Flying Without Wings

“Enter, my darlings enter don’t be shy,” warbled out the disembodied voice. Bastian, Lydia, Johnny and I shuffled into the great hall like an eight legged, four headed monster. I could feel my temporary heads swiveling and looking up at the roof and around the room as I was. The inside of the house was as menacing as the outside looked and was even bigger, I was looking around searching for the source of the voice. Just like on the tram the voice belonged to a faceless person, then it spoke again. “Ah Beatrice how lovely you are, so glad you could make it, oh and you brought some wine how unnecessary, just give it to Bear and he will set it down for you. Bastian how tall you are, where did those genes come from? Not your grandfather that’s for sure he was a tiny man he he.” I spun around breaking our spider-like pack hoping to find the body of the voice. I was still grasping my merlot feeling it was a little pathetic and ran right into the chest of a great hairy man. My eyes barely met where his nipples would be if they weren’t covered by such a tight vest. The mammoth of a man had been squeezed into a tiny black tuxedo. Bear, I could only assume, stood well over 7 feet and had short black hair plastered to his scalp, a large bulbous nose and a prominent jawline. He resembled a gorilla in size and smell but seemed to have the IQ of a gnat. His paw-like hands were clasping a baroque gold tray and he was holding out expectantly. I was frozen to the spot so Bastian plucked the wine out of my hands and placed the bottle on the tray. Bear grunted approvingly and looked at me sadly. His eyes were small, bright green and slightly hidden behind a thick layer of matted black eyelashes, peculiarly they were the same length the whole way round his eye. “Isn’t he sweet?” Our bodyless host chimed from above. After this recognition Bear turned and disappeared through a silver beaded curtain, it parted and tinkled back together like a delicate wind chime tickled by a summer’s breeze. “And you must be Johnny” the voice continued, “and Lydia, so glad you both could make it, but where is your treasure? Where is your Angha?”

“Um,” Lydia stuttered glancing to her feet.

“You don’t know where he is do you?” the sing song voice turned harsh, “Well you two can just wait in the room at the top of the stairs until we find him.”

“What’s an Angha?” I whispered into Bastian’s ear leaning into him for safety, I had a very bad feeling about this place and the person behind that voice. Bastian just shrugged his slim shoulders and continued to gaze around the hall still searching for the source of the voice.

“Bear! Take them upstairs,” it shouted. Bear came trudging back into the room and grunted at Lydia and Johnny. Timidly they followed him towards the staircase. The great curved staircase was as black as the night sky outside. Bear lumbered along stiffly struggling to take long steps in his taut pants. Lydia and Johnny had finally stopped groping at each other and were looking around at the bizarre house we had entered. Even though we had just met them I didn’t want to be separated from them and watched Lydia until she disappeared down the hallway at the top of the stairs. From the corridor they had just been led down appeared the woman that had been speaking. “Hello lovelies, my name is Zenasia and I shall be your host for this evening’s party, I am sure you both were just so excited to be invited to this soirée. Welcome to my home.” She brandished her arms widely and slowly descended the staircase. She was smiling down at us and kept her eyes locked on me as she took each step, I felt like I was an intern back in the office when one of my colleagues was trying to assert their authority, this was a power play and I tried to hold her gaze. Zenasia was slender and tall, her skin was milky white and she had short tight curls as blonde as her skin was pale. She wore a maroon crushed velvet gown that shimmered with rubies, amethysts and clinking gold chains that glittered with each step she took. As she got closer I could see that each of her long bony fingers was adorned with a gleaming ring, and that her pointed nails were painted black just like my own. When she was just a few paces away I could smell the same cinnamon scent that Audrey exuded but Zenasia had none of the allure or warmth. Neither Bastian nor I moved towards her, we stayed where we were as if glued to the spot, and each other. She kissed Bastian and me on the cheek three times each and looked down at Marvillo. She shook her head disapprovingly and pulled a dagger from beneath the folds of her gown, slowly she bent down and cut the thick straps that were keeping his wings pressed down. He stretched out his long leathery wings and flapped happily.

“We would have undone them.” Bastian muttered looking at the ruined straps on the floor.

Zenasia’s eyes widened and her matte black lips curled into a longing smile as she watched Marvillo stretch and hover.

“That’s better isn’t it Marvillo.” She whispered to him.

I had no idea how she knew his name, we hadn’t told her or anyone else for that matter but I had no time to ask her or ask anything else for that matter but I didn’t get the chance to ask, as soon as Marvillo was free she ushered us towards another large door, this one was dark oak in colour. It was on the opposite wall whence we came I didn’t like being led deeper into this strange house. The door, like the front one, was garlanded with another bronze animal head and knocker, this time the eyes of a doe were staring up at us.

“Curious to have knockers inside the house isn’t it?” I asked looking at Zenasia. But she didn’t answer me, she just smiled that black smile sweetly and reached out one of her long, pale fingers, she touched the protruding eye of the doe and waited. A click sounded from within the door, she pushed it open and stood aside, waiting for us to enter. Bastian bravely stepped through first this time and he beckoned me to follow him, I did and again was showered with golden light and beautiful music only this room was also full of people. I grasped Bastian’s warm hand and Marvillo landed lightly on my shoulder and gave a low growl, I hadn’t heard him growl before he must not like the house either, but it didn’t really matter at this stage I felt there was no turning back, so together we entered the Secret Garden Party.