Dark Wanderings
Simon walked carefully across the stone floor, treading lightly so as not to disturb the silence lingering around the empty corridors. He shielded the green-flamed candle that was held precariously in his cold hands. Anxious, he peered round the corner, checking no one was there to scold him and send him back to his moth-eaten bed down in the servant’s quarters.
The Castle was a great deal calmer at night, and that was the way Simon liked it. No Lords or Scholars sweeping round and treating the staff with the least amount of respect possible. Simon hated his life in the day; the constant scurrying around after the Master and his family, even working in the kitchen had to be better than fussing over Miss Bridget’s hair and nail polish with his mother, Mary. She was the only company Simon had most days.
No, the night was when Simon could live his life; in between the shadows and cobwebs of disused hallways he was free of duties and responsibilities, here he was just a child.
There were no lamps lit in this part of the old English battlements, and Simon had to watch that he didn’t slip on the frost that had formed on the floor in recent weeks. The halls seemed to be whispering in the dark, trying to make him feel guilty for being up at such a time of night.
His slippers were damp, he pulled his dressing gown tightly around his thin cotton pyjamas and quietly made his way round a faded tapestry hanging on the wall. Being small for his age he was still able to crawl along this secret passageway he had found so many years ago during these night wanderings.
After what must have been a good half-hour Simon eventually arrived at his destination. He came to the end of the tunnel and started up the iron-rung ladder. On reaching the trap door he heaved it open, edged out onto the floor above and closed it again, being careful that it didn’t bang. It was even colder here on the balcony; Simon’s breath seemed to fall out as pearly white smoke. He placed the candle no the ledge and gazed out over the castle grounds; all of it, including the forest at the Western boundaries, was blanketed in ice blue snow. Simon looked up into the clear night’s sky, and waited.