Everything stopped, the whole room frozen, as if time had actually
stopped. Literally, the tick-tock of the mantlepiece clock fell
silent, motes of dust hung in the air, glistening and still.
Fiona stood in the centre of the living room, arms reaching out, a
strange blue glow alive in her eyes. “I don't know what your
master had planned,” she said, “But it wont be happening today.”
I glanced round the room to see who she was addressing, actually
rather surprised to find that I could move at all. I saw my husband,
rubbing his wrists, obviously feeling that same sense of shock. When
he caught my look his eyebrows arched, as if to ask “What now?”
When I looked away I caught sight of Robert, mouth open, watching his
wife with astonishment. Beyond him were Raven and Oak, both glued to
the spot, expressions fixed upon their faces.
That was when I realised our living room was also home to three other
figures, tiny and wisp like. Were these the three midgets that
combined to make Strauss? They were the right height, certainly, but
so thin they were barely there at all, with no real distinguishing
features. Locked in the moment, they were caught running toward each
other, arms outstretched, holding shiny silver gizmos.
I didn't know what might happen next, but I certainly wasn't
expecting the walls to darken, nor for the nub of that candle
abandoned on our table to spring in to flame.
“We have reached our decision,” the voice of Fire crackled and
raged, filling the room.
