Episode 10 - Chapter 94

 Raven and I were racing up the hall in pursuit of something we hadn't seen, when dad stumbled out of the cellar, closely followed by Oak. I was moving too fast to avoid them, though I tried to turn away, banging into them both, bringing us all stumbling to the ground.

“Is everybody okay?” Mum asked from the end of the passage. Raven reached down, offering me his arm to pull me up. As I got to my feet, Dad sat upright, rubbing his head.

“That was a lucky escape,” he said, untangling his limbs from Oak's.

I helped Dad to his feet, while Raven assisted Oak. Once we were all upright, Dad put his hand on Oak's shoulder.

“I think I would have been a goner there,” he said, “If you hadn't reacted so quickly. Thankyou.”

By that time, Mum had caught up with the four of us. “For what?” she asked, almost accusingly.

“Never mind that,” Raven said brusquely, “We need to get back in there.” He pointed to the living room door. “Chop, chop!”

“We are sorry, M'lady,” the voice of Strauss filled the house, too loud to be spoken by any one mouth, or even three. “We really do not have a choice in this matter.”

Episode 10 - Chapter 93

 I reached the top of the stairs just ahead of Raven. Looking down I saw my son by the front door. He glanced round, seeing me, then turned sharply to look closer at the wall, or at least that's how it looked to me.

“'Scuse me, Mary,” Raven said as he pushed past me, descending quickly to join Robert. Sad to say I'm not that spry any longer, so I followed behind at my own pace.

“What is it lad, what did you see?” Raven asked as he joined my boy.

“Nothing,” Robert replied, almost absent mindedly, “I haven't seen anything, but I keep hearing...” His voice trailed away to silence.

“Yes?” Raven asked, “What do you hear?”

That's when I saw a movement. I was halfway down when, just for a second, something flashed between the two of them, moving towards the back of the house.

“There!” I shouted, pointing, “It's going towards the kitchen!”

“What is it?” Raven shouted as they both turned together, “What did you see?” They both set off down the hall.

“I don't know,” I called back, trying to hurry down the last steps. I reached the bottom just in time to see them collide with Edward and Oak as they stumbled up from the cellar.

Episode 10 - Chapter 92

 I was just stood there, frozen to the spot. It all happened so quickly: the tell tale noises, the box's movement, the start of its' fall. I brought my hands up over my head, bracing myself for the impact, when a strong hand grabbed me by the collar and dragged me out of the way.

The box hit the ground with a dull thud, its' lid splitting to allow papers to spill everywhere. I was trying to steady myself, stand up straight, but Oak was having none of it.

“No time for standing around, old chap,” he said, his hand still attached to my collar, pulling me out of the path of a second tumbler, “We're not safe down here.”

He kept yanking at my jacket, pulling me through the length of the cellar as more boxes rained down, each narrowly missing me by ever decreasing margins.

“Come on,” he grunted as he almost threw me at the base of the stairs before getting behind my back to push me forward and up. I did my best to move as fast as I could, practically climbing up on all fours. Behind us, everything was crashing to the ground as we launched ourselves through the doorway to land in a tangled heap in the hall.

Episode 10 - Chapter 91

 So I left the living room doorway to walk down the hall towards the front door. I could still hear the soft murmur of the Angel's voice talking to Fiona, and her muted frustrated replies, though I couldn't tell what was being said. All my senses seemed to be alive, on fire even, scouring every inch of that space as I approached and passed it, looking for any available place out quarries could possibly be hiding.

Nearing the foot of the stairs I heard some kind of kerfuffle behind me, coming from the cellar door to be exact. I almost turned to go back and check when the rustling noise came again, louder now and seemingly very nearby. In front of me stood the hall table, telephone and unopened mail sitting on top. I opened its' only drawer warily, quickly pushing aside the random objects dumped there for want of a better home: letter opener, a couple half used candles, old dog lead, disused plug, tape measure.

“Don't be so daft,” I laughed at myself, “They'd never fit in there,” when I heard the rustle again, freezing me to the spot. Next to the table was a coat rack with a variety of outdoor garments hanging from its' hooks. I was about to investigate further when a “klump” at the top of the stairs grabbed my attention. Half turning, I saw mum's feet beginning to descend the stairs, when I heard that rustle behind me once more.

Episode 10 - Chapter 90

 Fiona sits in her husband's parents' living room, trying to understand what the voice of the unseen Angel is telling her. She's vaguely aware of her husband, stood in the doorway, a tiny pair of shoes in his hand. She knows he's looking at her, knows that he's trying to follow their conversation. It even registers with her when his attention is snatched away by something in the hallway, something she might have to think about later.

But not now. Right now she needs to understand what the Angel is telling her, because it seems important, urgent even, if she judges it by the speaker's tone.

“That house is not the Warp,” that oily voice tells her, “No matter how much it looks and feels like it.”

“So you say,” she replies, “But I don't know what that means, or how it helps us!”

The Angel doesn't reply at once, pausing to contemplate his response. She almost finds it funny, that silence, it's as if she can hear him thinking.

“Okay,” he says at last, “Try this: the Weave is a big house, where almost anything is possible? Yes?”

“Y-yes,” she falters, waiting for whatever comes next.

“Then that house,” the Angel continues, “Is like a shed at the bottom of the garden.”

“O-kay,” she replies, still unsure.

“Your shed!” There's a note of triumph in his voice. “A place where you have total control. Now concentrate, breath, feel the shed around you, feel it as an extension of you.”

Episode 10 - Chapter 89

 “Hmmm,” Raven grunted, looking me up and down. He grabbed my shoulders, turned me round. I felt his hands patting my back...hips...when he reached my legs I couldn't help but say something.

“Do you mind?” I asked, trying not to sound too offended, “Is there something you're looking for?”

“I don't know,” he replied honestly, turning me back to face him, once more looking from head to foot. “There's something...”

Without finishing his sentence, he turned and walked into the second bedroom. I watched him have a quick look round, then return to the landing.

“What something?” I asked, “You're being very cryptic again.”

“Yes,” he said, “Sorry.” With that apology hanging in the air, he walked into the third bedroom, barely glanced t much at all before returning to me once more. Standing still for a moment, he seemed to make a point of sniffing the air.

“I doubt there's little point in checking the bathroom,” he said turning toward the stairs, a new spring in his step. “Come on,” he continued, giving me a wink, “Things are about to get interesting.”

Episode 10 - Chapter 88

 I was about to pull open that first cupboard door when a huge wave of anxiety swept through me. What on earth were we doing down there, searching for midgets that might look like anything? What did we think we were going to do if we found them? What were they going to do if we didn't? A thousand doubts raced through my mind, each jostling for my attention, each suggesting ever greater dire consequences. I might have stood there for hours if I hadn't heard my wife shout from the upper floor.

“Get a grip, man,” I muttered to myself, finally grabbing hold of the handle.

“Are you feeling okay, Edward?” Oak asked, ripping open a fourth box. I have to say, he was being very methodical in his approach to our search: lifting down a box, opening it cautiously, checking the contents then stacking it neatly against the adjacent wall.

“Fine,” I said, pulling open the door to find myself confronted by the shiny glint of Christmas tinsel and a box full gaudy tree decorations. “Just fine.”

I paused then, sure I'd heard a tiny grunting sound somewhere above me, followed by the sound of cardboard rubbing against cardboard. Looking up, I saw the top box on a pile of four teetering unsteadily above me. “Oh no,” was all I could manage before the box slipped from its' mount and plunged towards me.