Free Falls the Shadow by Daniel O'Mahony Page A

he had a vague idea of where she might be. Try to find Benny with a minimum amount of fuss. Get out of the house then return with some plausible story which might get them in legitimately.
    Ace first.
    Leaving the scullery he almost collided with one of the occupants. A man, dressed in a tweed suit and standing at the end of the passageway by a door. His back was turned to the Doctor, and the Time Lord was able to slip back into the scullery doorway and watch the man from a less conspicuous angle. The Doctor estimated that the man was in his mid‐
fifties, his white hair still flecked with grey and occasional flashes of black. Initially, the Doctor had thought that he was a short man, but he suddenly realized that the man was tall and stooping under the low ceiling. The man carried a parcel under one arm – brown paper, tied with string – and with his free hand he was trying to slot a key into the door’s lock. His hand shook and it took several attempts for him to unlock the door. Casually, the Doctor noticed that the skin on the man’s hand had a rich tan. His problems with the key over, the old man hastily pushed his way into the room, slamming the door shut after him. The key turned in the lock on the far side of the door.
    Certain it was safe to emerge, the Doctor slipped down the passage to the door and stared at the inscription stencilled on it.
    CONSERVATORY.
    Someone was talking on the far side of the door – a strong voice, wavering slightly. It was just the one voice, never interrupted, never answered. Of course – he was talking to the plants! The Doctor moved away, slipping back to the staircase. He glanced upwards, his hearts falling at the sight of countless stairs rising towards the top floor. Unless Ace was anything less than meticulous in her search for Benny, that’s where she’d be. And Ace had grown into a very meticulous young lady in the time he’d known her. He moved forward.
    The stairwell above him unfolded. The roof of the building receded, accelerating into the distance until it became infinitely high, a shaft ascending into celestial heights. Steps still ran along the inside of the shaft, winding their way towards the infinitely distant roof. The Doctor could see no further than the thirtieth or fortieth storey. Real or illusory, it was a terrifying sight. The Doctor was reminded of the optical illusion staircase, winding to join its own tail; Ouroborous, the alchemical worm, incarnate as architecture; the Möbius staircase. The illusion, the visual deception fascinated him. But weren’t there people pictured on that staircase? Miserable, ragged wretches condemned to tramp up those steps forever. It occurred to him that they would see something like this – infinite steps climbing towards an invisible vertex.
    Light flared at the top of the infinite staircase, flickering like sheet lightning. A haze of glowing light hovered in the shaft, gradually expanding, gradually descending, slowly winding down towards the ground floor. The Doctor recognized a highly unstable spatial anomaly collapsing in his direction and decided that down was a safer bet. He belted down the single flight of steps to the cellar.
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    Bernice’s mind was screaming a chorus of derision and delirium. Something sick and evil had got inside her head. It shrieked and howled, delving into her mind, picking out old memories, tearing open old wounds and fears. There were voices in her head and they burned. Her stomach was churning with nausea and her chest felt tight and trapped. She choked and retched, desperate to breathe.
    She couldn’t remember how it started. She’d been wandering lost in the darkness of the cellar. She’d found, she’d seen… no, she’d smelt it first – a sickly sweet scent of decay tainting the musty air.
Then
she’d stumbled right into… what? She couldn’t remember, except for half‐
formed glimpses flashing between more pleasant thoughts.
    Before she’d realized what it was,