Nathan asked her. ‘I mean, about the face on the ceiling? I genuinely feel like somebody’s trying to make contact with me. I don’t know whether they’re trying to warn me, or whether they’re trying to scare me off. I haven’t felt like this since I was a kid about ten years old, when my grandfather died. I actually heard him say “go fly your kite, Nathan”, right inside my head.’
Grace took hold of his hand and squeezed it. ‘Let’s go take a look, shall we? Then we’ll know for sure.’ She put up the hood of her short black duffel coat. ‘Maybe I should have worn a stocking mask, too.’
They climbed out of the car and crossed the street together. The sky was gradually beginning to grow lighter, with smeary gray clouds. A skein of geese flew overhead, in eerie silence.
Grace said, ‘I think they lock the main doors at night, but they have to keep the back door open in case of emergencies.’
They walked around the left-hand side of the buildings, staying deep in the shadow of the high yew hedge that separated the rest home from the residential property next door. Nathan could see lights in some of the upstairs rooms, and on the main staircase, but most of the ground floor was in darkness.
As they skirted around the rear of the kitchen block, Grace tugged at his sleeve and said, ‘Careful . . . the staff quarters are just around this next corner, and there’s always somebody in there, twenty-four seven.’
Keeping close to the ivy-covered brickwork, Nathan made his way to the end of the wall, and cautiously peeked around it. Immediately, he raised his hand and said, ‘ Ssh !’
Two members of the Murdstone’s nursing staff were standing outside the back door, talking and smoking. Nathan could smell their cigarettes from twenty yards away. One was a heavily built black orderly, in purple scrubs, and the other was a Korean nurse, in the purple-and-white striped blouse that all of the nursing staff wore.
‘Maybe we should try again tomorrow,’ said Grace. ‘After all, it’s going to be light soon.’
Nathan looked up at the sky. He was half inclined to agree with her. If there was one characteristic that was mentioned in every narrative that he had ever read about the basilisk, it was that it never ventured out during the day. Daylight would do it no harm – unlike vampires, which were famously supposed to catch fire if they were ever exposed to the sun, and burn to ash. But the basilisk’s eyes were highly photosensitive, and it was almost completely blinded by natural light. That was why it always sought out cellars and caves and crevices to hide in, and only emerged when the sun went down. As late as the 1850s, some French vintners refused to go down to their wine cellars during the day, in case they disturbed a basilisk hiding in the darkness.
‘What do you think?’ asked Grace. ‘I don’t mind coming back tomorrow, if you want to.’
At that moment, however, the orderly flicked his cigarette butt into the bushes, and the nurse dropped hers on to the ground and stepped on it. The orderly said something to the nurse and both of them laughed. Then they went back inside, closing the door behind them.
‘Come on,’ said Nathan. ‘We should still have time, if we’re quick.’
‘I’m not so sure now,’ said Grace.
‘Please – you know the layout.’
Grace hesitated, with her hand covering her mouth. Then she said, ‘OK, then. But as soon as it starts getting light, we’re out of there.’
They made their way along the back of the kitchen block to the staff quarters. The first-floor window was lit, but it was covered by a yellow calico blind. Behind the blind, Nathan saw the orderly cross from one side of the room to the other, like a character in a shadow theater. The nurse followed, although she was further away from the window, and her shadow appeared shrunken and misshapen.
He went up to the back door, which had two wired-glass panels in the upper half, and peered
Grace took hold of his hand and squeezed it. ‘Let’s go take a look, shall we? Then we’ll know for sure.’ She put up the hood of her short black duffel coat. ‘Maybe I should have worn a stocking mask, too.’
They climbed out of the car and crossed the street together. The sky was gradually beginning to grow lighter, with smeary gray clouds. A skein of geese flew overhead, in eerie silence.
Grace said, ‘I think they lock the main doors at night, but they have to keep the back door open in case of emergencies.’
They walked around the left-hand side of the buildings, staying deep in the shadow of the high yew hedge that separated the rest home from the residential property next door. Nathan could see lights in some of the upstairs rooms, and on the main staircase, but most of the ground floor was in darkness.
As they skirted around the rear of the kitchen block, Grace tugged at his sleeve and said, ‘Careful . . . the staff quarters are just around this next corner, and there’s always somebody in there, twenty-four seven.’
Keeping close to the ivy-covered brickwork, Nathan made his way to the end of the wall, and cautiously peeked around it. Immediately, he raised his hand and said, ‘ Ssh !’
Two members of the Murdstone’s nursing staff were standing outside the back door, talking and smoking. Nathan could smell their cigarettes from twenty yards away. One was a heavily built black orderly, in purple scrubs, and the other was a Korean nurse, in the purple-and-white striped blouse that all of the nursing staff wore.
‘Maybe we should try again tomorrow,’ said Grace. ‘After all, it’s going to be light soon.’
Nathan looked up at the sky. He was half inclined to agree with her. If there was one characteristic that was mentioned in every narrative that he had ever read about the basilisk, it was that it never ventured out during the day. Daylight would do it no harm – unlike vampires, which were famously supposed to catch fire if they were ever exposed to the sun, and burn to ash. But the basilisk’s eyes were highly photosensitive, and it was almost completely blinded by natural light. That was why it always sought out cellars and caves and crevices to hide in, and only emerged when the sun went down. As late as the 1850s, some French vintners refused to go down to their wine cellars during the day, in case they disturbed a basilisk hiding in the darkness.
‘What do you think?’ asked Grace. ‘I don’t mind coming back tomorrow, if you want to.’
At that moment, however, the orderly flicked his cigarette butt into the bushes, and the nurse dropped hers on to the ground and stepped on it. The orderly said something to the nurse and both of them laughed. Then they went back inside, closing the door behind them.
‘Come on,’ said Nathan. ‘We should still have time, if we’re quick.’
‘I’m not so sure now,’ said Grace.
‘Please – you know the layout.’
Grace hesitated, with her hand covering her mouth. Then she said, ‘OK, then. But as soon as it starts getting light, we’re out of there.’
They made their way along the back of the kitchen block to the staff quarters. The first-floor window was lit, but it was covered by a yellow calico blind. Behind the blind, Nathan saw the orderly cross from one side of the room to the other, like a character in a shadow theater. The nurse followed, although she was further away from the window, and her shadow appeared shrunken and misshapen.
He went up to the back door, which had two wired-glass panels in the upper half, and peered
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