feel that instead,” Eliza said. “But I don’t feel
any different at all.”
“It might be more subtle than Russell’s analogy,” Myrna said.
“I do know there’s more going on in this house than people can see.”
“I got that too,” Eliza said, “in my trance last night. Lots
of hints at things I could have gone into, but chose not to.”
“What do you mean, ‘things’?” Steven asked.
“Things that aren’t normal,” Eliza said. “In a trance, the
normal world looks a certain way. But things that have been constructed in the
River, that aren’t part of the normal world, look different. There were a lot
of those popping up in my trance last night.”
“Same for me,” said Myrna. “Very odd.”
“I didn’t want to pursue any of them,” Russell said. “I’m not
going to engage with this house any more than I have to. I just want to put as
much distance between myself and this place as I possibly can.”
“Can you give me an example?” Steven asked Eliza.
“Well,” Eliza said, taking a sip of coffee, “there’s the
corner bedroom upstairs, the one Percival warned us about. It looks over the
front yard of the estate. It’s not normal. A couple of the doors in that
hallway aren’t normal, either.”
“What, in that hallway, there?” Steven said, pointing at the
velvet wallpaper hallway.
“Yes,” Eliza said.
“There’s a couple of objects in some of the rooms,” Myrna
added. “Not normal.”
“And then there’s the basement,” Eliza said.
“There is no basement,” said Jonathan, entering the room.
“Then it’s the foundation,” Eliza said. “The base of the
house isn’t normal, either.”
“This place is rotten from the core,” Russell said. “The very
foundation is evil.”
“I didn’t say it was evil,” Eliza said, “just that it’s not
normal.”
“I’m saying it’s evil,” Russell said. “My sense is that the
people who lived here dabbled in dark arts, and it’s infected the building
itself.”
“Sounds a little melodramatic,” said Roy.
“Yes,” said Myrna, “this isn’t your television show, Russell.
We don’t need the extra drama.”
“Did you sleep alright, Jonathan?” Eliza asked.
“Yes, fine enough,” he said. “Sunrise should be soon, and we
can get out of here.”
“The sky is beginning to lighten,” Roy said, walking over to
the large windows at the other end of the room. “The stars are fading.”
“Can we leave now?” Myrna asked. “Or do we have to wait until
the sun is up?”
“Don’t know,” Jonathan said. “If the marchers are only out
when it’s dark, we should be good as soon as it’s light enough to see our way.”
“Give it another fifteen minutes,” Roy said, “and we’ll be
there.”
“Good,” said Russell. “The sooner the better.”
“Is everyone ready to leave?” Jonathan asked. “Nothing left
up in your rooms?”
“I’ve got to get changed,” Steven said. “My clothes are in
the kitchen. And my things are still upstairs.”
“I’ll go with you,” Eliza said, standing. “I’ve been sitting
in this chair too long.”
“Once you’re back, we’ll all go through to the side door and
prepare to leave,” Jonathan said.
“All right,” Steven said, “we’ll be back in a minute.”
Steven and Eliza retrieved Steven’s clothes from the kitchen
and then walked towards the archway and the velvet paper hallway. As they
passed the closed doors, Steven wondered which ones Eliza thought were abnormal.
“How could you tell some of these doors weren’t normal?”
Steven asked.
“They look distorted in the trance,” she said.
Steven slipped into the River as they walked, observing the
doors. They didn’t look different to him.
“You won’t notice in the River,” she said. “Only if you go
into a trance.”
“I’ve got to get that mastered,” Steven said. “I’ve been in
one a couple of times, but I didn’t really know what I was doing.”
“Roy
any different at all.”
“It might be more subtle than Russell’s analogy,” Myrna said.
“I do know there’s more going on in this house than people can see.”
“I got that too,” Eliza said, “in my trance last night. Lots
of hints at things I could have gone into, but chose not to.”
“What do you mean, ‘things’?” Steven asked.
“Things that aren’t normal,” Eliza said. “In a trance, the
normal world looks a certain way. But things that have been constructed in the
River, that aren’t part of the normal world, look different. There were a lot
of those popping up in my trance last night.”
“Same for me,” said Myrna. “Very odd.”
“I didn’t want to pursue any of them,” Russell said. “I’m not
going to engage with this house any more than I have to. I just want to put as
much distance between myself and this place as I possibly can.”
“Can you give me an example?” Steven asked Eliza.
“Well,” Eliza said, taking a sip of coffee, “there’s the
corner bedroom upstairs, the one Percival warned us about. It looks over the
front yard of the estate. It’s not normal. A couple of the doors in that
hallway aren’t normal, either.”
“What, in that hallway, there?” Steven said, pointing at the
velvet wallpaper hallway.
“Yes,” Eliza said.
“There’s a couple of objects in some of the rooms,” Myrna
added. “Not normal.”
“And then there’s the basement,” Eliza said.
“There is no basement,” said Jonathan, entering the room.
“Then it’s the foundation,” Eliza said. “The base of the
house isn’t normal, either.”
“This place is rotten from the core,” Russell said. “The very
foundation is evil.”
“I didn’t say it was evil,” Eliza said, “just that it’s not
normal.”
“I’m saying it’s evil,” Russell said. “My sense is that the
people who lived here dabbled in dark arts, and it’s infected the building
itself.”
“Sounds a little melodramatic,” said Roy.
“Yes,” said Myrna, “this isn’t your television show, Russell.
We don’t need the extra drama.”
“Did you sleep alright, Jonathan?” Eliza asked.
“Yes, fine enough,” he said. “Sunrise should be soon, and we
can get out of here.”
“The sky is beginning to lighten,” Roy said, walking over to
the large windows at the other end of the room. “The stars are fading.”
“Can we leave now?” Myrna asked. “Or do we have to wait until
the sun is up?”
“Don’t know,” Jonathan said. “If the marchers are only out
when it’s dark, we should be good as soon as it’s light enough to see our way.”
“Give it another fifteen minutes,” Roy said, “and we’ll be
there.”
“Good,” said Russell. “The sooner the better.”
“Is everyone ready to leave?” Jonathan asked. “Nothing left
up in your rooms?”
“I’ve got to get changed,” Steven said. “My clothes are in
the kitchen. And my things are still upstairs.”
“I’ll go with you,” Eliza said, standing. “I’ve been sitting
in this chair too long.”
“Once you’re back, we’ll all go through to the side door and
prepare to leave,” Jonathan said.
“All right,” Steven said, “we’ll be back in a minute.”
Steven and Eliza retrieved Steven’s clothes from the kitchen
and then walked towards the archway and the velvet paper hallway. As they
passed the closed doors, Steven wondered which ones Eliza thought were abnormal.
“How could you tell some of these doors weren’t normal?”
Steven asked.
“They look distorted in the trance,” she said.
Steven slipped into the River as they walked, observing the
doors. They didn’t look different to him.
“You won’t notice in the River,” she said. “Only if you go
into a trance.”
“I’ve got to get that mastered,” Steven said. “I’ve been in
one a couple of times, but I didn’t really know what I was doing.”
“Roy
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