[Susan Delgado]

Anna stood before the cells, considering the people inside them. She hadn't seen living people in...Well, not since the night she'd died. And why should she have? The Castle was well guarded, and didn't have much of material value anyway; there was no gold or jewels here, not that she knew of anyway, though who knew what Maladil might have hidden here?
She gave an airy sigh and peered in through the bars. She wondered how long they'd been here. She'd have thought Calimiel would've told her...well, maybe she didn't know either. Who knew?

She looked closer at the prisoners and frowned. Something seemed to be wrong with them. Three of them were lying huddled against the back wall, not moving. The fourth was sitting in the middle of the cell, hands grasping knees, rocking back and forth and moaning. The fifth was upright next the bars, hanging on them as if for support, as if he couldn't stand on his own.
He was staring at her, wide eyed. She supposed he'd never seen a ghost before.
What did he want? He opened and closed his mouth a few times but no sound came out. Maybe she should speak to him...but how? It had been a very long time since she'd done it. She closed her eyes, concentrating.

The prisoner in the cell watched in amazement as the misty figure before him lost the vaguely human shape it had and coalesced into a faintly glowing white sphere. After a moment it reformed its human shape and whispered, "hellooo"

He took a step back and nearly fell. He was weaker than he thought...how long had they been locked in here? The light was always the same, so it was nearly impossible to judge the passage of time. He grabbed onto the bars again. "HELLO!"

Anna recoiled. Why did he shout? "whaaaat's wrooong?" She should concentrate more. She repeated herself, less airily.

He peered out at her. "Hungry," he whispered.

Hungry? What was "hungry"? It had been so long. She frowned, concentrating, then faded out to the garden. Calimiel would know what he meant.

The prisoner stared at the empty space Anna had been in a moment before. What astonishment! He sank back onto the floor, exhausted. Either the ghost would return or it wouldn't, but he was too weak to bother about it anymore right now. He slept.

Anna materialised in the Rose Garden, but didn't see anyone there. She floated around the castle, but Calimiel was nowhere outside. Nor could Anna find her inside when she searched there. She did find Celumëomaryu in the Library, but she was pacing and Anna knew from experience that Calumëomaryu was not to be disturbed during her pacing.

She went back downstairs and went to the kitchen, the right-hand kitchen. She shunned the left one, the one where it had started for her, where she'd first heard the invaders. As far as she knew, the axe she'd picked up to defend her home and lost when she died was still lying in the dust on the floor, next to her own bones and covered in old blood. She shuddered at the memory.

She found the Butler in the Laundry. What was he doing there? Hello.

He turned around. Where have you been? Look at this place! Look at the dust! He continued in this vein for some time, and she waited patiently for him to stop talking. All of his rants were the same and she hadn't actually listened to one in at least a thousand years. When he stopped, she said what she had to say. I want to know about the prisoners.

He blinked. Whatever he'd expected, it certainly wasn't that. What about them?

I want to know what they're here for, and I don't like the way they're being treated. One of then said "Hungry". I think that means he wants food.

The Butler frowned. Food? He'd provided water, because he remembered that living beings needed it, but he'd forgotten that they needed food. He gave Anna an appraising look. If you don't know what they're here for, you should ask Calimiel, or Celumeomaryu. As for feeding and caring for them, why don't you do it? You certainly don't do anything else productive around here.

She frowned. That last had obviously not been intended to color his thought, but it had just the same. I'll feed them, She said shortly, and vanished.

Where would she get food? There was no vegetable garden. She could gather some leaves from the trees, but they probably wouldn't eat that. Maybe if she found something living, like a rabbit...She floated around searching, and found one, almost out of her range. It was still in reach, and how was she supposed to kill it? The prisoners wouldn't eat it alive. She pondered for a moment, then reached through its chest. She could feel its heart beating against her substance and wished its spirit well before she clenched her hands and stopped its heart.

She picked it up and took it back the library, where Celumëomaryu, for reasons of her own, always maintained a fire. She held the body over the flames until the hair had burned off and the skin was blackened. It might not be very palatable, but at least it was edible.
Watching the two wakeful prisoners attack it, though, made her realise that one just wouldn't be enough. With a sigh of resigned irritation, she went back outside. Well, it wasn't like she had anything better to do anyway, and where there was one coney, there would be more.

[ December 18, 2002: Message edited by: Susan Delgado ]