The Twelve Chimes of Maligna Manor

Blind Man's Bluff in the Cellar

All around him was nothing but the void. His ears were ringing with the silence. He must have been far away from the steps if he couldn't hear his sister. He should have been able to see it, though. Even if the cellar was the length of the whole manor with this much darkness, the light of the doorway would be visible from any point. But there was nothing.

Ben was alone with no idea where he was or what lay before him.

Was there something wrong with the air in this room? Because it seemed thin. Ben was breathing a lot, but he didn't seem to ever quite have enough air. He was already dizzy from being flung through the darkness, and now he was lightheaded to boot. He was definitely going to faint, which was probably going to be bad.

"Sara," he cried out, "Jamie."

Ben had hoped for, but not expected, an answer. He did get one, however.

"Oh, I'm going to have to stop that right now, or it will get very annoying," A familiar voice echoed through the darkness, "You can shout all you want, but no one will answer."

Ben whirled around. It had been Maligna's voice, but he was nowhere to be seen. Where was he?

"I'm nowhere," Said Maligna, "Just like you."

Nowhere yet everywhere. Ben could feel the presence all around him, and yet when he focused on any place in particular, it vanished. All around him was nothing so vast that it actually became something.

"Cottleston, Cottleston, Cottleston Pie," Ben could hear in his own shaking voice, "A fish can't whistle, and neither can I..."

A laugh rang around the room.

"Oh gods, who taught you that?" Said Maligna," It certainly wasn't your aunt, and I can't imagine it was your father. Your sister, then. Yes, he would have sung it to her. He always liked her best."

Maybe. Their Dad had never seemed particularly affectionate towards either of them. But Sara had learned the song from him. It had happened in the magical days that seemed to have existed before Ben's consciousness. When Mum had been around and Dad had been funny and kind. Sara spoke about it so often that Ben almost thought it was real.

"I wonder," said Maligna, "What was it about you that caused such pain? I have to be honest; you don't seem to make much of an impact, do you?"

Ben was quiet. He knew that, and he didn't always hate it. What was it that Terrie had said? The quietest voices hid the loudest.

Maligna clearly didn't think so. His cruel laugh rose up within the darkness.

"Wise words if true," said Maligna, "I've always preferred it's better to keep one's mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it up and remove all doubt. They already think you're weak. Imagine if they knew the constant anxiety in your head."

His sister might believe that. She knew he was too afraid to be left without her. It was how she had dragged him into this mess. He couldn't even blame her for that. The way he had cried when they had to split up at school. Obviously, she knew how dependent he was on her. He had been lucky that he found Jake, or he would have been lost.

"Oh, dear sweet Jake," Said Maligna, "Poor confused child. So nice to you without reason, but when the damsel needed her knight in shining armour, you were nowhere to be seen."

It was as if he was there again. The image of Jake jumping helplessly between the three older boys appeared out of the darkness in front of Ben. He was forced to stand there as Jake was once again shoved to the ground and humiliated. He wanted to reach out to him. To shout and stand up for his friend, but even now that he knew it wasn't real, he was too scared.