Midnight is a time when amazing things happen. And one midnight, in a large, drafty building, something happened. On the stroke of midnight, something so horrible (yet so wonderful) occurred in the musty old house. Something that would change history forever.
It began with the sound. There was a strange sound in the air. The sound was so soft and one could hardly hear it, but yet - it was there. The sound was rather like something small falling from a great distance, and from a place very high up. Only if you listened with all your might, then you would have heard it. No human heard this sound, but the animals did. All the strays that lurked in the smelly, wet basement heard it. They heard it very clearly. And animals always know when something is wrong. When the mice scampered frantically away and the dogs let out bone-chilling howls, you would have been very, very sure that something dreadful had happened. The thing that was supposedly falling from the ceiling fell suddenly with a loud clatter on the stone floor, splashing water everywhere. The clatter echoed around the cold basement, and it left you with the strange feeling that you were being watched by unseen eyes. The ripples spread through the water, and when the water gently splashed against the animals, they all knew instinctively that they wanted to get away from the damp and musty room as fast as they could. And if you had been there, you would have ran faster than you ever had before. But no human heard it, except for a grubby figure hunched in the corner. Because of all the hubbub from the panicking animals, no one saw the figure reach into the water, precisely at the point of the splash, and slip something into its pocket.
On the other side of the house, a girl stirred lazily. She yawned and stretched. When she was fully awake, she pulled her hand up close to her eyes, gazing at the luminous face of her watch. It was almost 1 o' clock in the morning, a time far from midnight, but not far enough for Lorissa's liking. Lorissa had grown up in a superstitious environment and had been led to believe midnight was a horrible time.
It began with the sound. There was a strange sound in the air. The sound was so soft and one could hardly hear it, but yet - it was there. The sound was rather like something small falling from a great distance, and from a place very high up. Only if you listened with all your might, then you would have heard it. No human heard this sound, but the animals did. All the strays that lurked in the smelly, wet basement heard it. They heard it very clearly. And animals always know when something is wrong. When the mice scampered frantically away and the dogs let out bone-chilling howls, you would have been very, very sure that something dreadful had happened. The thing that was supposedly falling from the ceiling fell suddenly with a loud clatter on the stone floor, splashing water everywhere. The clatter echoed around the cold basement, and it left you with the strange feeling that you were being watched by unseen eyes. The ripples spread through the water, and when the water gently splashed against the animals, they all knew instinctively that they wanted to get away from the damp and musty room as fast as they could. And if you had been there, you would have ran faster than you ever had before. But no human heard it, except for a grubby figure hunched in the corner. Because of all the hubbub from the panicking animals, no one saw the figure reach into the water, precisely at the point of the splash, and slip something into its pocket.
On the other side of the house, a girl stirred lazily. She yawned and stretched. When she was fully awake, she pulled her hand up close to her eyes, gazing at the luminous face of her watch. It was almost 1 o' clock in the morning, a time far from midnight, but not far enough for Lorissa's liking. Lorissa had grown up in a superstitious environment and had been led to believe midnight was a horrible time.
