Sally didn’t know how to tell whether a moth was eating something or not.  She just put him on an orange slice and hoped for the best.

She turned back to her bed and pulled the duvet straight so that she could sit on it.  She still had all the books she’d been trying to read last night piled up on the beside table- maybe she’d have better luck with them this morning.  She definitely didn’t feel like going out yet.  At least this room was hers, full of her own things.  She could make a familiar little nest in the middle of all this weirdness.

She picked up a Goosebumps book with three grinning pumpkins on the front.  Not much chance of that making her homesick.  She opened up the first page, and began to read about a bunch of American kids having daft, creepy Halloween adventures that didn’t remind her of anything she didn’t want to think about.

She’d just finished the first chapter when she heard an unfamiliar voice.  “You’re one of Colwyn’s nieces, aren’t you?”

Sally sat bolt upright, the book dropping onto the bed, completely forgotten.  She drew her knees up to her chest as she looked around for the intruder.

“Over here,” said the voice.  It was coming from over by the window.

Sally stared at the moth.  He looked like he was propping himself up on his front legs.

That can’t be it.  There must have been someone outside.  A window cleaner, maybe?  Sally’s room was three floors up, but a window cleaner would have a ladder, or maybe one of those hoist things that pulled you up on a platform.  She took a step towards the window, meaning to open it and look around… and this time, she actually saw the moth’s mouth move.

“Look, I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said apologetically.  (It was definitely a “he.”  Sally thought he sounded a bit older than Rube.)   “I just thought I ought to check where I was, that’s all.”

Sally nodded.  “You’re at Dovecote Gardens,” she told him, because she couldn’t think of anything else to say, “And yeah, Colwyn’s my uncle.”

The moth’s head drooped.  “Thank.  God.”

“Um.”  Sally swallowed.  “How come you can talk?”

“I had a good education,” said the moth.  Sally was pretty sure he was grinning.

*

By the time she got to the front door, Rube felt a little calmer.  They’d deal with the staircase once they got back to it.  Right now, her only responsibility was to check on Sally and get her to come outside and enjoy the fresh air with them.  By the time they got back to it, the whole staircase thing would probably seem a lot easier to figure out.

As soon as she got through the front door (enjoying that lovely wood smell again), Rube heard Sally’s voice from upstairs.  “So you’re like a werewolf?”

That wasn’t alarming in and of itself- Rube remembered Sally playing imaginary games with her Barbies and Sylvanians when she was younger, and the ‘werewolf’ part definitely seemed like the kind of thing she’d come up with.  She’d thought Sally had grown out of that over the last couple of years, but you never knew.  Sometimes kids her age went back to their old habits when they were feeling insecure.

But then, before Rube had a chance to call up to Sally, she heard an unfamiliar voice reply.  “Well… in a way, yeah.  Though you don’t need to worry about me rampaging around the countryside eating villagers.”

A stranger.  And a strange man at that.  Rube felt her heart seize up.  “Sally?” she called up, somehow keeping her voice even, “Is there someone up there with you?”

No reply.  Stupid, stupid, stupid.  Alert him to your presence, why don’t you?  Now he’ll panic and start threatening her.

Or maybe not.  Maybe he’d panic and sneak out the window before Rube called the police.  And, come to think of it, wouldn’t he have heard the front door close behind her anyway?

Maybe everything was fine.  Maybe Uncle Colwyn had hired a cleaner or a groundskeeper that he’d forgotten to tell them about, and Sally had just run into him and struck up a conversation.

But then why did he go quiet when you shouted up?  Why didn’t he just call down and introduce himself?

There was nothing for it- Rube was just going to have to go upstairs and confront him.  She looked around the hallway for something she could use as a weapon.  There were a couple of big, sturdy-looking umbrellas in the stand by the door.  One of those might do.  It would be something to swing around in front of her, anyway, and that might be enough.

She picked it up and turned towards the stairs, just as Sally appeared on the landing.  “Um.  Rube, this is Kai.”  She had one hand cupped in front of her chest, and the other on the bannister.

Still holding the umbrella, Rube walked up the stairs.  Maybe the man was gone, and maybe he wasn’t.  If not, she’d be ready for him.

“Hi,” said a voice, “I’m a friend of your uncle’s.”  And Rube looked at Sally’s hands, and saw a moth waving its front leg.

If there was any justice in the world, Rube would have fainted.  Just fallen to the floor and not had to think about it for a bit.  But instead, she just stayed where she was, cold and numb, as the moth hauled itself into a sitting position and spoke again.

Patreon!