"I s-saw it there!" Robert said. His voice was shaking badly as the hand he pointed at the shell of the house. "I s-saw it."
The rest of the gang muttered to each other. It wasn't that they didn't believe Robert - after all, every one of them knew that the old Draycott place was haunted - it was just that they didn't want to admit it. The children knew that if they acknowledged whatever was in the house, then they would give it power.
Jenny, the oldest and hence the leader of the gang, stepped forward. "Yeah?" she challenged Robert. "What did you see? Go on."
Robert swallowed and tried to regain control of his voice. "I was in there," he finally said. "It came out of the wall. I thought it was one of you, but ... ." Robert's voice failed him, then he took a great gulp of air. "It was like an octopus, but it was coming out of the wall." He tried hard not to gabble his words, but it was too much effort to hold back. "It was long, and it touched me and it felt cold and wet. I heard it talking."
"What did it say?" Jenny demanded.
Robert shook his head and looked down at his feet. "I don't know. I couldn't understand it. But I think it was laughing at me."
Jenny put her hands on her hips and looked scornfully at her younger brother. "Go on. Show us."
Reluctantly, Robert led the gang into the Draycott house, through the broken door and into one of the rooms. "There," he said, and pointed into a corner.
Jenny pushed past him and looked round. "There's nothing here! Liar!" With the tension gone, the gang ran away, laughing as they went. They knew that if they could laugh, then they had won.
* * *
Nnnn phased back into synchronicity with the 5-space of her brother. "I win!", she declared gleefully. "You couldn't find me!"
Mmmm pouted. "That's not fair. You know you're not allowed to hide in inhabited subspaces."
"So?" Nnnn laughed at her brother. "You're just jealous because you didn't think of it. Besides, they're only 3-spacers. What are they going to do about it?"
Nnnn shifted away, giggling in delight. Her brother wasn't far behind, eager to catch her this time.
