic? Is that how she controls you? I mean, looking after a Gorgon isn't exactly normal for a bunch of nuns, is it?" Jenny said, sitting down, crossing her legs, staring down the nuns.
"I'd shut up if I were you, or the Abbess might show you her idea of solving a problem like Maria." Sr Helena said, suddenly smirking at Maria.
Jenny opened her mouth to make a remark when Sarah Jane entered with the talisman.
"Is this what you've spent three thousand years looking for?" she said holding it up.
"The key to the portal." Sr Helena raised her hand to take it when Sarah-Jane held up her sonic lipstick and powered it on.
"What do you think you're doing?" Sr Helena asked.
"Either you let my son and his friend go, or I will destroy the talisman with sonic disruption." Sarah-Jane bargained
"I warned you, Miss Smith. Now look on the face of the Gorgon and feel your flesh turn to stone." Sr Helena said as the attendant nuns raise the Gorgon's veil.
"No, don't look!" Jenny said, jumping up to turn the women around, allowing Sr Helena to snatches the talisman.
"Hello? The door was open." Mr Jackson said coming it to the room knocking Jenny over, as she looked up from the floor…

She found her self looking into the Gorgon's eyes.


Sorry... I'm evil I know but this is important for other reasons.