Her fear gave only one instruction. Run. Her instinct kicked in and she obeyed. The noise, she now knew belonged to the Baruss, echoed through the trees. She stopped and spun the noise seeming to come from all directions, joined now by a new huffing sound like the panting of some great beast. Hot, fetid, air filled the clearing where Nell found herself. The smell it carried was enough to turn even the strongest of stomachs, making her eyes water and her hand clamp tightly over her mouth.
Panic filled her as the Baruss gained ground, her eyes darting in all directions looking for a safe haven. Through the twisted trunks she could make out the shape of the house and took off in that direction. If she had fingers or toes she would have crossed them and prayed that the Baruss wasn't between her and the door. The trees thinned around her but the grabbing roots and branches tried all the harder to prevent her departure. Three times she fell, each time harder than the last.
The House being her only goal. Her prize, safety. No matter how much she despised the building it offered salvation at this point in time. Only a few feet more and she'd be safe. A few feet more and she can stop running. A few feet more. The maw that was the houses mouth opened in a leering grin. All teeth and plenty of bite. A few feet more.
Then there was ten feet, twenty, thirty. A gray mottled hand with yellowing fingernails, had wrapped itself around Little Nell's waist and was now lifting her from the ground, carrying her away from the house. From safety. The shrieking of the Baruss rose to fever pitch as she saw glowing red eyes awaiting her return to the forest. She punched and kicked at the hand that gripped her, biting, clawing, anything to try and loosen the hold.
Then the hold did loosen, it disappeared completely and Nell found herself sailing through the air, straight towards those twisted eyes. Screwing her own eyes up in the hopes to change her fate she screamed out her fear.
Her rapid descent was ended harshly as she struck the floor. The scream cut short as the air was pushed from her lungs in one go. Her eyes flew open looking for a way to avoid the monster she had been running from only to settle on Chiyo. The spider bore a bemused and concerned look that appeared comical on her face.
Chiyo, who had been sleeping soundly before Nell had tumbled from the bed, slowly stretched, curled back in to a ball and rolled off the bed to join the little ragdoll on the floor.
“Morning Nell.” The spider mumbled around a yawn.
Nell stretched her arms and legs, checked that her stitching was still sound, then tried to forget the nightmare that was already starting to fade. Her only hope was that the bruises to her bottom and pride would fade just as quickly.
“Sorry for the rude awakening. Hope you slept better than I did.” Nell asked with a slight quirk to her mouth.
“Oh, you mean the screaming or the thud as you hit the floor? Or are you apologising for the snoring before that?” The spider couldn't help but turn serious again as Nell rubbed at her face in an attempt to rid her eyes of some unseen image. “Seriously, are you alright?”
“Yeah, just a bad dream.” Nell yawned and made her way to the window. Looking out she realised that it was in fact morning. No sun shone in the sky, just churning storm clouds that threatened to unleash their burden at any moment. The light that managed to get through was poor, yet it didn't prevent Nell from seeing the forest of her nightmare. The trees charred black even by day. The ground a seething, roiling blanket of motion that mimicked the sky above.
Chiyo watched silently whilst Nell became lost in thought, wondering whether to interrupt until she saw the small tremors that were running through her new friend. Quickly scampering across the dusty boards, she climbed to the ledge and blurted out the first thing she could think of.
“You hungry?”
Nell smiled, shaking her head before picking up the spider, placing her on her shoulder, and then turned away from the window. Her eyes took in the room in the cold light of day, and an involuntary tremor coursed her body again. She didn't want to spend the rest of her life in this room. The Bone window petrified her, the musty sheets made her itch. The room was so empty and unkempt that it brought a tear to her button eyes. Yet it was the candle that scared her the most.
Chiyo followed Nell's gaze to the flickering candle. “What's wrong, Nell?”
“Last night, Beeble said that nothing can enter the room as long as the candle is burning. Chiyo, that candle wont last much longer.” Her fear evident in her voice.
Chiyo looked at the candle. There was only an inch or so left, the melted wax solidifying around it as the eerie flame traveled down the wick.
“I think you need to tell me everything this Beeble character told you.” And with that Nell relayed the events of the previous night. “He said things only wander at night? And that the candle prevents those that walk the halls from entering the room? What he didn't say is it had to burn through the day.” Chiyo mused, more to herself than Nell, walking down Nell's arm and coming to rest on her hand. “But then, how do we light it again?”
“The candles in the corridor lit themselves last night. Maybe the room candles do it too.” Nell hoped she was right about this as she walked up to the candle, drew in a breath, and blew the flame out. Watching as a wisp of smoke rose from the now black wick. Otherwise, she thought, I have just blown out our safety. Literally.
“Nell! Look at the candle!” Chiyo gasped.
Nell watched, enthralled as the once solidified wax became liquid. Before their eyes the candle became whole again, even the wick looked untouched by flame. The candle stood there in its wall sconce, as if it had never been devoured by the eerie flame.
She looked to Chiyo, and slowly smiled. An honest heartfelt smile, which Chiyo gladly returned.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
“It’s probably Beeble.” Chiyo whispered, returning to the ragdolls shoulder.
“What if it’s not?”
“Go over to the door and I'll crawl under and see who it is. I am that small they probably wont see me.” Chiyo said, drawing her chelicerae into a small smile in the hopes of reassuring her friend.
Nell looked horrified at the prospect of Chiyo crawling into the hallway alone. Remembering how she had felt out there last night.
“I'll be alright. Tell you what, I will put a small web on your hand, and if I scream for help, you can draw me back into the room, okay?”
“Okay.” Nell agreed. “But, I don’t like it.”
After the web was securely fastened around Nell’s hand, Chiyo crawled under the door into the hallway outside. It was a tight squeeze but manageable at a push. After some huffing and puffing Chiyo emerged from under the door. She looked to her left then her right but the hallway was deserted.
She began to crawl back under the door when the door knocked again. Chiyo felt the web being pulled, and she was dragged clean under the door only to land with a plop at Little Nell's feet. She gathered her legs beneath her and stood to look at the girl.
“I am so sorry! I got a fright when the door was knocked again and I jumped!” Nell whispered as she picked up the spider.
“There was no one there.” Chiyo said, brushing a piece of lint from one of her eight legs.
“So who is chapping the door?” At the quirk of Chiyo's eyebrow, Nell explained. “You know, tapping, knocking, rapping, banging the door.”
Nell placed her hand on the doorknob, only to jump when the tapping came again. With a growl, more at herself than the tapper, she pulled the door open quickly to find the empty corridor staring back at her. Leaning out the door, she didn't even get the chance to turn her head before a big whirling orange ball collided with her. The force of the blow sent her crashing back into the room, almost squashing poor Chiyo in the process.
“Ah HA! I knew there was someone in here!” The whirling orange ball cried, jumping off Nell and bouncing onto the bed.
Nell got back to her feet and closed the door quietly, looking back toward what she could now see was a cuddly monkey. A very hyper, overactive, bouncing, orange monkey.
“Who are you?” She asked, a little annoyed at the way the monkey had hit her.
“I’m Jimmy, Jimmy Monkey.” he replied between bounces. “I knew someone was in this room! This room has been empty for as long as I have been here!”
“How long have you been here?” Chiyo asked, her eyes following Jimmy as he jumped off the bed and onto the window sill.
“I'm not sure how long exactly, but it has been a long time! I’m so happy to meet some new friends! I can call you friends, can't I? It can get...lonely here. Hey! I stay five doors along from you!”
“I'm Nell, and this little one is Chiyo.” Nell introduced herself, holding out her hand as she'd been taught once, when she did not know but manners were manners. Jimmy took the hand and jiggled it up and down before continuing his window bouncing. “Do you know what this place is? Where it is? Why we are here?” Nell asked. The questions tumbling from her mouth before she was even sat on the bed.
“Nope! And I'm not sure I want to either! No one here knows anything to be honest, except Bango.” Jimmy answered, as he vacated the sill and looped his tail through a rafter on the ceiling and began to swing upside down. “And Teviel, of course.” The last added as a whisper too quiet for either girl to hear.
By Little_Nell
“Bango?”
“Bango, yep. Apparently he has been here the longest, knows more than anyone about the place. It is said he has a warm room, with lots of things in it to play with and he's never lonely.”
“Where is Bango? We need to talk to him!” Chiyo said, glad to be getting somewhere.
“Bango is just a myth, a fairy tale. An idea that if you behave you will be rewarded. I've been a good boy, yet still I...Look Bango doesn’t exist. If he did then maybe...But nope.”
“So no one here knows anything about anything?” Nell said appalled.
“Nope! I know a few things. I know that we can not go out at night. We can not go into the forest. We can not sleep anywhere except the room we are given when we arrive here. We can never leave here. That's about all I know.” Jimmy said unfurling his tail and dropping to the floor below. “Look, I am not the best person to be asking, you need to ask someone like Beeble or Samantha about this place. It is too big to explore alone, and changes so often you never know if you are coming or going. Corridors move, doors disappear only to reappear elsewhere or to be lost for eternity. Well that's what I'm told anyways.”
Nell was having problems keeping up with Jimmy’s fast, confusing, talk. The answers he gave only created more questions, sending Nell's head into a spin, although from the words or his movements she wasn't sure.
“I've got to go. Places to do, things to see. You not got plans? Cruising the halls, beating your paws, it can be a perfectly fun way, to spend each and every day!” Jimmy sang as he leapt for the door. Throwing it back on it's hinges he stopped mid bounce. If he hadn't the blonde ragdoll on the other side would have had the stuffing knocked from her.
“Jimmy. What are you doing here?” The doll asked, ignoring both Nell and Chiyo.
“I was doing as you said, finding the newcomers. Guess what? Found them!”
The doll raised a hand and, before anyone realised her intentions, she cruelly slapped Jimmy on the nose. Nell gasped and Chiyo's jaw dropped, completely speechless.
“Go back to the room.” The doll said angrily, and watched as Jimmy bounded out of the room, tail between his legs. The doll looked around the room, her gaze finally settling on Chiyo. The black bead eyes staring with an intensity that made the spider nervous. “So we now allow pets in this place?”
“Who are you?” Nell asked in a tone so angry she scared herself.
The doll smirked and raised her eyes to look at Nell, sizing her up. She must not have liked what she saw as the contempt in her voice got thicker, if that was possible. “If you knew who I was you would not use that tone with me, girl.” She replied as she stepped further into the room, stopping inches from Nell. The ragdoll stood her ground refusing to flinch from this doll, knowing that if she showed weakness now, it would be the end of her.
“My name is Suzy, Jimmy is my roommate. I am the one in charge of this floor, and you will do well to remember that.” She turned to leave, giving Nell a view of a reptilian, blue tail, that stuck out from under the folds of her skirt. “I will be back tomorrow to give you your orders, the chores you will do in this house. If you go out of your room, remember, return before the candles light.”
Suzy left the room, her tail swishing down the hall. When the footsteps had faded into silence, Nell still hadn't moved. Chiyo unfolded her legs and crawled down Nell's arm so she could get a good look at her. Chiyo wondered what was going on until she saw a single tear leave the dolls eye only to be sucked into the cloth that formed her cheek. With a choked sob, the spell finally broke. Covering her face with her hand she dived on the bed. She would have crushed poor Chiyo had the spider not jumped at the last second and landed softly on the pillow.
“I hate this place! Why are we here? I want to go home!” She cried, her voice muffled by blankets and tears. Chiyo did not know what to say. She was just as miserable and could find no words to comfort Nell. So she sat in silent sympathy beside the only friend she could remember having.
When the tears subsided, and the sniffles settled into the soft rhythmic breathing of sleep, the little spider walked to the top of the pillow and made her way along the wall towards the window. Looking out, she sighed. This world was not her own, she knew that, but like Nell, she had no memory of what had come before waking here. But she did know this, if they were to stay here and live, not just survive but actually live, they would have to learn the ways of the house, and quickly.
Nell awoke feeling drained, only to deflate further when she realised this was not just some awful nightmare. Chiyo made her way back to the bed and brushed a long hairy leg across Nell's face, sweeping the dolls tousled hair away from her still wet face.
“I think we should go for a walk, see what else is in this house before we need to work tomorrow.” She said gently.
“Okay, but where should we go?” Nell answered, glad that she didn't have to explain herself or her actions to Chiyo.
“I think we should find Jimmy, see if he's alright. Maybe he can tell us some more about the Bango tale, it sounds interesting.”
“I don’t want to look for Jimmy. We might bump into Suzy.” Nell said, fear creeping back into her eyes.
“Well, if Suzy is in charge of this floor, as she says she is, she should be too busy to bother us. And Jimmy said he was only five doors down.”
Nell nodded her head. She got up from the bed, straightened her clothes and set Chiyo on her shoulder. “Five doors along, huh? That shouldn’t be too hard to find.” She said without much conviction.
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