“As I wandered through the house, I couldn’t help but keep my eyes out for the items that Elder Berry mentioned as the reason she could not leave before. I entered my room and found the cold porridge left for me. Although I was in hunger, the smell of it, doubled with the strangeness of Elder Berry’s condition and my remaining distrust of the creatures, made me leave the food be. I wandered restlessly around my room, looking out of the window into the dark of the night. It seemed as empty and lifeless as the dusty rooms of the house.

I laid onto the bed, preparing for sleep, when I heard strange whispering voices through the open window, chilling me to the core. I snuck out of my room and crept down, taking care not to make any noise. I entered the living room and moved away the cloth covering the window, to let in some light. As I turned to Elder Berry’s chair I was frozen with terror. I could not believe what lay before me. Before I could even make up my mind, I felt a strange cold sensation in the stale air. In primal fear, I hid beneath a pile of junk. They were here.”