Episode 5 - Chapter 57

 “Red door,” Robert whispers to himself, “Red door.”

His hand moves to scratch his chin, which has suddenly become very itchy. But rather than touch his chin, his hand encounters a huge growth of hair. Robert brings both hands to his face in alarm, realising that he's grown a beard. It's thick and bushy, and hangs almost halfway down his chest. He looks down to get a better look at it, only to discover the state of his clothing, which has become tattered and threadbare with age. The beard he sees is flecked with grey, his hands gnarled with age. His walk, he is suddenly aware, has become more of a hobble.

“How long have I been in this damnable corridor?” he cries.

Episode 5 - Chapter 56

 “Red door, red door,” Robert intones under his breath as he walks. He wonders about the significance of the colour red, and its relationship with the purpose of the door. As he has no idea what's going to be behind the door, other than some nebulous notion of safety, he's at a bit of a loss. Surely red signifies danger, alarm, a warning of some kind. Maybe he'll be safe there because the red will warn others to stay away. But then shouldn't he be warned by the red as well, shouldn't he stay away as well? Red is also passionate, so maybe what's behind the door is love. Maybe the door takes him to his wife, they go home, that's where he's safe.

Episode 5 - Chapter 55

 From time to time Robert thinks about just opening one of the doors and being done with it. What would be the harm? At least then he'd stop wondering about the damn things. And every time he wonders about about that, he's filled with anxiety and cold dread. What if he got distracted, forgot about the red door, he might just keep walking this endless corridor past all these doors for the rest of eternity and never see Fiona again. Yes, that's right, he's here to rescue Fiona. And Raven. Yes, yes, that's right, rescue Fiona and Raven and get back before dawn, before Oak does something drastic. Keep walking, ignore all these white doors, the one we want is red.

Episode 5 - Chapter 54

 Robert walks, repeating the same two words as he does. His rhyme game kept him entertained for what could have been several centuries, but he brought it to an end when he realised he was forgetting its main purpose - he is looking for a red door. He does wonder about the white doors from time to time, there's so many of them and they're all the same, not even numbered. Assuming they all lead to different rooms, he wonders how anyone would be able to find the right door, though he also wonders if they all just lead to the same room. Perhaps the residents of the Weave can see a difference that he can't. He must make a note to ask Tom, if he ever turns up.

Episode 5 - Chapter 53

 “...left door, red door, right door, red door, more and more, what a bore, endless floor, know the score, the war of four, red door, red door, shock and awe, heavy snore, ground floor, there's no more, every pore, red door, red door, we adore, fiction's war, to the core, not implore, press corps, red door, red door, come ashore, to stand for, wild boar, dream's roar, still there's more, red door, red door, peacock ore, broken law, heretofore, account for, nothing more, saddle sore, red door, red door, what's more, packaged gore, could restore, come before, fun galore, red door, red door...”

Episode 5 - Chapter 52

 “Left door, right door, red door, red door.” Robert starts to alter the mantra as he walks, still looking for his elusive red door. He knows he's looking for a red door, but he's grown so bored of hearing his own voice repeat the same two words ad infinitum that he alters their pattern to maintain his sanity.

“Left door, right door, red door, wet floor, total bore, under score, red door, red door, what for, no more, quite sore, nuclear war, red door, red door, gaping maw, twenty four, ancient lore, soft paw, red door, red door, take your, rotten core, broken jaw, cheap whore, red door, red door.”

Time passes, as does many a non-red door.

Episode 5 - Chapter 51

 “Red door, red door,” Robert intones as he walks, “Red door, red door.”

He's synchronised his incantations with his paces, red for the left foot, right for door. His eyes sweep casually from side to side, scanning the doors, desperately hoping that the next one he sees will be red. But it never comes into view so he just keeps walking and talking: “Red door, red door.”

He wonders what will be behind it, when he finally finds it. He's sure it's going to be pretty spectacular if he has had to travel so far to get there, but he has no idea what it could be. He doesn't even know where to start speculating.

So he keeps walking, chanting his mantra, scanning the doors, and time passes.

Episode 5 - Chapter 50

 “So what are you going to do?” I asked.

“For now,” Oak replied, “Nothing.”

“Nothing?” Mary exclaimed, “You can't just do nothing.”

“I believe,” he turned his gaze to her, “That doing nothing right now is the best course of action.”

“With God knows what in the cellar?” Mary seemed quite flustered by this.

“I have a sense of a game being played,” he continued.

A game?” I asked.

“Yes, a game,” he replied. “At the moment, I am unsure if we are the players, the audience or the pieces. Until I know more, caution is the best road. Until I know more, the most cautious thing I can nothing.”

“So we just have to put up with it rumbling away?” Mary asked.

   

Episode 5 - Chapter 49

“You mean a spy?” Raven asks.

“You'd rather I resorted to having something follow you?”

“How would you do that, I wonder. Once I used the door...?”

“Every piece of chalk has its board. The board for that chalk tells you when a door is drawn and where it went. And there is always more than one piece of chalk for every board.”

“Very well,” Raven spits, “Send along your spy. Try not to make him too annoying. And there's one other thing.”

“Hmmm?” inquires the Author.

“You'll want to formally invite me back into the Weave. Once this has drawn to a conclusion I'll need to come back. I'd hate to be unable to fulfil my side of our bargain.”

Episode 5 - Chapter 48

“What advantages?” Raven demands.

“His Lordship will have to turn his attention to the Slums once he's seen a door used there. He'll be savage and inescapable, but he'll also be thorough, which will take him some time. That's your advantage.”

“And you just happen to get your slum problem dealt with as an afterthought?”

“It does have an eloquent synchronicity to it, don't you think?” Raven could swear the Author is sparkling in smug satisfaction.

“Fine,” he says, “How do I get to the black market?”

“I'll give you a map.” The Author reaches into his pocket, reaching for something, then pauses. To Raven, he seems to shine for a moment. “Actually, I'll do better than that. I'll give you an interactive guide.”

Episode 5 - Chapter 47

“What's that then?” Raven asks.

“I believe you would be better served if you went through the black market and out into the Slums.”

“The Slums?”

“A ghetto that has somehow managed to attach itself, limpet like, to the outer edges of the black market. It's a place that attracts forgotten ideas and some of the seedier aspects of the imagination. None of the Fears could bear to be there, so you'll be able to slip away unseen.”

“I suspect,” Raven says, “That this is not going to be an easy journey to undertake, nor one that I'll find pleasurable.”

“Indeed,” the Author tells him, “But the advantages considerably outweigh the hardship.”

Episode 5 - Chapter 46

“And his Lordship wont be able to follow me?” Raven asks.

“He wont know the door exists until you step through, because it's a new door. He'll only become aware of it when it's used, and once it has been used it will dissolve.”

“Good,” says Raven, taking the chalk. “I'll be on my way then.”

He reaches for the handle but the Author puts a hand out to stop him. “The door can only be used by the person who drew it, and anyone they're touching. This door will not work for you. Besides, I believe there is a better route out of the market for you, one that wont be watched at all.”

Episode 5 - Chapter 45

“Interesting,” the author says. From his pocket, he produces a piece of chalk. He bends forward, to touch the ground with it. He then lifts it up to just above his head, a white line following its progress, hanging in thin air.

“The principal is simple,” he tells Raven. “You draw a door in the air with the chalk.” He moves the chalk horizontally, a white line appearing in its wake before he brings it down to touch the ground once more. “It is vital to remember to draw a handle,” he insists, drawing one. “And voilà!” he exclaims, gesturing at a white door which now stands before him. “After that, conventional rules of the Weave apply. Think about where you want to go as you open it.”

Episode 5 - Chapter 44

“That particular tribe owes a debt to the Forest,” Raven mumbles.

“Speak up now,” chirps the Author. “What kind of a debt?”

“There was an imbalance, an agent was sent. When they found out they were in the Warp they were horrified, said they were nowhere near completing their task. The agent saw no harm in allowing them to return, provided certain articles were agreed.”

“What articles?”

“That they might be called upon to provide useful information when the Forest had need.”

“I see. So in return for the services of one tribe, you allow the rest to exist?”

“Even the Forest can see the value of an ally in the Weave.”

Episode 5 - Chapter 43

“On what grounds?” The Author asks.

“The Forest doesn't attack the Weave, that's not why it exists. The Forest protects the Warp, maintains the balance. There was no imbalance. His request was judged to be a potential imbalance in itself, because it provoked the Weave.”

“And yet poor King Rat...”

“The agent renounced the Forest and did it anyway.”

“I see. And yet, in the case of the Nomads, that makes no sense. They can touch the Warp, and have, on more than one occasion. I would have thought that would arouse the Forest's curiosity.”

“They are closely watched.”

“Yes, they are. Tell me, why would they help you out of a recurring dream?”

Episode 5 - Chapter 42

“That wasn't the Forest,” Raven tells the Author, “That was a private matter taken care of by an individual agent. That Agent hasn't served the Forest since that event.”

“Want!” The cats declare together, before running off into the hubbub of the market.

“What kind of a private matter?”

“The agent concerned took great offence at the notion that one rat would hold another in higher esteem than it held itself. I remember he was very insistent that that wasn't what a rat is.”

“And the Forest just let him do this?”

“Not quite, no. He sought the leave of the Forest to address what he called a potential imbalance, for if King Rat were to find a way to touch the Warp, lead the rats, the results would be catastrophic! He was denied.”

Episode 5 - Chapter 41

“Very well,” says the Author, “Why does the Forest allow the Nomads to persist in their delusions?”

“I'm sorry,” replies Raven, distracted by the circling cats who, in their ladylike form, are almost rubbing against him. “I don't understand what you mean. What delusions?”

“Come now Corvus, don't be coy, that would negate our deal. Why does the Forest allow them to believe they are of the Warp? I mean 'Shadow Vatican', really? That's a throw-away idea for a wet Tuesday.”

“Can you two stop that?” Raven snaps at the cats, startling them.

“Hurry up...” replies the dark haired lady.

“...not much time,” her companion finishes.

“Not our turf,” Raven says to the Author, waving at the market around them. “It's nothing to do with the Forest, as long as it stays here. It's only when it threatens the Warp that the Forest stirs to action.”

“That sounds convenient. But it's not entirely true, is it? King Rat never touched the Warp and you still dealt with him.”

Episode 5 - Chapter 40

“Is there anything else I should know about your cellar?” Oak asked. “A phantom of the washing machine, perhaps, or a dragon in the toolbox?”

“Nothing that springs to mind,” I told him. “Except the freezer was never this loud, or as constant; it used to come on for five minutes every hour or so.”

“I see,” he said, “And you're sure there's nothing else to worry about?”

“You can't seriously be worried about a family joke,” Edward said.

“Something is vibrating your house,” Oak gave him that stern look he's so fond of.

“But you can't...” Edward started to reply.

Episode 5 - Chapter 39

 The darkness remains for a moment, but slowly the familiar strains of a waltz, The Blue Danube, rises and swirls around them. The darkness shimmers as shades of colour appear and sharpen.

It isn't long before Fiona is looking out over a grand, stately ballroom filled hundreds of couples in elegant dresses and suits twirling and whirling across a dance floor. She is no longer in the arms of a bear, but arm in arm with a bear of a man in ceremonial military uniform. Looking down, she sees that she is wearing the most beautiful white ball gown, while behind her, Larry, Curly and Mo each carry part of the dress train, each also wearing a bright uniform.

“Okay,” she says, “This is different.”

Episode 5 - Chapter 38

 It's become hard for Fiona to know if white light is appearing through black, or the black is eating the white, but all around them is furious chaos, as if the two were at war. The white noise has begun to hurt her ears, while the low whine increases in pitch and volume, climbing its way up the sonic spectrum, until it is oh so sharp.  She can see the bear is screaming in pain, but she can't hear a thing over the high pitch noise. Fiona thinks her ears will bleed or her head explode when it all just stops, snapping back to darkness.

“The Lady Fiona and entourage,” an official sounding voice announces.

Episode 5 - Chapter 37

 As they hang there, more lights appear in the dark, while the crackle gets louder. As more lights appear the volume continues to grow. As at least a third of their field of vision is filled with white light, the sound begins to change, becoming more like white noise, but getting louder all the time. As more white continues to come, Fiona looks around, realising that light is appearing all around them. In front of them, behind, above, behind, everywhere. She thinks there might be more white than dark now, she finds it hard to tell. The white noise is almost deafening now, developing a low whine in the under-current.

Episode 5 - Chapter 36

At first, it does feel like they're falling through a sea of black, but that sensation doesn't last very long. Falling quickly becomes floating, no wind rushing past, no feeling of gravity at all, just hanging in the dark.

“What did you just do?” Strauss asks the bear.

“Lost good,” the bear says. “Lost safe.”

“Can you see the ladder, m'lady?” Strauss asks Fiona.

Around them, tiny dots of light begin to appear, just a few to begin with, solitary stars in a night sky.

“No ladder,” growls the bear, increasing his hold on Strauss. More dots appear, each accompanied by an almost silent crackle. “We lost good.”

Episode 5 - Chapter 35

“We must stress,” Strauss says, as they stand before the hole, “That it is the ladder that controls our destination. If you let go of the ladder, there is no telling where you might find yourself. You could be lost for a very long time.”

“Why would I let go of a ladder I was climbing down?” Fiona asks, desperately trying to focus her attention on the hole and ignore their current surroundings.

“There will be... temptations,” Strauss replies.

“Believe me,” Fiona says, “There is nothing that tempting.”

“Lost good,” rumbles the bear quietly, the first time he's spoken since his pained screaming. Before they can reply, it scoops Strauss into its other arm and steps into the hole.

Episode 5 - Chapter 34

With her eyes closed, Fiona realises that she's enjoying the ride. The way the bear has her cradled is remarkably comfortable. Its fur is soft and smells of something vaguely familiar, while the arm itself is firm and somehow generally comforting. She feels safe and secure, that nothing can threaten or endanger her. With her eyes closed to avoid seeing the madness around them, she thinks that she could even have a little nap.

“M'lady,” says Strauss, interrupting her reverie, “We have arrived.”

Fiona opens her eyes to find they are standing in front of a hole in the ground with a ladder descending into the darkness.

Episode 5 - Chapter 33

As the bear makes a path through the maze, perspectives and angles are constantly changing around them. Vertical becomes horizontal in the blink of an eye. Sometimes they're going up, others down, walking in a straight line as the ground loop-the-loops beneath them.

Bushes are pulled from the ground as Strauss directs. Sometimes they're in front of the bear, others above, or occasionally below. Up becomes down without warning, left switching to right before curving to wobbly. For Fiona, it is the strangest of journeys. Carried in the arms of a giant teddy bear, through a landscape that's as mesmerising as it is confusing. She's not sure she could have walked it herself and nausea wells in her throat at the dizzying chaos of it all. “There are some things I don't need to see,” she mutters under her breath as she closes her eyes.