A light, singsong voice echoed along the winding corridors plasted with intricate designs and ornate, ancient cabinets stuffed with worthless bric a brac. "Vanessa!" called Vanessa's agonisingly embaressing mum. "Go and start clearing out the attic will you! I've told you five times already and nag nag nag blah blah blah... if you find anthing valueable then bring it downstairs to me." Not likely.

 Vanessa hated new houses. She was good enough at getting lost as it was but with two historians for parents it was practically a hobby buying old houses. After several wrong turns and dead ends (I say several but you wouldn't believe me if I said the real number) Vanessa followed the increasingly annoying whining of her baby brother and reached what she presumed was the attic, just outside the kitchen. Tentetively she gripped the metal ladder which was fixed tightly next to the narrow sqare opening of the attic.

"Haven't you started yet?" her mother half sighed half said as she materialised in the doorway. "I can get your sister to help you if you want."

"NO!" two voices bellowed in unison and Vanessa hastily tugged the ladder off the ceiling and clambered up it before her incredibly annoying sister would have to join her.

 At first the attic was as dark as dried blood. After about ten minutes of scrambling about and clawing aimlessly at the air, Vanessa fingered a smooth swith and pressed it with a concluding click. Light illuminated the specks of glistening dust billowing from, well, everywhere. Coughing nervously, Vanessa started to wish she hadn't closed the hatch leading to the ground below - the hatch was wedged between two peices and it looked like her Mum would have to open it for her. Listening to the reasuring muffled reverberations from the arguement below, Vanessa got to work.

 It took longer than she thought. Being almost as bad as her own bedroom, it looked like it may take a couple of hours to sort through all the clutter lying on the uncleaned floor.

 It seemed like days before she had sorted the valueables from the unvalueables and pocketed an assortment of jewellery and other cool nik-naks. She took a quick look around to check she hadn't missed anything when a small shadowy patch caught her eye. It was right in the corner and seemily not affected by the warm glow f the light. Dare she go in? It could be dangerous - a broken plank could mean a broken neck. Yet Vanessa was curious...

 Catiously she crept towards the darkened patch and carfully reached out her hand. Her creeping hand sharply recoiled when it brushed against something, frilly? Regaining her confidence she plunged her hand into the black patchand hooked it onto a velvety material and slowly brought out a large, ugly china doll. She held out the doll in front of her taking in the plush, violet velvet dress covered in frills and turned it over. She almost dropped it in suprise! Instead of the pretty smiling doll with fake eyelashes as she had expected, there was an evil, ugly doll with a twisted grin and blood red lips. Horrible.

 "Vanessa! Are you finished yet? Your dinner's getting cold!" Called her mother cheerfully from downstairs. Vanessa had lost her appitite. "Coming Mum!" She called back quickly. Slowly, carefully she pushed back the crumpled curtain into the fading light to reveal a dull, filthy landscape crawling with bags or rubbish, rats and kids in drap shirts - otherwise known as the city.

 Pointing directly at a dustbin overflowing with rotting leftovers she said "Oh look - it's your new home!" And laughing she hurled the ugly doll out of the window and made her way to dinner. She didn't hear the ghastly giggling coming from outside the creased curtain...