180 The House

David knows he is outnumbered, and fatigued. But he’s not going to go down without a fight. He takes a deep breath, stands tall, and draws his sword.

Meanwhile Sophia is lost, and in despair. She feebly spins around on the spot, not knowing which way to even step. Eventually, she lies down on the ground, out of breath, and out of energy. She supports her head on a tree root.

And then she hears a little tune playing, like a wind-up mechanism. She gets up from the forest bed and heads, through the mist, towards the tinkling sound. Lying next to a tree-stump is an old-fashioned pocket-watch, and it’s playing a gentle tune. She picks it up, and looks around, but there is no sign of any owner. She lies down again and falls asleep

180  The House

David knows he is outnumbered, and fatigued. But he’s not going to go down without a fight. He takes a deep breath, stands tall, and draws his sword.

Meanwhile Sophia is lost, and in despair. She feebly spins around on the spot, not knowing which way to even step. Eventually, she lies down on the ground, out of breath, and out of energy. She supports her head on a tree root.

And then she hears a little tune playing, like a wind-up mechanism. She gets up from the forest bed and heads, through the mist, towards the tinkling sound. Lying next to a tree-stump is an old-fashioned pocket-watch, and it’s playing a gentle tune. She picks it up, and looks around, but there is no sign of any owner. She lies down again and falls asleep