The Twelve Chimes of Maligna Manor

What's the Time Mr Wolf in the Garden

These were all things that Sara noticed much later, though. Because her initial focus was drawn exclusively to what could be found at the end of these three paths, they met at a raised mound of earth and atop this was The Wolf.

Not a wolf, but The Wolf. It was The Wolf they wrote stories about, the one that hunts little children that stray from the path or hides in a sheep's clothing to trick its naive prey. Other wolves were just copies. Imperfect replicants of the real deal.

It was humongous. A large mountain of fur which rose and fell with jagged breaths. A mass of dirty black hair filled with clumps of earth and dried leaves.

It was facing away from them. Sat like a guard dog ready to pounce. Even though Sara couldn't see its front, her mind made more than a perfect image. The elongated snout, the fiery green eyes and the teeth.

Sara felt the scars on her face burn.

She had not quite been three when it had happened. Her mum had taken her to the park, but she had somehow lost interest in her daughter, not for the last time, and Sara had been allowed to wander off alone. It was always a wolf in her memory, but Sara knew that couldn't have been the case. More than likely, it had been a small yappy thing, but to a toddler, there was little difference. She must have spooked it somehow, or maybe it had just been a particularly violent dog, but whatever the reason, it had attacked.

There was a memory of blood and tears. Of screams and hospitals. The whole thing was a blur of which Sara was never fully sure what was real and what were later nightmares.

Nightmares that were now sat within leaping distance.

Sara felt a hand touching hers. Ben was standing by her, squeezing it. He looked at her with those sunken eyes and still did his best to give her a smile. Sara felt the tears in her eyes, and it only got worse when she felt him try to pull her towards the stones.

No. No, she wasn't going anywhere near that thing.

Meek had already taken a position on the furthest of the three paths. Paths that all led to the Wolf.

She wouldn't do it. She couldn't do it.

She would sit there until... what? She died. That would be it, right? Waste away in this maze. Knowing the way out but being too terrified to move forward.

She didn't want that. She wanted to face the Wolf. She wanted to win the game. To be on the other side of it and get her and her brother out of this nightmare. It just felt impossible. The alternative was terrible but almost inevitable.

She looked again at her brother's face. How terrified must she have looked for him to have such a brave face? The boy who, not an hour ago, had looked at her with such betrayal.

She had let him down, and worst of all, she was still doing it. Not anymore. As impossible as it seemed, Sara would not let her little brother pay any more for her mistakes.

It was much easier said than done, and Sara found it wasn't even enough to move under her own power. It was, however, at least enough to let herself be led to the first of the three paths.

Ben began slowly disengaging from her as he made his way towards the remaining path in the middle. Sara held tight to his hand. As much as she knew he had to leave her, she just couldn't let go. Ben gave her another look. It was kind but tinged with a growing fear. Sara nodded and, short of fully letting go, was able to gradually loosen her grip until Ben could slip free.

He walked off into the haze that was Sara's world. All around her were flashes of colour and impressions of shapes that Sara found she couldn't focus on for even a second. Her perception was now limited to the sound of her own breathing and the shocks that ran through her body as muscles tensed and relaxed without her consent.