2. Who’s that rapping on the door?

This Mansion, it must be said, has its quirks. Changing views from windows, travelling through time, creating whole new rooms within wings that never existed before and completely altering its appearance are but a few of the random things that wouldn’t normally happen to any other building. Given the visitors to the Mansion proper, and those who roam freely in the lush gardens, or Grinds, that ‘surrind’ the Mansion, they too can, sometimes, be described as equally quirky. Although I’d never say it.

A few moments ago, a rap-tap-tap echoed around the Hallway, and along the empty corridors of the Mansion. The first of tonight’s special visitors had arrived.

The were welcomed by a firm and bony grip of their arm by Miss Duncan, the Head Maid, and ushered – or rather dragged unceremoniously – into the Sitting Room. Rather odd, considering the night has a kind of ceremonial feel to it.

The visitor approached the desk in the far corner, where the Cloaked Figure sat in shadow just beyond.

“Prenin’s Little Page!” boomed Miss Duncan, with a voice that far overshadowed her skeletal appearance.

The Cloaked Figure pointed to a note on the desk, that referred to the details in the note that had been pinned to the tree where the live version of Maribel had been nailed a few days earlier.

“Are you Prenin?” whispered the Cloaked Figure.

“I’m not allowed to say.” Prenin responded, as per the earlier instructions.

Eyes narrowed strangely obviously behind the cloak. “Tell me, Prenin, was it you behind all of the recent strange occurrences within this sphere?” Arms out-stretched in a circular motion to emphasise the sphere, then retreated within the Cloak of Anonymity.

Prenin folded his arms. “It couldn’t possibly be me,” he advised. “I made the mistake of trying to talk with a mouth full of bonfire toffee and asked a Wizard to make me into a plinth. Have you any idea how hard it is to convince a princess to kiss a statue??? Given I was totally stoned I could not be guilty!!!” And not another word was said.

A fine alibi, I must add.

Silently, Miss Duncan gripped Prenin by the arm once more. “I’ll show you out now,” she said, slightly quieter than before, before dragging out of the Sitting Room through a door hidden behind the large curtain in the corner…