Okay, let's all have it. Follow Dennis' "rules". Cheif curmudgeons can be snotty when riled. The idea is to write as "bad" a story as we can manage here...

It was a dark & stormy night. From the throes of an empassioned dream, Sarah awoke; pulse thready from the uncertainty of knowing if she was awake or still asleep. Her massive Maine Coon cat Izzy yowled in fear & sprang from the bed, fleeing as though the very devils of Hades were hot on his tail.

Sarah sat, trembling, beads of sweat slowly accumulating on her brow. What WAS that sound from down the hall? Had the recently repaired, (albeit hastily), floorboard near the top of the stairs sprung loose because of the humidity from the thundering storm? Was one of the peely painted shutters on the other side of the narrow but charming Gothic house slamming against the mossy stone?

Uncertain but determined to face her fears bravely, Sarah trembling; drew back the comforter & pawed on the end of the massive bed for her sweater. Damn! The cat must have knocked it off in his precipitous flight. Shakily, she knelt forward until she reached the edge of the bed & trembling still, slowly reached down & blindly pawed at the cold flagstone floor. No luck. Hoping her trembling was due to cold & not rank cowardice she carefully stuck her toe down, blindly reaching for the floor. She swept her foot back & forth until she found her old slippers, then rushed to the closet & grabbed a robe. She carefully felt her way to the door & grabbed the flashlight hanging by a small hook just to the left of the light switch.

She debated turning on the light but decided if there was something BAD OUT THERE, she'd have the advantage of night vision if she left the light out. Closing her eyes, she slowly,carefully eased the door open, hoping for once it wouldn't creak, sounding like a scalded cat. She drifted through the tiny opening she made, being thin enough to be able to slip through less than a foot of space & carefully closed the door behind her. Drawing a deep breath, for courage as well as extra oxygen, she started her careful way to the head of the stairs...

next!