FIRST IMPRESSIONS. Darkness. Space. Emptiness yet... filled with a presence. Almost a sense of expectation. A hush.
“Upstairs! Move!”
Morag was in charge, her eyes adjusting to the dimness inside as she spun me around and sent me flying towards a wooden staircase to the left of the door. She moved forward through the entrance hall, disappearing into what looked like a large, empty living room.
I skillfully used a combination of my back and the wall to break my momentum, then sprinted up the stairs. Trying to move quietly in the dark, in a strange house, while wearing size ten boots and taking three steps at a time. Try it sometime. It makes a great game at parties.
At the top of the stairs was another entrance area, narrowing to a hallway at the far end. I could make this out because t
